We have not had much of an opportunity to be on the internet this month, so I have not written much about the things that we have done while here in Malaybalay. So, here goes.
1. Our number one goal was to work in the New Faith Family Children’s Home. This meant working around the clock shifts in the toddler room or shifts with the older girls or older boys. It seems heartless to call it working shifts because we were really just hanging out with the kids. They are amazing.
2. Helped with AWANA camp on Saturday afternoons. A Pilipino couple (Glen and Grace, they own the land that Mt. Moriah and the children’s home is built on) started doing AWANA on Saturdays and now hundreds of kids from the city of Malaybalay come to Mt. Moriah (the name of the place that we live) to participate in AWANA. They serve food to all of the kids and do AWANA things for 3-4 hours.
3. Participated in Church on Sunday mornings. The pastor asked 3 of us to give our testimony at church every Sunday. The musically gifted ones also helped lead worship.
4. Put on Friday Fun nights for the kids in the Children’s Home. The first Friday Fun Night we made a small carnival for the kids to play games and win candy prizes. The second Friday Fun Night we had a talent show and the kids showed off their awesome talents. And the third Friday Fun Night we borrowed a projector and had a movie night with popcorn and watched Megamind. The kids loved Friday Fun Nights. It was fun to watch the kids have so much fun.
5. Painted part of the Children’s Home
6. Made Concrete steps from the Children’s Home down to the soccer field. Well, we tried to make concrete steps, but then a construction worker came to help us and fixed our concrete steps. (The entire way that things are done is completely different. I was helping the construction worker with the steps and we were cutting rebar with a hand saw…. I would have never even thought to do that. Plus, it was really hard to cut the rebar with a hand saw. I cut one and thought that my arm was going to fall off!)
7. Weeded the soccer field so that grass can grow!
8. Fertilized the soccer field. (Someone had donated the fertilizer and we helped spread it out on the field. This was a funny time because the fertilizer was chicken poop mixed with some rice stalk pieces. We were literally throwing poop around.)
9. Hauled rocks around Mt. Moriah to fill in places that get muddy when it rains.
10. Helped sort donations
11. Participated in food distributions at the local Hospital on Sunday mornings. We also prayed with people in the Hospital when we were there.
12. Participated in food distributions at a public school near where we are staying. Also painted a mural in the school.
13. Participated in a blanket distribution to people in the community.
14. Helped at New Life Rehabilitation Home. (This is a home that was started by a former World Racer, Jody. It is a ministry that reaches out to adolescents in the city jail. She goes to the jail a few times a week and meets with the adolescents and does everything from playing basketball with them, teaching them normal school things, to having a Bible study with them. Sometimes the adolescents have the option of going to jail or living at the New Life Rehabilitation Home, sort of like a “Teen Challenge” in the States. There are currently 2 teens living at the home. We helped with bush whacking to install a basketball court at the New Life home, painted a mural in the home, painted a bathroom (called a C.R. in the Philippines which is short for Comfort Room), dug up some area for them to plant a garden, and helped with administrative things in the home.)
15. PLUS, we did all sorts of fun excursions:
· White Water Rafting/Cliff Jumping
· Hiked around waterfalls/cliff jumping into the waterfalls
· Hiked down to a river and some some “blue water caves” (people also did rock climbing, and repelled off a bridge, but Chris and I didn’t participate in these things)
· Visited a banana plantation and packaging factory
· Visited a pineapple plantation and packaging factory
· Went to a public ranch in the most beautiful mountains ever and went horseback riding
· Visited a rice field and experienced rice harvesting
· Rode a waterbuffalo (called Caribow in the Philippines)
· Ate Balut (I’m not sure if this counts as a fun excursion, but it had to make it on the list anyway)
It has definitely been a fun trip to the Philippines and we have done a lot of amazing things that I never thought that I could be a part of. God is at work here in the lives of the children and the people working in the children’s home. He is providing all sorts of new things here too. They started construction on a new basketball complex that they hope to finish by December! It has been a blessing to be here and to experience all that is going on.
