Lake Sebu 02.19.2011

I recently told you all we had a great surprise coming up this weekend. Well, today was the day! Bekah and I treated the third year high schoolers, and two house mothers, Momma Lyn and Ate Red, to Lake Sebu! We all did a pretty great job at keeping the whole thing a secret. Bekah and I have been planning for weeks, and even though we have been about to bust to tell them, we have kept our lips sealed! Nanay did a great job of helping us out! After breakfast this morning, she announced all of the children’s assignments just like she always does on Saturday. However, this morning she split them up into grades, and told the third year they had a special project they were going to do, and they would need to be ready in just a few minutes. They were all wandering around here trying to figure out what in the world they were going to do today. They finally put it all together after we had loaded up into the van, and were on our way!

It wasn’t a very long drive, maybe thirty minutes. After arriving there, we immediately found the waterfalls! There are a total of seven falls there (hence the name "the seven falls"), and they were gorgeous!!! Huge waterfalls! We walked around a while, and took pictures of just about everything!
After much sight seeing at the falls, we decided to take a break and go zip lining. The children had never done this before, and Bekah and I had never been on one quite like this.

I rode with Glend across the first time we went. It was wild to say the least! I wish we knew how far above the ground we were, but the weathered wooden sign didn't say.



The only "bad" thing about this adventure was the landing.  There was little Filipino at the very end of the rope (just before the large metal pole) holding the rope tight so the little rubber stopper (for lack of a better term), would bring us to a halt. Each time we went I was sure we were bound for the large pole holding the fence up.



We switched partners going back across. Bekah and I decided to go together, and although there was much talk that the American women would break the zip line, we survived!

three amigos

beautiful flower Jestoni picked for me

 

we had to walk 774 (yes, we counted) to get to the top in order to do the zip line again.
was it worth it, you ask. ABSOLUTELY.
This picture is made at the top after everyone was practically dead from the steep journey up.




she might be a little tired



no one was talking...or moving

We found the souvenir shop, and bought some t-shirts for a "remembrance". 



I was with Jestoni this time! We decided we would try and video our experience. I will try and post that on here later so you can kind of see how it was. There was a rainbow over one of the falls! It was gorgeous! This time, once we got to the other side, the guy stopping us asked me if I had my camera. I told him yes, and it just kind of grabbed it from me and said “Okay! I will take your picture!” So….he pushed us back out over the valley, and told us to smile! Haha. Not exactly how they do it in Dollywood, but the pictures turned out pretty good! I just wasn’t sure how we were going to get back to the ground, but surprisingly we just kind of slowly went back.



 

I rode with Jojet on the way back. He just did his little giggle the whole way back!

 

 

After all of the excitement, we were all ready for lunch! We went to a floating restaurant on the lake. It was nice! Momma Lyn and Ate Red ordered for us! We had a table full of tilapia, fried chicken, and of course rice. 22 cups to be exact. The children really enjoyed it; however, I have to tell you…I think they chicken probably died of natural causes rather than for the intention of eating, because it was literally skin and bones! It was nice though.

 

They had a little boat ride thing there that took you on a tour of the lake, so we did that! It felt really nice out there! We concluded the day with a chocolate stop on the way home! It was probably the most enjoyable day I have had since I have been here! Which is saying a lot, because everyday has been awesome!!! I am so happy we were able to take the kids, and the big kids…hahaha…and let them enjoy that. They just kept telling us how thankful they were that we had done that for them. We all had so much fun!!!

more ziplineing pictures...

 

 

I found this awesome hat at the sari sari on a trail (totally random) at Lake Sebu.
I know you're jealous.

we became best friends

Jojet & me

BE THANKFUL 02.18.2011

18 Feb. 2011

 -BE THANKFUL-

After cleaning my room today, I noticed something. Although my room is organized and clean, I have things lined up on almost all four walls. It’s not like I brought just tons and tons of stuff, and I havn’t had any problem with having enough room; however, what I noticed today is that even though I only have a very small fraction of what I have at home, I have sooo much more here than the children have, and this is their home!!

