Katie is in double digits!! Holy cake saga

Dear Katie,

We had such fun thinking about where to take a picture for you. We thought, “Hmmm what matters to Katie?” Well, we know for one thing that you will really miss having a cake made by Grammy. It’s funny how that tradition has grown, when I’m not even that good of a cake maker really. Anyway, you suggested we just bake a cake or make a cake out of paper or something and then take a picture of it. That’s when we knew you really, seriously expected some kind of cake representation. SO, we decide on a plan and started it into motion. But, as always is the case, things don’t quite go as planned, so we now present to you some pictures of a cake, but also, the long story of the cake.

Just last week in a very foreign land, a Grammy and Grampy wanted to make a cake for their granddaughter to help her remember how much they love her. She would not be able to eat the cake, but she would at least see a picture and understand the love behind it. So they set out to try. Their oven is very little and the ingredients here are not quite the same as at home, plus this oven likes to burn things, so they decided, well if it is not a cake to be eaten, just one to see, then let’s have it made by a bakery. So they went to a little place that they knew of that makes cakes, and they ordered it. This place is tiny. They only knew that it could make cakes because a person told them. It looks like a not so nice place, like you might go there to by bicycle tires, but they are a bakery.

Now this Grammy and Grampy don’t speak the same language as the people in this foreign land, so Grampy wrote down very carefully that he wanted a banana cake and what he wanted the cake to say. The people said ok and he paid for the cake. The next day, he went to pick up the cake, and he got it home and there was no frosting, no writing! Hmm he thought, that’s no good, but they took a picture of the cake which was unfrosted and a little burned, not at all lovely, thinking maybe it will do, since it is not really for eating anyway. But they were not happy, so they took the cake back to the bakery and said, “It has no frosting.” And they said, “oh but we don’t frost banana cakes.” And the

G & G said, “but we ordered a banana cake and then wrote down what we wanted it to say in the frosting” and the bakery person said, “yes, but we don’t frost banana cakes.” So finally the Grampy said, do you have any frosting, and they did. He asked if they could just frost this cake as if it is not a banana cake. They were not happy to do it because they don’t frost banana cakes you know, but they agreed and frosted the cake, and it looked beautiful. The Grammy and Grampy wondered why the baker accepted the paper telling the words to write in frosting if they were not planning to frost the cake since it was a banana cake and they don’t frost banana cakes. But oh well, the G & G are getting used to setting aside these un-answerable questions and move along, and now they had a frosted cake.

They took the cake to V J’s house to take a picture of her and to share some of the cake. The Grammy and Grampy tasted the cake. The banana cake was delicious, but the frosting was pure shortening!! It was colored pink, and so it tasted like shortening with the bitter flavor of food coloring added. The white part underneath was actually pure shortening. Oh the G & G were now so happy that their granddaughter would only be able to see the cake, not taste it with that thick, pink, greasy shortening on it. And there was more good news: the G & G gave cake to everyone they saw that day and the next, and everyone loved it!! They gave cake to V J's family, the Elders, to the people at the church playing basketball, to the people they had meetings with, to the family they visited. Everyone they gave cake to asked why there was a cake, so they would say it is for our granddaughter. People then looked very puzzled and the G & G would tell them the story of how their granddaughter was very far away, but she loved cake made by her Grammy, so this was the simulation of cake, and she would only see the picture. The people were very happy that the girl had a birthday, because they got to share the cake that she could only see. And the girl was happy, knowing her Grammy and Grampy were sharing cake all over the island of Negros and telling people of their love for their granddaughter.

So that’s the long cake story.

We also took a picture of the little local library, inside and out, so you could see what it is like, since we know that libraries are also very important to you. The little sign below the "hello" sign says "children's corner"

Katie, you are such a blessed girl. God has given you all the necessary things—love, home, the gospel, parents who love you. And then he gave you so many extra, lovely, comfortable things—a brilliant mind, wonderful siblings and extended family, the comforts and safety of an affluent community, a powerful desire to do good and to see the needs of others. We are so proud of you. We see in you such promise. We miss you like crazy, and hope you know that though we are learning to love the people here, including some children, no one can ever replace you. Our hearts are growing bigger so we can love more, but your place in our heart will always be truly and safely yours.

A bit if refreshment after a hard days work! They don't let you take the bottles so the drink gets poured into a plastic bag with a straw. This drink comes in a green bottle so we didn't know it was this bright nuclear yellow. It tastes like mountain dew and is called Lift.




Happy Birthday dear, darling Kate. We love you immensely.