Malasakit...

This past week went by really fast and I am sure this next week will go by even faster! I cannot believe it is already my last week! It's kind of sad in a lot of ways! This life is becoming more normal for me! And, I am getting used to everything more and more everyday. It is hard to imagine going back to life as it was before I got here. It will definitely feel weird at first. It seems like I have been here for such a long time!

Last Monday we hiked to these waterfalls on Samal Island. I saw pictures before we got there! They are beautiful. They are supposed to be clear blue waters. However, since it had rained the night before they were all muddy. We did jump off of the cliff into the water below though and I got to slide down this rock into the water. It was a lot of fun. We then went over to the Bat Cave they have on the Island here. You don't actually go inside (which is what I was expecting). But, you just look into the entrance. They also have these holes in the top where you can look down into the cave. There are about 3 million bats that live inside. I never realized how horrible bats smell either. It was really interesting to see!

On our way back to the orphanage we had a really nice cab driver. He was so sweet. And he tried to teach us Cebuano words and we tried to teach him some english ones. lol. He taught us the word Malasakit. It apparently means something you can't really express in english words. But, it is something like love. He said you know you have Malasakit when you can give everything of yourself and it is ok if you get nothing in return. He was like,"That is what you have for those kids!" haha. It was so cute!!! And really neat to hear someone tell you how one word means but they have to use a paragraph in english and even then it still doesn't quite capture the meaning.

This past week I got the chance to iron a good bit for the laundry lady at the orphanage. She has such a big job. Filipinos are really big on smelling good and since it is so hot here they change multiple times a day. So, mulitply that by like 50 kids and you have yourself a really big job. Especially since they don't use washing machines!!! It's crazy!

On Tuesday I accompanied Nanay and Mary-D to the school. My arm was really scraped up from skiing and there was a Filipino crowd nearby. When I passed them they asked Nanay a question. And all I heard was "white girl". So, I asked what they said and she told me they were wondering what had happened to the "white girls arm". haha. It made me laugh! People here are really nosy. And it is funny because I wonder why it matters to them what happened to my arm? haha. People are really open here about every detail of their lives and they want to know every detial of yours. Even ones you may not want to share! Lol.

That day coming back we saw one of the girls fathers on the street. Nanay told me that he had chosen to remarry and support his new wife instead of his own daughter. That made me really sad! I don't understand some of these parents and their poor decisions. It makes me so upset to think of all these kids and how some of their parents just didn't want them!

MJ has found a fascination with all of the scrapes I have on my body. And she thinks it is hilarious to punch them, scrape them, etc...So, that has been a lot of fun this past week! HAHA! THe other night I was sitting on my bed and she kept puckering her lips at me (that is what they do to point here...instead of using their finger. The gesture still kind of confuses me sometimes because I forget what it means). I finally figured out she was pointing behind my head so I looked to see two big lizards right above me. I chased them away and then she gave me a thumbs up sign! HAHA! It was so funny.

I finally got to interview someone that works at the orphanage this past week. I think a lot of them are confused about how you get saved. But, I wonder if it is because it just isn't like it is in the USA where you pray a prayer or go down the Aisle. When I asked him when he got saved he said he didn't remember? I think I might follow up on that later.

I have been helping the kids with homework a lot this past week. IT has been kind of fun! Everything I do here requires patience though because the kids are SO SLOW at reading english and I have to sit there while it takes them about 30 minutes to get through a small paragraph. God is really teaching me patience! I also found out MJ is a perfectionist. Who knew? I sat there with her while she tried to draw and "A" for about an hour! She kept erasing it until she got it perfect. haha.

We spent Thursday and Friday up at the church labeling clothes for the bazaar. I managed to stab myself pretty hard with the gun in my finger! HAHA! It took a lot of time because of all the stuff we had. WE took a break one day and went to eat a snack. One of the workers accidently left a candle burning on a plastic chair and when we got back from snack it had completely melted the chair! We were so glad nothing else had been damaged!!!

This past week it has been really good to see my girls act like kids. I don't get to see that too often because they have so much responsibility!!! They are always cleaning or working or something. But, there was one night this last week where we got to just goof off in the room and I was so glad to see their childlike attitude come out!

I found out this past week Mount Apo is a volcano! I was so shocked!!! I was telling on of the workers I would love to see a volcano and they were like,"There is one right over there!You see it everyday!" haha.

Nanay gets her break FINALLY this next week. She gets a break today-Wednesday. So, I will be doing everything she does for the next week! It should be interesting to see if the girls will get out of bed for me or not! Lol. And, it should be interesting helping them with their homework since I can't speak the language! She told me this past week she is going to miss me when I leave! It was really sweet! I love her!!!

This past week we also did some painting at the school for the preschool room as well as pass out fliers for the kids club they are having. On Saturday afternoon we went with the pastor to cell groups on the beach. It was really neat to see all the kids who lived down by the sea playing games, singing songs and hearing a bible story! I really enjoyed it!

One of my girls told me this past week that she would miss me and she gave me one of her only two necklaces to remember her by! I didn't want to accept it since she only has two necklaces. But, she insisted. It really made me want to cry! Yesterday I was telling Sarah it hadn't hit yet that we were leaving. But, yesterday was our last day at church. And while I was sitting there watching the kids sing and MJ turn around and smile at me I just lost it. I bawled my eyes out!!! Mj came up and gave me a BIG hug before bed and told me goodnight (she has never done that before). I am goign to have a hard time leaving these kids on Saturday!!!

After working on the Bazaar this past week we had an outing to this place kind of like Lowes. It was fun to walk around. We got free ice tea!!! I enjoyed being out doing something normal in society for once!!! We don't do that often! lol. We also went to get some glass at Mama C's old house.

This past week Mary D was telling me how bad she wanted an english bible and how bad she also wanted a small bible. She was talking about how cute mine was. And, so, I told her I would give it to her when I left! She was so excited. She would have a better use for it than I would. I have so many Bible's back int he USA. However, I will miss reading it for the couple days I am flying home and at debrief! Maybe I can borrow someone elses. (I hope you don't mind Ben my giving away the Bible you gave me! It's for a good cause).

Two nights this week I have woken up to HUGE cockroaches crawling all over me!!! It has been so gross! It really creeps me out!!!

I have been sick these past three days. I have some type of cold. but, it is the worst cold I think I have ever had. Not only is my nose stuffy but my chest and throat are killing me. It's really hard to breathe. I have been really achy and weak. I can only walk for a little bit before I feel like i need to lay down RIGHT THEN!!! I hate feeling like this!!!! I am so busy all the time. I don't have time for this! Lol. Especially not on the week Nanay is gone. I also got pink eye. Which, it wasn't just a little bit. It was HORRIBLE pink eye. If any of you remember those two years in VBS I had gone to the eye doctor and the corners of my eyes were red. They looks so freaky and they looked like they were bleeding! That is how it has been! haha. It has been an interesting couple days with all of that!!!

Luckily it has rained this week! Last week it didn't rain at all so it was getting really hot and nasty. Thankfully it is back to pouring rain EVERYDAY! Lol. I am thankful for it though. There was actually a breeze in my room all night long the other night. It felt kind of like I had airconditioning! KIND OF! haha.

Yesterday cracked me up. After church last night we looked outside and our ride back to the orphanage was a big dump truck! HAHA. I just smiled and was like,"You have got to be kidding me". It was jammed packed full of kids. And not only that, but it was a stick shift. So, imagine what happened with that many people whenever it jolted or came to a sudden stop! HAHA! I think I hurt a few people trying to balance and keep myself from falling over. I came pretty close to wiping out a couple times! I finally got to the edge where I could get a good grip on something. But, even then the tree limbs kept hitting my head from up above me. I was telling Cameron and Sarah,"What are we going to do whenever we don't have random things happen to us like this all the time? Life is always interesting and full of weird surprises here!" One thing is for sure: I laugh more here than I do at home. Everything is just so hilarious!!!

Last night I was so hungry after dinner and luckily two of the workers noticed. They took us down to a shop to get some Hany (their chocolate here) and a 7 up. I was so thankful!!! I was starving!!! I am becoming addicted to Hany! I will miss it at home!! lol.

