September and October

 Wow!  We say "time flies when you are having fun." I guess I've been having fun!

In early September I started working with three wonderful ladies to prepare for this teaching term.  We had the 6 classes planned, but only 4 have worked out. The other two have to wait because Covid cases are running high in that area.

Now we have had more than 60 kids come over that past six weeks for Narnia and The Greatest Journey.  Also 5 high school kids who are working on grammar with us.  The last class I do solo (well Jun helps me sometimes) in Mabini and we have had 30+ contacts there.  Including the two times we met before the other classes were cancelled we have hosted more than 100 students.

Three of the four curricula are new so it has taken a bit more effort on my part to be prepared.  I couldn't have done it with out the class assistants.  We are taking next week off from classes to meet as teachers and prepare for the second half of classes.  I have invited their families to come and eat with us on Saturday so I can share with them how much I appreciate their willingness to spare their loved ones to help in our ministry.

All the time the ladies and I are planning and teaching Jun is our transportation when off site.  He was somewhat happy when the two new classes were put on hold because he has started planting!  Every week he adds a new batch of corn so it will come to harvest at intervals instead of all at once.  In between he is planting things for the long term like coconut and banana trees as well as some other local fruits that we could, Lord willing, beginning to eat in 5-7 years!  He is also sowing various vegetables for our own consumption.  I expect a bountiful harvest come the new year and spring... as long as the rats and karabao don't destroy them!

Please thank God with us for a growing group of kids and teachers to work with.

Also for the rains that have come to allow things to be planted and begin growing.

Please pray with us over the continued processing of my visa updating.  One step at a time, but still many to go apparently.

Also pray with us as we approach the season of Advent that we will know how to share our resources and handle the expectations of those around us.

Thank you and have a wonderful rest of October!

The world kept turning...

 Last weekend I was struck with fever.  It was preceded by a week long headache and reached 102F (39C).  For two days it was a battle to get it down to 100, finally it broke but wouldn't give up!  Three more days of 99/100 and this morning I finally woke with my normal 97!  My life and actions were stalled, but the world kept on turning.

My husband was a great caretaker, but I'm happy to be back to normal.  Today I rode with him to our house to see things...

Each side needs details, but the big sections of wall are up.  It will take time yet to trim them all and fit the small cuts, but it's looking like a house now.

Seed Life is also showing signs of growth...

Coconut to be planted soon...

Alugbati.... A local version of spinach that is delicious!

Bell peppers almost ready to spread out.

This excites me!  It is one of three cacao plants!  I don't know how long before it fruits, but we will eventually be making our own cocoa powder and maybe chocolate trials?

I've never seen the vine before, but Jun tells me it what the locals call sinkamas which is what we call jicama.

One of about a dozen banana saplings Jun has on the border near the house.  Eventually he hopes to have a couple hundred ... Let's see how long that takes!

Jun tossed a handful of our old seed corn, but only a few sprouted so it will become chicken feed instead of being planted.

Photo Drop..

 

June and July: Class Closings

 We've been busy the last month or so with lots of good things. Classes in Juagdan finished at the end of June so it was time to sort out all the students' work and make sure everything was graded. There were over 50 folders to prepare and two different certificates for most of them. It's fun stuff, but lots of work in a short time. The first week of July we then had our closing party! Thanks to all sorts of donors we were able to give great prizes and have delicious snacks. In honor of the one class we ended with popcorn and a movie (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe!). The Mabini class took a few extra meetings to finish and so we just hosted a dozen of them at our new place to celebrate three different groups of students (4 participated in all 3 classes!). Now I will take the rest of July and part of August to set up the lessons for the next term. I am hoping to finally add some classroom assistants so I can add back a class in Guintaboan as well as perhaps starting in Cagting already!

Jun has been busy doing various tasks on our property. Still doing bits and pieces of the building, but also preparing the field for planting. We had a visit from the municipal tractor to down all the jungle grass and break up the soil. Jun is hoping it can come again, but he might just have to spray lots of weed killer. He started in a small area to test out some sweet corn and mongo beans. Once planted he will go back to building more consistently. Lord willing, financially we are hopeful to be able to have enough saved to drill our well in October. It's a little more expensive at the start, but higher potential of a safe drinking water source! Although we will always have the purified water for any visitors🤓

I will try to post pictures later today...

Classes and the House

 One of the best days of the past month was when I had a room full of students saying “Jesus is my light” over and over again as I was preparing for the next activity. Let me explain…the end of April brought on two new classes for us right here in Juagdan. One of them is a “lap book study” of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. What this means is that as I read the kids are coloring pictures that have to do with the previously read chapter(s) and then at the end of each chapter we do an activity page. One of these activities included the following question: “Lucy was drawn towards the light ahead in the wardrobe. Who does the Bible in John 8:12 say is the light of our world?” After reading the verse I verbally helped them with what to write and after they said the answer was “Jesus” I said “Yes, so you can write Jesus is the light or Jesus is my light.” The following week there were a few new students so I started them with that activity to catch up and their fellow classmates kept repeating over and over, “Jesus is my light.” These kids range in age 5 to 13 and many of them probably don’t yet understand what they are saying, but it brings me joy to hear them say it because one day the hope is they will all claim it as truth instead of just repeating words the “white lady” says.

 

The second class is just basic vocabulary words around various themes. We started with food and talked about fruits, vegetables, meats, and ways to cook. Now we are studying the body parts and they really enjoy singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!” To end the unit we will be making simple body cutouts attached with brass brads so they can turn them into paper dolls for the next unit about clothes.

