Have you read the story of Adam and Eve lately....... Go ahead and read it now..pay close attention to verse 10....click here
Adam said he was naked and had to hide from God..... Isn't it just terrible that Adam felt that way..... His sin immediately separated him from the Lord....he was ashamed, embarrassed, unclean..... He probably felt guilty, maybe remorseful.....either way though he was too filthy in his own mind to be around his own creator..... haven't you felt that way before..
I am sure we have ALL felt like that at some time or another.... It's hard to confess our sins to Him..... Just like Adam, we want to run and hide and hope that the Creator of all the things we use to hide behind, somehow cannot see through them.....
Surprise though...He does see through all of those things.... and guess what He sees back there in our hiding place........ a soul that He created and longs to be with...... a being that is made in His image and that He breathed His very breath into....... a person who He actually knows personally.....to the point that He knows how many hairs are on your head.... His child.. that He gave His own life for....... who He loves...and yearns to forgive...if we would but only ask.....
As I think about that.....why do we run???..... why do we hide???... lest it be to Run to Him and Hide beneath His wings!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Breakfast with the Aussies
Yesterday.... Monday Morning.... after Matt and I killed ourselves at the gym we decided to head down to Mickey D's for some pancakes and sausage.... It is one of our many pleasures here....
After we ordered I am carrying the tray to the table, and of course, me being the clutz that I am tripped all over a caution wet floor sign.... I never even saw it....I felt so stupid because it made this loud crash....and then their were 2 older whit people sitting near by...and the man just laughed as hard as he could and it was very loud.... It was funny that I tripped and I totally would have laughed had I seen someone doing it....but this man got a real kick out of me being clumsy...
That opened up a conversation with he and his wife..... We quickly realized why he laughed so loud was because he was deaf as a doornail....what ever that saying means....I've always said it but don't really get it..... They just couldn't believe why we were here..... Hopefully the Lord will use that in their lives some day..... One thing I have learned here...its not my job to see anyone saved.... I just have to talk about Jesus and let Him to do the rest..... Successful evangelism is not winning thousands to the Lord, it is being obedient in talking and sharing about Him and trusting Him to do the rest....
Anyway.... he and his wife, 84 and 82 respectively, were on their way to Manila by ferry... that is about a 20 hour trip..They had been to see their son and his Filipino wife on another island.. they needed to know how to get to the Waterfront hotel..... Matt and I are no experts about Cebu yet, but we knew where this place was because that is where the American grocery store is.... we felt so proud to tell them.... It was great meeting them and talking with them.... I am sure the entire Mickey D's enjoyed hearing it as well..Man was he loud.. Below is a picture of the 2....
After we ordered I am carrying the tray to the table, and of course, me being the clutz that I am tripped all over a caution wet floor sign.... I never even saw it....I felt so stupid because it made this loud crash....and then their were 2 older whit people sitting near by...and the man just laughed as hard as he could and it was very loud.... It was funny that I tripped and I totally would have laughed had I seen someone doing it....but this man got a real kick out of me being clumsy...
That opened up a conversation with he and his wife..... We quickly realized why he laughed so loud was because he was deaf as a doornail....what ever that saying means....I've always said it but don't really get it..... They just couldn't believe why we were here..... Hopefully the Lord will use that in their lives some day..... One thing I have learned here...its not my job to see anyone saved.... I just have to talk about Jesus and let Him to do the rest..... Successful evangelism is not winning thousands to the Lord, it is being obedient in talking and sharing about Him and trusting Him to do the rest....
Anyway.... he and his wife, 84 and 82 respectively, were on their way to Manila by ferry... that is about a 20 hour trip..They had been to see their son and his Filipino wife on another island.. they needed to know how to get to the Waterfront hotel..... Matt and I are no experts about Cebu yet, but we knew where this place was because that is where the American grocery store is.... we felt so proud to tell them.... It was great meeting them and talking with them.... I am sure the entire Mickey D's enjoyed hearing it as well..Man was he loud.. Below is a picture of the 2....
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Dr. Sherwin and Dr. Iris
Yesterday was absolutely the best trip I have EVER had to a dentist... The Dentists were named Sherwin and his wife Iris.... Both are amazing people who love the Lord... They clean the teeth of lots of missionaries here as well as have their own ministry with children from Compassion International... Over 1000 kids they see....
You will see on Matt's video that the cost of the dentist over here is REALLY inexpensive...200 pesos... that's about $4.50..that is a special rate they give to missionaries... the regular rate is 400 pesos... which still is just shy of 10 dollars...
Below you'll see a video of me in the chair.... The doc. informed that I had a small cavity... I WAS DEVASTATED!!!!!! This was the first one in my entire 29.5 years.. The good news.. He said it was very small and did not need a filling as of yet... He said my immune system may take care of it with his help... Lets pray so...
In the video you will notice he is cleaning my teeth just like at home.... They kept apologizing for having to do it that way but there cleaning machine was down.... Who knew there was such a thing??? It apparently is some advanced technology that is really easy on those of us who hate that metal pic and scraper.
After the visit we hung out for about 30-40 minutes there in the office.... These 2 dentists are amazing followers of Jesus... It was a very encouraging morning!