Since we are leaving here soon everyone keeps asking when we will be returning. It is kind of sad knowing we may never see them again and they are not just a car drive away. I mean, it costs thousands of dollars to come see them. It's hard to tell them we might not come back. In fact, I haven't. We have been making facebook accounts for a lot of the workers here so we can keep in touch! That makes me laugh1 They have no idea how to use facebook. haha. So, we have to give them lessons.

This next week we are taking a couple of the workers out to lunch and a movie. We are paying. They never get to do fun stuff like that! It should be really fun!

Today we are going to Paradise Island to go Scuba diving and then we are going to the G Mall to shop.

I am really going to miss this place. I will be missing telling the kids goodnight all the time! It is going to be hard to come back home! But, in some ways I am ready to see everyone back home again. I guess this is one of those no win situations, huh?

Debrief is from Sunday to Wednesday. I will most likely just want to get home at that point. haha. I leave the kids Sunday at noon! So, pray for all of us! It is going to be so hard to leave them! It will be hard to leave this place. Pray for my last week and that Christ will give more opportunities to help out and speak to others about Christ. Pray that I will get better. This sickness really stinks!!! And, pray for the kids and me as we say goodbye to each other. It is super hard on them too!

I have been amazed to see the missionaries here and how they operate. They find so many ways to tell people about Christ. I have been blown away at the inventive things they have come up with! Because it isn't like the IMB just sits them down, holds their hand and tells them everything they need to do! I have just been really excited to see what they have been up to and the ways they have found to reach out to the people! I hope I can be that inventive one day!

Ghetto Skiiing...

This past week felt like the longest week since I have been here. I am not sure what it was about the week. But, it didn't go by fast. ha. Monday we did some shopping at the SM Mall and we also watched a movie. Lizzy met up with us for dinner and then she came back to the orphanage with us. She stayed in my room with me. It was nice to have a friend over int he girls house to talk to when falling asleep at night and to just hang out with all the time. She is so funny! She also let me use her computer to get on Skype and I got to call home for the first time in five weeks! It was really nice!!! I needed it this week too!

Lately the girls have been fighting more. This past week I had to literally pull two girls off of each other who were hitting,kicking and pulling out each other's hair by the chunks. I asked what they were saying to each other and one of the older girls said one of them called the other one ugly. haha. Nanay and me laughed about it a little bit but the girls definitely got in trouble for it!!!

This past week we also had a group of kids run away from the orphanage. Someone found them and brought them back! It was a big deal. ANd one of the workers got fired over it. They were a good friend of mine. IT was kind of a sad week in that respect. Everyone was sad because they fired this one worker and the kids were in big trouble.

Lizzy was here filming our team for the video she is putting together for NEhemiah Teams for the summer. I went with her to take the kids lunch at the school one day this past week. While I was there TONS of kids swarmed us. I was so tired that day. And they kept talking to me in Cebuano. So, I couldn't really understand what they were saying. They were touching my face, rubbing my arms, playing with my hair. haha. For an hour I had kids all over me. It makes me laugh what fascinates them. One night I was brushing my teeth and about five girls in my room stood there watching me. I was like,"I have never felt like such an interesting person in all my life!" I mean, everything I do here is fascinating to everyone! HAHA.

THis past week we also looked at and bought some jewelry from Mary D. She is a worker at the orphanage that makes jewelry and the money she makes from it goes to support the orphange! SHe makes some really pretty stuff.

This past week we have done a lot of painting. We finished up painting the only room we had left in the Caltex House. And, we also started sanding and painting the cabinets. Everything looks so good. I got really sore and exhausted though from all the work we have been doing.

Now that MJ is in school I have started washing dishes from 6:00-7:30 every morning. There are so many dishes it takes so long! But, it is good knowing that the lady who usually does all those dishes doesn't even have to for at least two more weeks!

I have been so burdened this past week for the workers here. they never get a break. Some of them have been working for seven years without a day off! They are all exhausted. I just really wish there were some way we could do more to relieve them and give them a break while we are here! I want to do so much more than I am doing!

I didn't get any naps this past week! HAHA! I have been working too much most days for that. I have been trying to catch back up on my homework too because I haven't been doing it faithfully. lol. It takes so long to do what they ask.

Saturday we got to join the staff here at the orphanage to go do home visits for the church. Home visits here are so interesting because you have to hike to get to a lot of the houses. One house was about a mile and a half down a mountain. So, we hiked down. It was SO PRETTY at the top though. I wish I could put up pictures of the view from the top of the mountain. We went down to the bottom and hung out with the family. THe father of the family took us to the river and showed us his farmland. It was really nice to get out into the community and see how people REALLY live. Because, the kids at the oprhanage have it really good compared to most of the community. IT was interesting to see how most people live. It was also very sad.

Saturday we also had a movie night. We watched the movie CARS and had snacks. Some missionaries from Australia brought the kids chips, chocolate and cokes! It was so nice!!! OF course I enjoyed it too! haha. The kids were so cute watching the movie!

Yesterday morning we spent a lot of time cleaning the church for the service. WE set up the chairs, swept, and cleaned the CR (the bathroom). It was hard work and I got all sweaty and nasty for church. haha. I am pretty much always sweaty here. It is funny how back home 85 degrees seems SO HOT but here it feels SO NICE! It is always burning up here.


One of the kids shared their testimony with me this past week. It was so sad because he was given up by his father at age four because his father gambled money away and then couldn't support him. He was then given to his uncle who found him a burden and gave him to a friend. The friend found him a burden and then gave him to the oprhanage. It is so sad to see the affects that the parents decisions have on their children. It makes me so mad to think about a father's choices doing that to a kid! So many of the kids are here because of poor decisions on their parents part or because their parents don't really care. I look at these beautiful kids and it breaks my heart. I'm just thinking,"How could you not want that?" These kids are so precious!!!

Last night they had a going away party for an american visitor that came to visit for two weeks.The kids were getting really sentimental and sad that we were going to leave. So, they kept asking when we were going to leave. They kept bringing us so many flowers. They made me a brown to wear on my head. I had so many flowers in my lap. They kept kissing us and telling us they loved us! It was so sweet but kind of sad. It got me thinking about leaving them and how hard it is going to be! I wanted to cry!!! It is going to be so hard. I only have two weeks left now. I wish I could put up pictures of all this stuff!!!

The kids have gotten into this phase where they repeat everything we say. They play the "copy cat" game. haha.But, it's pretty funny because they don't speak english. So, if you start speaking really fast they can't copy you anymore! I am enjoying that!!! I have also started calling MJ silly! So, she has learned the phrase. She know goes aroung saying,"SILLY SILLY" all the time! HAHA. This past week she tried to fix my hair. It took her about an hour to get it into a pony tail. Finally when she was done she smiled, clapped and then whiped her forhead! HAHA. SO MUCH WORK for such a little person!!! SHe also has been eating REALLY slow lately. And, she won't let me leave the table until she is done. So, everyone will be out of the dining room and it will just be me and MJ at the table. I think she finds it as a game now! HAHA. The kids are teaching me cebuano. And, I picked up some of the phrases like "What is your name?" "How old are you" etc...So, they are really confused now and think I actually know cebuano. They can't figure out how I can answer them. haha. It's really funny!

This past week somehow the water we got has ants in it. So, anytime I fill up my water bottle I get some ants in there. They are really big on WASTING things here so I just decided I would just drink the ants. haha. It was kind of gross. But, I do things here I would never do in America. I guess it is good for you in some way? haha. Maybe a good source of protein? I am telling myself that anyways!!! SO NASTY!

This morning the missionaries here took us to the beach to go skiing. It was kind of ghetto though because he pulled us from the beach on his motorcycle! HAHA! It was a lot of fun! The Filipinos looked us like we were crazy! I face planted it at one point. I am all scraped up and bruised!!! But, it was so fun1 This afternoon we are going to an island to go to a bat cave and to underground waterfalls! It should be fun!!!

