CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATE!!!

We had our first Graduation of our womens pregnancy ministry in Tanza. Dec 11, 2007 20 women recieved a diploma, bible, bible study, gift, and baby shower. It was so awesome to see all the women in their dresses and lookin so beautiful! We started the day singing some praise and worship songs, and then our awesome friend Charmain spoke and shared the gospel of salvation with the women and their families.

Next came the games :-) Our first game we lined them up into two lines and they had to pass a papaya through the entire line without using their hands!

There was more laughter, screaming, and jumping around than I thought 20 pregnant women were capable of! It was great watching them try to get their pregnant bellies out of the way enough to reach the papaya. They had so much fun!


The next game consisted of a partner, 2 blindfolds, and a banana. With each partner blindfolded, it was a race to see which team could feed their partner the banana the fastest. Once again...more laughing and screaming :-)

Once the games were finished, we gave an opportunity for any of the women to come up and share testimonies, memories, or something they learned during the class. Us "teachers" also had to say a few words. There were many lumps in the throat and tears that came with it....but I made it through ok. Then came the moment they all were waiting for. The diplomas and presents. The baby gift included a blanket, thermometer, disposable diaper, and outfit. (speaking of which we're looking for as many donations of these as possible!) This is Estella. She's pregnant with her 3rd child.

Once all of the graduates had gone through the line, we shared in fellowship and food....the only way to end a party! Once we thought everything was over, some of the women had a special surprise for us. They made up a dance!!! Afterwards, my cheeks hurt so bad from smiling!

I'm going to miss having these women in our class so much. A few of them asked if they could join the next class just so they could hang out with us...but we're coming up with a plan to have an evening each week where we go just to spend more time with them. Can't wait for that to start! What a beautiful group of women!!!


If you would like to donate some supplies for our next class and graduation...that would be wonderful! I'm home right now for Christmas but will be returning to Manila Jan 10. You can send stuff to 586 22nd Ave. St Paul, Ne 68873, email me at ldvorak11@yahoo.com, or call 308-246-5223 or 308-379-6276. A few of the needs are: baby clothes, baby blankets, thermometers, cloth diapers, pins....etc. Or you can send a financial gift to:

First Love International Ministries
2515 Highcrest Rd
Rockford, IL 61107

in the memo put "Dvorak Tanza"

GOD BLESS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

update on Mike Bucher: He is finally home from the hospital. They had to do surgery on his heart to put a Defibulator in. He will also be on medication permanently. Please pray for him and his family as they have massive medical bills to pay and will have to adjust to a lifestyle change. But thanks be to God for His grace in sparing Mike's life!

FRAULEIN LISA

Have you ever seen the movie "The Sound of Music"? If not its a must see. My siblings and I used to watch it a lot when we were younger. It's about a lady who goes to be a nanny (fraulein) for a single father with 6 children. Well, although I haven't been taking care of 6 children of a single father, I have been sharing the responsability with my friend Chelle of taking care of 4 little kiddos. Ethan is 10, Elle 8, Anna 6, Alex 5. Last Tuesday night I got a call from their mom and a great friend of mine, Natalie. She asked if I could come stay with her kids because she had to take her husband Mike to the hospital. It was something with his heart. When they got him to the hospital his heart rate was 250 where normal is around 80. They had to sedate him and shock his heart to bring it back down to normal. After many many tests and a week in the hospital, they have it figured out what is wrong. He has a hereditary disease that is causing the right side of his heart to beat faster than normal. So this Thursday they are doing surgery to put a defibulator in. That way when his heart tries to beat too fast it will give him a little shock to bring it back to normal. Natalie has been staying with him in the hospital so Chelle and I have gotten the privelage of spending time with their wonderful kids. And I must say dibs to all you moms out there... it's exhausting ;-) But I've been loving every minute of it. The Buchers are just like family to me here. Nat is my sister and I love her family so it's a blessing and joy being able to help them out. Please pray for Mike, Natalie, Ethan, Ellie, Anna, and Alex....and also for Chelle and I :-)


Here are some other families away from family.....

The Manthe Fam: Josh, Val, Mckenzie, Bella


The Clintons: Dave, Michele, Abi, Olivia


The Akers (also the family I'm living with) Roger, Tammy, Sam, Allison, Julia, Laura (they have 2 older kids inteh states)


And of course my sister, partner in crime, friend, confidant, dance partner, cell mate, fellow chocolate lover, and work out partner: Michelle (Chelle) Roop

THANKSGIVING, BIRTHDAY, MINISTRY

Long time no write huh? There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in a day. Or maybe I don’t put enough in the hours…time just seems to slip right by me. So much has happened since my last post….

