school!
Wow.. here I go! Made it to school and I am already sleep deprived! It has been way way hectic. I think I already realize that I am a little bit over-committed. But it should be a great year. My suitemates are all.. sweet :) And the air conditioning in Robby is totally worth the $$. mmhhmm.
I am taking a bazillion classes.. 19 credit hours. But I am pretty excited for all of them, so it shouldn't be too bad. I am taking psychology, western civilization, ethics, photography, jogging, macroeconomics, and art appreciation. Mainly I am just really pumped for jogging and photography.
My awesome uncle Wayne let me borrow his 33mm camera for my photography class and it has already been an adventure! Buying film for the fist time.. going to walmart to get the film developed for the first time. I am not good at knowing when or not to turn on the flash..
I am ready for the year and will try and update my 'blog' as often as I can - or when something interesting happens. Interesting things are always happens so I should rephrase that too ' interesting things that other people may or may not actually care about'
Off to a hall meeting! And am waiting for some real mail to come through my mailbox ;)
I am taking a bazillion classes.. 19 credit hours. But I am pretty excited for all of them, so it shouldn't be too bad. I am taking psychology, western civilization, ethics, photography, jogging, macroeconomics, and art appreciation. Mainly I am just really pumped for jogging and photography.
My awesome uncle Wayne let me borrow his 33mm camera for my photography class and it has already been an adventure! Buying film for the fist time.. going to walmart to get the film developed for the first time. I am not good at knowing when or not to turn on the flash..
I am ready for the year and will try and update my 'blog' as often as I can - or when something interesting happens. Interesting things are always happens so I should rephrase that too ' interesting things that other people may or may not actually care about'
Off to a hall meeting! And am waiting for some real mail to come through my mailbox ;)
Long time no write..
The kids saying goodbye to us on the schoolyard
Sandy & KayKay
Troy & Jor on our Riverboat Cruise
8/9/09
Well I am sure you are all wondering why it has taken so long for me to post another update. It’s all very simple in the fact that our internet has been down for… a very long while.
A lot has been happening here, as I’m sure you can imagine if you have been reading the MOM site. On top of that there have been so many emotions as we said farewell to the kids after their VBS program earlier this afternoon. Even long after the program was over, the kids would not leave. They simply wanted to stay and sing more praise songs with us.
With one day left we will be trying to finish everything up tomorrow.. some painting in the Sunday school room we have been building, and I get to hand out some leftover school pictures tomorrow ☺ This trip has been so amazing for each of us, however, I can see that everyone is ready to be home in some way. I am just ready to catch up on a little bit of sleep!
I will try and write more tomorrow, but it is laaaaaate. All is well here, but keep the prayers coming!
Well I am sure you are all wondering why it has taken so long for me to post another update. It’s all very simple in the fact that our internet has been down for… a very long while.
A lot has been happening here, as I’m sure you can imagine if you have been reading the MOM site. On top of that there have been so many emotions as we said farewell to the kids after their VBS program earlier this afternoon. Even long after the program was over, the kids would not leave. They simply wanted to stay and sing more praise songs with us.
With one day left we will be trying to finish everything up tomorrow.. some painting in the Sunday school room we have been building, and I get to hand out some leftover school pictures tomorrow ☺ This trip has been so amazing for each of us, however, I can see that everyone is ready to be home in some way. I am just ready to catch up on a little bit of sleep!
I will try and write more tomorrow, but it is laaaaaate. All is well here, but keep the prayers coming!
Some pictures..
Eating at the school
Carly, Zoe, & the preschoolers
Pharaoh, ooohhhh Pharaoh! All the kids love Joe :)
Kenzie helping the kids with crafts
This little kid would not let go of Tyler the entire day..
Rock Stars.
Uff Da
Me.. and the kids. "Fear Not!"
Troy & Seth.. well.. ya.
All the cute kids at VBSReality Hits. We are most definitely not on any sort of relaxing, fun vacation. Today we started painting… building.. teaching. Everyone assigned different tasks according to ‘specialized abilities.’ However- even with amazing painting &/or photography skills, the Philippines can only be glamorous for so long. Keeping our goal in mind becomes tough when you no longer ‘glisten’ – but sweat is just rolling down your face. Sleep deprivation is catching up with us also. Everyone a little more snippy yesterday.. enthusiasm running low. We are all just a little run down. I say all of this to simply remind you that your prayers are still needed – and much appreciated.
