(Good Morning)
Ever see the movie Home Alone, where they run through the airport and barely make their flight? Yeah... that was us on the 10th. We had an unexpected long line at check-in and needed some last minute permissions for Bekah to fly, but eventually made it to the plane with a few minutes to spare. We flew from LAX to Guam (12 hours), where we had a 2 hour wait while the engine was repaired and the plane fueled up. Then we flew to Manila (3 hours) and arrived early morning of the 12th. A Filipino informed us that Philippine Airline (PAL) actually stands for Philippines Always Late.
Day 1 (12th)
We arrived at the Yunjin Ministry Center and started with a tour of the YMC and walked to the other extensions that are spread out among the local squatters: school, boys & girls home, dental center, library. The newest building projects underway are new classrooms, pregnancy center and pool. We returned to the center for dinner, received our assignments for the next two weeks and lead the nightime devotional at the boys & girls home. Bekah, Jessica, Jennifer and I put the girls to bed and got to know some of the girls. It was evident from the few minutes we were able to talk with the girls, that they are coming from hard lives and think about things very differently than we do. Jennifer shared about being pregnant and they were perplexed that it was a good thing. One of the girls, Donna, withdrew from the conversation because in her mind joy in pregnancy could not be accepted. Please be praying for these girls that they may know redemption in Christ and healing from their past.
Day 2 (13th)
We began the next morning with breakfast and reading, and took off for our prospective projects. For the next couple days the girls will be in the library organizing all the books into the the Dewey Decimal System. We are entering all the books into the computer, labeling, organizing & shelving all the books so that the students can access them by subject and grade level. The boys will be working on a construction project that involves building a third floor on top of the current dental center and classroom building. They are hand mixing cement, carrying buckets, pouring into molds and climbing trees with the locals. Afterward Daniel made sure to schedule his massage for the evening. Later that evening we went to TayTay the local mall to exchange our money and grab dinner. On the way we were able to ride a trike which in essence is a moped with an attached cart, our current record including the driver is 8 people, we are working up to 10! We also rode the Filipino cross between a jeep and party bus, which is called a Jeepney. They are decorated with bright colors, and fit probably 10 more people than it should.
Day 3 (14th)
We started this morning out with Trevor's beloved mangoes. Imagine the juiciest, sweetest, most perfectly ripe mango and then times it by 50 because you cannot really imagine how great it is. We are all heading off to our projects. Please pray that we would be faithful to use the little moments and big moments to show and share the love of Christ. We will have two little workers with us today in the library, Karis and Chin. Pray that language barriers can be overcome for Daniel and Trevor as they work alongside the men and share the gospel.
Been working my way through Romans and read this yesterday morning which has become my prayer for our team as we minister alongside Kids International Ministries:
Romans 12:9-13
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
Team Phrase: "Boom!"
We began the next morning with breakfast and reading, and took off for our prospective projects. For the next couple days the girls will be in the library organizing all the books into the the Dewey Decimal System. We are entering all the books into the computer, labeling, organizing & shelving all the books so that the students can access them by subject and grade level. The boys will be working on a construction project that involves building a third floor on top of the current dental center and classroom building. They are hand mixing cement, carrying buckets, pouring into molds and climbing trees with the locals. Afterward Daniel made sure to schedule his massage for the evening. Later that evening we went to TayTay the local mall to exchange our money and grab dinner. On the way we were able to ride a trike which in essence is a moped with an attached cart, our current record including the driver is 8 people, we are working up to 10! We also rode the Filipino cross between a jeep and party bus, which is called a Jeepney. They are decorated with bright colors, and fit probably 10 more people than it should.
Day 3 (14th)
We started this morning out with Trevor's beloved mangoes. Imagine the juiciest, sweetest, most perfectly ripe mango and then times it by 50 because you cannot really imagine how great it is. We are all heading off to our projects. Please pray that we would be faithful to use the little moments and big moments to show and share the love of Christ. We will have two little workers with us today in the library, Karis and Chin. Pray that language barriers can be overcome for Daniel and Trevor as they work alongside the men and share the gospel.
Been working my way through Romans and read this yesterday morning which has become my prayer for our team as we minister alongside Kids International Ministries:
Romans 12:9-13
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
Team Phrase: "Boom!"
Thanks so much for the update Joelle. Glad to hear what you all are up to.
ReplyDeleteLoved hearing about your time so far! Darren and I are now craving some sweet Filipino mangoes! Darren says to not forget to try some fresh, warm pandasal....Thinking about you all and praying for each of you.
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