Well, as all good things must come to an end, so it is with this amazing adventure. We leave the beautiful Philippines and it's wonderful people around 1:30 p.m., Wed. June 30th. Tim and Bambi came to our resort early to spend the last couple of hours with us. Although we were all anxious to get home to our beloved USA and family, we were sad to end such an incredible mission.
I will be forever changed by the love, commitment and honesty of these people and their deep, abiding faith in Christ. They have taught me so much about worship, evangelism and faith in our Lord Jesus. It is my hope that I can come back (with Bert this time) soon. I will always feel that the SFCC church is my home away from home. Thank you first and foremost to Jesus, but also to Tim, Bambi and everyone young and old at SFCC for allowing me to serve side by side with you in the Philippines. In closing, I can only say that if ever given the opportunity to visit the San Fernando church, jump on it, cause it will change your life!
Last post when I get home! Praying for a safe and easy trip home.
Love to all,
Debbie
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Bagio or Bust!
After a gloriously, busy week-end we were treated with a much anticipated trip to Baguio (a beautiful mountain town) where the air is clear (when you aren't inside a cloud) and the temps are cooler (compared to the scorching, humid heat of San Fernando). We took the day to celebrate Connie and Adam's birthdays (which were officially on Tuesday, June 29th). Connie had heard rave revues from Zack and we were all excited to go.
Tim, Bambi, our team and several of the youth leaders caravaned the 2 1/2 hours up the mountain. I am still amazed that I wasn't scared to death, but I guess I am getting used to the crazy drivers after 2 weeks in training. On our way up the mountain we stopped at a small roadside stand to buy brooms (yes, the kind you sweep with) that are made from a local grass grown in the Philippines and beat the heck out of our American brooms. Although Bambi was sceptical that we would be able to get them through customs, we opted to try our luck and bought several.
Upon arrival we ate breakfast at a wonderful Cafe By The Ruins (not much ruins, only a wall left). The food was great and the atmosphere was really cool. We got some great pics that I hope Jim will post. We met two friends of Tim's (Pepper and Michelle, former members of SFCC) who live in Baguio and acted as our tour guides for the day. They were most helpful in maneuvering us to all the hot spots, especially the incredible shopping. I can't believe all we were able to get for our money! I don't know if I will ever be able to pay American prices again. :/ The rain set in as we were leaving and we drove most of the way down the mountain in a rain cloud. REALLY COOL!
We ended our day back at Sunset Bay Resort to watch the sun set on the beach. We mistakenly thought that the rain would ruin our sunset, but God was in the mood to show off. We saw the most incredible rain, storm, sunset display over the China Sea! We all felt so blessed and special that God would give us such a wonderful gift on top of a wonderful day. He really is such a great God and I am continually humbled by His goodness and love. Once again, I hope Jim will post pics!
Well, I can't close this post without commenting on Jake and Adam's baluit experience (be sure and watch the You Tube video). It always baffles me what two "boys" will try when under peer pressure. :/ I thought for sure it would ruin Adam's dinner, but I was wrong. We ended our day with a great dinner sitting by the beautiful China Sea. Truly a day to remember for all!
Love to all,
Debbie
Tim, Bambi, our team and several of the youth leaders caravaned the 2 1/2 hours up the mountain. I am still amazed that I wasn't scared to death, but I guess I am getting used to the crazy drivers after 2 weeks in training. On our way up the mountain we stopped at a small roadside stand to buy brooms (yes, the kind you sweep with) that are made from a local grass grown in the Philippines and beat the heck out of our American brooms. Although Bambi was sceptical that we would be able to get them through customs, we opted to try our luck and bought several.
Upon arrival we ate breakfast at a wonderful Cafe By The Ruins (not much ruins, only a wall left). The food was great and the atmosphere was really cool. We got some great pics that I hope Jim will post. We met two friends of Tim's (Pepper and Michelle, former members of SFCC) who live in Baguio and acted as our tour guides for the day. They were most helpful in maneuvering us to all the hot spots, especially the incredible shopping. I can't believe all we were able to get for our money! I don't know if I will ever be able to pay American prices again. :/ The rain set in as we were leaving and we drove most of the way down the mountain in a rain cloud. REALLY COOL!
