So, as I mentioned in my last blog, we are no longer in Malaysia, but have moved on to the Philippines! We arrived at the beginning of the month, and will be here until March 31st, when we go to Thailand! I apologize that I have been sort of behind on my blogs. African internet put me way behind, and I feel like I have been struggling to catch up ever since! So, thank you for your patience!
Coming into the Philippines, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Honestly, all I had heard was that it is the hottest place on Earth and that the food is terrible. So… I wasn’t exactly super excited to come here. But, it seems to be a pattern for me on this trip that the places I am not excited to go to end up being my favorites. And the Philippines is no exception!
We have been here for about two weeks now, and it has already climbed to the top of my list as one of my favorite stops on the race! Our squad is working in a small city in the mountains named Malay Balay. It is a naturally beautiful place, and the best perk is that, since we are in the mountains, it is about 20 degrees cooler than the rest of the country! So we are all enjoying the beautiful nature and the wonderful weather!
Our squad is working with Kids International Ministries, which is a ministry that has several children’s homes throughout the Philippines. Their main home is in Manila, but they recently opened a home in Malay Balay, which is where we are helping out.
Our whole squad is together this month, and we have the opportunity to participate in several different ministries. We are doing some construction projects, painting the outside of the children’s home, taking care of the kids, and doing some other community outreach projects. This month, we have all been able to decide individually what we feel led to do. For me, that means spending the majority of my time taking care of the adorable children who live at the home. There are 3 babies, a handful of toddlers, and only a few very tired workers who need a break! So… we have been taking turns helping out in the nursery 24/7 so that the workers can have a much needed vacation. I have loved getting to take care of the babies and play with the other children. Here are some of the faces I see everyday!
Our contacts here are really amazing and have ensured that we have been able to get out and have some fun around town, as well. When we first arrived, we were able to take the kids from the home to a local street festival. The native people from the area put on an amazing parade, complete with floats, dacning, and music! It was a great way to start our month here.
On Saturday, we were also able to go to a beautiful waterfall. We even got to hike down to the bottom and swim, which was really fun.
I can’t believe that we are on month 10! Time surely does fly! For those of you who don’t know, I will be back in Nashville on April 30th, and I am so excited to see everyone! Until then, please continue to keep me and the rest of my squad in your prayers! Pray that we will have energy and strength to serve wholeheartedly, that we would stay healthy, and that we would finish the race well. I know that I don’t want to miss out on any lesson that God has for me during this last leg of the trip, so I really appreciate your prayers!! We only get internet here once a week, but I will write more soon! Love to all of you!
