Zakk and Kim Do Asia!: A New Chapter

Well, our time at Hope for the Island has officially come to a close. We felt somewhat like we did the first night we left Canada on the eve before our departure. This tropical paradise had become our home and it was not easy to leave behind. During our last dinner, the lovely ladies who make Hope function as wonderfully as it does wrote us a song and told us what they'll each miss about us. We really felt the love, and even shed some tears as we remembered our time together. We were also bid adieu by the local youth, and some of the young adult ministry we partook in. It was an emotional evening.

The morning of our departure we were to take the local transportation to the airport. We were met at the road by a few of the ladies, and the family of the maintenance worker, Jerry. It was tough to leave them behind, but we were glad to have shared life and laughs with them while we could.

All in all we look at our time at Hope very fondly. We became part of a new, much shorter family and had the chance to share the gospel with some of the locals, even though we didnt share a common language. We found that in general, people of the Philippines are extremely friendly, hospitable, and loving. It was an experience of a lifetime and we will certainly never forget our time at Hope for the Island.

Since leaving, we have spent nearly a week in Bangkok, Thailand and have been enjoying the change of pace and atmosphere. Palm trees have been traded for skyscrapers, and dirt roads for pavement. The rice remains however. We will be exploring rural Thailand soon, and find that we are already missing the blue skies and smog-free salt air that we enjoyed for the past "winter" months. We have more regular access to internet now and will try to post pictures as we go, though in all honesty, it is hard to remember in the whirlwind of activity we are experiencing.

We hope to share all sorts of stories with you when we return, and are always open to finding a friendly email in our inbox. Thank you for your love and prayers, we are doing great!