You will see on Matt's video that the cost of the dentist over here is REALLY inexpensive...200 pesos... that's about $4.50..that is a special rate they give to missionaries... the regular rate is 400 pesos... which still is just shy of 10 dollars...
Below you'll see a video of me in the chair.... The doc. informed that I had a small cavity... I WAS DEVASTATED!!!!!! This was the first one in my entire 29.5 years.. The good news.. He said it was very small and did not need a filling as of yet... He said my immune system may take care of it with his help... Lets pray so...
In the video you will notice he is cleaning my teeth just like at home.... They kept apologizing for having to do it that way but there cleaning machine was down.... Who knew there was such a thing??? It apparently is some advanced technology that is really easy on those of us who hate that metal pic and scraper.
After the visit we hung out for about 30-40 minutes there in the office.... These 2 dentists are amazing followers of Jesus... It was a very encouraging morning!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
2 Must Haves For a White Boy (or girl for that matter) in the Philippines
As I write today I must preface this blog with a warning.... this blog is not for the girlie, faint at heart, stuffy, uptight, self-righteous, goody goody, don't talk about inappropriate things on the blog kind of person...... It's for those of you who are real, normal, everyday kind of folk, who are aware of your body and understand that sometimes it goes nuts...... that said.... on with the blog....
Below I have put pics of 2 items that have become invaluable to me as adjust to life on the mission field here in Cebu..... The items are quickly becoming more important to me than the friendship of my best friend Matt... okay maybe not quite that important... but a close second...
Anyway... as most of you faithful friends who have emailed me in the past week know, I have had a bit of trouble with my stomach...You know... the kind of trouble where if you move too fast or sneeze at the wrong time there is suddenly a need to.... how shall I say this...."RUN FOR YOUR LIFE TO THE NEAREST TOILET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
One email said... "I cannot believe you are having trouble.. I would have thought your stomach would have been a steel trap by now." Let me just say ....WRONG!!!!!!!!
Item #2
For the past 5 days the 2 items above were life savers.... the Jansport bookbag was a must.... only for the sole purpose of carrying item number 2 around. It is a necessity for several reasons.....
1. You never ever know where a bathroom ( commonly referred to as a C.R. in the Philippines.. C.R. stands for Comfort Room)
2. If you are lucky enough to find a bathroom.... chances are its full, its broken, or there is a closed for repairs sign on it....
3. If you find a good working C.R. there is about a .5% chance that the bathroom will have any kind of toilet paper...if you are lucky enough to find a C.R. with toliet paper.... it is most likely sand paper........ thus you need to always have a bookbag with the toilet paper packed neatly inside......
For all of you planning a trip overseas...regardless of where you are going... these 2 items just might need to go along!
P.S. I forgot to mention... most of the toilets do not have seats, and the toilet paper from your bookbag will greatly aide you in those situations as well..... Have a great day!
Below I have put pics of 2 items that have become invaluable to me as adjust to life on the mission field here in Cebu..... The items are quickly becoming more important to me than the friendship of my best friend Matt... okay maybe not quite that important... but a close second...
Anyway... as most of you faithful friends who have emailed me in the past week know, I have had a bit of trouble with my stomach...You know... the kind of trouble where if you move too fast or sneeze at the wrong time there is suddenly a need to.... how shall I say this...."RUN FOR YOUR LIFE TO THE NEAREST TOILET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
One email said... "I cannot believe you are having trouble.. I would have thought your stomach would have been a steel trap by now." Let me just say ....WRONG!!!!!!!!
ITEM #1
Item #2
For the past 5 days the 2 items above were life savers.... the Jansport bookbag was a must.... only for the sole purpose of carrying item number 2 around. It is a necessity for several reasons.....
1. You never ever know where a bathroom ( commonly referred to as a C.R. in the Philippines.. C.R. stands for Comfort Room)
2. If you are lucky enough to find a bathroom.... chances are its full, its broken, or there is a closed for repairs sign on it....
3. If you find a good working C.R. there is about a .5% chance that the bathroom will have any kind of toilet paper...if you are lucky enough to find a C.R. with toliet paper.... it is most likely sand paper........ thus you need to always have a bookbag with the toilet paper packed neatly inside......
For all of you planning a trip overseas...regardless of where you are going... these 2 items just might need to go along!
P.S. I forgot to mention... most of the toilets do not have seats, and the toilet paper from your bookbag will greatly aide you in those situations as well..... Have a great day!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Inside Out
Sometimes you hear the name of a group and wonder where it came from.... For weeks now I have heard about the group of youth that meets here at Quest Community... The name of their worship time is called Inside Out.....
I admit to all my Filipino readers, and I think there are quite a few, that I had no idea what the name was about... I didn't want to ask because I seem to be asking a LOT of questions thus far....
At first I thought maybe you wanted to turn the town of Cebu inside out for Jesus..... then I thought no that's not it...... then today as I attended their meeting I got it... there was one line in a song they sang that said "Lord consume us from the inside out"....... WOW I said as I heard the song and realized that's what the groups focus was.... Of course I knew it was something about Jesus.... but it just didn't click until I heard the song....
After hearing the song and pondering the meaning of it I could not help but think about how many churches back home.... you know the ones..... that think you should come to church all cleaned up... no sin... no problems.... no nothing .... but your tie and your bible, looking the part of a "good Christian"...... ok not all of them make you wear a tie... but the no sin.... no problems is almost everywhere......
