I anticipate the next two weeks to be very full indeed, and with that in mind, I know that the best thing I can do is to be sure to spend time with the Lord each day.
And so good night. For the day begins with the night before.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
All it takes is getting started
I feel the need to post something. Life has been good. And life
is about to change once again. I'm glad that I no longer dread change
like I used to when I was young.
I anticipate the next two weeks to be very full indeed, and with that in mind, I know that the best thing I can do is to be sure to spend time with the Lord each day.
And so good night. For the day begins with the night before.
I anticipate the next two weeks to be very full indeed, and with that in mind, I know that the best thing I can do is to be sure to spend time with the Lord each day.
And so good night. For the day begins with the night before.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Here today and gone tomorrow
We left Manila at 10:30pm Monday and arrived safely in San
Francisco at 7:30pm...also on Monday. I tell you, that international
date line thing can really throw a person off. Thankfully, I did not
much trouble with jet lag again. Whew! I'm glad for that.
My trip to the Philippines was an all-around wonderful experience. I appreciated getting to know the people on the Ripon team better, and it was a pleasure getting to know the people on the Ashland team. Let's hear it for new friends! I also really enjoyed getting to know some of my Filipino brothers and sisters. The Filipino people are so friendly! My experience in the Philippines has really whetted my appetite for overseas missions, but it also served to light a fire under me for reaching out to the people here in my own community. Just because I am back in my own culture does not mean it is going to be easy though. I tried to strike up a conversation with the lady who was checking out my groceries at the store this afternoon and was reminded how much harder it is going to be to talk to Americans. Harder as a rule anyway. There will always be the exception. But who said life is supposed to be easy?
It has not even been a week yet, and already I am off and running again. Tomorrow morning I strike out on the next adventure. It is time for our annual trek to Washington to go camping with the family. This has always been a highlight of my year. I am sad to miss seeing my church family though, especially those who were on the Philippines team. I will not be around for the next four Sundays either. One of the ladies at church said something the other night about church discipline... :)
Tori and her husband Dan are missionaries in Manila. They helped organize much of our trip for us. Tori met us for our final trek by boat to get to the island.
FRESH coconut juice. Mmmm!
The avenue from our guest house to the main road on the island.
Meal times, especially breakfast, were one of my favorite parts of the day. It was a good time to get to know everyone. And the morning coffee was delicious!
Sunday morning before church.
We REALLY underestimated the number of children who would be there! It was amazing!
I think this was our first afternoon out to the feeding sites, and the rain drenched clothes were a perfect start to what we would experience the remainder of our time there.
Yay for the rainy season!
Feeding the children.
The balloons were a huge hit.
Along with the singing, Bible stories, balloons, and feeding, we also gave the children vitamins and bandaged up any boo-boos. We gave out many "comfort" bandaids. It was funny watching some of the little ones carefully searching for that scratch they knew they had in order to get a bandaid.
Some of the ladies from the church who faithfully cooked our breakfast and lunch every day. These ladies are also very instrumental in the feeding ministry. They each have one day off a week that they do not go out to the feeding sites.
By the end of the trip, our team had become very good friends. :)
My trip to the Philippines was an all-around wonderful experience. I appreciated getting to know the people on the Ripon team better, and it was a pleasure getting to know the people on the Ashland team. Let's hear it for new friends! I also really enjoyed getting to know some of my Filipino brothers and sisters. The Filipino people are so friendly! My experience in the Philippines has really whetted my appetite for overseas missions, but it also served to light a fire under me for reaching out to the people here in my own community. Just because I am back in my own culture does not mean it is going to be easy though. I tried to strike up a conversation with the lady who was checking out my groceries at the store this afternoon and was reminded how much harder it is going to be to talk to Americans. Harder as a rule anyway. There will always be the exception. But who said life is supposed to be easy?
It has not even been a week yet, and already I am off and running again. Tomorrow morning I strike out on the next adventure. It is time for our annual trek to Washington to go camping with the family. This has always been a highlight of my year. I am sad to miss seeing my church family though, especially those who were on the Philippines team. I will not be around for the next four Sundays either. One of the ladies at church said something the other night about church discipline... :)
Tori and her husband Dan are missionaries in Manila. They helped organize much of our trip for us. Tori met us for our final trek by boat to get to the island.
FRESH coconut juice. Mmmm!
The avenue from our guest house to the main road on the island.