It's been a hard week. I am getting so physically exhausted now. The chores I found easy are now ten times harder! Pray for my energy and endurance. I am getitng really weak. God is still teaching me so much. It blows my mind how much I have grown in just two months! He has taught me so much. He is definitely changing me in a lot of ways! And, they are good ways!

I am learning a lot about learning to listen to His voice and not to do all the talking. I am learning to sit before him and quiet myself and just be still. I am also learning so much about not worrying but fully trusting him. I have always been a worrier and it blows my mind how much peace God has given me here. I have not worried about a thing! God is so good!

Some funny things to wrap this up:

When you go to McDonalds here and you want to supersize something they ask you: "Would you like to go big time?" haha

Also, the kids came up to me this week and squeezed my arm and go,"SO BIG!" THey really do have a way of making you feel so skinny! apparently to tell someone they are fat here is a compliment! so they always tell us we are "big" or "chubby" haha. It makes me laugh!!!

This past week was another whirlwind of events that seemed to go by pretty fast. We only have three weeks left. We are past the halfway point and I only have two more Mondays where I write on here! That seems crazy to me! I don't feel like I have been here that long. And, I am sure those next couple weeks will go by SUPER FAST!

Monday was our day off. We went up to Hope Mountain to visit two other summer missionaries our age. We met them at New Life Church (the church we have been attending). They are really sweet. We just kind of hung out and talked. We played this game called Auto Ban (if I spelled that right). IT is kind of like horse shoes with golf balls on a string. haha. Yeah. Who knows. I wish I could put pictures up of that. It was a lot of fun. We also ate fried squash, BBQ Chicken, rice, mango, etc...it was a good meal. And, it was nice to hang out with them. It is so pretty up there. You can see the whole city of Davao, the ocean, lots of trees, and Mount Apo!

On Tuesday we helped out at New Life. We worked at the Chosen school sorting through clothes for their store. They give the kids fake money everytime they come to church. They save it up and then they open a store for them with toys, clothes, and things that people have donated to the church. It was kind of funny sorting through all of the stuff. There was a bunch of random things in there. We were sorting everything, putting it in piles and then putting it back in a bag. We had to write what the bag contained on the outside. There was one marker. And, once again I got a little confused thinking Warren was asking about my boyfriend again (I never learn). So, I finally just starting saying in English,"Warren, could I see the boyfriend?" He thought it was so funny. So, the rest of the afternoon we just kept asking if we could borrow the "boyfriend" from each other. I like communicating like that! HAHA! IT is just one big joke. We laughed about it for a long time! Tuesday night Mama C wanted to take us out to go get dessert and coffee. She seems to wanna do that often. lol. We do that kind of thing about once a week. So, we went up to this place called Jack's Ridge. It is up on the mountain overlooking the city. It is really pretty up there. They have a garden and they have lights streaming down from the trees. It was beautiful. I got a cookies and Cream milkshake and a muffin. haha. I was thankful for dessert. They never eat dessert here! Lol. But, I had a really good time talking to Mama C and Papa T and looking around the place. They had deer roaming the courtyard too. haha.

On Wednesday I asked Nanay to show me the ropes of what she does (in preparation for her days off). It was funny that morning because the first thing she took me to do was clean the "urine blankets". I had no idea what that even meant except I just kept hearing her say "Urine blankets" and I was thinking,"Whatever we are about to do has got to be fun!" (that is sarcasm). Anyways...we went into the bathroom and she explained that whatever blankets, underwear, shorts that the kids urinate in during the night are placed in a bucket in the bath room tub. The laundy lady refuses to wash them because they smell so nasty. So, Nanay takes them, scrubs them, and hangs them up to dry. So, that morning I learned the ropes in how to wash "urine blankets". haha. It was kind of funny. She also taught me a couple of other things about what she does in the mornings. Normally I am playing with MJ and taking care of her. So, up until now I really didn't know much about what she did once the kids went to school. That afternoon I was sitting with Sarah and Cameron waiting on the kids to get home from school and I saw the BIGGEST rat I have ever seen. It was the size of a full grown bunny. I looked at Rusty horrified and go,"Rusty, did you see that rat!? IT WAS SO HUGE" He just kind of laughed and goes,"We have some bigger than that! The really old ones are even bigger". It was so gross.It was one of the kids birthdays on Wednesday and apparently their dad had purchased and sent a chicken for the orphanage to kill on his birthday. So, that afternoon I got to witness my very first chicken killing. I couldn't pass up the opportunity knowing that I would never experience this again (well, maybe not). Rusty went and got the thing and brought it down. We each took a picture with it. They told me to conquer my fear of birds. So, I tried. But, my picture looks like I am crying. Because, I was almost going to! HAHA! I only held on for about 10 seconds. It was kind of morbid. I will spare you all the details, knowing tha tsome of you might not want to read them! And, I will show the ones who do care pictures later! I have plenty! HAHA! The kids took the feet and head that had been chopped off and chased us around with it for a little while. I didn't like that so much! And, it was a little bit weird eating that night thinking about the process it took to get on my plate. haha.
That night I really had a good time hanging out in the room talking to the older girls. God has really answered my prayers when it comes to them. They have been seeking me out more and we have been talking a lot more often. I have enjoyed talking to them and I have finally started building more of a relationship with them! At night now they will come and sit on my bed and ask for my help with their homework or just talk to me! A funny story...Wednesday night I went to change into my pajama shorts in the back of the house since the bathroom was taken. I somehow managed to put both of my legs in one hole at the same time. I fell over onto the floor and was stuck in my shorts. All the girls were laughing at me and of course I had to laugh to! I am such a blonde sometimes!It was not my best moment! Lol

Thursday morning I woke up and helped Nanay get the girls up. They are so hard to wake up in the mornings. They really sleep like a rock. I guess they kind of have to. But, most of them when I wake them up get up quicker than if Nanay wakes them up. haha. This morning was really hard though. Because Rusty came to tell two of the girls (they are sisters) that their grandmother had passed away in the night. When the first one got the news she started bawling her eyes out. These are always awkward moment for me. Because I have no clue what to do. Some people like to be left alone in times like that. Others like you to be there. I finally just asked her what was wrong. She told me. ANd I gave her a big hug for a long time. She just sat there and cried on my shoulder. It was so hard for me not to cry. I had to crawl up on the top bunk and wake her sister up so she could tell her. THey both took it really hard. Of course it was hard for them because they still want to be with their family. All of their family members were so close to one another. But, they couldn't afford to feed them so they gave them up to the orphanage. It was so hard not to cry. But, I spent the morning trying to be there for them and let them know I cared! That day we didn't really have anything to do around the orphanage. We had gotten all of our work done and none of the kids were there. So, Mama C came and told us she wanted us to go with some of the orphanage workers (around our age) to the beach. So, we loaded up and went down to the Mer Grande beach resort. We went down to the beach that has black sand. We hadn't seen a black sanded beach yet! I love their beaches because they are surrounded by huge mountains! I think that is my favorite combination: the ocean and the mountains! We had fun hanging out there for about an hour and a half. I got a sunburn! But, I got lots of beautiful pictures! Lol. Thursday night two of the kids were having a birthday. So, for the first time since I got here I got my very own piece of chicken! I was so excited. It had pineapples on it too! It was so yummy!

Friday Cameron, SArah and I went to Talomo to the school and painted the preschool room! We got to hang out with two of the New Zealand Missionaries. Friday afternoon we got back to the orphanage in the afternoon. I went downstairs to see Sarah and saw a clown standing up against the wall just staring at me. I was like,"Rusty, what is a clown doing here?" Apparently one of the sponsors of the orphanage has his kids birthday party at the orphanage every year so the kids can enjoy fun, good food,etc...It is a really sweet idea! It was nice of him to do that for the kids. Apparently this year a clown got to come entertain them. It was really funny because we told Cameron it was Mark dressed up so she would go talk to him! HAHA! We are so mean. However, Sarah kept laughing so she knew we were lying to her! Lol Apparently at these birthday parties it is really common to have a WHOLE entire pig (in it's original form) with an apple in it's mouth. haha. THey cook it like that and the skin gets really crunchy. I tried eating a piece but the thought of it kind of made me gag. The skin was really nasty. And there was still black hair on the skin. But, I did enjoy all of the other food! There was a lot of food there. The kids had a lot of fun and it was really nice to see them having a good time, eating good food, and playing games! I still don't like clowns though. The kids really liked him! HAHA!
It was a lot of fun! I think I laughed more that night than I have the whole time I have been here. You guys know me...when things get awkward or I find something funny I laugh really hard. I have been doing that a lot lately. Because sometimes things just get really funny to me! I hope no one gets offended! Lol. I think Sarah and CAmeron sometimes are like,"OH BROTHER! HERE SHE GOES AGAIN!" haha.