We ended our day back at Sunset Bay Resort to watch the sun set on the beach. We mistakenly thought that the rain would ruin our sunset, but God was in the mood to show off. We saw the most incredible rain, storm, sunset display over the China Sea! We all felt so blessed and special that God would give us such a wonderful gift on top of a wonderful day. He really is such a great God and I am continually humbled by His goodness and love. Once again, I hope Jim will post pics!
Well, I can't close this post without commenting on Jake and Adam's baluit experience (be sure and watch the You Tube video). It always baffles me what two "boys" will try when under peer pressure. :/ I thought for sure it would ruin Adam's dinner, but I was wrong. We ended our day with a great dinner sitting by the beautiful China Sea. Truly a day to remember for all!
Love to all,
Debbie
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saturday events
Saturday morning we had worship at the center at 10am with the youth...another outstanding couple of hours of praise. Adam and Mariel did a fabulous job presenting the message. They spoke about forgiveness. Adam told about the Amish massacre and how the Amish families not only forgave the murderer but then blessed his family. It made a very big point with the group. Mariel and Adam tag teamed and I was so impressed with their maturity and wisdom. They have really connected with the youth here and have become great friends with many.
Afterward we started setting up for "Couples Date Night" and had at least 20 youth there at our "beckon call" to set up. I was so cute to see how so many of the older singles in the group were so excited about this date night for the married's of the church. WHY? Because the couples of the church rarely, rarely ever get to "go out" and have an evening alone much less a special evening.
We had 8 tables set up in hopes of 20 couples attending. We used fresh flowers that someone had collected from around the town, votive candles and some Hershey kisses that I sprinkled on the tables. It was pretty cute, I would scatter the kisses and one of the young girls would be right behind me setting the kisses upright...I knocked them over and next thing I knew, they were upright again....OK, they look just fine upright! After awhile, it was obvious the team had it all under control so we left to go home, shower and get ready for the evening.
Jake and I spent some time going over what we wanted to present to the couples which was a bit of our history and then some communication skills. We decided to teach them the technique of speaking one at a time and then repeating back to the other what they said and so on until you have your problem worked out. We illustrated it with a scenario of Jake doing the lawn and then coming into the house tracking grass and mud after I had just cleaned the house....I think we made a good point and Jake now knows that this is an issue I hope we have truly resolved!!
We arrived at the center about 1 hour before the date night should start and everything was all done and the kids had done a beautiful job setting up lights and a photo spot. The couples starting arriving just as the skies opened up with the daily downpour! Unfortunately, the rain kept several couples from being able to get out but the ones that arrived were SO cute and SO excited! We had long-stem roses for the husbands to give their wives and then they had their photos done.
After that we played a trivia game that Jim ran and 2 couples won a prize of coffee and sugar for the most answers. Jake and I then gave our talk (thank you God that I didn't get too nervous!) and then we had dinner, prepared by the church chef, JR, who cooked mushroom soup, curry chicken and rice and then dessert of Ube cake. After dinner, the band started playing "You look wonderful tonight" and all of the couples got up and danced....it was precious!!! You should of seen the smiles on all of their faces. This was a rare treat for them indeed. I will treasure this for a long time and, hopefully, will not take for granted the time that Jake & I get to spend together. God really blessed all of efforts and the couples see that they need to make a priority of their marriages. Tim gave everyone in there a couple of the"Fireproof" DVD and then Jake & I prayed over all the couples and thus ended the night. Thank you God for the blessing of this night for these precious couples!
Afterward we started setting up for "Couples Date Night" and had at least 20 youth there at our "beckon call" to set up. I was so cute to see how so many of the older singles in the group were so excited about this date night for the married's of the church. WHY? Because the couples of the church rarely, rarely ever get to "go out" and have an evening alone much less a special evening.
We had 8 tables set up in hopes of 20 couples attending. We used fresh flowers that someone had collected from around the town, votive candles and some Hershey kisses that I sprinkled on the tables. It was pretty cute, I would scatter the kisses and one of the young girls would be right behind me setting the kisses upright...I knocked them over and next thing I knew, they were upright again....OK, they look just fine upright! After awhile, it was obvious the team had it all under control so we left to go home, shower and get ready for the evening.
