Time for another blog! Can you believe that you are lucky enough to get two of them in less than a week’s time? Thank you Philippines for good internet! I realized while looking through some of my older blogs that it’s not often that I just update on life. Most of my blogs consist of the emotional, crazy stuff that I see on the race, but very few of them just update you on what’s going on with me… here, back home, after the race, etc. So, consider this your official update. Don’t kid yourself, I know you are excited. 😉
The Race: We are officially on month 8 of the race. We are spending this month in a place called Puerto Galera. It’s a beautiful, small island of the Philippines which boasts a heavy amount of tourism because of it’s ridiculously beautiful beaches! We are also officially back to living life with just the basics (after getting spoiled last month in Cape Town)… it’s back to sleeping on the floor, using toilets that only occasionally flush, and washing and bathing clothes in the river! (that one is actually a first) The organization we are working with is called Threads of Hope (which, for the sake of time I will explain in another blog). Food is phenomenal and the ministry this month is super relational. We tend to spend the mornings doing manual labor near the church area, and then off to the beach to hang out with local people in the afternoons. The church also has a full court basketball gym, which I tend to sneak off to in the evenings after supper. After two years at the Boys & Girls Club, it’s been a while since I have played ball with people of my own age and size but I have absolutely loved the challenge!
Back Home: I actually haven’t had any kind of extended conversation with the family back home lately. However, I happen to be pretty darn good at facebook stalking, so I am usually able to keep up with most of the recent happenings. The parents & sister/bro-in-law passed the background checks meaning that the adoption papers for the Haitian kiddos are officially being translated and sent off! YAY, YAY, YAY! It still blows my mind every time I think about the fact that these two beautiful kiddos I met just months ago will soon permanently be a part of my family! Love, love, love the way God works. So ridiculously beautiful! Other than that, all I know is that Cade (my ridiculously handsome 2 year old nephew) is still as adorable and hilarious as usual. It’s hard for me to believe that he has grown up SO much in the past 8 months! Apparently every time he sees my picture he says “Em’s still racin'” Love that kid!
Post Race: Apparently month 8 seems to be the month for everyone to suddenly become very curious about your plans after the race is over. At this point in time, I really can’t say anything definite. As many of you know, I absolutely fell in love with Cape Town, South Africa last month… so I am prayerfully considering my options there. And even though my heart may be there, for now God has be here… so I am working hard to keep my ears and eyes open to the things he has to teach me during this time and this season… and for now, that’s good enough for me!
Finally… I cannot say thank you enough for the consistent prayer support. Your prayers and words of encouragement to me throughout this journey have meant significantly more to me than you will ever know.
Well, that’s all for now. Congratulations to you! You are now officially updated! I just know that you can hardly contain the excitement! 🙂