The past three days we have had our vacation. They gave us a midpoint vacation just to recoop and get ready for the next three weeks and have a chance to rest since we never got one when we first arrived. It was nice of them. I have been so tired lately. I am still really tired. But, we stayed at a really nice hotel in Davao City. We didn't do much but sleep and lay around. haha. It was just what we needed though. We laid out by the pool and everything! It was really nice! We are at the SM Mall today watching a movie, looking in the shops and stuff. Tonight we are meeting up with Lizzy. She is the media person for the Mindanao area. She is going to be joining us this next week and filming our work at the orphanage!

Things are good. Pray that God will help me through these next three weeks. I am really getting more and more tired by the day. Even after this weekend of rest! Pray that God will still give us opportunities to speak to people and tell them about Him. Pray that the workers at the orphanage will get some time off. They postponed the next three days. And, I hope they get to have those! They really need a break.

This next weekend we are planning on taking a trip with the older kids and rent a boat and go Island Hopping! Pray that goes well and brings us closer together with the older kids!

I appreciate your prayers!!

Di Basta Basta!

The title of my blog is the theme of Nehemiah Teams for the summer. It is Cebuano for "It isn't easy". That is so fitting in some ways for this summer. It is never easy to go to a place so foreign from what you are used to. But, I think a better word for it is "Awkward". We have been through so many awkward situations but God has given me two amazing team members to go through everything with! They have helped in so many ways!!! This past week went by pretty fast. But, time is a weird thing here. It seems to go by fast but slow all at one time. IT seems like I have been here forever. But, time is going fairly quickly most of the time.

Last weekend after I wrote on here the girls and I went over the mall to do some shopping. We bought some things and then caught a taxi back to the orphanage. It was interesting because the driver out of nowhere started asking us if we thought we were going to heaven. We were kind of exciting thinking we would get an opportunity to tell him about Jesus. However, he was catholic and started talking about some really STRANGE things. He also would ask us a question and then when we tried to answer he would cut us off. He was yelling he was so loud. And, he also did a segment on how much he hated Bush and America. It was a little nerve racking. I went away with the realization that I have the answer and I want to tell people what it is. But, not everyone wants to hear it. Some people are convinced they have the right answer and they don't want to hear you tell them you disagree. He even said,"I am glad we can all just "respect" each other's views. But, the problem is....I don't really respect his views. I feel bad for him because he is so unwilling to change his mind set or open himself up to something different. We were wishing we had something to leave with him that maybe he would read and pay attention to later. But, once again we didn't. I am still praying for him. That maybe he will be open to someone having a conversation with him about his views on things. The guy even admitted he didn't know if he would go to heaven or hell and he just didn't care. I hate the reality that some people don't care! I wish that man cared. I know he will care one day. But, it was pretty funny. We had washed our laundry at SArah's house and it was still wet when we put it in the laundry bag. We had to carry the heavy, wet bag through the mall with us. It was kind of embarassing. lol.

Tuesday and Wednesday we painted the Bethlehem room. It looks really nice. We also finished painting the wall at the school last week. This week I think we are going to tackle the Zion house. Also, pray hard for me July 8-10 because they are letting all of the workers at the orphanage go and letting me, Sarah and Cameron along with the help of four missionaries take over everything. I will be completely in charge of the girls. It makes me nervous. But, I am so glad we can give the workers a break. They haven't had one since starting work and some have been working for seven years! I can't even imagine!

This past week we started having coffee most mornings. I really am starting to like Coffee. Somedays I need it to wake me up! Lol. But, I am surprised that I like it. I think anything here that has a taste is a good thing. Most of the food is bland. Cameron even said last week that her "taste buds were back". She said she was about to start thinking they didn't exist anymore! HAHA!

THis week held a lot of injuries for me! HAHA! I am so clumsy sometimes. Last Monday was really embarassing. I was talking to Cameron (and wasn't watching where I was going) and I ran smack into a road sign. Those things are SO sharp and hard! Lol. I cut my head and got a huge knot and bruise on it. It still hurts! Also, on Wednesday I was moving the fan in the girls room. It was going full blast. I got my pinky finger jammed in it and the fan chopped it pretty good! It hurt so bad! But, luckily, I still have a finger! Lol. Then on Thursday I was standing out in the yard. The boys were playing a game where they were throwing rocks at each other (which is fairly normal since they don't have any toys). And I got right in the line of fire without knowing it. One hit me really hard in the leg and immediately bruised up and I got a big welp. haha. Yesterday I was walking through an arcade looking for Rusty. I saw him and was like,"YAY, there you are Rusty" ( I had been looking for a while) when I just completely tripped on the pavement and almost face planted it. I caught myself though. Rusty was nice enough not to laugh but I felt like a big loser! Lol

THe kids here are so fascinated with the size of my nose. One of the kids said,"You have a big nose. Like Pinnoccio" haha. I mean, it definitely wasn't a compliment. But, I didn't really care. They aren't used to noses like mine. Those kids will definitely humble you at times. I am completely blown away at how independent they are though. I guess they have to be. At the age of five they are already doing everything for themselves. The way they eat still kind of makes me cringe though. They are required to eat everything on their plate and they cannot waste anything. If they drop rice on the table or on the floor they HAVE to pick it up and eat it or they will be punished. I was really stunned the first time MJ saw me drop rice on the floor and she picked it up and put it back on my plate! HAHA. MJ takes care of ME somedays. I am just like,"No, I am supposed to take care of you!" lol. She will see I need something and she will go get it for me. She is so sweet. Although, last week during our "dawn prayer" I awoke at 3:30 AM. I walked/stumbled into the other room to meet the girls and felt something wet under my feet. I looked down and then looked at Nanay. She made a disgusted face and told me I was standing in MJ's urine. It was so gross!!!

But, God is teaching me to be laid back more than ever. Nothing ever goes as I plan and I just have had to learn to shrug and be okay with it. I don't get too upset about small things anymore. Which is REALLY good. There are still sometimes when I cringe and wish that things were a little more organized. But, God is teaching me things about patience and being laid back and easygoing. You kind of have to be here.

God is also showing me that missions is a cross. We read the story of Amy Carmichael this past week and I loved two of her quotes. They said this:

"O to be delivered from half-hearted missionaries! Don't come if you mean to turn aside for anything. Don't come if you haven't made up your mind to live for one thing=the winning of souls."

"Dear, you are coming to a battlefield. You cannot spend too much time with him alone You are soldiers and soldiers don't ask for ease or expect it. You are warriors, and when did warriors ask for an easy time? or no wound? or no heart-breaks?"

God really spoke to me this week about how missions is not easy. It is all about taking up your cross and being crucified to yourself. It is about putting aside the American dream, that white picket fence and cute house you've always wanted. It's about leaving behind those you love. It's about sacrifice. It is a cross. I used to think it would be "hard" but it would be ok. God has opened my eyes to the realization that is hard and painful. But, it is worth it in the end. And, He has shown me that I really shouldn't be here if I can't handle a little dirt, sweat and hard work. That is what it takes. If something small will turn you aside from doing what God is calling you to that is not good! God is showing me so much here.

I am also amazed at the kids. They have been taken from rough conditions. Some of them were wandering the streets. And now they are beautiful children who love the Lord. And, I loook at that and am amazed at what God can do in people's lives. He really can transform us! And, He transformed these kids because of someone's faithfulness to His call on their lives. It just blows me away!