I hate to say this...but that's all wrong...... we should have all the nastiest looking people lined up at our doors every week.... I don't mean physically ugly or dirty... I mean the gays, the lesbians, the alcoholics, the drug users and pushers, the harlots, the prostitutes, the fast talkers, the abusers, the molesters, the liars, the thieves, ....... those who don't know the Lord...
Then as they enter bring them to Jesus.... and let Him clean them up from the inside out...... The next time someone walks into your midst at church that doesn't look like they belong there.... then dance and shout praise to the Lord..... He is bringing someone in who needs to be cleansed by the blood He shed..... If not for that blood.... I..... we.... would all be just as filthy.
I admit to all my Filipino readers, and I think there are quite a few, that I had no idea what the name was about... I didn't want to ask because I seem to be asking a LOT of questions thus far....
At first I thought maybe you wanted to turn the town of Cebu inside out for Jesus..... then I thought no that's not it...... then today as I attended their meeting I got it... there was one line in a song they sang that said "Lord consume us from the inside out"....... WOW I said as I heard the song and realized that's what the groups focus was.... Of course I knew it was something about Jesus.... but it just didn't click until I heard the song....
After hearing the song and pondering the meaning of it I could not help but think about how many churches back home.... you know the ones..... that think you should come to church all cleaned up... no sin... no problems.... no nothing .... but your tie and your bible, looking the part of a "good Christian"...... ok not all of them make you wear a tie... but the no sin.... no problems is almost everywhere......
I hate to say this...but that's all wrong...... we should have all the nastiest looking people lined up at our doors every week.... I don't mean physically ugly or dirty... I mean the gays, the lesbians, the alcoholics, the drug users and pushers, the harlots, the prostitutes, the fast talkers, the abusers, the molesters, the liars, the thieves, ....... those who don't know the Lord...
Then as they enter bring them to Jesus.... and let Him clean them up from the inside out...... The next time someone walks into your midst at church that doesn't look like they belong there.... then dance and shout praise to the Lord..... He is bringing someone in who needs to be cleansed by the blood He shed..... If not for that blood.... I..... we.... would all be just as filthy.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Candles...... But Not Butter
The other day I walked into my room and I noticed the smell of a candle I brought with me.... It smelled great in there.... It is a walmart brand candle.... Hazelnut Creme is the scent.... I use this sent at home all the time... and since I had lived in Africa and knew about the wonderful, different odors that sometimes waft your way, I brought a couple with me.....
When I walked in the room I thought maybe I lit it and forgot, but when I looked at it I could see that the wicks had not been lit.... It was was simply melting on its own due to the heat.... Funny huh??? Never ever had that happen......
We leave the butter sitting out before dinner hoping that it will melt just a bit to make spreading it a bit easier, but the butter we use remains hard as a rock... O well that's life here!!!
Don't feel sorry for us though... we have window units in there for sleeping but cut them off during the day to save on the power bill.... which by the way is outrageous over here.... I will let you know how much when we get one..... Lots of people have asked about prices of things.... Tomorrow I will give a sample of some of our groceries and their prices....
Below is a pic of the candle.... You can actually see where it has left its solid form and turned to liquid.... Below that is a shot of my room.... Sorry the bed is NOT made... I wasn't in the mood to make it up!
When I walked in the room I thought maybe I lit it and forgot, but when I looked at it I could see that the wicks had not been lit.... It was was simply melting on its own due to the heat.... Funny huh??? Never ever had that happen......
We leave the butter sitting out before dinner hoping that it will melt just a bit to make spreading it a bit easier, but the butter we use remains hard as a rock... O well that's life here!!!
Don't feel sorry for us though... we have window units in there for sleeping but cut them off during the day to save on the power bill.... which by the way is outrageous over here.... I will let you know how much when we get one..... Lots of people have asked about prices of things.... Tomorrow I will give a sample of some of our groceries and their prices....
Below is a pic of the candle.... You can actually see where it has left its solid form and turned to liquid.... Below that is a shot of my room.... Sorry the bed is NOT made... I wasn't in the mood to make it up!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Where my peeps at???
Okay....so that title didn't have anything to do with the blog today.... I just didn't know what else to call it.... This blog has taken longer than any to do.... let me explain....
Yesterday around 7ish i began blogging.... To keep it interesting, entertaining, and encouraging I decided to video blog.... Its been 3 weeks since some of you have seen my face I knew you probably hadn't seen anything that good looking in a while... so.... I sat down here with my computer and created a nice video blog telling you about what an idiot I was yesterday..... I know some of you are saying even now..."he just now figured that out??" YES I DID!!!
Anyway I started uploading the video, and this morning at 7 o'clock it still hadnt finished... Not sure what the problem is but I know the faithful 20 who read every single day needed their fix so I am typing instead...... (if you think you are one of the 20 post a comment and tell me)
The dumb thing I did was jump into a swimming pool with cell phone in my pocket... I swam about 10 minutes before I realized what I had done...... It was waaaaaaaaayyyy funnier on the video... O well...
Something really cool did happen this morning(Friday am).... Thursday night EST.... I was able to talk with Julie, Chris, Kevin, Shirley, and Zach at praise band practice.... They got skype for the sanctuary so Matt and I can do a live video feed one Sunday... They put me on the big screen and my voice was on the in house speakers.... It was great to hear all of their voices....
