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“Manilaaaaa. Manilaaaaaa. I keep coming back to Manilaaaa. There’s no place like Manila. Manila I’m coming home!!!”
My feet were UBER swollen >.< YUCK! Bea and I with our twinsie packs!
It hasn't even been a full day and my tank already has a hole! Talk about a hole-y outfit!
After 36 hours TOTAL of travelling, two layovers, a bad case of cankles, 4.5 hours of sleep, super greasy hair that could be wrung out to fry fish, and one facebook update later, I finally made it back to the motherland after seven years!! FIST PUMP. Thank you, Papa, for a safe and no-hassle trip! Out of 44 missionaries, no bags were lost and there were no major delays. What a miracle!! You are just too legit to quit. I pray that that continues over the next year as we travel from country to country. Nothing is impossible with you, Papa. =)
Ann and Me fresh off the plane! On Philippine soil!!
The moment I step off the airplane and onto Manila soil on Sunday morning, I recognize that ohh tooo familiar musky, heady, smoke-filled aroma which confirmed that indeed I was home. Walking out into the street, I can’t wipe the smile off my face despite my jankiness from the long journey or the wonderful combination of the humid air and my over-active sweat glands because I am back in inang bayan (motherland)at last. The honking jeepneys, which are graffitied US military jeeps left over from WWI, and the bad driving cannot phase this Filipina girl. Well, ok, maybe slightly. Let’s be real! When a 3 laner becomes a 5 laner, that can be a bit terrifying even for me, but Filipinos were made for those type of driving situations. So…no fear!
Jeepneys are the King of the Road here!
We got to Valley Golf where our ministry, Kids International Ministries, is located and we instantly feel like we're at home! There's adobo (a Filipino delicacy) laid out on the table for us with rice and pineapple. We are shown our rooms, which are fully furnished with beds and mattresses, clean sheets, closet space, AND our very own shower room! FANCY. I know!! We even have WEEE-FEEE aka WI-FI (I don't know. I just feel like calling it that). I'm slowly weaning myself away from the internet. The key word is slowly. Ok so back to the delicious food prepared by Ate Malou!! For dinner we had spaghetti!! What the unreal?!?! Talk about five-star treatment!! I thought we were missionaries?! Who is serving WHO here?!
I can't begin to explain how blessed we are to be serving such a great ministry! Jeff Long, director of KIM, has opened up his heart, his life and his ministry to us! There are so many beautiful opportunities to serve here! Down the street, there is a Children's Home here that serves as a safe haven for babies, toddlers and teens who have suffered some sort of abuse whether it be physical, verbal, emotional or spiritual. There is also Josie's Angels Zone where there are about 24 radiant teenage girls thirsting for Papa's love and hungry for more of His word. There are also Bible studies, home improvement projects, afterschool programs, feeding progrms, and much more!
We toured the neighborhood and visited some of the ministries to get a better idea of what we wanted to get involved in. It was hard for me to focus because I couldn't get my eyes off of some of the kids we came across. Take a look see!
The sign for "pogi" or handsome face!
The matching besties! (Still can't make out their names!)
Cedric, the miracle baby!! (More on him later!)
See what I mean?!?! They're so irresistibly enchanting!!
No matter how tired or janky we were, we couln't help but choose JOY! It’s just that the joy that emanates from the people here is so contagious… and it’s inevitable to fall victim to it! I was a goner as soon as I saw the kids. Especially the little one below.
Geneis (on the right) and Aaron (on the left)
I’ve already met my kryptonite. His name is Aaron. I met him on the first night. There is something about him that breaks my heart and puts it back together again all at the same time. Kind of like what Adele does to me with her voice, except he does it with his smile…the smile in his eyes even.
Aaron isn’t much of a talker. But ohh the stories he tells when you tickle his fancy. He’s only four years old but already he wants to become a doctor. He is confident when he says that he is a very fast runner and he challenged me to a run-off, even if he did have a little cough that is a few days old. He pulled me aside to tell me about the skin rash he got from the huge higad, or caterpillar, that climbs the trees outside and then he proceeded to go through all the bugs that he came across in his bedroom. =) I don’t know what he’s seen, where he’s come from, or what how his short story reads, but his zest for life, his ambition, and his beautiful smile are far too precious to overlook. That first night when he waved to me and said, “Bye Ate Marian,” I could tell that we are going to be best friends.
Lots of pictures and video coming soon! =) You know how it is…filipino time! 😉 It may be a bit delayed, but trust that I will get it up here ASAP! <3 Love you all! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and pray for me and my squad! Pagpalain ka ng Dyos (God bless you)!
PS. Check all my pictures out in my albums on Facebook (facebook.com.marianpadilla)!!