There are three large rooms in the building with at least six boys in each room. Each of the children have their own very small cubby hole. In those cubby holes they have their clothes, school work, and maybe a couple of personal items. And me….I have two huge suitcases full of clothes, plus more personal items than could fit in even one of their cubby holes. The point isn’t that I have just tons of things with me, because I don’t. The point is..the little bit of what I have with me is so so much more than any one of these kids own.

Don’t forget to be thankful for what you have. You may not have every single thing you want. I don’t. But….I am soo blessed beyond measure. Each day these children sing praises to God for what they have. They walk around with a joyful heart. They stand up before each other and God, and always always have so much thanksgiving to give. No matter how bad life may get, you will always always have something to be thankful for.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

 What are you thankful for??

* I am especially thankful for my family

I have listened to Nanay night after night, tell the stories of some of the orphans. Their stories that led to them coming here. Often, my mind is filled with questions.

 Why did God give me a family?

 How could I be so blessed with such a loving family, yet these precious children weren’t wanted?

Every time I look at one of the kids I just think how in the world could someone have given him/her away. It’s the most absolute absurd thought to me. I didn’t do anything to deserve a family. Just like these kids didn’t do anything deserve a family; however, the difference is I was born into a family who wanted me. Who love me. They weren’t. What I have realized is, none of us are deserving of anything. Not even a family. But, because God loves you & me so much He wants us to be a part of a family even greater than any of our earthly familes. He give His only son so that we can be adopted into His family. (Eph. 3-7) Don’t miss out on your opportunity!!

Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
John 3:3
John 14:6
Romans 10: 9-11
2 Corinthians 5:15
Revelation 3:20

Amazing Grace Baptist Church

I have briefly mentioned Amazing Grace Baptist Church in previous blogs, but I feel like it deserves it’s own post! AGBC is where all of the children and staff here at UDH attend church. Jiji’s husband, Pastor Roy, is the pastor there. Each time I have come to church here in the Philippines, it has been an experience. I'm thankful for the opportunity to have worshiped with the this church for this past month.  It has definitely made for some good times, and some funny stories.

First, I would like to point out a few facts. There is no one at church until our jeepney pulls up! We make up the majority of the church. Secondly, it never starts on time! Thirdly, we havn’t had a service yet under four hours!

It’s always interesting to see just what is going to happen! Sometimes, the rooster attends, and even makes comments about the sermon! Haha!  It's amazing that this thing can constantly crow, and hardly anyone acknowledges it becasue it's such a normal thing. Well, other than the few orphans who choose to throw rocks at it during the sermon :/

It’s very different from my church back home in America. Well, I feel safe in saying it’s very different than any churches back in America. There’s a ton of singing! It’s such a blessing to hear them singing praises to the Lord, and just have the opportunity to worship Him together! I am always so amazed that they never seem to get tired. They usually go about four hours, and it’s continuously up and down. Bekah always jokes, “We are about to convert Catholic.” They have such beautiful voices though, and I never get tired of listening.  It’s also opened my eyes to a lot of things that we sometimes complain about in the States. I know sometimes Bro. Ray will be a little long winded, and people begin to become restless. I promise it’s not bad at all!

Here, we sit on hard, wood benches. No walls. No air conditioner. Dirt floors. And we go for a whole lot longer than most of our services at home! But still, it’s wonderful. Every Sunday I think about how blessed these children really are. Their family puts in a lot of effort every Sunday to get 42 children ready and transported to church. It’s really incredible, and such a blessing.

