Photo Bomb!

It is a balmy Monday afternoon here.  I have no idea what the weather is because I can't understand the news stations so I don't watch and there isn't a thermometer sitting out for me to just check real quick.  I might try to find on sometime...  However, it feels like it is only about 80ish degree, but lots of moisture in the air so it is quite sticky feeling.  It hasn't rained yet today so my laundry from this morning is actually almost dry!

Because it isn't raining we seem to be having some really good internet connections so I am going to try to upload some pictures I have been snapping....

Faith Joy and I have had some fun playing with Wiki Sticks I brought with me.

The mechanics make house calls here.  It seems like they are needed about every other week.

Marah, Mickella, and Jeanne sporting their pillowcase dresses sent from a group back in the states :)

Drew and Jeanne hanging out at the front door of the shelter.  This is a regular occurrence when it rains. 

We took a morning trip out to Bohol Dairy to have some ChocoBao.  It is chocolate milk and ice cream made from Carabao (water buffalo) instead of regular cow's milk.

Sorry I didn't get the whole carabao n the picture, but here are the kids taking a photo op on the patio.
(Mark, Drew, Mickella, and Faith)

I will post this now, just in hopes of it uploading today!  I will also prep another one just incase it is successful!

Transitioning

It felt like forever getting here. It was a quick trip from Denver to LAX.  I had time to relax and slowly find my gate because I had a few hours before the next flight.  From LAX to Hong Kong might have been 15 hours but I filled it with sleep and Marvel movies so it went fast.  Then I had 9 hours in Hong Kong.  That was rough because I wasn't sure I'd get to leave on time due to a super typhoon.  The time came and they let us go.  It was a bumpy flight which included an audible gasp across the plane at one point.  Relief!  I was on solid ground again.  Due to the typhoon the Cajigas family couldn't leave Bohol to meet me in Cebu, but Pastor Iglee and another man I know met me at the Cebu Airport.  We stayed overnight at a hotel so I slept pretty good, but I was still exhausted so the 7 hour wait at the Port the next afternoon had me slumped over my bags sleeping again.  Thankfully the Philippine Coast Guard did lift the hold on ferries and we were off by 8 pm.  Ate Jess and Kuya Jonah met us at the Port in Tubigon around 10 pm which is nearly the other side of the island.  I think we finally made it home by 1 am.  Oh yeah, I left Denver at 8 pm CST on Wednesday and that would be 1 pm CST on Friday that I finally made it to my new home.  Talk about long travel!

Now I am in Juagdan and things feel normal here.  I have visited often enough and right now I'm staying with close friends.  Kids argue, fuss, and fight no matter where you are so that is no different here.

I think the most difficult thing right now is actually the humidity!  I know I grew up in Florida and had plenty there, but we had Central air-conditioning.  Here it is just a small wall unit in the bedroom.  I mean it is great and I actually got cold last night, but other things are affected by the humidity.

For example, most foods are acquired in small batches because there is only so much space in the refrigerator.  Flour and dry oats are among the things I would normally leave out but can't here.  Spices clump quickly.  Laundry takes days to dry because we don't have a machine to do it for us.  It is rainy season so the ground is almost always wet and therefore muddy.  I have to be careful to not wipe out on that!  There are also certain areas I have learned to walk with my hand in front of my face because the laundry lines hang low and are almost invisible when no clothes are on them.

Overall, life is good.  I'm getting over a cold which has slowed me down, but each day I learn something new.  I have a lot to learn before classes begin in January though!

Until next time... A word from the Lord for you...
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9 NIV

Countdown Mode

I'm in the final countdown.

In seven days I leave Arizona to go on my last family vacation for a long while.  I will not return to my parents' house before leaving the country.  In some ways this is good because then my true last week will be low stress and time spent with my family instead of trying to get last minute things accomplished.  It also gives me a bit of time to still realize what I might be forgetting and acquire it in Denver because my actual departure from the country isn't until 12 days later.

Yes, in seventeen (17) days I will be leaving my country of origin to spend two years in my "second" country.  It is second only because I was not born there.  It will be a sort of home coming because I know so many people where I am heading.  Several visits have happened, but this will be different than any other time because it's not temporary.  I am establishing a home there.  It is very exciting, but also very nerve wracking.  I know they love me and will be forgiving.  However, mistakes will be made and I will offend many just because I didn't grow up there.  The hope is that they are willing to share not just their language, but their culture willingly.

Seven Days To Test Launch:
7. Worship in the house of my Lord and start to pack the last box to be shipped.
6. Work on a birthday project for my niece and nephew and do a few errands with my mom.
5. Finish the project, complete the packing of the box, and verify some last minute paperwork/record keeping.
4. Sort what is going with me and run a test "packing" of my luggage.
3. Deliver box to Sari Sari store for shipment.
2. Freak out and walk in circles around the house double checking everything is done.
1. Do my last load of laundry, actually pack my luggage, and load the van.
0. Flight departs at 7 am.

