Hi everyone! I’ve been in the Philippines for about a week now. It’s very, very different so I thought I’d update you all on exactly what it’s like.
Us 15 girls live in the upstairs part of a building called “The Lighthouse.” It’s connected to a children’s ministry area. It’s also across from the beach, but not really what you’re thinking. They’re also building a sea wall (more on that later) so it’s a little difficult to access the beach. The house has two bathrooms (which is hard with there being 15 girls) and several bedrooms with about 4 to a room, and 5 in one. There’s no AC so you can imagine we sweat A LOT. And it’s not even summer here yet. However there are fans which I’m SO grateful for. There is a washing machine (which is a blessing), but it’s really hard to find a time where it’s not in use. So I wear clothes usually three days in a row. I really miss having my own space, but I know this will grow me.
A lot of street kids come and play volleyball here. The people who cook for us live here (in the downstairs part) and they have several dogs that just kinda roam around the area.
There’s soooo many street dogs all around. I wish I could just take them all home (sorry, mom). We take trikes when we need to go somewhere other than our ministry (ex- coffee shop, store, etc) and those are super cheap. About p25 to go to the coffee shop which is like 2.5ish miles away. I can’t go anywhere alone though, & it can be hard to find time & someone to come with. A trike is a bicycle or motor bike with a little “carriage” attached to it. It’s so tiny and uncomfortable but fun at the same time. Sometimes we take a “jeepee” to go farther distances. Traffic is different. There aren’t really many stoplights or stop signs, so you just kinda merge into the road. I’ve learned not to pay attention or it’ll stress me out. Theyre really good at driving though, cause I know I wouldn’t be able to do it & not hit everyone pulling out in front of you.
Today I had a mini pineapple that you buy off the street. It’s sooo good. It’s already cut so you just bite into it. The mangos here are crazy delicious. They also sell open fish on the road, but I won’t eat that. They slaughter pigs here on the side of the road. Thankfully I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard it. Some of my teammates have seen it. I try not to think about it.
Ministry is different depending on the day. We always have team time in the morning and at night, then go out for ministry.Most days consist of feedings and a value class (we go to different schools and scoop out food for them, and then go into the classrooms and sing songs, play games, teach them a bible verse, and listen while our host teaches them the lesson in Waray-Waray. The kids laugh at us a lot. I’ve never seen anyone smile the way they do, yet they have so little. Some kids don’t even have a bowl (or bag) to be able to get fed. Some come back for seconds and thirds, trying to get enough to take home to their families. Most live in little tin shacks.
Other ministry days consist of prayer walks, prison ministry, women’s bible study, cleaning around the house, and stuff like that. On Sunday’s we go to a church at the mall and then just hang around. I’m hoping to get out and do some adventurous things soon.
Ministry (& life in general) is definitely difficult because of the language barrier, but some know English pretty well. I’m attempting to learn a few words in Waray-Waray and Tagalog.
The locals talk a lot about the typhoon that hit here in 2013. Typhoon Yolanda. The reason for the sea wall. It was the worst typhoon ever recorded to make landfall. It DEVASTATED them. I don’t know the extent of it, but if I did I sure I’d talk about it as much as they do. They were left with literally nothing. Some are scared of the water now. So, so, so many lost loved ones. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like. Down the street there are statues of soilders coming in from the sea, representing those who sailed in after the typhoon to help with disaster relief. It’s really sweet and I hope to go see it soon.
I think about home a lot. But I know He put me here for a reason, so I’m trying to figure out exactly what that is. I know He’s gonna do some pretty amazing things during this season of life, no matter how challenging it may get.
I have so much to write about and I know I’m missing a lot. A few lighthearted, interesting things here:
They pump your gas for you
Divorce is illegal
The raise their eyebrows a lot, and it means “yes”
The eggs, when scrambled, are orange
Talk to you soon xoxo
(If you have an iPhone, feel free to text me through iMessage. If not, you can message me on insta or Facebook. I love seeing all the messages when I get WiFi. I’ll respond to you all when I can)