Jake and I spent some time going over what we wanted to present to the couples which was a bit of our history and then some communication skills. We decided to teach them the technique of speaking one at a time and then repeating back to the other what they said and so on until you have your problem worked out. We illustrated it with a scenario of Jake doing the lawn and then coming into the house tracking grass and mud after I had just cleaned the house....I think we made a good point and Jake now knows that this is an issue I hope we have truly resolved!!
We arrived at the center about 1 hour before the date night should start and everything was all done and the kids had done a beautiful job setting up lights and a photo spot. The couples starting arriving just as the skies opened up with the daily downpour! Unfortunately, the rain kept several couples from being able to get out but the ones that arrived were SO cute and SO excited! We had long-stem roses for the husbands to give their wives and then they had their photos done.
After that we played a trivia game that Jim ran and 2 couples won a prize of coffee and sugar for the most answers. Jake and I then gave our talk (thank you God that I didn't get too nervous!) and then we had dinner, prepared by the church chef, JR, who cooked mushroom soup, curry chicken and rice and then dessert of Ube cake. After dinner, the band started playing "You look wonderful tonight" and all of the couples got up and danced....it was precious!!! You should of seen the smiles on all of their faces. This was a rare treat for them indeed. I will treasure this for a long time and, hopefully, will not take for granted the time that Jake & I get to spend together. God really blessed all of efforts and the couples see that they need to make a priority of their marriages. Tim gave everyone in there a couple of the"Fireproof" DVD and then Jake & I prayed over all the couples and thus ended the night. Thank you God for the blessing of this night for these precious couples!
And let all the people rejoice!
Sunday started early with worship intercessory prayer beginning at 6:30. I love this time of prayer coverage that targets specific prayer for the days worship! Jim spoke a powerful message on forgiveness and grace that truly touched my heart with conviction and repentance. Worship was uplifting, lively and amazingly God honoring. These people are extremely serious about worship and give it 100%. I will greatly miss this worship experience! Mariel gave her testimony at the teen service and touched the hearts of all with her honesty and passion. God was duly glorified through her!
Sunday at 1 p.m. was water baptism! There were 3 women desiring to be buried in baptism with our Lord Jesus, a mother and her two daughters. Our team, Tim, Bambi and several of the teen leaders piled into two vehicles with them and headed for the beach. I have never first hand witnessed a baptism in the ocean. It was awesome and we and the angels were rejoicing! Jim captured the moment on video which I am sure he will share.
We finished in time to get back to the Center for Mission's at 3 p.m. The team divided up and set out with various groups of teens and a few adults to conquer for Christ 17 barangay's (small villages). 70 missionaries were able to personally touch 593 people with the Good News and love of Jesus. What a win!!! :) I went with Tim and Bambi and two young boys (Larry and Russel) to a small mountain village (if you can call it that). I was honored to be the story teller and wowed (or horrified) the kids with my lively rendition of Daniel and his Babylonian capture. Having studied that with our Tuesday ladies group recently, I felt well prepared. The local kids were so sweet and loved to worship, praise and play. They are amazingly smart and were able to answer questions on a level of depth that astounded me. Once again, I am humbled and in awe of the genuine love and commitment to Christ that these people have no matter what age they are.
With the daily rain threatening us, we returned to the center for debriefing with the other teams and praise and worship to God for such an amazing win for God. Exhausted, yet filled with peace and joy that only comes through the touch of God, we returned to Tim and Bambi's for our last night there. Monday we would be checking in to the Sunset Bay Resort (a modest but comfortable local hotel on the beach) for our last two nights. Well, that's all folks! More to come I am sure...
With the daily rain threatening us, we returned to the center for debriefing with the other teams and praise and worship to God for such an amazing win for God. Exhausted, yet filled with peace and joy that only comes through the touch of God, we returned to Tim and Bambi's for our last night there. Monday we would be checking in to the Sunset Bay Resort (a modest but comfortable local hotel on the beach) for our last two nights. Well, that's all folks! More to come I am sure...
Love to all! Debbie
Monday, June 28, 2010
Not for the Faint of Heart
It's 06-28-2010. Jake and Adam get BALUT a try. Don't watch this if you have a weak stomach! Balut is a local delicacy - a fertile, boiled duck egg. You have been warned! :-) Here's the YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlX6ZPnO8iI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlX6ZPnO8iI
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)