On my blog roll on the bottom right I added a new blog.... Her name is Anna, for all of you AMRBC folks this is Amy Gans niece who just arrived in Africa to be a 2 year journeyman.... Stop by her blog and encourage her.... She just arrived there yesterday and I know the feeling of racing to the computer to see if anyone thought to write.... Bombard her!!!
One last thought.... it came from my devotion yesterday...... "God is nearer than you think." Just those few words reminded me how much God is with us here... I love Him and couldn't do it without Him..... I am glad He is near.... Be encouraged where ever you are in the world.... HE IS THERE!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
It started out great.....
My day that is..... as you can see from the pic below it started out really great.... The band From Quest (that's the church we are going to here) went to Manila for a banquet honoring a 25 year veteran missionary to the Philippines..... There is a Krispy Kreme there... Man were they good... If my Uncle Glenn sees this I know a great place to build a new store... It make triple what Spartanburg does.... People in Manila wait 2 hours in line just to get them..... Some wealthy people even pay their helpers to stand in line for them.....
Anyway, after the devotions and doughnuts, Matt and I were off to the school, if you have read Matt's blog then you know it takes 2 jeepneys, a tricycle and about .5 mile walk to get to the school.... The pic below is the road leading down to where the school is.... We could take a taxi here, but it costs more, and we are trying to be as thrifty as we can about some things.... We are gonna make a video for you soon of the various stages of the ride from home to school...
Yesterday we were able to purchase fabrics for the bulletin boards and today we got to work right away getting things ready for the start of school.... If I was at home I would be doing the same thing right now, so it felt kinda like a normal day...... Check out this MASSIVE bulletin board in the hallway at the school.... There are a total of 9 boards we have to do.... We were able to get fabric and borders on all of them today... now what in the heck do I put on them???
Now for the crazy part of the day..... We left school at 3.... it should take about 30-40 minutes to get home with all of the travel we have to do..... Each Jeepney is numbered and goes on certain routes.... Our numbers should be 13C to 12L on the way to school, then 14D or 12L to 13C on the way.......home... stay with me here this is good........ Well today when we left....we walked up the hill, round the corner, down the hill, and caught the 14D..... we got to the Jeepney terminal and saw the 13C.... we hoped on...... soon after we left the terminal I realized we were not going the way we knew...... OUR JEEPNEY WAS GOING THE WRONG WAY!!!! I told Matt if we stayed put it would eventually get to where we were going.... 45 minutes later we were right back at the terminal where we started....we breezed right by it and just 7 minutes later we were right in front of our neighborhood...... we didn't get home until 430.... and hour and half..... but hey... now we know the city....so I guess it wasn't too crazy after all..... O well that's life overseas.... You live...and You learn!!!! MAKE SURE YOU ARE GOING THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!!!!!!!!! Oh... By the way... below is a pic of a Jeepney...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tuesday=The Beginning
Man alive......... I am tired as I sit here today... Matt and I left the house around 9 this morning and didn't get home til 6.... Now before all you critics say..."well that's what I do everyday." let me remind you that most of our day was spent walking around downtown Cebu, which was one of the more "interesting" places I have been, and we spent most of the day working in a school with only window unit Air Cons (that's how the Filipinos refer to air conditioners) after it was a steamy monsoon rain for most of the morning... you can only imagine the sweat that I have sweat today!
We did however get lots of stuff done today at the school..... we arranged our classrooms, and started going through all the stuff there... Then one of the assistants there, Evelyn, came over and took us downtown to buy fabrics for our bulletin boards and for curtains for the classrooms... There were some curtains there but they had teddy bears on the... don't get me wrong, I love teddy bears, but not in a 7th and 8th grade classroom...... we decided on some nice fabric that could be used in the classroom regardless of age......
For all of you who saw the picture of the computer lab at our presentation...I bought some nice storage containers so I can organize tomorrow... I can hardly wait!!! :0)
Another purchase I made downtown was a gallon sized pitcher for a cold beverage.... Yes, we have made a gallon of that fine southern wine......sweet tea!!! I am having a glass even now... My excitement from it may cause me to burst into fits of praise so bear with me.... HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You thought it was good back home.... you should taste it here in the heat of a non air conditioned room where the humidity is so thick that it makes the Hoover Dam look skinny.... It will bring tears to your eyes and make you thankful for your taste buds... All of you east coast people, be sure to have a glass of that sweet nectar for lunch....
I am off to bed now!!!!
We did however get lots of stuff done today at the school..... we arranged our classrooms, and started going through all the stuff there... Then one of the assistants there, Evelyn, came over and took us downtown to buy fabrics for our bulletin boards and for curtains for the classrooms... There were some curtains there but they had teddy bears on the... don't get me wrong, I love teddy bears, but not in a 7th and 8th grade classroom...... we decided on some nice fabric that could be used in the classroom regardless of age......
