Thank you Jesus for bringing me to the Philippines!!!
Here are the things that I enjoy!
Knowing that I have a loving host family to come home to everyday. I feel like their 21 yr old daughter could be my long lost Filippino sister (she is 1 day apart from my sister Kelly- I don't think that this was an accident). I truly care about her. We do dinners as a family every Sunday night. I feel like a foreign exchange student. This is slightly true.
Constant laughter and smiles on everyones faces.
Praying before & after meetings with our ministry contact Food for the Hungry.
Working with the non-profit Food for the Hungry. Their impact in children's lives are so apparent. The kids they sponsor come from some of the most destitute living conditions, but they are driven. I have spent time with them, taught them and loved them.
Being expected to live outside of my comfort zone. If I'd rather not do something, its usually God asking me to go for it, try it out and trust Him. Ex: acting in sketches (or skits for some)- something that I have not done since middle school. The trick is staying in the moment and being present with the people on stage. The Lord is stretching my imagination. 🙂
Eating all new cuisine- Ate Sol makes sure that we have nutrious authentic Filippino food every day! Thank you G-d for her!!! Chop sewy, adobo, fried bananas, sweet coconut pudding, Double Dutch Ice Cream (flavor of the Philippines), Rambotan (fruit), salted eggs (hard boiled egg soaked for 18 days in salted mud- wild and stomachable with tomatos), pan de coco (coconut bread), pan de ube (grape bread- tastes like an all natural poptart), lumpia (vegtable rice wraps) and balut egg (The most narly thing I have ever eaten ever… 18 day old fertalized duck egg that had been hard boiled. It was once served on Fear Factor. I ate it with my teammates dipped in salt and vinegar. It was a lot bigger than I pictured and surprisingly I ate the whole thing. I kind of felt guilty, but the shock value of it was worth it) This was eaten in front of our church family last Wednesday (they all got a kick out of seeing us squirm).
Crazy new ways of travel- jeepneys (old WWII vehicles converted into buses- $.25/ ride- nice!) and tricycles (motorcycle with buggy (made for 3, but we manage to fit 6).
Healing my heart for kids. I have always felt apprehensive in the past about being around kids because I have never been sure what to do with them. Well God has changed that. Easy, be yourself (they are the one people group I don't have to hide any of my craziness) and love the heck out of them. My heart was touched today while I walked with 2 of my teammates to church for ministry today. About half way their I realized that we were being followd by a pack of giggling little kids in mix-matched clothes. When I turned around to smile and say Mugandan umaga (good morning)- two little girls quickly grabbed my hand saying hi Ate Kristen (sister Kristen). We walked the rest of the way hand in hand while the rest ran along side of us smiling and saying hi. They other 12 kids literally reminded me of hurdlers, jumping over small hedges, kittens and cirbs. It was the greatest experience.
Bonding with my teammates. Iron sharpens iron in this group. I can see that the Lord is going to heal some things in my life through the amazing, loving people on my team.
Feeling blessed and trusting the Lord for my everyday, relationally- mentally and physically. I am pressing in and not looking back.
Here is my power verse for the week- It has encouraged me not to define myself by who I used to be, or allow myself to fall back into old insecurities/fears that the L-rd has already delivered me from. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. The L-rd believes in me, because I believe in Him. If He is for me, no one can create a worthy argument against me. No angels or principalities. His perfect love and grace covers over me and everyone else who is willing to follow Him.
Philippians 3:13 & 14 "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
I love you all! Thinking of you and missing you in my down time.
G-d bless you with love,
Kristen