Last week the girls put on a talent show for me. It was so cute. They are all so talented. It cracks me up because they can't speak english but they watch american movies (yes, mom, the movies here are in english). So, they can sing all the songs from Highschool Musical or Lizzie McGuire but they cannot communicate with me! HAHA! MJ busted out her beat box. It CRACKED ME UP! She is so hilarious. I have taught her to make a heart with there hands and every night before we go to bed we signal one to each other. Cameron started trying to do it with MJ and MJ would chop her hands in half and then fold them in a prayer position and laugh. Then she would look at me and point and go,"YOU" and make the heart with me. It is so cute. She has also started kissing my hand good night. And she is not an affectionate child! It makes me smile.

I have gotten to know the older girls a lot more this past week! That is good. It has been harder to talk to them at time! They aren't as outgoing towards me. Pray that He will give me more ways to relate to them and talk to them and show them I care about them too!!!

The kids have started trying to teach me Vasayan phrases. Lol. It is really funny. They tease me a lot! But, It is good to learn from them. I forget a lot of them though. They say them so fast.

This past week God taught me a lot about patience and being laid back. One day I got mud all over my clothes. So I changed and started srubbing them. I got all the mud out after al ot of work and went to the put them on the line. I realized I missed a spot so I went to get the scrubber. I didn't realize there was mud on it though so I ended up scrubbing mud back on it and having to start all over. Then the next morning when I went to get them mud had gotten on my shorts again. haha. I was like,"I will conquer you shorts!" haha. I finally did but I was alittle frustrated. I have to learn just to shrug and go,"Yeah, that would happen to me!" haha.

The kids have a fascination with bugs. A lot of them will find huge spiders and keep them as pets in a match box. They will chase you with it or bring it to you. You have to know if you know me at all I don't like it! Also, this past week one of the kids had caught a cute little bird. He had attacked it by a string from the birds foot to his belt loop. They were torturing it and then they would throw it in my face. I didn't like that either! haha. Their fascination with bugs and animals kills me. But, I am learning to not be as frightened. This past week one night a lizard kept trying to get into my bed. I was so annoyed. They make these horrible noises too. So, eventually I had to get up and scare it away. I think it worked? I am not sure cause I fell to sleep after that! Lol. They are also fascniated with my sunburn and will sit and play with my skin. They will press on it to see the color difference go from white to red and will laugh hysterically. I am not sure if they really have ever seen a sunburn! Also, it isn't rude to burp here. It is actually a compliment. So, everytime we are eating I always hear people burping. lol. It's nasty!

Yesterday was a good day! The kids had a visitor come so they put on a concert. It was so good. A lot of the kids gave their testimony and I had to keep from crying. Their stories are so sad. Some of them were in Cebuano though so I couldn't understand them! It was a good day. Last night we went to the Banana Plantation with a visitor for dinner. They made us all the Filipino "delicacies". I tried squid, snail, fern...haha. It was all ok. Not great but it didnt' make me want to barf. Which is always good. The only thing I have had here that I cannot stand is Durian. It smells SO STRONG and the flavor stays in your mouth for hours. It is nasty. And they brought some out last night and placed it in front of us. We also did some karaoke. haha. That is a big thing over here. And, they all wanted to hear me sing once SArah and Cameron told them I could! I'm going to have to get them back because they have told me it's mandatory that I sing at church before I leave this place!!!

It is so hot here. I mean, REALLY hot. But, it has rained every night except one since I got here. Which cools things off. I am so thankful for the rain!

I feel like this blog is all over the place.I apologize! I hope you got some idea of what I was up to this week!!! Even though it is a little scattered! Thanks so much for keeping me in your prayers!!! I appreciate all of you so much!

THis past week went by way faster than the previous two. That was good in some ways. Because, for the first time since I have been here I felt like I was actually accomplishing something worthwhile or doing something that will have some sort of lasting impact. I don't want to leave with this place being the same. I want it to be different because I came and because I was obeying Christ.

Last Monday we spent the day just relaxing. We watched Kung Fou Panda. It is a pretty cute/funny movie! I find though that I am kind of disenchanted with movies for the time being. They aren't the same here. Although, they only cost $2.00 here and you can watch them all day ify ou want. You can go from one to another one to another one. That is way different from the States. Then again, everything is. I ate too much last Monday though (which, really, isn't a lot. It isn't even as much as I ate before I came here). However, my stomach wasn't used to it and I was up all night long sick. I have to go easier on my stomach.

Tuesday we spent the day sanding down one of the guy's rooms and on Wednesday we painted it! It needed it so bad. The walls were dirty and losing their color. When we got done it looked like new! It was nice and exciting to do something that will last a while and that the kids got excited about. Plus, we had something to do while they were away at school. The workers there laughed at us and took our picture. They said that Filipino girls would never paint. They consider it a guy's work. They called us superwomen and "3 angels". haha. We got all sorts of nicknames from that one job. IT was pretty funny. It is harder painting a room over here. But, the house dad's (who are around our age) helped us rig up the paint rollers so they would reach the ceiling. They are all so inventive over here. The kids make their own kites out of things from all over the yard.

Also, Wednesday morning Mama C invited us to breakfast at her house. She said she knew what Americans liked to eat. So, we had eggs, bacon, toast and jam. She also gave us some coffee. I don't even like coffee, but that was the best drink I have ever had! I find I will eat or drink anything here. It was such a good breakfast. they are so kind to us. They would give us the clothes on their very back or their very last possession just to make us happy. They are a very kind people.

Thursday me and Cameron had to go renew our visas. Shannon followed us on a motorcycle to ensure we got their safely. On our way back were trying to get a cab. It is the best mode of transportation around here if you want to go a long distance. You can just tell them the location and you don't have to worry about a thing. It is a little more expensive but only costs about $3.00 in US money. Me and Cameron were told to catch the cab without air conditioning. It is about 5 times cheaper than the Aircon cabs. We headed towards some and got up to them realizing they were Aircon. However, the guy really wanted us to ride in his (so he could rip us off). He started pushing me into the cab. I had no idea what he was doing. I couldn't understand a word he was saying so I kept thinking he was trying to seperate me from Cameron. REally, he just really wanted our business. But, I started pushing back on him and eventually worked my way away from him. I am going to come back a tomboy, guys!!! Lol. No, not really. but, I have learned to be more independent, pushy and strong here. You just have to be. We eventually got a ride back in a different taxi. It was really hot that day too!

Friday we went up to the school and painted a wall with the kids there. The kids started painting themselves with the paint that won't come off with just water and soap. They were painting their faces, arms, hands, anything that wasn't covered. They were ruining their clothes (that they don't have much of). We couldn't communicate to them to stop. And none of the Filipino workers seemed to mind. Their disciplining system is a little different than in the United States. It was pretty funny. I think once the kisd realized the paint wouldn't come off they regretted it. they spent a long time pouring paint thinner all over themselves. lol.

Friday nights are movie night in the orphanage and we spent the night watching some old timey movie. It was really entertaining. The kids also practiced for church the next day. church was kind of crazy this week. We got there late and left right after the service was over.

Sunday's are the days we get to hang out with all the kids. It is a good day! I don't really get to see them much during the week except at night time when they are busy with their work. We spent the afternoon talking to the guy workers there and laughing as we watched the kids. It was really fun! They are fun to work with. They are the same age as us (practically) and so it is good to hang out with them. I am glad we can be friends with the staff here. We can help one another out. The language barrier still is one of the hardest things for me to cope with. Some days it is so frustrating. At times it just annoys me trying to talk to people but not being able to. And, when a kid keeps repeating the same sentence but you don't know what it means. Also, there are times the kids will cry and you cannot even know why. It breaks my heart. A lot of the kids were sad this past week about different things! It made me sad. Especially that I couldn't talk to them about it. The language barrier can also bring laughs though. Yesterday we were all sitting around talking and Warren came up to me. He said,"Jessica, do you have a boyfriend" I said,"YES!" And then he goes,"Well, can I borrow one?" I was thinking,"What is he talking about??? He wants to borrow my boyfriend?" So, I asked him to repeat it only to get hte same sentence from him. Finally he acted it out and I realized he wanted a ballpoint pen. haha. It was pretty funny. You cannot mention things you want in front of them. Yesterday we were talking about how we love chocolate and had been wanting some. Next thing we knew they went out and boutht us 24 pieces and told us to eat it. We ate a little bit (It was SO good too) but couldn't eat it all at once. They kept going, "Don't be shy. Eat it all!" haha. We couldn't get them to understand that we couldn't eat it all at once. But, they were so sweet to bring it to us. They also wanted us to try avocado yogurt. So they climbed a tree and cut it down for us and made us some dessert (the guy workers at the orphanage). It was really good!!! They gave me a nickname "Jessicabaca" because they said I am "so so cute". haha. I am not sure what all that means? But, it makes me laugh.

