Hi everyone! I apologize for not having updated my blog in awhile. We haven't had any internet access for about a week, and before that, I was typing up something to post, but I never finished it in time to post it before we lost the internet. The past week has been pretty crazy! But it has been good :) The first week we were here, we visited most of the kids’ homes. I think we have about 2 more to visit. Their homes are astonishing. Daisy lived in a one-bedroom home that is smaller than many closets in America. Her mom, 2 siblings, and Katherine’s grandmother all live there now, and Katherine and Daisy lived there before moving to the orphanage. There is no electricity, and even during the day there is no light that enters their home. The ply-wood walls go to the ceiling, so there is also no air circulation. Her mom hospitably welcomed us into their home and lit a candle for us to see. They have nothing. A few clothes, but other than that, nothing. Her mom sells cigarettes to make money, and she said that if she had the opportunity to do something else, she would. That is her only job opportunity.

This is the tiny walkway to their home...

And what you see below is not just one room of the home, it is the home! As I said, there is no electricity there, so she lit a candle for us to see by.

Little Michelle’s family lives in a slightly larger one-bedroom home. They actually share a living room with another family, where they cook and welcome visitors. We sat on the only bench in the home. The walls are cement blocks, and the floor is rock. Their means of cooking is over a fire, and I saw a tiny child’s flip-flop (they call them “slippers”) in the ashes. The room where they live and sleep is “upstairs”, over this living room. The walls of the bedroom are made of cardboard. We didn’t get to go in the bedroom, but I’m sure they sleep on the floor like most poor Filipinos.

This is their bedroom...

Glenn’s family lives up a mountain, so we got to go hiking when we visited his home! His mom led us up the rocky mountain (not to be confused with the Rocky Mountains!) to their home. They have a real turkey walking around outside their home! It just hangs out with the chickens! I suppose they will eat it someday. His home is also only one room. Their kitchen area is outside, which is common in the Philippines. The kitchen at the orphanage is outside. I showed Glenn the pictures I took of his house, and he showed me the corner he used to sleep in. There is no bed or pillow or sheets, just the dirty floor.

This is us hiking...

And this is us in their home. Glenn's corner is the one you see behind us.

All the kids have similar stories. I don’t really know what to think of it all; I don’t really know what to do to help. But God will lead as we seek Him. The kids are such a blessing. Little Katherine was sad the other night because she misses her family. Being the youngest, it is probably harder for her to adjust than it is for the older ones. Mrs. Pam went with her to her room as she cried. Then when she came back downstairs, I gave her a big hug and told her it would be okay. I held her for a minute and told her I loved her. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes as I spoke. Has she ever been told that someone loves her? I then just held her for a few minutes. Mrs. Pam and I (and I’m sure Jonathan as well) believe she needs lots of love and attention, and she may not be getting that right now. So I will be sure to spend more quality time with her. :)

I also upset little John Lloyd that same night. Earlier that day, he brought a huge bug inside the orphanage and showed it to me. I of course screamed, "Dili!" (No!) and told him to take it back outside! I was joking when I said it (I mean, I really did want him to take it outside, but I did not mean to be rude to him). A while later, as several of the kids and I were laughing inside, I saw his little head through the window of the front door. I told him to come inside, but he just bent down and hid. When I went outside to see what was the matter, Jeraluz said he was upset that he had scared me with the bug. He shrank down low on the ground, and as Jeraluz was telling me what was wrong, he ran into a dark corner outside the orphanage and hid. I felt awful! My little, precious John Lloyd was upset that he had scared me! I wish I could go back in time and change my reaction to the bug; I just felt absolutely awful!

To switch gears, we also visited the Santo Nino Friday afternoon. Mrs. Pam had never been there, and it is something that I think is very important to understand about Filipino culture.
We have also been cooking most of our own meals! That is different for all three of us, I would say, because I usually let the cafeteria at school cook my food for me, and I know Mrs. Pam really likes to eat out. Jonathan and I cook some in America, but, well, it’s just different here! Yesterday, we made pancakes in a wok! (All the cooking is done outside.) The utensils are pretty limited here, but we did all right! They may not have looked like pancakes, but they tasted good! The boxed pancake mix here comes with a small package of syrup, so yesterday we had pancakes with chocolate syrup. It doesn’t totally replace the chocolate chip pancakes we’re used to, but it was very good! :)

The kids love Frisbee, especially John Lloyd. We brought two Frisbees with us, and John Lloyd is always asking us to play with him. He also loves to take pictures and for someone to take a picture of him. He has two main poses. One is him smiling and putting two fingers around his face, a common pose in the Philippines. The other main one is him standing as straight as he can, hands by his side, looking as serious as he can. He’s so precious! When we were here in January, I wanted to take his little sister home with me, but now I think I want him to come with me too! :) And John Lloyd has given me permission several times to take her to America with me. :)

Last Saturday, the kids found a bird! Rodel, the driver of the orphanage’s tamaraw, grabbed it off of a low tree branch. The kids held it like it was a little hamster! I have never held a bird like that before, but I held it and let it eat out of my hand! It is yellowish-green with touches of blue, quite beautiful! The kids put it in a pet carrier that was outside in the pavilion. It didn't live long. The kids said it was a love bird and couldn't live without its mate. This is me holding the bird... :)

We wash our clothes in two tubs with powder detergent! It’s kind of fun! Today at the store we bought the bar detergent (it looks just like soap, but it's for washing clothes by hand), so we will see how that goes! This is us washing clothes...

As for future plans, Saturday we plan to do a feeding at the dumpsites. We think we may give out pre-packed bags of school supplies and snacks, as well as a Cebuano Bible to each family. Please be in prayer for us as we do that. We will also be looking for 2 more kids to live at the orphanage. Arnell has expressed that it is our decision to choose those 2 kids! That's pretty crazy, so please pray that the Spirit leads us in that decision. We also plan to visit the Camodes Islands Thursday, so that should be an adventure! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we seek the Father's guidance on what His will is for us here. It seems to be a day-by-day thing! But we have had many wonderful opportunities to love on the kids at the orphanage, and Glenn and John Michael have so many questions for Jonathan about the Bible! Please keep him in your prayers, that the Spirit may fill and guide him as he teaches the oldest kids in the orphanage. The younger kids look up to the oldest boy, which is Glenn, so it is wonderful and a super God-thing that he is seeking to lead them in the right direction! He knows that the kids look up to him, and he has expressed that he wants to teach and lead them in the best way possible, which is why he is seeking knowledge about the Bible. It is very encouraging to see his desire :)

That's about all I have to share with you for now, but we know that God will continue to work and move in amazing ways! Please keep us in your prayers, that we may be in the Father's will, guided by the Spirit, and that we may be faithful to accomplish what God wants us to accomplish while we are here. Please pray that we will wait patiently for God to act, as the last verse in Psalm 27 instructs. Please pray also that we will have the strength to do what we need to do. We are not used to the heat here, so we get weary much more easily. But all will be well! I hope things are well in America and that God is blessing you all immensely! Take care!