No more Patrick

Well, Patrick is back in Canada (he is the executive director) and from what I hear the weather over there is not too friendly. I think I heard that it was -20 in Vancouver. Yikes, that is really cold for Vancouver. I think it was about 30 here, so I can't relate. The cold of the prairie winters feels a thousand miles away right now (wait it is at least a thousand miles away). I have decided to definitely extend my stay now and so I will need to begin making arrangements for that. You know what I miss the most so far... is just hanging out with friends and family. I would love to just go out and throw a Frisbee around or just sit on the back porch and have a coffee. Just goes to show again how valuable the simple things are.

There is a YWAM team coming here soon so we are madly getting ready for them. It is going to be a very busy, challenging, and fun time. They sound like a good team and they are not that big (only about 20 people), so it will be good stuff. There are lots of other things to take care of, but this will take up the bulk of the next 3 months or so. There are also some other interns coming in the new year so I won't be the only foreigner hanging around for long.

Have been pondering some interesting scripture the last couple of days, Romans 8-10. Very challenging and deep stuff. Wish I had kept my Alan Mortensen notes (sp?). So who chose who anyway? And if He did chose... why me and not somebody else. Had a nagging cold and sinus infection which seems to be almost gone now and felt a little run down, but have found God to be a center and strength again.

Have been able to get a few kids sponsored in the last little while. If you are interested let me know. It is only 35 dollars a month and it provides 5 hot meals a week, school uniform, pays for school fees, hygeine supplies, tutoring, and lots of love. Pretty good deal plus if you sponsor while I am here (at least a year or more) I can help you pick out a kid and follow up for you!

New Blogger Template

Ok I added some new content, tried some RSS feeds, changed the template I was using, and added some Google ads. Hope everything works! Oh and here is a new video for you.

A more complete tour of the area!

What am I doing anyway?

Well things going good still.  Caught a bit of a flu last week and went to see the doctor.  Got better care then I have ever got in Canada.  Kind of scary huh?  Starting to get a bit of a hold on the local lauguage, which is really important if you want to make a connection with some people here.  While some are happy to speak english, others have no interest to do so.

 

Thought I would try and give a description of some of my responsibilities here.  First I have kind of adopted the writing of profiles for child sponsorship.  This involves taking pictures and interviewing the kids and family to write a brief profile with the help of some volunteers.  As Patrick and Inneke will be away for 1 year I have agreed to help with the Leadership and administration of the whole operation while I am here (with their help of course).  This will involve lots of things including helping to organize some team visits and get a new ministry going called Hope Holidays whose vision is to inspire people with a heart for missions.  Basically it is one week of holidays and one week of intense missions work (well as intense as people can handle it!).  I also feel really motivated to just hang out with the kids and youth and build relationships.  A very important thing here in the philippines!  And my heart is just to serve and do what I can.

 

Anyway, talk to you all real soon!

Maayo Hapoon

Well, it has been a few days since I posted anything, so I better get at it. Patrick and Inneke are beginning to step out as the local leaders (they are heading back to Canada for a year) and a local guy named Jun and myself will be stepping up to run the show here for a while. I think it will be a stretching time for me and an exciting time. Definitely will be doing stuff that I have not done before, but I look forward to the challenge... makes life interesting.

How am I growing in my faith? I guess just realizing again how dependent I need to be on God and that Jesus needs to be the center of your life no matter what you are doing or where you are (i.e. if he is not the anchor in your life its gonna be rough). Why do I say this? Well I guess working around a lot of hurting lives and broken, hungry people, you really really want to make a difference and help them, to show them love, and to give them hope. As just man I can only do so much... even though you smile and try and show care, it feels kind of like selling cotton candy. You sell the candy and they eat it and are happy and enjoy it but you have not made any real change in their life. I guess I want to effect these people more then that. I want to see them changed and grow in their faith and to find the peace, love, acceptance, grace, and joy that I have found in Christ. In essence to become faithful disciples of Christ. I know that without God I cannot make this kind of difference so that is what has been drawing me back to even greater dependence on God. I know that even if I lack skills, abilities, and the character traits to do so, that God can make up for where I am lagging.

For those of you that know me well, you will know that I have weathered some rough months in the last little while. Someone asked me if I would be where I am today if that had not happened. And the answer is no! Not just geographically, but spiritually. There is no doubt that these hard times have driven me to a new level of faith and relationship with God. I will never be the same, how can I be. I had a work associate ask me if I had always been this religious after they had read my blog. I just laughed and said well I have always been spiritual, just stealthy about it I guess.

It looks like I am definitely going to be staying longer then 6 months. Not really sure how I will do it, but I would like to stay a couple years (where did I get two years from? It just seems about right. 6 months is too short and 5 years is too long). Much to my mom and dad's frustration, but I think I can convince them to come and visit.

Starting to really feel at home here in the Philippines. The only thing that really gets to me after a while is the heat, but you can always escape into an air conditioned coffee shop or mall.. just be prepared for a blast of heat when you leave. Anyway, don't want to drain all of my creative juices, so until next time!