 

It is interesting to see what activities the kids like the most and the Narnia activities showed me they not only love to color, but cutting and gluing is really fun for them as well. Two favored games are bingo and concentration so I try to have a version for every unit to help reiterate the words. There is overlap in the two classes, but overall there are nearly 40 students! When we host the “closing party” it will have to be in the church as we already fill the mission house when 25 come at one class.🤓

On a side note, as I have been teaching more regularly in the past two months Jun has had various people working with him on building our house. The septic tank is dug and cemented, the basic frame is in place, and today the roof is getting put together!

Flurry of activity

It has only been two weeks,but the month of April has been full!  We started right away on Good Friday... We "overbooked" ourselves so Jun went to Mabini to participate in their Good Friday Service.  I stayed home and attended a neighbor girl's "debut" party.  It is still a little murky as to what the service/party really is but prayers are said over the celebrant and special speeches are said by people she has chosen and a pastor gives a brief message.  I was asked to be on of Jewel's treasures.  I was able to tell her she is more of a treasure to our family than anything I could give her, but to also remind her that the best treasure is having God fill her up so she can share him in her life. 

Jewel and Christine at the party...

Resurrection Sunday was even better!  Together we traveled back to Mabini for a sunrise service with our partner mission in Valaga, Mabini.  There Ma'am MaryDel has challenged her members to memorize scripture.  After a service of celebrating the Resurrection and participating in Communion, we heard about a dozen adults and one child reciting two verses each.  Great way to get them to dig into God's word even if it is just to search for short verses... 😉

Christine with one of the grandmother's of the Mabini church.  Both her daughter and grandchildren have been in English class with Christine.

Jun taking a group photo of the usual group that supports the ministry in Mabini.

We were also abundantly blessed from our US family and friends.  Our compound received boxes from MI and CO this month.  They were filled with good things that bring a taste of the US for comfort.  There were also great things to use for teaching and ministry aids like games and books and prizes.  But we also have the opportunity to share clothes, shoes, and basic first aid supplies to some of the poorer areas  of Juagdan...

Jun and our dog Jebol with some of the donation boxes.  Even Jebol was excited the day they arrived!

This past Friday instead of regular class in Mabini they invited us to join in a special day of praise and prayer.  It is intended for youth and so the kids lead most of the morning activities.  It is awesome to see and hear these kids following the Spirit's leading.

Last month with our travels the return to classes in Juagdan didn't go so well.  But we will try again this month.  On Saturday we invited one of our more eager families to spend a little time with us.  Mom came with her four kids and a niece.  We did lots of reading and talking about the books for their first round of Reading Club.  Then we introduced some food vocabulary with simple worksheets.  At church next Sunday I will announce the start of the Read Aloud Class.  So on Tuesday afternoons I will read from CS Lewis's the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Each week we will do some activities to verify comprehension but also at the end of the book have a movie time to watch the newer release as we received it in one of the donations! 

Neighborhood mom and kids doing matching and spelling practice with fruit and veggies.

Some of the Sunday school kids playing the new "Word Search" game.

This brings me to yesterday.  Our new church family in Valencia celebrated their 14th year!  A senior neighbor in Juagdan used to beat part of this community so we were able to provide transportation for him to join us for the visit. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was trying to be a more active participant.  The guest pastor followed the "Keep Moving Forward" theme and talked about some of the places we get parked that are misleading... But the ultimate goal is to not park, but keep moving forward towards God and His way for us.

 Thank you for taking the time to see what we are up to!  Be blessed!

Spinning in circles

 The last several weeks it has felt like I'm spinning in circles.  One step forward in a project or process just to find out it has to be redone or rules changed.  Fortunately, if I look back it is really two steps forward and just one back.  Meaning to say it is still forward motion!

Long story shortened ... We traveled off island for the first time in a year hoping to accomplish visa updating.  We have someone working on it for us.  Returning home has proven more difficult than expected and so a planned over night has become more than a week.  Ultimately it has been an emotionally draining week and I'm ready to be home, but we made some new connections in Christ.

Yesterday morning was a highlight as Jun has the chance to share an impromptu message with a group of teens in a private setting on the beach...

And then we also sang some songs to God ...

(I will try to upload that video later)

Pictures and Stuff

 So I finally have an Android phone again so I was able to go back and at least fix the text color so hopefully you can read these posts easier.

This month Jun and I will be celebrating... February 14 Jun will be another year older and we will have been married for a year and February 24 I will be another year older.

I will try to catch up on some photos so here is January for now...

Having snack and coffee after church with a few of the seniors.  The young man uses our motor to take them home as they come from Cagting instead of just right here in Juagdan.

The youth we called forward to sing a song one Sunday morning last month.

Jun acquired and cut the majority of the wood needed for framing out our first house.  These are the corner posts.

We have had a few date nights and visited the new damn in Benliw.  Jun was one of the first people to start breaking up the stones for the main wall.

Precious Cajigas has put together a Sunday school program again.  The little kids meet in the Mission House and sometimes Jebol joins them.  Silly dog!

We did our best to dry all the corn.  Then Jun took over 150 kilos to the mill in Alicia. There is about the same still to go when the weather is better.

This was the church and people of Anas, Valencia.  We met them on a weekend away and see able to provide them with some new chairs.  They asked Jun to preach so we went back and sort a day with them.