They are blown away at us wanting to get sun. THey don't understand why we would ever want to be anything but white. They think white is BEAUTIFUL over here.

Today, on our day off, we spent the morning over at Paradise Island. It is a beach resort. It is really nice. We finally got to eat cheeseburgers and fries. We layed out for a little while and then we got in the water. The beaches here are SO beautiful. THe water is completely clear. I also got a foot massage. IT was so nice! It was a good relaxing way to spend the morning.

I think I am getting a SLIGHT taste of what it is like to be a mother. I get no privacy when the kids are around (which is always). I haven't gotten to do ANYTHING by myself in three weeks. haha. It is kind of funny. I am also caring for the kids needs, helping them with their homework. But, it is a precious thing. And, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Though at times I would love to have a moment where someone isn't calling out my name or wanting my attention. I guess you moms out there can relate?

God has been so faithful with everything. He answers all of my prayers so quickly. He has shown me what a faithful Father He is and that when you are in His will doing what He wants you to do you will be taken care of. He has even taken care of me in ways I haven't asked him to. My prayer right now is that God will give me opportunities to share Him with others in ways other than just loving the kids at the orphanage. That is why I am here. And I am so thankful to do that! I love those children so much already and am thankful to have the opportunity to work with them and play with them! However, I also want some opportunities to share Christ with the lost. And, this past week God gave me that opportunity.

The first opportunity wasn't a lost person. But, a chance to encourage a girl outside of the orphanage who randomly came up to me and asked if she could talk to me. She was really upset. So, I told her that would be ok. We spent an hour with her telling me how her family was all lost. She was the only christian in her family and her family hated her for it. They wouldn't feed her. They refused to take care of her. They told her they hated her all the time. She cried as she told me this. She couldn't not understand very much english. But, I could understand her. I cried as she told me. I didn't even know what to say to help her. I have no understanding of what that would even be like. She asked me if my family were christians and I said Yes. She goes,"You don't realize how blessed you are!" I tried to encourage her to share Christ with her family no matter how hard it may hurt. THough I realized that me telling her to do this might cause her more harm from them. I cannot fathom this lifestyle. I prayed with her and told her I would pray for her everyday.

Today I went to Paradise Island. Most of the Filipinos there speak English. I decided to go get a foot massage. The girl who massaged my feet was only 20 years old. And out of nowhere she was asking if I was Roman Catholic. She told me she was and we started a conversation on how she believed all you had to do to get to heaven was to be "good" and go to church. I started sharing with her how that is such a hard way to live and asked if she thought she could live the kind of life where her "goodness" would get her to heaven. She frowned and looked at me and said,"No one is perfect. But, I am a pretty good person". I didn't want to come across as condescending. I didn't have my bible. But, I asked if she had ever read the book of Ephesians. I quoted Ephesians 2:8-9 about being saved only through God's grace and faith. I also quoted a verse from Romans about all you have to do to be lieve in God is "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead you will be saved". She looked kind of confused. I asked if she was. And, I tried to clarify. I am not big on just leading someone through the sinner's prayer when they don't really know what's happening to them. So, I left it at a mere discussion. It wasn't a very relaxing foot massage because I was giving my attention to the conversation. But, it was the most relaxing witnessing experience I have ever had because all I was doing was just having a conversation with her. She was a very sweet girl and when I left she wanted to give me her necklace. I wouldn't let her. But, I ask that you would pray for her. I cannot give out names on here really. I am not supposed to. Just pray for" De. God knows who she is. I pray that maybe someone will come along and talk to her again. I did tell her she should go read Ephesians and Romans. I am not sure if she will. She said she had never read the two books before! But she did own a Bible.

It was a start. I know I could've done more justice to the name of God than what I did today. But, it was a start. I pray God gives me more experiences to spread His name with those around. Even though I cannot speak the language. I was sad I didn't have a tract or something to leave with her. I needed SOMETHING! Next time I will go prepared!

I has been a good week! God has been so faithful and I know I keep growing a lot. There are days that it is still hard. It is still really weird to think I am even here. It is hard to remember life before I came here. lol. Pray that I will be strengthened. I am so tired lately. It is so hard to have energy for the kids when I am as tired as I am.

Another way God was faithful this week: I was wanting to talk to Nanay about what I could do around the house. I felt like I wasn't doing enough and that I could help lighten the load more. But Nanay doesn't speak english hardly at all. I was hoping she would come up and try to talk to me because I had already tried several times with her! Finally one morning I was playing with my alarm clock with MJ. She came ina nd asked what I was doing. I said,"Playing with my alarm clock" This started a conversation about how she couldn't sleep at night because she didn't have an alarm clock and she was up all night worried she wouldn't get the kisd up on time. I told her I would start setting it and waking her up so she could sleep in peace. FInally she also told me specific tasks I could do for her! This made me so happy!!!

Continue to pray I will love the kids the way I am supposed to. Several of them have been sad this past week about things that have gone on in their lives and it is rough! I don't know what to do for them and it is tough!

I think I have written enough for you all to read for now. I need to go shopping for some things for this next week! Thanks for keeping me in your prayers!!!

So, it has been a week since I last wrote on here. It seems longer. I have to say one of the adjustments I have been needing to make has to do with their slow paced lives. I am used to fast paced everything. And everything is really laid back over here.

Since I last wrote God has done so much in my heart and in my life. this summer is going to show me so much of who God is and who I am. God changed my heart and attitude in so many ways this past week. The first week was really tough for me adjusting to being here and missing home. I still have moments where I get really homesick but I would not want to be anywhere else right now!!!

I will try and give a couple details about this past week but so much happens it will be almost impossible for you to get a full picture of what is going on over here in the Philippines. First of all, let me just say that the Philippines are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! They have huge mountains here but it has a tropical feel with beautiful palm trees (that make the ones in Florida look ridiculously small) and plants.

We have gotten a schedule made out for us and I am past the chaos of the first week. Thank goodness. Everything has become funny to me and I am convinced that in order to live in another culture you HAVE to laugh! I have learned to laugh a lot. Even at the things I hated when I first got here. So many times I will be told something rather vague like,"You will watch the line" And I will be left to figure out what the heck they mean when they say that and I have to figure out how to do it. It is kind of fun now.

The Filipino people are so kind to me. Without their generosity it would be much harder. They are very protective. Which is very nice. They want to make sure we are safe and well.

