Uche learns to hug

There are two things that remind me that we are back in California. The first one is the allergies I get from pollen that turn my eyes red and watery. I also sneeze a lot which causes my nose to run, and I get a headache afterwards. I can sneeze up to six times in one long sneeze. I'm glad there are allergy pills that work for me.

The other reminder is the number of hugs I recieve from our church family and friends. Their hugs are quite infectious and it shows how much the people here love. Each time Sarah and I return back to Redding, our home in the States, we always recieve a tremendous amount of warm hugs from almost everyone in our church, that's a lot of hugs. It sure blows my socks off how much the people here are able to show love in different ways including hugging. I've been infected and I don't think twice before I hug people back. I also initiate hugs sometimes! I remember when we first arrived in Manila and I ran into a Filipino friend. Out of excitement I reached out and gave him a warm bear hug but afterwards I realized that he wasn't too excited about it and I told myself that this guy would be hugging every one of his friends too if he spends only one year in Oak Grove (our church in Redding), that is unless he is my father in law who is probably the only one in our church who doesn't hug (but he doesn't love any less either).

Every hug I recieve here reminds me how warm and loving and accepting the people here are and I love them all a lot. I aslo love the way they hug.