My Guys

Books & Books

At the book signing, Books & Books, Coral Gables Florida.

I wrote chapter 6 in "Women Moving Forward: Justice,

Toward a System of Right Relationships"

with editor Raul Fernandez-Calienes,

whom I also know from the Broward County Human Trafficking Working Group

Florida

Sighting Manatees with my sons.

Always incredible!

Good Morning

This is a staircase I made outside my backdoor.

It's on the side of a mountain in Antipolo, Victoria Valley.

It was still there, after all these years.

The last step says INGAT (Be Careful!)

a God Rock

I had the chance to visit the home we lived in for over a decade. Here is the stone in front of the house, that I realized gave me much inspiration, both artistically and spiritually. Do you believe in deriving spiritual inspiration from a rock? There is much insight to be had from rocks and stones (they've been around a lot longer than we have). I feel like I "cultivated" this rock, as I watered and planted around it, and that it shed it's 'light' on me.
If you look at many of my paintings, you can pick up on the inspiration that I took from this rock, and others.

Revisiting Past Dreams & Plans

I was able to revisit a piece of land that we nearly bought in 1999, before being redirected to go to the United States. This is a very large area of multiple lots, owned by a bank. They were about to sell to CCDF at a great price, and at the last minute they changed their mind on selling, unexplainably, but we knew that God's hand was in it. This would have been "pioneering" in the extreme to cultivate this roughed, mountainous piece of property. It has a great view of the Taktak river and overview of the metropolis of Manila.

God knows what's best.

Driving is dangerous in Manila

it's always best to be cautious

Kanlungan Center for Street Children, Manila, Philippines

MAYOR LIM IS BACK!

"Go ahead punk, make my day, !"

one of the many girls at the center. they are so precious

Paintings by Street Children

The Street Kids

I took these pictures of some of the kids at the Kanlungan Center for Street Children in Manila, our partner ministry. I would like Mark to continue to do a series of portraits of Filipinos, since the one that we had at the show (and sold) received a lot of feedback. So, while I was taking these photos, other folks began to throw jokes at us (Filipinos are REAL JOKERS): they claimed I was training these kids in how to take mug shots so that they'll be ready once they get arrested, and that they were preparing for their future in jail!! These kid's tender spirits were already transformed by the Holy Ghost, so they all could laugh at the joke because it is less of a reality for them.

Whatshisname

Good old whats-his-name visited Mark's art show at the Rockwell Center, Makati, in July 2007.

If you know who this is, leave a comment on the blog.

Dominique

at our art show

& Starbucks of course

This summer in Manila, I was able to finally meet with Dominique, the son of Cathy our

co-worker. Cathy died unexpectedly in March 2007. Dominique is the only child, and his father is an American soldier who abandoned them, just like Cathy's own father had done, in previous military times. Dominique is 3/4 American but has no American rights. Please pray for us as we pursue God's plan for Dominique's rights. Pray for him in his time of grieving and adjusting to a new life. He is living in a dorm and taking studies to become a nurse.

I LOVE "THE WORD"

but not when it's coming through this man's body

scary eyes

Lotsa religious telabision in da Pilipines

no wonder people are confused

Television in Manila is so much more interesting....

I spent the summer in Manila, and was able to watch cable television. It's amazing how much of the WORLD you learn about in a foreign country!! Not like here in the US where we live in a sludge bowl of media--plenty of channels and no content! And we are so ignorant of the world.

Japanese Guy (plenty-o-kung fu fightin)
The BBC is always great (albeit a snooze factor sometimes)
Was this Al Jezera? I don't know, but I enjoyed learning about the pilgrimages and seeing the Holy sites of Saudi Arabia.
"hey friend, whassup?"
They also had channels from Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and China.

Lots of dance

For the Green League: a sampling of images for consideration for the Green Directory

Asleigh prints his postcards on "Astrobright" card stock, as you can see in these images, but we can get permission to reprint them in just black ink, on whatever recycled paper we end up using. I have more than 100 appropriate "pot-shots" to choose from, if you all are interested in obtaining these for the directory.

Let me know your feedback and comments!

As I mentioned in the Green League post, our shop- Mission Gifts- will be a distributor of Ashleigh Brilliant products, in the near future. I love his stuff! I was first introduced to his postcards in Berkeley 25 years ago, and I kept a flipbook of my favorite postcards, as a Laugh Therapy Kit during the dark days of the Revolution in the Philippines (he has some that are very lighthearted--more than 10,000 now).

christmas 2006 with family on a cellphone

im tired of cleaning my kids room

proud parents

my dad, Frank G. Haines, and Mark's mom, Beverly Merrill

at the show of Mark's artwork at Butterfly World, Florida

opening reception April 13, 2007

my son john and husband mark

Seder Dinner

Just one of the Seder dinner's we went to this year.

My kids are becoming very Jewish here in South Florida.

(They even blow the shofar)

Spring Break 2007 in ?

Morrocco (Disney's Epcot) saying hi to our good friends, the Morris family

Orlando......Disney's Animal Kingdom

my kids

i took these pictures of my children through a glass cube divider

in a wall at a chinese restaurant

"Abstract Realities"

I'm having a show right now at the Upper Room Art Gallery in Fort Lauderdale Florida. It's a bit of a retrospective on my paintings, about 20 pieces from the past 10 years. February 3- April 28, 2007.

"ON MY HONOR

I WILL TRY...."
boy scout statue, downtown Manila

Siestas

are a good thing

the new cultural center

at the new, overly expensive

Cultural Center in Miami Beach.

nice waves

anniversary dinner

watching the cruise ships go right by us at an outdoor restaurant.

they are unbelievably huge, like floating cities.

15 Years

Mark & Robin Merrill, celebrating the 15th wedding anniversary, on Miami Beach

MABUHAY!!!!

LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION!!!

"I was there!" EDSA People Power Revolution, February 23, 1986

what a week

my four year old split his head open
his first football injury
8 stitches

My Husband

on the street in front of our ministry center, downtown ft. lauderdale florida
mark's version of a prayer walk

his light: a lit cigar

he said: "i'll be the smoke offering"

he walked behind me as i carried the candle (far behind me)

he blew smoke in the air and declared

"holy--holy--holy"

i appreciate his participation

Prayer Walk

in Fort Lauderdale

with a Mission Gifts handmade paper candle cover

bringing the light of Christ to the streets

My 2 Boys

rare extremely lovable

Rose Kyle, the Saint

Visiting Gramma Rose in the old folks home.

She has been my mainstay and spiritual guidepost in life.

Visiting Mom over Christmas

2006

My Siblings

In birthorder

Celebrity Dentist

With the outrageous cost of medicine in the US, we have to get all of our medical and dental work done in the Philippines, where it's more affordable. Here I am getting a tooth yanked by Doc Buizon.

Amazing find

I made a nostalgic trip back to my neighbourhood in the mountains of Antipolo, a subdivision called Victoria Valley. I found these signs still hanging all over....my husband Mark painted these signs 10 years ago, in response to the widespread fires. It was our feeble attempt to stop the 'slash and burn' tactics that destroyed the land and our homes. The burning continues, but the signs remain!

Samaritana Center Opening Reception

Melba Maggay, Arlene Villaver, Robin Merrill, & Thelma Nambu

Long time no see