My schedule everyday goes something like this: I wake up at 4:20 and then I lay there for a little while why the kids get bathed and dressed. I get up while they are at breakfast and hop in the bath for about 20 minutes. When they come back all of them go off to school except for the five year old, MJ. I am left to take care of her by giving her a bath. That is very funny. I clothe her and brush her hair and make sure she has breakfast. She does not speak english except for two words: "No" and "Hey". I have learned to communicate with her though. It is pretty fascinating learning to communicate with people without any words. I am becoming better at it everyday. We have our routine now. She wouldn't talk to me the first couple days. But, slowly she has opened up. Every morning is a guessing game because I will pull out her clothes and try to put them on. She will always say,"No" and I will have to pull out clothes one by one until she finally grabs it from my hands. She is apparently really picky about what she wants to wear. The first morning she started talking to me I had to guess when to do things. Because she does not like doing things in a different order than she is used to doing them. So, I would try to get her to brush her teeth and she would say,"No." So, I would go through the list of things to do until finally she would do what I asked. haha. One morning at breakfast she refused to eat. She just sat there smiling at me. I was so confused. i finally got someone to speak to her in Cebuano (after having tried praying, getting her water, and a multitiude of other things). The problem was that she didn't have a spoon. haha. Once she got a spoon she started eating! IT was so funny. She taught me the alphabet in Cebuano last night. she would laugh as I said things wrong and then repeat them the right way. She is a smart little girl. ANd very strong. IF she comes to hit you, you better run!!! Lol. AFter that, I do laundry, help out in the kitchen and then the kids come back around 4:45 or so. We pray for an hour before dinner and then we eat dinner. After dinner they do their homework. I help out with that some. I helped a girl write a poem about a teenager this past week. It turned really hilarious. After that they pray for an hour and go to bed around 9.

This past week I got done eating breakfast and walked back to the house. Nanay was cleaning and so I asked if I could help her. She laughed and said yes and proceeded to pull out half of a coconut. She handed it to me and said,"You will scrub the floors?" Apparently you stand on top of half of the coconut and you use your leg power to scrub the floor. It takes a long time but it is kind of fun and a good work out. Nanay laughed at me the whole time and said,"You have the machines in America, don't you?" haha. I also tried helping out with laundry. They asked me to srub at first and I tried but they all started laughing at me and mocking me and said,"We will give you easy job" They then let me iron. haha.

This past week we also helped take the kids lunch at school. As a nanny they take them lunch everyday and hang out with the kids for an hour wiping them off with towels, powdering them down and making sure they are feeling ok. We take all the food up there. We did that for a couple days but had to stop. We aren't allowed to go back to the schools anymore.

I ask that you pray for our safety. Don't freak out. I know I kind of was worried at first but God has reassured me. Apparently when we were at the school there were rough looking men asking about us and asking if we were well off. Apparently a month ago there was an abduction from the school of a girl not from the Philippines. they didn't want that to happen to us so we are now confined to the orphanage unless in a large group with other Filipinos. Also, there was a girl getting a ride on a motorcycle in the area and she asked the guy to take her home. she told him where to turn but he told her he would take her somewhere else. Apparently he was driving her to a dark area and so she jumped off the motorcycle and broke her arm. She came to the Orphanage for assistance to the emergency room! I am hearing more stories like this that is taking place everyday around us. We are being extra careful.

God is teach me so much about the importance of prayer. He is teaching me how to really rely and trust on him. He has been providing so much and answering prayers so quickly. In fact, there is an australian missionary here that has opened her home to us every Monday on our free day. WE are provided free internet and she is making sure we get where we need to go safely!!! That is such a big answer to prayer. God has really helped me to adjust a lot.

On Saturday the routine is quite different than any other day. We are awakened at 3:30 AM to pray for an hour. I was not too excited about that. I had a horrible headache when I woke up too. We went outside and stood in a circle singing and praising God. We also give testminoies. I was not expecting this but the director asked if the three of us had a testimony to share. Sarah, being really mean looked at me and said,"You do it!" I of course have plenty to thank God for, but at four in the morning my brain isn't functioning. So, I said,"YOU DO IT!" haha. We all stared for a litle while and finally SArah went. haha. It made me laugh. We finally got back into bed around 5:00 AM.

Church is very different. It is an all day affair. It is strictly a church for children and they have grown from 30 to 400. they have so many kids that come. The LTCF children (my kids) are in charge of the whole thing. They lead music and give testimonies. It is so much fun. Even though I can't understand what they are saying!

IT is so funny because a lot of the times you will hear your name here but the rest is in Cebuano. So you have no idea what is being said about you!!! IT makes me laugh. I love being called Ate Jessica though! Lol.

Everywhere you go here you feel like a celebrity. They always yell at you and make a big fuss. A lot of times they will say,"You are so beautiful. I love you" haha. You get hit on all the time. I still get startled by it some times though.

We went to the market the other day here. There are beggars on the street here all the time. That is how they make their living. They will come ask you for money (especially when they see you are an American) and they will not leave you alone. They will follow you for miles and they will have their body right up against you! I am still getting used to that too. It makes me uncomfortable.

OH...everyone would be proud of me. I have gotten used to bugs. They don't even make me flinch anymore. I have killed several cockroaches. They are MONSTER cockroaches here too. I am getting used to being eaten alive by ants while I try to fall asleep though it still stings and hurts.

I never feel clean here though. That is for sure. I have gotten used to the icy cold water in teh shower. The water will randomly turn off for a while too. One morning I was taking a bath and was in the middle of it when the water turned of completely. I had to wait about five minutes and finally it started running again. I smell nasty. My clothes never smell clean. haha. I got a shirt I hadn't worn yet out of my bag the other day and took a big whiff of it. I was like,"AHH....HOME" Don't be surprised if I smell ABSOLUTELY horrible when I am picked up at the airport. lol.

The staff here are very sweet. they took us out to get some Halo Halo the other night in town. It was so nice of them. They are fun to hang out with! We laugh a lot together and share stories from our own cultures. Sometimes they will tell jokes though and all the FIlipinos will be laughing and us americans will just be like,"What?" haha. IT is cute! Halo Halo is a desssert here with Ube' (ice cream made from root), ice, beans, fruits, etc...you mix it all together. It was actually pretty good. i have surprised myself with what I have eaten here! I have tried Sardines (when you eat them you eat them bones and all. You can feel the bones crunching...it is disturbing) and many other things you guys would be shocked at. I have only eaten one thing so far I didn't like. Maybe I am just really hungry though? I have already lost a lost a lot of weight. I can tell.

We are excited to get some real food today on our day off. Next week we will be going to a beach resort here! I am excited about that!!!

I have had a really bad headache the past two days. Also, I got ingured pretty bad the other day. I was helping clean out the church yard before church started and got a stick jammed up my foot. It hurt so bad and it was bleeding pretty bad. The wound was really deep. Jeffrey was so nice though. He went and got some water and washed it for me. My feet are so dirty here so I felt really bad about that!!!

Everyday is a new and exciting experience for me! It is always full of laughs and awkward situations. Last week Sarah and Cameron were asked to bathe the 12 year old boys! HAHA!

I am picking up on lots of Cebuano phrases. I can now say: hello, thank you, yes, take a shower, get dressed, quiet. Some basic commands. I am getting better at everything.

I appreciate your prayers though as everyday is a challenge. I am loving it and I am praying everyday God teaches me how to better love the children the way he wants me to love them. I am learning so much and God is teaching me so much about Himself! We serve a mighty God! And, He is amazing me here in this new culture everyday! God is teaching me a lot about being my Father. My earthly father is not here. And, I sometimes feel unprotected or vulnerable. But, God has been so amazing and shown me that He is the best protector. He loves me and He will provide everything I need and will keep me safe. It blows my mind all that God has taught me in the past year I can see was preparation for my experience here in the Philippines. Crazy!

I already love the kids SO MUCH! They are so beautiful! It is going to be so hard to leave them. They teach me so much as well. Everytime we take a picture together they say,"My family!" IT breaks my heart knowing they consider me family because they don't really have one.

A Whole New World...

So, I know all of you have probably been checking this. I have not had a chance to type a blog yet. The fact that I even thought I might makes me laugh looking back on all I have been through. Here is the deal: I have to jump through some hoops to even be here right now. I am supposed to be getting one day off a week. However, who knows how that will go. My first day off is next Monday. I will be using my day off from now on to do this because taking time out of the orphanage work is not going to be happening a lot I don't think. I am basically saying you will get one entry per week on here and that's it. They might be excruciatingly long too as I am sharing details with everyone and saving most of the details I am telling my parents for this blog entry!