Meal times, especially breakfast, were one of my favorite parts of the day. It was a good time to get to know everyone. And the morning coffee was delicious!
Sunday morning before church.
We REALLY underestimated the number of children who would be there! It was amazing!
I think this was our first afternoon out to the feeding sites, and the rain drenched clothes were a perfect start to what we would experience the remainder of our time there.
Yay for the rainy season!
Feeding the children.
The balloons were a huge hit.
Along with the singing, Bible stories, balloons, and feeding, we also gave the children vitamins and bandaged up any boo-boos. We gave out many "comfort" bandaids. It was funny watching some of the little ones carefully searching for that scratch they knew they had in order to get a bandaid.
Some of the ladies from the church who faithfully cooked our breakfast and lunch every day. These ladies are also very instrumental in the feeding ministry. They each have one day off a week that they do not go out to the feeding sites.
By the end of the trip, our team had become very good friends. :)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sometimes things don't go as planned...
...but the results are better because of it. We can make our plans, but it is the Lord who directs our steps.
As I mentioned before, we arrived in Boracay right along with the torrential rains. Of course we would have preferred dry weather, but I have really appreciated seeing first hand the sort of conditions that the people here have to deal with day after day after day. Yes, they also have their days of sun and dry roads, but that is only a part of the life the live. Pastor Glen was praising the Lord for the rain after our time at one of the feeding sites the other evening. While part of the team is working with the children, one of the men speaks to the adults who come with their children. Monday evening five men and one woman put their faith in Christ. The really exciting part about this is that they only reason the men were there that evening is because the rain had prevented them from going fishing. Lois had a fun way of looking at it: "God looked down on those men tonight and said, 'You're not going fishing; you're going to BE the fish!' " Amen!
Yesterday afternoon is another good example of things not going as planned. I had the opportunity to help with the construction of a shelter at one of the feeding sites. We went back to the site after lunch to finish the work, but for some reason, the pastor never made it back out to the site to show us what needed to be done, and none of the Filipino workers came back either. Miscommunication, perhaps? I really don't know. While we were waiting Don started playing with the children who were around and I struck up a conversation with a young girl (18 years) who was also there watching us. Her name is Leonisa. Thankfully her English was pretty good. She was eager to talk, and I really enjoyed our time together. It was a good experience to just be in her village and see the conditions that she lives in. It gave me a taste of what building relationships will be like if the Lord puts me in a tribe someday. If Pastor Rolando had showed up as we were expecting him to, I would not have had the opportunity to talk with Leonisa and make that contact. We hung around at the site for about an hour and a half before leaving. The rain prevented us from going back out to the site today, but I am very hopeful that I will be able to go back before we leave for Manila on Friday.
This is a picture of the shelter we were working on. (courtesy of Rick Turske)
For more pictures and other updates from our trip, go to http://blog.tursketech.com/. Rick is one of the team members on the Ashland team.
As I mentioned before, we arrived in Boracay right along with the torrential rains. Of course we would have preferred dry weather, but I have really appreciated seeing first hand the sort of conditions that the people here have to deal with day after day after day. Yes, they also have their days of sun and dry roads, but that is only a part of the life the live. Pastor Glen was praising the Lord for the rain after our time at one of the feeding sites the other evening. While part of the team is working with the children, one of the men speaks to the adults who come with their children. Monday evening five men and one woman put their faith in Christ. The really exciting part about this is that they only reason the men were there that evening is because the rain had prevented them from going fishing. Lois had a fun way of looking at it: "God looked down on those men tonight and said, 'You're not going fishing; you're going to BE the fish!' " Amen!
Yesterday afternoon is another good example of things not going as planned. I had the opportunity to help with the construction of a shelter at one of the feeding sites. We went back to the site after lunch to finish the work, but for some reason, the pastor never made it back out to the site to show us what needed to be done, and none of the Filipino workers came back either. Miscommunication, perhaps? I really don't know. While we were waiting Don started playing with the children who were around and I struck up a conversation with a young girl (18 years) who was also there watching us. Her name is Leonisa. Thankfully her English was pretty good. She was eager to talk, and I really enjoyed our time together. It was a good experience to just be in her village and see the conditions that she lives in. It gave me a taste of what building relationships will be like if the Lord puts me in a tribe someday. If Pastor Rolando had showed up as we were expecting him to, I would not have had the opportunity to talk with Leonisa and make that contact. We hung around at the site for about an hour and a half before leaving. The rain prevented us from going back out to the site today, but I am very hopeful that I will be able to go back before we leave for Manila on Friday.