On a lighter note, my morning was spectacular. I had to go back to the school early this morning to finish up taking the kindergartners’ school pictures. Needless to say, I felt like Paris Hilton stepping out of the pick-up. The kids were screaming and jumping, their brown eyes sparkling with excitement. And when I started walking they all clung to my shirt, just wanting that physical connection that they rarely get at home. Each and every one of them knew my name, and were especially eager to show me they remembered the ‘secret handshake’ I taught them our first day here. So rewarding.
So the day was full of ups and downs. But in the end when I sit here writing, I feel so incredibly blessed to even have the opportunity to feel all of these crazy emotions. It may not be perfectly clear to me now why God called me to be here- but I am confident that I am in the right place. I am also positive that each of the other members of our group are in the right place as well. Our team is dynamic, fun, and cohesive. I love to sit in devotions and just guess what is going through each of their minds as we journal. Even after 4 days here, I can see that the Philippines.. the scenery, people, food, and raw essence has captured each person and God is working in their hearts. I have never been in a group that has given off such a feeling that everyone wholeheartedly wants to spread God’s glory. I am very proud to be associated with the Glasgow Evangelical Church’s Mission Team.
I hope that through some of my writings you can feel that you are a part of our group as well – because you are. We would not be here at all if it weren’t for the support of you. And we still need help – your prayers are just as important as us being here.
What a day..
Jory, Seth, and Troy at the Tagbilaran airport
Having a coke at the Co-Op
Kenzie on the Jeepny ride to the house!8-2-09
What a day yesterday! We about 130 kids that attended our VBS (Crocodile Dock) They were SO excited, we could not get them to settle down- all day. I hope they learned something! We have been having a LOT of rain- there were a few minor injuries yesterday because the cement gets so slippery. A few of the kids- and Carly. She broke her tailbone a little while back- and she either badly bruised or re-broke it. ☹ sad day.
Although the program takes an insane amount of work- it has been worth it. To see 130 children worshiping from the bottom of their hearts- dancing and praising without any reservations, makes one’s heart skip a beat. They are on a totally different spiritual level. They just get it. Despite the fact that they have next to nothing, and face trials that even many adults in the US could not handle, they have faith in the Lord. They thank him for every little blessing that comes along. We fed the children during the lunchbreak (rice, fried chiken, and pansit –noodles) I have never seen so many beaming, eager faces. They were so hungry. So incredibly hungry. Each of them stuffed down more than a normal adult eats. You could tell that some of them knew it would be their only meal for the day. I just wonder what they do on other days when we are not here to feed them.
Anyways, last night we went to see the Loboc Youth Ambassador Band- in Loboc. The journey there was the first best part. We took two vehicles, and Seth was driving the Tool Cab. It is this itty-bitty Japanese-made truck. So small. He could barely fit. And the road is so horrible. Just bumpity bumpity bumpity. And we went full force ahead. It is hard to give you a picture- driving through the jungle in a little pick-up with Seth, and 4 people in the the back. Flying through the air and coming down into huge puddles and mud from earlier the day. The whole thing is a great memory.
And the band is another story- they were indescribable. It was NOT a band concert- it was a full show. They did motions and singing and- wow. It was amazing. And most of them have been playing for two years. They are high-schoolers that have been accepted into this program so that they may learn an instrument well enough to get scholarships for college. They are also given the instrument that they choose to learn. I have to say- they even sounded better than our bad at good ol’ Cottey College. The best part was when two of the littlest boys in the band came off of the stage. One of them came up to me with flowers, knelt, and played the trumpet. It was SO cute. The other one gave his flowers to Kenzie. They then pulled me up to the stage and ‘battled’ over me by competing in their trumpet playing. When they couldn’t reach a conclusion with that, they put down their trumpets and just grabbed my arms and really pulled. And they were serious! It kind of hurt, haha. It was quite the time.
Well yesterday and today weather forecast of ‘monsoon’, so it is pretty stormy here. But no lack of heat and humidity. Our plans are to have church- and then jump back into VBS for the afternoon. Everyone is having a fantabulous time. Keep the prayers coming!
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