Understandably, there are a lot of things on my mind.  I simply ask that you keep me in your prayers this week as I try to remember to thank and praise God during this countdown.  I am extremely grateful for those who have partnered with me in this endeavor and I pray regularly for you as well.  Apart from the Lord, my God, I can do nothing.  Without my supporters I can do very little.  You are my lifeline.

Praise God and Amen!

Special Goal

Over the past year I have had many individuals and families financially supporting the

ministry. A number of you are those amazing people with which God has blessed me.

As the time comes closer to leave I am asking if you would be willing to commit to a regular

monthly donation for two years.  I know some of you have said you want to support me but

perhaps you don't know what could benefit the ministry.

Let me help with that, even $5 a month is helpful!  To put this into perspective, one $25

a month pledge could completely cover either my personal care items, my language tutor,

or basic household needs. One donor at $50 a month could cover my groceries, classroom

supplies, transportation needs, or my utilities.  Below you will see the goal of 35 committed

monthly partnerships I would like to have by the time I leave. As of today I am only a third

of the way toward this goal. Please let me know if you are willing to fill in one (or multiple!)

of the slots. Thank you and God bless!

$100	$100	$100	$100	$15
$50	$50	$50	$50	$15
$50	$50	$50	$50	$15
$25	$25	$25	$25	$10
$25	$25	$25	$25	$10
$25	$25	$25	$25	$10
$20	$20	$20	$20	$10

(The highlighted boxes represent current partnerships!)

Don't know where to start?  Think about these facts:

According to thesimpledollar.com, the average American spends $12.75 per meal eaten

outside of the home. Considering the average is 18 meals a month this comes to over $230.

Eat at home one day a month more often and you can support me at $10 a month per

person and spend more time with your precious family.

ABCNews.com estimates that the average working person spends $1,100 a year on coffee

not including homebrewed cups.  That makes it about $20 a week spent on coffee out

somewhere. Brew your morning coffee at home one extra day a week and you can support

me with $20 a month.

Still not convinced?  Think of it this way, you as an individual might be giving up a meal or

coffee out, but in turn the support from 35 partnerships will allow me to serve over twice that

amount!  Giving up a few amenities for a couple of years is worth it to change the lives of

100s of people forever 💖

Transitions

June has been a very busy month.

Unfortunately, it's started out with a great loss.  My best friend lost her husband suddenly at the young age of 42.  It was just 3 weeks ago and I'm still at a loss for what to say.  I know her life will never be the same, but she has hope in that he believed in Christ as his savior.  Thankfully my job was willing to give me a few days off last minute to go and stay with her and as I am in transition I have been able to stay with her for additional chunks at a time.  I think it is a double blessing.  I was able to be there so she was not alone, even if I didn't know what to say, and I have been able to spend some quality time with her before I leave.

Amidst this time of grief, I have also been sorting out and packing up my life.  Two days ago, we had 4 big boxes picked up to be shipped out to the Philippines.  Two of those boxes were filled with donations for the Cajigas family and the Children's Shelter. The other two were filled with textbooks and classroom supplies.  In the next week, I will have two more boxes filled with specialty items and things to start setting up my living space.  I have also made multiple trips to drop off donations at the thrift store and sharing items with friends who live locally.

I have had many transitions over the years and generally have done well with the chaos.  I also feel like I usually handle mental and emotional chaos fairly well for short periods of time.  However, the sheer scale of this transition has caused me some anxiety.  I think some of it has to do with the grief added to the mix and knowing I am not just transitioning once but twice in the next several months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again I started a post and didn't have a chance to finish it right away.  Here I am another week later and so it has been a month since my friend passed, we celebrated our nation's birthday, I shipped the 2 more boxes, and the rest of my life is packed in boxes and bags.

Tonight I am having dinner with my 3 closest friends and we are going to camp out and make s'mores over the fire.  Girls night!  I am super excited about it, but it is also sort of sad to realize we won't be able to do it again for several years.  I'd say welcome to being an adult, but really it is welcome to the life of a missionary!  I am very thankful to have technology that will allow us to all see each other even if we can't physically hug one another.

On a side note, people are already asking me where I will live when I come back and I have to admit it's frustrating.  I'm not even 100% sure where I will be living in 6 months!  It seems crazy to think about where God will have me in 2-5 years.  I'm focusing on the next 2-5 days!  After hanging out with friends for the weekend my best friend and I are taking a road trip to Arizona.  So, 5 days from now we will likely be visiting the Grand Canyon and marveling at God's creative hand :)

Thank you for checking in and keeping my ministry in your prayers!

HALLELUJAH PRAISES TO THE KING ETERNAL:
*Start-up funding is at 98%
*I'm still gaining monthly partnerships
*Packing and sorting life is finished (for the moment)

WE APPROACH GOD'S THRONE ROOM TOGETHER:
*Travel over the next week driving to Arizona
*Safe arrival of the boxes being shipped (probably won't arrive until Sept)
*Anxiety as things are rolling forward