This is a picture of the shelter we were working on. (courtesy of Rick Turske)
For more pictures and other updates from our trip, go to http://blog.tursketech.com/. Rick is one of the team members on the Ashland team.
Friday, July 10, 2009
This post brought to you from the beaches of Boracay
I do not know if it was an oversight of some sort, but somehow we
managed to arrive in the Philippines the same week as the beginning of
their rainy season. The rain we have received over the last two days
have been incredible! This morning the ladies in our group went
shopping at one of the local markets. I almost did not take my
umbrella (the weather was pretty nice when we left, and who really needs
an umbrella anyway?), but it's a good thing I did. I think I can say
that I have now experienced a torrential downpour. And it kept on
coming! We were wading through streams of water by the time we headed
back to the guest house. The storms have made for some really nice
waves on the beach too. I've been told that normally the waters are not
as rough as they have been. The waves have been really good for body
surfing though. Only one of many "first" experiences I have had on this
trip. Several of us even went swimming after dark last night. We did
not have to worry about undercurrents like we would back home. There is
a reef surrounding the island, so you can go out pretty far before the
water gets too deep. The water feels so good too, especially with the
high humidity here. It has been the perfect way to cool off.
I have really enjoyed getting to know the members on our team and to see the work that the church here on Boracay is doing. Sometimes it feels like we are not really doing that much, but this morning I was reminded that simply by taking the time and effort to come "all the way over here" has been a tremendous blessing and encouragement to the believers here. I'm afraid that I underestimate the work of the Lord far too often. God has also used this time to remind me that I do not and cannot define what His work is. My job is to be faithful in whatever sphere I find myself, and live for His glory. The church here has a tremendous outreach on this island through the children. They now have twenty-one feeding sites where they feed upwards of 1000 children each week and teach them about the Lord. Through the children they have been able to reach the parents and they have a number of different Bible studies going on throughout the week. The passion that these people have to reach their community is so encouraging. They are very focused in their vision.
Thankfully, I have not seemed to have had a problem with jet lag even though we completely skipped Tuesday due to crossing the international dateline. Weird. I'm still confused as to what day it is.
Well, that's all for now. I wish I could include some pictures, but I do not have a way of downloading them at this point. That will be remedied when I get back home.
Thank you for your continued prayers! It means so much to know that there are people on the other side of the world who are praying for me and the ministry we are involved in here in the Philippines. God bless!
I have really enjoyed getting to know the members on our team and to see the work that the church here on Boracay is doing. Sometimes it feels like we are not really doing that much, but this morning I was reminded that simply by taking the time and effort to come "all the way over here" has been a tremendous blessing and encouragement to the believers here. I'm afraid that I underestimate the work of the Lord far too often. God has also used this time to remind me that I do not and cannot define what His work is. My job is to be faithful in whatever sphere I find myself, and live for His glory. The church here has a tremendous outreach on this island through the children. They now have twenty-one feeding sites where they feed upwards of 1000 children each week and teach them about the Lord. Through the children they have been able to reach the parents and they have a number of different Bible studies going on throughout the week. The passion that these people have to reach their community is so encouraging. They are very focused in their vision.
Thankfully, I have not seemed to have had a problem with jet lag even though we completely skipped Tuesday due to crossing the international dateline. Weird. I'm still confused as to what day it is.
Well, that's all for now. I wish I could include some pictures, but I do not have a way of downloading them at this point. That will be remedied when I get back home.
Thank you for your continued prayers! It means so much to know that there are people on the other side of the world who are praying for me and the ministry we are involved in here in the Philippines. God bless!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Off I go to the South China Sea!
Our team should be returning on Monday July 20. Thank you much for all your prayers. I'll be sure to post pictures with an update when I get back.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Malls, missions, and the Philippines
Bleh! I had to go to the mall for something today, and whenever I
am there for very long (particularly if I have to walk through the mall
to get to the store I need) I always leave with a depressed, hopeless
feeling. There is so much STUFF vying for peoples' attention -- people
who are so desperately trying to find some sort of meaning in life. But
without Christ this life has no meaning. Stuff will never ever
satisfy. It will only create a longing for more. As I was driving home
a song about heaven came on the radio, and I was reminded anew how much
of a stranger I am to this world. I am only passing through. Yes, I
am inescapably IN this world, but I am not of it. I feel that now more
than I ever have. I am so thankful that this life is not all there is.
