Mati Mission

2008-01-31T01:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Daniel....I hope! He's our 5-year old boy, with cerebral palsy. We are praying great things for Daniel.

2008-01-31T01:42:00.000-08:00

Jan.18, 2008

2008-01-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

My English tutorials continue to be fun for me, though at times I think they are informal counseling sessions! I go through the day's lessons, and then I listen to the events of the students' day, give support or answer questions as they come at me.
It has started to flow differently than I imagined, but I am "going with the flow", trusting that the Lord is using me in someone's life.

Will now make another attempt to share Daniel's picture!

Pray for the health of those in the compound; Erwin is sick, the social worker is sick, and Rowena is recovering...slowly...from bronchitis.

2008-01-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

2008-01-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

Daniel is here!

2008-01-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

We've anticipated the arrival of our "first orphan" for months. At last, Daniel is here! He is 5 years old and has already lived a life that would be daunting for many adults. His mother did not want him, abandoning him at the age of 2 weeks. Perhaps her behavior during the pregnancy had something to do with his cerebral palsy; perhaps not. He has been living with a family in Mati since he was 2 weeks old, but his health care costs are becoming too much for them to handle. The father of this family was murdered last year, so their income has been drastically reduced.

They sought advice from the local office of "children's services", and they were referred to us.
We brought Daniel home to Agape House yesterday.

In a few hours, we realized we were not prepared with the supplies (rubber pants, diapers, baby wipes, etc.) that Daniel required. His "accident" during prayer time left no doubt that we needed a shopping trip ASAP!
Daniel's first night was short. I think he and his nannies might have slept for 3 hours. He made up for it by napping this morning. The nannies did not nap. I hope his second night is easier for all of them!
Please pray for us as we seek to nurture and love and provide for Daniel; please pray for Daniel.

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T00:55:00.000-08:00

I haven't "celebrated" bringing in the new year in ages....till I came to Mati.
We attended church services, had a huge feast afterward and then watched "One Night with the King". Conveniently, this ended at 11:55 pm, and we proceeded straight to the street in front of the compound where our younger residents were launching rockets and lighting fireworks.

The racket of honking car horns, stereos and many firecrackers welcomed 2008 to Tindalo-Yakal St. Just to make certain we were not overlooked, the noisemaking went on nearly an hour. But no one complained....it was city-wide!

Most everyone then went to the house for yet another feast, but I retired to my room, finally sleeping at around 2 a.m. It was a pleasant evening, but I can only do it once every 364 days!

Let it snow!

2007-12-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

Nah! I'm just kidding....I am hot here in the 90 degree weather, but I will never ask for cold/snow/ice or anything resembling them as a replacement.
Though CANDOR is closed till Jan. 7th, other activities go on as usual here at the compound. The carpenter has about 12 beds ready for the orphanage; Feng is sewing curtains; several of us are sewing sheets. Others are tending the garden and there is ALWAYS laundry!

I will be making sugar cookies this morning. Have to get it done early in the day, or I bake along with the cookies. I will be giving some to the carpenter and his helpers, some to my students when they come back to classs, and the rest will be consumed by the 16 residents of the Agape Compound. Real cookies are somewhat of a rarity here, so I never lack for helpers when I take on these baking projects. I will gather my things now and carry them to the house for the "event".
Here's wishing you all a blessed New Year!

Christmas and before

2007-12-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

I was gone for the whole week of Dec. 17th and did not take my computer with me. Not able to update the blog. Went for paperwork to get my missionary visa and we were gone 2 days longer than we planned.
Christmas was good, though a little different for me. We had a party on the 24th and a gift exchange, with a big dinner. Yesterday we just ate all day, but since I have some kind of stomach virus, I did not do much of that. I did sleep a lot, and feel better today. Sorry I was not able to connect with fellow missionaries Rob and Lindsey and Moriah on Christmas day. Perhaps some day this week, if I am not called back to Davao re the visa.

Will have pictures to post from our tooth extraction event, Christmas party, and more.

Technology

2007-12-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not good with technology and have been known to get outright mad with computers and their accessories. However, last night I was glad to know a little something about it: I was able to talk to Rob and Lindsey Musick in "real time", via Skype, and to see Moriah live and in action!
She is a beautiful little girl!
She gave me several cute little smiles and seemed to be enjoying moving her car seat back and forth unaided.
The adults got caught up on each other's current activities and I felt a little less homesick at the end of the call. If any "computer geeks" are reading this, thank you for your efforts.

2007-12-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in the Philippines

2007-12-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Dec. 9th, we celebrated Thanksgiving at the Pujada Bay Community Church. (AC)
It was a great day of thanking the Lord for our blessings, and sharing them with people from other churches, government officials, our Sunday School Extension families, etc. No turkey was consumed: lechon is the main dish for every celebration I have attended. You can check out the pictures to find out what that is!

English Tutorials

2007-12-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

I started giving free English tutorials to the students of CANDOR, which is here in the Agape Compound. Tuesday night was my second "class". I posted a map of the US with notes on places I had lived and visited, as conversation starters. The students asked many questions. "Why are there 2 Washingtons? Who is the greatest American president? I have $5. Is that a lot of money in America? Which place did the terrorists attack? Why did you live in so many places? How far is it from your place of residence to Florida?" etc. I enjoy getting to know them better. They are respectful, curious, and very serious about their studies. They are also serious about learning to speak English, because they know it will help them in their work, and may even help them obtain a job.

2007-12-03T21:18:00.001-08:00

Correction!!

the sight for pictures is www.flickr.com NO "E" in flickr. My mistake!

Agape House in Mati

2007-12-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hello!
We were blessed to serve 136 of Mati's children here at the Agape Compound on Sunday, Dec. 2nd.
We did dental screenings, tooth brushing instruction, passed out toothbrushes and tooth paste. In addition, we treated simple wounds/injuries with basic first aid care. 55 children need urgent dental attention! 35 children and 2 adults had wound care given. Of those children, one was evaluated by a doctor on site and a second one will be receiving a check-up tomorrow.

During the 6-hour event, the children played games, had a Sunday School lesson, sang action songs and recited memory verses. They had a delicious meal of chicken and rice porridge, with juice to drink, before returning home.
This was a simple way of showing our Lord's tender care for "the least of these" in our community.
We thank all of you who supported this ministry with your prayers.
For pictures, please visit the following site:

www.flicker.com and look for Mati Mission.
Blessings, Jan