For all of you who saw the picture of the computer lab at our presentation...I bought some nice storage containers so I can organize tomorrow... I can hardly wait!!! :0)
Another purchase I made downtown was a gallon sized pitcher for a cold beverage.... Yes, we have made a gallon of that fine southern wine......sweet tea!!! I am having a glass even now... My excitement from it may cause me to burst into fits of praise so bear with me.... HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You thought it was good back home.... you should taste it here in the heat of a non air conditioned room where the humidity is so thick that it makes the Hoover Dam look skinny.... It will bring tears to your eyes and make you thankful for your taste buds... All of you east coast people, be sure to have a glass of that sweet nectar for lunch....
I am off to bed now!!!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Edward at the Rose Salon
Today our great new Filipino friend, Dennis, took me to get a hair cut.....What do you think??? Be nice..... He actually did a great job.... for the wash and cut it was 140 pesos....that's $3.07.. I will have to fix it like I like it later... The good thing is that the place to get it cut is only a short distance away..... He said as I was leaving.... See you in 2 weeks.... I am sure I'll go back!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Some Things Just Aint Like Home
When you live over seas you can expect that things will be different.... There will be smells, food, and places that are the most peculiar things you've ever seen, smelled, or tasted....but somethings are different here in Cebu that are just unexpected differences...not necessarily bad....just different.... Here is a list.....
1. When you flush the toilet, all goes down....but....it takes about 10 minutes for the tank to refill.. That doesn't leave a lot of time for a double flush....
2. When you are in the shower pray nobody flushes or turns water on elsewhere..... no worries about your water getting hotter or colder...... it just goes off completely.
3. Rice for breakfast...Rice for lunch....Rice for dinner....Rice for snack.....Rice for breakfast...Rice for lunch.....Rice for dinner..... Rice for snack...... Get the picture....
4. When you leave the house....toilet paper goes with you.....its more important than anything you take....
5. A cell phone is a must.....Every business has a sign that says text for info....want to buy a car text the owner.....wanna buy a house...text the owner.....when your prescription glasses are ready...don't call them and ask..they will text you....
6. Air Con....that's the air conditioner for all you Americans....is only for cars, the bedrooms, and the mall....every place else=sweat
7. The movies are dirt cheap.... Yesterday Matt and I went to see "Transformers"...For both of us it was 180 pesos....that's a bout 4 dollars
8. The sun comes up early here..... I have been up before 630 everyday without an alarm.....the sun peeks through my window at around 515 am...... that said...I am ready for bed by 9.
9. The dogs and cats are SKINNY....no lying... Ill try to get a pic..
10. Roosters crow all the time....not just to wake you up..... Whoever started that myth that they only Kocka doodle dooed in the morning was crazy....uhoh...there goes one now...no wait...that is my neighbor singing..... yep every one's windows stay open so you hear everything.
I am sure I will think of some more....this is just my initial top 10... I hope some of them made you laugh.....
1. When you flush the toilet, all goes down....but....it takes about 10 minutes for the tank to refill.. That doesn't leave a lot of time for a double flush....
2. When you are in the shower pray nobody flushes or turns water on elsewhere..... no worries about your water getting hotter or colder...... it just goes off completely.
3. Rice for breakfast...Rice for lunch....Rice for dinner....Rice for snack.....Rice for breakfast...Rice for lunch.....Rice for dinner..... Rice for snack...... Get the picture....
4. When you leave the house....toilet paper goes with you.....its more important than anything you take....
5. A cell phone is a must.....Every business has a sign that says text for info....want to buy a car text the owner.....wanna buy a house...text the owner.....when your prescription glasses are ready...don't call them and ask..they will text you....
6. Air Con....that's the air conditioner for all you Americans....is only for cars, the bedrooms, and the mall....every place else=sweat
7. The movies are dirt cheap.... Yesterday Matt and I went to see "Transformers"...For both of us it was 180 pesos....that's a bout 4 dollars
8. The sun comes up early here..... I have been up before 630 everyday without an alarm.....the sun peeks through my window at around 515 am...... that said...I am ready for bed by 9.
9. The dogs and cats are SKINNY....no lying... Ill try to get a pic..
10. Roosters crow all the time....not just to wake you up..... Whoever started that myth that they only Kocka doodle dooed in the morning was crazy....uhoh...there goes one now...no wait...that is my neighbor singing..... yep every one's windows stay open so you hear everything.
I am sure I will think of some more....this is just my initial top 10... I hope some of them made you laugh.....
Friday, July 13, 2007
Thanks for Praying
10:40pm Cebu time
10:40am GSP time..... Mama and Mandie arrived.....
I found this cool thing on my computer and I have watched them the whole way.... Thanks for praying.... "Aint He Just Good!"
10:40am GSP time..... Mama and Mandie arrived.....
I found this cool thing on my computer and I have watched them the whole way.... Thanks for praying.... "Aint He Just Good!"
348-MCDO
Well..... mama and Mandie are gone.. They are in LA as we speak... I have been talking with them via Skype all the way there.... They are stand by to get an earlier flight....
With the ladies gone Matt and I are able to splurge for lunch today.... Only here in the Philippines the delivery man said... that's right McDonald's delivers... What a treat!!! It took about 30 minutes and Matt and I had 2 quarter pounders and 2 fries at our door....... It cost 267 pesos..... plus a tip made 310 pesos...that's about 7 dollars US money.....
Don't go thinking we are living it up though...... The power bill without air averages about 2oo a month here..... I will let you know when we get the bill... I thought you guys could use a normal everyday blog after the last few...