In other news, I have now graduated from New Tribes Bible Institute. It was a fantastic two years that has truly changed my life. At this time it is my plan to continue with the training of New Tribes Mission and to enter the work of missions full time. The Bible school is the first phase of New Tribes's missionary training. The second phase focuses on culture and cross-cultural ministry, language and linguistics, Bible teaching and other church-planting skills, as well as many practical skills that will be useful in living in a remote setting. Some of these skills include things such as how to butcher a chicken, basic electronics, baking and cooking from scratch, some basic medical skills including administering shots, and so forth. Lord willing, I will be going to Missouri in January to attend the Missionary Training Center. This training is another year and a half.
In the meantime, I will be leaving for the Philippines on Monday with a group from my church. We will be meeting up with a team from Ashland, OH and working with some missionaries and the local church on the island of Boracay. The church ministers to the children of the island by feeding them and teaching them through Bible stories and lessons. The church has eighteen different feeding sites around this 5x2 mile island, and they reach roughly 1000 children each week. We will also be helping them with a construction project. This will be my first time overseas, and I am eager for the opportunity to work alongside members of the body of Christ in a different culture and setting than I am used to. The language on Boracay is primarily English, but it is still a different culture, so I know that communication will be different as well. I would appreciate your prayers over the next two weeks. The trip will be from Monday July 6 to Monday July 20. My prayer is the God will be glorified through HIS church during our visit.
In other news, I have now graduated from New Tribes Bible Institute. It was a fantastic two years that has truly changed my life. At this time it is my plan to continue with the training of New Tribes Mission and to enter the work of missions full time. The Bible school is the first phase of New Tribes's missionary training. The second phase focuses on culture and cross-cultural ministry, language and linguistics, Bible teaching and other church-planting skills, as well as many practical skills that will be useful in living in a remote setting. Some of these skills include things such as how to butcher a chicken, basic electronics, baking and cooking from scratch, some basic medical skills including administering shots, and so forth. Lord willing, I will be going to Missouri in January to attend the Missionary Training Center. This training is another year and a half.
In the meantime, I will be leaving for the Philippines on Monday with a group from my church. We will be meeting up with a team from Ashland, OH and working with some missionaries and the local church on the island of Boracay. The church ministers to the children of the island by feeding them and teaching them through Bible stories and lessons. The church has eighteen different feeding sites around this 5x2 mile island, and they reach roughly 1000 children each week. We will also be helping them with a construction project. This will be my first time overseas, and I am eager for the opportunity to work alongside members of the body of Christ in a different culture and setting than I am used to. The language on Boracay is primarily English, but it is still a different culture, so I know that communication will be different as well. I would appreciate your prayers over the next two weeks. The trip will be from Monday July 6 to Monday July 20. My prayer is the God will be glorified through HIS church during our visit.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Superhero Day
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
It's true.
Love you, Mom!
On another note, my day started off pretty sweet. Yesterday was a pretty draining day for me, so I almost skipped breakfast. It's a good thing I didn't though, because by the time I got down to the dining hall, Clint, our cook, had my over-easy eggs all ready and waiting for me. (Tuesday and Thursday you can go back in the kitchen and order your eggs fixed however you want.) AND he had scrapple! Yum!
It's true.
Love you, Mom!
On another note, my day started off pretty sweet. Yesterday was a pretty draining day for me, so I almost skipped breakfast. It's a good thing I didn't though, because by the time I got down to the dining hall, Clint, our cook, had my over-easy eggs all ready and waiting for me. (Tuesday and Thursday you can go back in the kitchen and order your eggs fixed however you want.) AND he had scrapple! Yum!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
oops
Okay, so I haven't done too well taking pictures so far. I was
clad in green for St. Patrick's Day, and today I dressed as Esther. Not
QUEEN Esther. Just Esther. : )
I'll make sure I get pictures tomorrow. Promise!
I'll make sure I get pictures tomorrow. Promise!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spirit Week
Today was Redneck/Hillybilly Day, so there was a lot of plaid walking around school. Tomorrow: St. Patrick's Day.
I will try to post pictures for each day. Here is the line up:
Monday - Redneck/Hillbilly Day
Tuesday - St. Patrick's Day
Wednesday - Bible Character Day
Thursday - Superhero Day "No superpowers required." There is also going to be a pep rally in the evening. Should be interesting.