flat tire on the way to church

KB & Carlos

Angel, Bekah, Me, Jestoni, & Alvin
Crowded in headed to AGBC

Melody, Sam, Angel

Here at UDH, we are mostly served juice at our meals. I absolutely love it! Each glass has been absolutely delicious. So delicious, Bekah and I usually drink the whole pitcher. Well, about two Sunday’s ago I went to breakfast, and thought nothing about drinking that whole thing of orange juice! However, about an hour into the service I needed the CR badly! I looked around and saw nothing other than houses. No sign at all of a CR anywhere. Which was what I expected. I have stopped at enough random people’s houses during my trips to the Philippines that this was really no big deal at all. I saw Rosella standing over to the side so I figured I would get her to point me in the right direction. And she did! Turns out there is a CR there. It’s a bowl about half a foot from the dirt floor. The sides were bits and pieces of bamboo (mostly broken bamboo), and the door was so shabby it had to held up. With all of the help I could get to try and do this as decent as possible, I'm pretty sure half of the church still got a decent view of the American using the "potty."  KB just thought it was absolutely hilarious! I guess I learned my lesson on that; However, I have decided that I get a little thirsty during worship so instead of drinking so much at breakfast, I’m just bringing my juice with me!

　

Surprise Babies & Brown Outs 02.16.2011

Today I am extremely exhausted, and I am not quiet sure why. Well, other than the fact that I didn’t get my nap today! Haha. Instead Bekah and I went over to Nanay’s house and talked a while. We talked about past orphans, and the stories of the orphans living here now. She literally had us in tears. It’s just so incredible to hear their stories of what they came from, and then to now see the joy overflowing from their hearts.

She said that the thing they always say now is that if they ever see their families again they want to tell them about Jesus Christ! That’s so amazing to me. I want to share with you some of their stories, but not today! I am writing them down as I hear them, and hope to share them another time.

I know some of you are aware that we are supposed to be getting a new little baby here at Uncle Dick’s Home, but you weren’t aware of when. That’s because neither were we! Haha. Well…he got here yesterday! He is only two months old, and is adorable! Bekah and I got to hold him a few minutes ago for the very first time. I was the very first American told hold him, and it kinda made my heart smile. ha. We are sooo excited to get to be here for his arrival! His name is Juter!  We don’t know his entire story yet, but hopefully soon! I will be sharing it with you J
We have had a brown out all day! It happened first thing this morning, and we just got power back about 30 minutes ago! Bekah and I have been wondering all day why in the world they are called “brown outs,” because whenever we have one it is certainly not brown. It’s black! Wouldn’t it make a whole lot more since to say “Black out?!” I think so. Because we had no electricity today, the water pump couldn’t work. So, not only have we been powerless, but also we have been waterless. Kinda stinks (literally) being in a third world country with lots of dirt and bugs, and no water to get clean. But we made it J

We have a pretty big surprise for the third year high school students this Saturday! Bekah and I are very very excited, and cannot wait for it to hurry up and get here! I expect this weekend to be a very fun

Soap Talk 02.15.2011

Hi!
At this very moment I am sitting on my mosquito net (literally on top of it, not inside), waiting for water! I need to shower so badly (i kinda made that sound like i stink horribly..maybe i do?), but of course we are out of water. This only happens about four times a day, and I still havn’t figured out the system. Actually, I think there is no system. Ilonggo lesson "Wala Tubig"=no water. Definitely a must learn phrase around here. I got to Skype with my sweet family yesterday, and that made me very happy! It was so great to see them, and hear their voices. The Internet at the place we go to is never fast enough for both parties to hear and see each other, so we have to sacrifice something. Yesterday, they weren’t able to hear me, so I had to type the entire conversation. It’s okay though, because I could hear them J I really cannot believe that it’s only two weeks until I see them again. That’s just craziness. I have so many emotions going on inside me right now. I miss my family and friends so much, and it will be a GREAT day to see them; however, I am NOT, ready to leave. In fact, the thought of saying goodbye to these kids absolutely makes my stomach hurt. I knew this would happen before I came. I knew I would get close to them, and it would be hard to leave them, but I never imagined it would be this hard. It never occurred to me that I would get this close to all of them. At this point, it feels like it will be impossible for me to leave. Please pray for me! In church, I have sang the hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven,” a thousand times. I have always known it had great words, but it’s just never been one of those songs that gets stuck in my head…until this past month. For some reason, I have this song on repeat in my head. It's just recently occurred to me why. It will be such glorious day whenever we all do get to Heaven. The truth of the matter is, no matter where I am on this earth I am always going to be missing someone. Whenever I am here, I miss my family and all of my friends back home. But…when I am home with all of my family and friends, I miss my Filipino family and friends. It's like part of my puzzle pieces are always missing.  But..someday whenever we all get to Heaven…I will be with everyone! Finally, my puzzle will be complete. My heart is so so so happy to think about that!

