We have hit the half way mark for our stay in the Philippines. I know, I can't believe it either! Following are my top five favorite moments from the last few weeks:
5) Jumping into being a journalist – Finally, my inner Katie Couric has come in handy! The interview is complete and the article is the on the way to the editor for final tweaks. It was a complete pleasure meeting Nelida, her darling family, and working with my squad mate Marian, the Master Translator. For the record, we didn't mean to make Nelida cry. Alas, her dreams are big, her heart is tender and she is an inspiration to this kindred spirit.
4) Feeding Karaoke – Filipinos love, I mean LOVE, Karaoke! But why pay for it when the radio stations here play a whole host of good "old" music. We've rocked out to the likes of Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson, Boston and many others. The drive time to and from the feedings has provided space to sing, laugh, share and process together the heartache we see and experience when we pull into the needy communities. Turn the radio up!
3) Glee in 3D – Maybe Feeding Karaoke was warm up for this experience? Maybe not. Whatever the case, I fully embraced my inner loud, slightly obnoxious, American and danced/sang/cheered and clapped my way thru the Glee 3D Concert movie. Props to my squad mates for their willing participation; y'all were awesome! Seriously, I was still smiling when I woke up.
2) Tutoring at the JAZ House – Sitting back for just a moment to take it all in I thought to myself, "So, He does equip the called after all". I have a bit of an insecurity around being a teacher (probably because an abundance of exceptional teachers have graced my life) so I had pretty low expectations of what I could offer the girls at the JAZ house in regard to improving their schooling. As God would have it, and rightly so, all He really needed was a willing heart. Building on tools I learned years ago when I was a Whiz Kids tutor and with a wonderful audience of interested students, I've begun the process of unearthing my inner teacher. So far, she gets as, if not more, excited than her pupils. It's kinda funny to watch.
1) I believe in Karma – Critical life skills can be taught and foibles avoided through sports. With that in mind, a handful of kids from the children's home have been provided the opportunity to participate in swim practice each week. It has been my honor to invest in their preparation for time trials on October 1st.
Going back to equipping the called, Bree and Susan, the visionaries/coaches behind Karma Multi Sport (the triathlon training program my mom and I have participated in, in recent years), could never known how far their reach would be. Ladies, thank you for investing in me so I could invest into the lives/strokes of these kiddos. It has been an absolute blast watching these tadpoles turn into fish!
