From the Philippines

Colleen, our 4th missionary has arrived safely.  Here are some updates from Colleen.

Day 1

Well, I arrived in Cebu at 5:45 a.m. The day I arrived was actually a national holiday, Inauguration Day. So now the Philippines has a new president and many other government and city officials. We actually had the privilege of attending one of these ceremonies. Our friend Arnell, who helps out quite a bit at the Wesley Home for Youth, is friends with the man who was being sworn in as the Mayor of a city on Camotes Island. We took a 2 hour ferry across to the island and attended the ceremony and a lunch for the mayor. Then we actually got to stay at a resort there on Camotes Island free of charge because Arnell knows the owner of the resort. Very nice! We cooled off with a swim in the ocean. This really helped keep me awake too since I was jet lagged. It also helped the swelling in my feet. I guess all that time on the plane did not do wonders for my circulation because my ankles were about 3 times their normal size. I managed to stay awake until 8:30, but that was perfect because we had to be up a little before 5 a.m. the next morning to catch the ferry back to Cebu. It was a wonderful, relaxing day after being so long on an airplane.


Day 2

Today we made it back to Cebu by 8 a.m. Around 9 a.m. we went to the local high school because Michelle, one of the children from WHY (Wesley Home for Youth) was performing a special song for her music class. We got to visit with some of the students there. I got to talk to the music teacher for a little bit since we have that profession in common. I feel very blessed. She has about 70 students at once crammed into a very small classroom. I can't imagine.

We spent part of the afternoon doing laundry - the old school way - with a bucket and a bar of laundry soap. Scrub, rinse, wring it out, and hang to dry.

This afternoon we will get to spend time with the kids at WHY. One of the girls is wanting to learn guitar, so I am going to see if I can teach her a few chords and maybe some worship songs.

We will also be putting gift bags together for the children who we will visit on Saturday at the garbage dumpsite. We will be going there to visit the children who rummage through the garbage to find things they can sell. This is their means of survival. We will be selecting 2 more children from this area to come to WHY to live. Please be praying that we will have discernment during this selection process. There has been communication with the local barangay (neighborhood) captain to see which kids have the greatest need and would benefit the most from being part of WHY, so that will help a great deal.



Please also check out Michelle's blog.  They are hungry for guidance from God.  Michelle expresses her sincere desire for our prayers.  Please pray for the group and for each individual to be guided by the Holy Spirit alone.

Thankful, Sheryl