Around here, everyone washes clothes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. While being here, Bekah and I are trying our best to live just as they do. To walk in their shoes. I think it's our actions that speak louder than our words, and the fact that we are willing to do as they do rather than paying someone in the village to do our clothes, speaks volumes. It always, always tears up my hands, but to me that’s just part of this little journey. As much as my hands hate to scrub my clothes three times a week, I actually enjoy it. I have had some of the best heart to hearts while washing my clothes on that little concrete slab.  Jestoni always tells Bekah and me, we look pitiful whenever we are washing our clothes. Not only because he thinks that we shouldn’t be washing them ourselves, but also because he said that we are the only Americans he has ever seen who squat down over our tub and wash our clothes like a Filipino. So….as weird as it may sound, I will miss washing my clothes whenever I go home! Just to clarify though, it's the time spent talking with the kids while washing that I will long for, not bloody knuckles.

We are really getting accustomed to the culture over here. Jestoni even told us last night that we had really become like Filipinas, because we could fall asleep anywhere!

Happy Hearts Day! 2.14.2011

First thing this morning, I walked out of my room, and was greeted with beautiful children exclaiming,  “Happy Valentines Day! Mahal Kita (I love you)!” However, then Jimboy walks out and kindly informed us that it’s not “Happy Valentines Day,” but instead, “Happy Heart’s Day for Christians!” Not quiet sure the reasoning behind that, but that’s what we went with the rest of the day!

 It was a very eventful day. Bekah and I got up this morning earlier than usual to go prepare breakfast. Nanay had asked us to prepare American food for breakfast and lunch, and they would take care of dinner for us. We weren’t exactly sure what we were getting ourselves into because they kept asking us if we were okay with Filipino food. Well….we kinda thought that’s what we had been having for the past few weeks so we were kinda concerned. We made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Not as great as we had planned on them to be. It’s kind of different making pancakes here. Almost like we went back to the 18^th century, and tried to make them. We weren’t exactly used to that, so making around 80 pancakes was a bit challenging. For lunch we had planned to have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We began working on those soon after we walked the children to school. They turned out pretty good. I think the children might have actually enjoyed them! We did have them serve rice with it though. We just didn’t think they could survive without it. Haha. However, at the end of the month whenever we have our all day American Day, we will not be giving them rice! The majority of the children stayed home after lunch for our activities! We worked on making each other Valentines for at least seven hours! They are all so artsy! Their cards were so cute, and very very sweet. We also bought them some chocolate candy, but no matter how much we gave them it was never enough for KB. It’s like he has this little built in radar that starts beeping every time he is near any kind of candy, because no matter how hard we try to hide it, he will always find it! Our Filipino dinner was wonderful! They had pretty much set up this little buffet for all of the kids filled with fish, vegetables, rice, chicken, fruit, etc. Then, they had the Americana table set up for us, and kept bringing more food. We had tilapia, fried tilapia, BBQ chicken, some other kind of chicken, rice, fruit, vegetables, hot peppers :p, and lots of juice (which is my favorite!)! Since we had been so busy, and hadn’t really had time to eat, we were so hungry we pretty much cleaned the table! At this point, I honestly believe I could fall asleep in the hallway with the rats, lizards, and spiders! So, before that happens I’m just going to get in my cute little mosquito net, and sleep away! Night J

"Unforgetable Woman:" Prom 02.13.2011

Due to a lot of craziness and excitement around here this weekend, I havn’t found the time or the energy to blog! Needless to say I am a little bit behind. We have been busy every since the rooster crowed about 3:00 a.m. Friday! After breakfast, we took the elementary children to school. We had promised them we would stay for their elementary day, but because of our busy schedule we couldn’t stay that long. The time we spent there was definitely interesting though. There was a parade of all, well most all, of the students at the school. The students were either playing an instrument in the band, walking with their class, or riding on the princes and princesses float. It was all very cute. It did seem kind of like the other students were putting all of this on for our students here. They weren’t involved, but were very eager to watch! Bekah and I figured that they might not could due to all of the expenses involved, and with the very large family here, that might run into some very major expenses.