I am working on a collection of pictures of funny signs we have seen since we have been here.... and I am making a list of "things" that are different.... School doesn't start for several more weeks.... Matt and I are planning on going over there on Tuesday morning and starting to figure out what's what...... Please continue to pray for mama and Mandie... If they are not able to fly stand by they will not be home til 1030 Saturday morning.... that's still a LONGGG TIME!!!!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Sing with Me!!!
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
It's amazing how a simple little song learned way back in the day can give me such comfort at this time..... We dropped mama and Mandie off at the airport and they should be in the air to Hong Kong even now..... Mama told me that when she flies she sings that little song to help her get through it..... I can hardly type without crying as I think of her singing even now on that plane... I pray that you too will sing that little song today as you pray for their safe arrival back in the U.S. They should arrive in LA at 520 pm EST on Thursday... Sing and pray all the while.
A special thanks to all those who sent encouraging emails today...I cannot tell you how much I needed them and will continue to need them......especially to the AMRBC choir and Wed. night prayer service who prayed just hours ago..... Love you guys!
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
It's amazing how a simple little song learned way back in the day can give me such comfort at this time..... We dropped mama and Mandie off at the airport and they should be in the air to Hong Kong even now..... Mama told me that when she flies she sings that little song to help her get through it..... I can hardly type without crying as I think of her singing even now on that plane... I pray that you too will sing that little song today as you pray for their safe arrival back in the U.S. They should arrive in LA at 520 pm EST on Thursday... Sing and pray all the while.
A special thanks to all those who sent encouraging emails today...I cannot tell you how much I needed them and will continue to need them......especially to the AMRBC choir and Wed. night prayer service who prayed just hours ago..... Love you guys!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
It's Been Crazy Round Here
I cannot even begin to tell you how fast paced we have been since Sunday at my last posting... Right in the middle of the craziness on Monday I had to go and get sick.... I got some kind of cold that knocked me out for a day..... I had felt kinda of sickly Sunday afternoon.... I came home from church and laid down for the afternoon.... We visited the children's hospital on Monday morning to pass out diapers, bread, and water to the families there, but afterwards I had to come home.... I slept from that afternoon til the next day.... I skipped dinner....Can you believe it????
Anyway, as I laid there sick in my bed having my medicine and feeling sorry for myself the images below haunted and convicted my thoughts.... I will NEVER become immune to seeing these images and every time I do they will teach me a lesson in thankfulness...... I want to tell you the names of just a few of the children we encountered....The families there want our prayers...... Be cautious from this point on as the pics are real shots of actual suffering children in he hospital here.... All of these pictures were taken with parents permission knowing that they would be prayed for....
This was the most touching of all.... The big kid is Warren...He is 14 and the uncle of the child Nicarl on the bed...... Warren told us he takes care of his nephew all day til the mother returns at night.... He is responsible for changing the diapers, fanning and bathing, and feeding the baby..When we asked him did he need anything his response.... "only things for the baby."
Below are some more pics that mama took today as we walked down the street just outside the walls of our neighborhood.... These are some pics and random shots of everyday life around here... Feel free to ask questions about what you see and I will respond on the comments page. Thanks for reading and for your prayers..... Please pray for mama and Mandie as they leave tomorrow at 1230 am east coast time.... they will not be home until Sat. 1030am EST... Just pray until then.....It has been great having them here.... I know they will both rest better when they are home knowing what a neat place this is God has called us to.
Anyway, as I laid there sick in my bed having my medicine and feeling sorry for myself the images below haunted and convicted my thoughts.... I will NEVER become immune to seeing these images and every time I do they will teach me a lesson in thankfulness...... I want to tell you the names of just a few of the children we encountered....The families there want our prayers...... Be cautious from this point on as the pics are real shots of actual suffering children in he hospital here.... All of these pictures were taken with parents permission knowing that they would be prayed for....
Alejandro....He was suffering from malnutrition.
Jessie...I cannot remember what his complications were but he was on the upside and doing much better... He had been there for 3 days.
John.....pneumonia
Aiko and her grandmother....Aiko had a severe case of diarrhea
This was the most touching of all.... The big kid is Warren...He is 14 and the uncle of the child Nicarl on the bed...... Warren told us he takes care of his nephew all day til the mother returns at night.... He is responsible for changing the diapers, fanning and bathing, and feeding the baby..When we asked him did he need anything his response.... "only things for the baby."
While we were at the hospital we were able to give each family a liter of water, a bag of bread and diapers for the baby. The hospital does not supply diapers for patients....Needless to say it was an emotional day....
Below are some more pics that mama took today as we walked down the street just outside the walls of our neighborhood.... These are some pics and random shots of everyday life around here... Feel free to ask questions about what you see and I will respond on the comments page. Thanks for reading and for your prayers..... Please pray for mama and Mandie as they leave tomorrow at 1230 am east coast time.... they will not be home until Sat. 1030am EST... Just pray until then.....It has been great having them here.... I know they will both rest better when they are home knowing what a neat place this is God has called us to.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Good Sunday Morning
By the time most of you read this.... it will be Sunday morning your time..... I will be out having dinner or maybe even asleep..... Yesterday (saturday) was a great day for us... We were able to visit one of the Kid's Club they have here in a town called Lapu Lapu.... It was great... Mama was a mess... It is very emotional to see these kids for the first time.... They are so content with what little they have.... They made us necklaces again....Mama and Mandie racked up.... I have some pics below.... enjoy...