Friday - Look Alike Day. Dress like a friend!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday (and Friday)
I have always liked Sundays. There is just something...restful about the day. Even when I'm swamped with homework and have little time for myself. Thankfully, today is not one of those days. Most of my homework this block consists of reading, reading, reading. Today is a rainy Sunday which always has a nice cozy feel to it (even though I cannot actually see outside when I'm in my room. No window. *sigh*) We have been getting quite a bit of rain the last couple days, so it feels a lot like winter back at home. The temperature is supposed to drop back down into the 30's for the highs later on this week, but I don't mind. Things will be greening up before we know it.
Friday evening I and a few other girls went over to one of my teacher's house for supper. (Scot and April with their kiddos Jon Wiley and Madison.) I just love the staff here. It is always a joy to be in their homes with them and their families and see them in a more relaxed setting. We went a little early to help April make the pizzas. Additional joy! I forget how much I miss working in a kitchen until I have an opportunity like Friday.
April (not in this picture) makes her pizzas in cast iron skillets. The crust gets a nice crunch on the bottom like it does when you use a pizza stone.
Scot and April are from Kentucky, and he has the greatest southern accent. We have had him for Biblical Foundations (an overview of the Bible as a whole), Acts, Romans, Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), and 1 & 2 Thessalonians. He is a really good teacher, and I am going to miss sitting under his instruction.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Word of the day
Carperpetuation (kär'pər-pĕch'ü-āshən)
1. (n.) The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.
And now you know what it's called.
1. (n.) The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.
And now you know what it's called.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Meet me in St. Louis
You can ignore the title of this post. It has nothing whatsoever with what I am about to write. It just sounded good. :)
This morning one of my teachers pointed out that we are almost half way through the semester. Crikey! This semester does not feel like it is going fast, but when you look at it that way... Tomorrow ends our second of five blocks. In our first block we went through Philippians, 1&2 Thessalonians, and Daniel. Daniel and Revelation are being studied together. (My teacher says that trying to study Revelation without first studying Daniel is like skipping to the end of a mystery novel. The ending just won't make sense without the beginning.) This block we are finishing Colossians/Philemon, and 1 Timothy. I am also in the middle of Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther and Partnership Development for my electives. Thursday we will be starting Eschatology (the study of the end times), 2 Timothy/Titus, and Revelation. So many good things to learn! So many good things to apply.
God is continually and faithfully challenging and changing my thinking to come in line with HIS thinking. And it all happens through the study of His word. It is amazing just how much our thinking affects the way we live. We can say we believe the Bible, but what is our life demonstrating? What evidences in our life show that we truly do believe what God says is true about us, about life, about what it means to live godly in this present age?
This being my last semester here at NTBI (gasp!) I am spending as much time as I can with the staff here. It has been such a blessing to have these relationships in my life. I am not looking forward to the good-byes that will have to be said in May, but I am thankful that these friendships are some that wil last a lifetime. They are family.
Me and my dorm "mom." Several of us girls are over at our dorm parent's house every Friday or Saturday. I love it. It is like going home for the evening.
This morning one of my teachers pointed out that we are almost half way through the semester. Crikey! This semester does not feel like it is going fast, but when you look at it that way... Tomorrow ends our second of five blocks. In our first block we went through Philippians, 1&2 Thessalonians, and Daniel. Daniel and Revelation are being studied together. (My teacher says that trying to study Revelation without first studying Daniel is like skipping to the end of a mystery novel. The ending just won't make sense without the beginning.) This block we are finishing Colossians/Philemon, and 1 Timothy. I am also in the middle of Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther and Partnership Development for my electives. Thursday we will be starting Eschatology (the study of the end times), 2 Timothy/Titus, and Revelation. So many good things to learn! So many good things to apply.
God is continually and faithfully challenging and changing my thinking to come in line with HIS thinking. And it all happens through the study of His word. It is amazing just how much our thinking affects the way we live. We can say we believe the Bible, but what is our life demonstrating? What evidences in our life show that we truly do believe what God says is true about us, about life, about what it means to live godly in this present age?
This being my last semester here at NTBI (gasp!) I am spending as much time as I can with the staff here. It has been such a blessing to have these relationships in my life. I am not looking forward to the good-byes that will have to be said in May, but I am thankful that these friendships are some that wil last a lifetime. They are family.
Me and my dorm "mom." Several of us girls are over at our dorm parent's house every Friday or Saturday. I love it. It is like going home for the evening.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
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