We had talked to Nanay Thursday night about going to the market on Friday for some things. So after our time at elementary day we headed to town! After picking up some food for some of the future activities, we decided to treat ourselves! We bought chocolate, those little French fry type things, and ice cream! It was great J Gina, the lady who went shopping with us, told us she had to go pick up some ground beef. I think that for just a second my brain was thinking about the nice little freezers we have back in America, because for some reason I was shocked to find myself right in the middle of raw meat. Just like always, it didn’t make me feel too great! Yuck!

Friday night was the junior/senior prom, so soon after lunch Bekah and I began helping them prepare for their big night! They were all very gwapo and gwapa! The girl’s dresses were beautiful! We also got to go to prom, so we spent a little time beautifying ourselves. We were very excited about the night!

headed to prom

The night began much like our prom’s back in America. We all lined up by the family van here at the orphanage and had our picture taken. Then, we all piled into this 15 passenger van to drive maybe half a mile through this field to their prom. We were among the first to arrive at their gymnasium, which was where the prom was held. When I say gymnasium please don’t picture an american gym. This gym was partly covered with tin, partly tarp, and had dirt floors. However, they had decorated very nicely, and had done the best with what they had, so it was nice. Soon after we got there, all of the students began arriving in their beautiful formal attire. They told everyone the prom would begin at four and end at ten. After we got there, we were told by the TIC (teacher in charge) that they only told the students that so they would be there in time, and they weren’t actually beginning until five.(Just like Filipinos! Haha) So to pass some time, Bekah and I took a lot of pictures with our "crew"!

As promised they began at five with a grand entrance of all of the students. The remainder of the night wasn’t at all like a prom back in America. The program was much more like one of our graduation activities. There was the reading of the class history, prophecies and will’s, and a candle lighting. The music for the night was very fun, but a bit confusing. There was a mixture of Casting Crowns, Martina McBride, Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers, Justin Beiber, and classical. Also, at the most awkward and random times during a song the mc would decide to give the audience a couple of inspiration lines. Such as quoting John 3:16 followed by “let’s make love, and give God the glory!” haha. That’s exactly what we want to tell students at a prom! Sometimes I wonder if those little awkward phrases they will sometimes say might have made more since in their own language. Finally, near the end of the program the boys got to perform their dance they had worked hours and hours on! They were all so great! After they finished their dance, it was time for all of the dancing to begin. However, I didn’t realize this until Richard walks up, extends his hand, and asked me to dance. I was at first in a little bit of shock, and repeatedly ask, “What?! Now?! We can dance now?!" He just laughed and give me the "silly American" look. So, we danced, and  Bekah so graciously took my camera for me. I think she thought she was going to get out of dancing, but soon after some random guy asked her for a dance! Haha.The dance was some type of Spanish waltz, which I had no clue how to do so Richard just simply told me to take his hand and he would lead. It was tons of fun, and really crazy! We kept getting swapped between all of the guys. I guess everyone wanted their turn with the americanas. They were swinging Bekah all around the floor! Me, I got swapped around with the male teachers, and was even told by one that I was his “unforgettable woman!” haha. Oh the things that happen in the Philippines! It was a lot of fun!! This was the beginning of the dancing. I honestly don’t know how they were dancing to the music they were dancing to. It was music that makes you just want to kind of nod your head, but not start getting down to, but let me tell ya….they were somehow really getting down to it! Haha. It was supposed to be over at 9.…at 10:30 we were still there! And at 1:00 am the music was still playing! Keep in mind the orphanage is maybe 2 minutes from the school, walking. Needless to say, we didn’t get just a whole lot of great sleep that night; however, it was so worth it. I am so happy we got to be a part of such a happy night for them, and I finally got to go to prom ;)