This is Pastor Reuben and his wife....They help out each week with this club.
Mama and the kids!!!
The boys loved to have their picture taken
For all of you who complain about washing dishes......it could be lot harder.....
This is the little building where they meet each week.
The kids were very attentive during the presentation.
Afterwards, we helped serve their snack... It was a beef broth with rice.... we had some and it was very good.... I have had a bit of a sore throat so it felt good to have it....
After we finished serving the snack mama and Mandie were able to have their first ride on a tricycle..... Its just a motorcycle with a side car....
Below are some other random shots I took just outside of the kid' club..... Makes you thankful huh?
This is Pastor Reuben and his wife....They help out each week with this club.
Mama and the kids!!!
The boys loved to have their picture taken
For all of you who complain about washing dishes......it could be lot harder.....
This is the little building where they meet each week.
The kids were very attentive during the presentation.
Afterwards, we helped serve their snack... It was a beef broth with rice.... we had some and it was very good.... I have had a bit of a sore throat so it felt good to have it....
After we finished serving the snack mama and Mandie were able to have their first ride on a tricycle..... Its just a motorcycle with a side car....
Below are some other random shots I took just outside of the kid' club..... Makes you thankful huh?
Friday, July 6, 2007
Larsien's BBQ Food Park
Tonight was a true cultural experience for mama and Mandie.... Enjoy below!!!!!!!!!!!!
The first one is mama demonstrating some things she has learned and she tries a Chinese meatball
The second one is Matt and I talking with one of the BBQ vendors.... She is telling us about the different food we see....Squid anyone???
Be sure to check out matt's blog too...He is eating the world famous "Balut"... A fertilized duck egg with a baby duck inside
The first one is mama demonstrating some things she has learned and she tries a Chinese meatball
The second one is Matt and I talking with one of the BBQ vendors.... She is telling us about the different food we see....Squid anyone???
Be sure to check out matt's blog too...He is eating the world famous "Balut"... A fertilized duck egg with a baby duck inside
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Rain and the Flip Flop
Yesterday as we were leaving the boat from our return trip from Bohol it was POURING down rain....For all of you back in the states who think you have seen heavy rain, you ain't seen nothing til you've seen this water that the Lord picks up from the Pacific Ocean and drops on these islands.....
It was the biggest fattest rain and it was coming down so hard you could hardly see.....
As we left the boat there were several dock workers who had umbrellas trying to shield us but needless to say it didn't work....... the water was pouring off of the sides and getting us all, specifically mama, really wet......
While we were running and in a hurry to get out of the rain, the ankle deep rain water swept away mama's "rainbow" flip flops... FYI: Rainbows are expensive name brand flip flops....... Anyway in the middle of the flooding rains mama goes after her prized flip flop all while screaming and waving her hands trying to fend off the rain...... I LAUGHED TIL I CRIED... I just wish it had not been raining so I could have caught it all on video... of course had it not been raining the story would not have been near as funny.... I have tried to retell the story today to many people but cannot get through it without laughing my head off......
Tomorrow we are gonna experience the Larsien's BBQ park..... For those of you who heard our SS presentation...that is where you can eat the chicken intestine, chicken feet, and Balut.. Something tells me mama and Mandie may be hungry..... I will definitely have pics!!!!
Below are some more videos I added from yesterday when we went to Bohol...The first one is from the Loboc River...and the second one is from the Chocolate Hills
It was the biggest fattest rain and it was coming down so hard you could hardly see.....
As we left the boat there were several dock workers who had umbrellas trying to shield us but needless to say it didn't work....... the water was pouring off of the sides and getting us all, specifically mama, really wet......
While we were running and in a hurry to get out of the rain, the ankle deep rain water swept away mama's "rainbow" flip flops... FYI: Rainbows are expensive name brand flip flops....... Anyway in the middle of the flooding rains mama goes after her prized flip flop all while screaming and waving her hands trying to fend off the rain...... I LAUGHED TIL I CRIED... I just wish it had not been raining so I could have caught it all on video... of course had it not been raining the story would not have been near as funny.... I have tried to retell the story today to many people but cannot get through it without laughing my head off......
Tomorrow we are gonna experience the Larsien's BBQ park..... For those of you who heard our SS presentation...that is where you can eat the chicken intestine, chicken feet, and Balut.. Something tells me mama and Mandie may be hungry..... I will definitely have pics!!!!
Below are some more videos I added from yesterday when we went to Bohol...The first one is from the Loboc River...and the second one is from the Chocolate Hills
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Bohol Island
Well after my middle of the night blog and our leaving at 500 am this morning while most of you were getting off work on the 3rd, we set off on quite and adventure for our Philippine 4th of July..... We visited a neighboring island called Bohol..... It was much more rural than here in Cebu and was just amazing...... Look at the pictures below and enjoy as I walk you through our day....
After a 2 hour ferry ride to the neighboring island then a 45 minute van ride..... we arrived at this river tour place.... We got on this boat and up the river we went..... It was so hard to believe that this was real authentic Filipino culture and not a river cruise at Disney world
Below is a picture of our boat.