The start of the trip was crazy (and, I wish I would have known that would set the tone for the next eight weeks of my life). I didn't know what I was doing traveling by myself. I got lots of crazy looks as I passed through airports and asked questions. I arrived in LA and ended up walking around the entired airport to find the next terminal. lol. I thought I would never get there. By the time I got there I really wanted some human contact. Finally, Cameron (a girl from my team I was meeting there) and about 40 other NEhemiah Team people showed up. So, we went the rest of the way together!!! That helped me so much! But, I just want my parents to know this: our idea of that trolley and that cardboard box wasn't a good one! Lol. I looked like a redneck. When we got to Manila I got yelled at immediately by some Filipinos for moving too slowly and for not doing what I was supposed to. lol. I also was crossing the street (trying to cross it quickly because there was traffic) when my backpack slipped off and fell in the middle of the road. It cracks me up thinking about everything that happened with that backpack and cardboard box. lol. If it weren't for the guys waiting on me hand and foot I wouldn't be here right now!
Our flight from LAX to Hong Kong took 19 hours. THat is about four hours longer than it is supposed to take. Who knows why. But, we stopped in Seoul to get some gas. It was horrible! WE finally arrived in Davao exhausted.

We went straight to a hostile where we stayed the night. WE slept on these VERY THIN foam mattresses. And, it was my first experience taking a cold shower. The water also flooded the whole bathroom so you couldn't go to the bathroom without getting wet. lol. The toilets here don't have a lid. So, it is basically like sitting on a toilet if a guy had left the toilet seat up. I always feel like I am going to fall in. ANd they don't believe in toilet paper. So, that's fun! HAHA!

The next day we headed to a camp ground. You all know camping is my favorite. By this time my cardboard box was all beat up. ANd I was beginning to wonder if it would make it the rest of the way (till I got to the orphanage). When we got there they gave us tents and told us to set them up ourselves. THe girl I was paired up with was just like me and had never been camping before. It was pretty hilarious trying to put the thing up. We had it down by the lake but decided to move it because I didn't want to hike even longer with my luggage to get to it. And thank goodness we moved it. I want my parents to imagine me hacking through the jungle with that backpack, trolley and cardboard box. YES, it's a funny picture. The good part about this camping trip though was that it was in a BEAUTIFUL location. So, it eased the pain of having to camp. lol. That night it decided to storm REALLY bad. And by the morning our whole tent was flooded. You know what that means? That lovely cardboard box was now wet. lol. We ended up having to take everything out of the tent in the middle of the night and ended up just sitting under the pavilion until morning. We spent the next couple days camping and training for the summer.We also moved into a bungalo hut for the last two nights. Basically that is a grass/bamboo hut. It was pretty nice. But, my air mattress was too big for it so I ended up sleepin on a mat for a couple nights. I have some hilarious stories I can elaborate on later about this experience too! A lot of them have to do with bugs. The training was good and God used it to convict me about a lot of things. I realized one day into it that this summer will be tough for me. It is not going to be an easy ride. And that God didn't want me here to be comfortable. I used the camping experience as a way to get adjusted to that idea and remember that it isnt' about my comfort. I spend way too much time on my comfort!!!

I hope you all are reading this with a sense of humor. Because, I am not trying to complain. But, I am trying to explain my past couple days to you! And they have been funny. But, a little hard one me at the same time.

We arrived at Ate' S's yesterday (If you are to address someone older than you here you ad "Ate" to the girl's name and "Kuya' to the guys names. It is disrespectful to not do so.We went from there to the school. They are just opening a new school for the kids and we went there and helped them set up, clean up, etc... The kids arrived and it was mass chaos! Lol. They are so adorable. Some of them come from families who abused them in ways you can't even imagine. Others were from tribes where their parents were killed by invading muslims. It is a sad world. The kids have a lot of emotional issues. Our job is to show them the love of Christ. To show them that they can know what love really is and that they won't be hurt by every human they come into contact with! They played games but they were speaking in Cebuano the whole time. So, I didn't know what was going on! It was hilarious!!! After that we headed to the orphanage to settle in. I am staying in the girls' house. It is a little house on the outside of the main building. It has a tin roof and open windows. I wish I could add pictures so you all could see it. I won't be able to do that till I get back in the states though!!! Cameron and Sarah are in the boys rooms. I think that is a little awkward for them.

AFter we settled in we spent the afternoon playing games with them and just getting adjusted. It is very weird because most of the kids cannot speak english. So, trying to have a conversation with them is really hard. In fact, it is impossible. Most of them stare at me as I rattle off a couple sentences in their direction. They respond to everything with "Yes". I went to bed last night around 10. The kids started their first day of school today and we woke up at 4 AM. That is the routine. I could not sleep well anyways. It rained really hard last night and the roof is tin so it was super loud. If it wasn't raining their was always a rooster crowing or a dog barking furiously. Since they don't have windows that close out noise here you can hear everything. And, I am not into taking Tylenol PM to help me sleep simply because I have to wake up so early. My job is to get the kids ready for school. This morning I had to help the five year old bathe. I also had to put her clothes on and fix her hair. I am with all of the girls in the orphanage (from age 5-15). There are no babies here. Most of the kids are boys. THis morning was crazy. I have a really funny story too that you can ask me later about my first morning of getting the girls ready! Lol. Everything is chaotic at this point. I am wanting a schedule so badly. The lady in charge of the girl's house doesn't speak english. So, trying to communicate one sentence takes us about 30 minutes. It is really frustrating.

Right now my problem is feeling like I am in the way because they haven't given us a schedule and because I cannot communicate with them clearly. The language barrier is really tough on me right now! Also, I hav eyet to wake up not feeling sick. I got sick the second day I was here (I think because I drank some coke with ice in it). And, I have been sick ever since. Trying to go on when you do not feel well is not fun! These are all prayer requests that I hope you will pray for!!!

I am also always starving here. I realized today that I am eating the same amount as a five year old orphan eats. My system is not used to it and I am agonizingly hungry all the time. Every once in a while I will eat a granola bar but it is hard to find a place just to eat one since I am with the kids all the time. I feel so selfish eating more when they have so little. I guess their little stomachs are used to it whereas mine isn't though!!! It is hard being hungry all the time. Pray my system gets used to eating less and to eatin gthe same things everyday. It is hard to choke it down at times. I am required to eat it all though. Since I am eating it in front of the kids.

The orphanage I am working with is pentecostal. And, so you can imagine things are quite different in the way they pray and stuff. THey stop to pray a lot. The kids are constantly surrounded by spiritual things. THey seem to have a good handle on things. I am wondering who I will share Jesus with? I know I am here to love the children and tha tis my main goal. I know the kids already hear about Christ all the time though so it is really tough to figure out what to do there! Apparently every Saturday is their church. We wake up from 3:45-4:45 and pray. Then we go back to bed until time for church. We spend the ENTIRE day in a church service. Pray for me specifically one those days!

I am also extremely tired. I haven't gotten much rest and it is hard to find time. It is also hard to find time for privacy as the girls want to be with you wherever you are!!! Luckily the FIlipinos have a Siesta (nap) every afternoon. I think I will be using those up! I have to find time to do my homework for school and team devotions though. THat is hard. I feel like I have no time for myself at all. And, when you have things you HAVE to do for school back home or for the IMB it gets rough. Especially when you don't know your schedule!

Pray for all of this! I know this is a scattered blog. My brain is scattered thinkning of all to write from the last week!

Thanks for your prayer and support. I need them so much!!! It has been hard. But, not in the way I thought it would. I thought it would be hard bathing from a bucket and stuff. That isn't the hard part. I mean, I am used to the lizards crawling on me while I sleep (yes that happens), the mosquito bites, the spiders in the shower, washing my clothes from a bucket. But, It is hard in ways I have no expected it to be. Those things I named are the easy part of being here. Pray that God will help me! God has taught me so much already. And, I know He will continue to do so. So far he has taught me lessons in things that haven't been fun to learn. And that is part of it sometimes. God has taught me things about it not being about my comfort, that He is worthy and if I were here for any other reason it wouldn't be worth it. But, I keep reminding myself that God is worth it. He is the only reason I am here. He will use me if I allow. I am learning things in how lucky I am to live in America. Guys...WE ARE SO LUCKY!!!

Continue to pray!