As we traveled up the river we came to these falls..... not very big, but they were beautiful to look at.....
We saw lots of natives as we traveled going about their daily lives..... They were so happy and seemed so peaceful as they lived in what most of us would call horrible conditions.......
Along the side of the river there was a little guitar band....... They played for tips and sang as the tour boats traveled by
After we finished our river ride we made our way to see the world's smallest monkey known as a Tarsier (pronounced tarsheer) You'll love this video...... We are feeding him crickets.... Watch him bite the head off.......
After we finished our river ride we made our way to see the world's smallest monkey known as a Tarsier (pronounced tarsheer) You'll love this video...... We are feeding him crickets.... Watch him bite the head off.......After we finished with monkeys we drove for about another 45 minutes to a place called the chocolate hills.... These are huge mounds or mountains in a the valleys ......There are 1,246 of them scattered in this large valley... Local legend says that a giant got hi heart broken by a girl and as he cried for her his tears caused the mounds to form..... Below are 2 views from the top of a 214 flight of steps we had to hike straight up to get to.... We were all really out of breath
After we finished there we headed to this beach resort for lunch...... I will let these pics speak for themselves.........
As you can tell it was a great 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
4:03 AM
As part of flying half way around the world, you often find yourself, the first few days after arrival, waking up in the middle of the night thinking it is much later than it is...... Today must be day... It is currently 4:03 am Wednesday morning.... There may be many of these days because of our sweet friends Mr. and Mrs. Rooster who are crowing outside as I type..... That is the kind of stuff I just cannot communicate to everyone back home.... The sounds, the smells, all the different stuff that makes Cebu.....Cebu.... It is so cool...... Since I am awake here are a few more pics....
This one is of a little play area we have in our house.... The people who live here when we are not here have 2 boys... I am sure Matt and I will love this area really soon
This is the street just outside of our neighborhood....This is a view from the overhead cross walk.... It is the safe way to cross the street....Any other way is like playing Frogger....
This is all of us yesterday at Sara Lee's and Les....They had a welcome to Cebu cake for us... It was great.....
O well it is 439 am now.... It is taken me a while to get finished because I was able to talk with Johnnie-Lynn on skype..... It is a great messaging and video conference software that you can download for free and chat with us while we are here for FREEEE.... click here to get it..
When you download it.... search for mrdearybury or matt.johnson1080 We would love to hear from you.....
This one is of a little play area we have in our house.... The people who live here when we are not here have 2 boys... I am sure Matt and I will love this area really soon
This is the street just outside of our neighborhood....This is a view from the overhead cross walk.... It is the safe way to cross the street....Any other way is like playing Frogger....
This is all of us yesterday at Sara Lee's and Les....They had a welcome to Cebu cake for us... It was great.....
O well it is 439 am now.... It is taken me a while to get finished because I was able to talk with Johnnie-Lynn on skype..... It is a great messaging and video conference software that you can download for free and chat with us while we are here for FREEEE.... click here to get it..
When you download it.... search for mrdearybury or matt.johnson1080 We would love to hear from you.....
Cebu Day 1
Some pics from today..... We are just getting settled and trying to recover from jet lag..... Matt and I get to be tourist with mama and Mandie here... The hard work starts after they leave....
This first pic is the fruit stand that we walked to today about a block from our house..... They have all kinds of fresh fruit..... Even though I dont eat a lot of fruit, it is really pretty to look at.
The next pic is all of us standing outside of our house below a really nice banner that Les and Saralee had made for to welcome us to the house.... We were very proud of it....
This last one is a shot of the living area at our house.... It is really nice.... but no air...just fans.... all of your clothes just kind of stick to you when you are in here..... The bedrooms are air conditioned though so we get to sleep in comfort....
It was really hot today..and is raining a little.... Tomorrow we are going on a boat ride to a neighboring island..... We are leaving at 5 am..... yall will just be getting off work today... funny huh????? Pray for our safety.... I should have lots of neat pics tomorrow.... Tune in again.... Tell all your friends and neighbors.....
Cant wait to hear from you..... A special shout to my friend skippey.... Thanks for the comment... I wanted to email you but I dont have your email in my hotmail account.... Email me there so I can add you.... I will try to do a daily shout out.... you may be next....
This first pic is the fruit stand that we walked to today about a block from our house..... They have all kinds of fresh fruit..... Even though I dont eat a lot of fruit, it is really pretty to look at.
The next pic is all of us standing outside of our house below a really nice banner that Les and Saralee had made for to welcome us to the house.... We were very proud of it....
This last one is a shot of the living area at our house.... It is really nice.... but no air...just fans.... all of your clothes just kind of stick to you when you are in here..... The bedrooms are air conditioned though so we get to sleep in comfort....
It was really hot today..and is raining a little.... Tomorrow we are going on a boat ride to a neighboring island..... We are leaving at 5 am..... yall will just be getting off work today... funny huh????? Pray for our safety.... I should have lots of neat pics tomorrow.... Tune in again.... Tell all your friends and neighbors.....
Cant wait to hear from you..... A special shout to my friend skippey.... Thanks for the comment... I wanted to email you but I dont have your email in my hotmail account.... Email me there so I can add you.... I will try to do a daily shout out.... you may be next....
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