Thanksgiving:
It was sooo wonderful. God has given me so much to be thankful for, more than I deserve. Our mission had Sunday before Thanksgiving meal at the school. Before we even dug into the food the power went out. So we had more of a Pilgrim Thanksgiving than we had planned on. But the candlelight gave us a more intimate feel for the evening. It’s sad having to eat food without really being able to see it. It takes half of the fun away. There are families and friends in my mission that have really become like true family to me here. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” Prv 27:17. I am being sharpened daily thanks to amazing women like Chelle, Val, Natalie, Michelle, and Kate.

They are such answers to prayer. Then on Thanksgiving night Josh and Val Manthe invited Chelle and I over for Thanksgiving dinner complete with the uncarved turkey on the table and everything. Val did such awesome work preparing everything. It was so beautiful and so wonederful to spend an important holiday with friends so close they are like family.

Birthday:
As of November 25, I officially became a quarter of a century old….yes 25!!!! Uuuugggghhhh! I keep telling myself I’m not getting older, I’m just aging like a fine wine ☺ My friend Chelle had a huge birthday celebration planned but wouldn’t share any of the details with me beforehand. The event consisted of my closest girlfriends and I getting all dolled up and spending an evening out, complete with Tiara and Magic Wand.

The night included food (lots), many birthday songs, laughs, and many hours of karaoke singing! As if that wasn’t enough, the next night she picked me up for one more birthday outing. She made some lame excuse about having to go back to her condo for something she forgot. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. As I walked through her door the lights flipped on and I heard one loud “Surprise!” I am sad to admit that there were some tears that filled my eyes. (I’m so sappy) It was all an awesome gift from God. I had been praying God would show how much He loved me and how important I was to Him. He used my girls here to do exactly that. It was a birthday I’ll never forget.

Ministry:
Yay we had our 4th baby!!! Princess had a beautiful little boy. She had a few complications during the birth, but both are very healthy now.

We have one more week of lessons and then it will be graduation time!!! We will celebrate the graduation of this session on Dec. 10. It will include diplomas, gifts, food, and I’m sure many many tears. We will start our next session sometime in January.

This past Friday we had a midwife join us in Tanza. She was able to do prenatal checkups for our pregnant women that were there. It was such a huge blessing and we're praying to have either her or another midwife with us permanently next session.

BROWN EYED GIRL

It took a little adjusting to come back to the Philippines after being in Korea. I think part of it was I was still dissapointed about ending up 3rd when we could have gotten first. But God reminded me not to let the one day take away from the rest of the week. So i pulled myself out of my slumpo and got busy again.

While I was gone, one of our women Liza (yes it's spelled with a Z in this country) became our third Tanza mom to have her baby. She had a healthy baby boy weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces, born Sunday, Dec 4 at 10:20pm. Liza also has 2 older children as well. Because I was gone when she delivered, I stole (borrowed) this picture from my best (SINGLE) friend here, Chelle.



She's awesome! God has answered so many of my prayers for this year through her! We're doing all of our ministry in Tanza together. Check out her blog as well. The link is posted on the leftside of this page.

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jog

I spent the last 10 days traveling with our volleyball team to Taiwan and Korea for a Fareast Tournament. One of the greatest parts was I got to travel with the other coach and one of my best friends here, Val. One of our girls got sick in Taiwan, and since we were travelling with another team and didn't want to infect them, they gave us these super face masks.
There was a lot of, "Scalpel, please."


On Korean Airlines, they put these stickers in your seat pocket. One says, "Do Not Disturb." Another says, "Please Wake Me For the Meal." One says, "Please Wake Me For Duty Free Shopping." They say you should put them on your seat when you sleep, but they are much more effective on your person.


There was no Baskin Robbins at our base! However, our sweet players bought Val and I a big ol' container of ice cream. After a HUGE win over our rival and the tournament's defending champion, we shared it with them.


So, we had an AMAZING first four days of the tournament. We swept everyone in pool play to get the first seed. There was a lot of chatter around the base about Faith's team. We were the team to beat! But then, one of our stars got sick on Thursday night, and was up all night throwing up. From there, everything crumbled on the last day and we finished 3rd! We had beaten the two teams that finished ahead of us! It's heartbreaking and I'm still really upset about it.

On a positive note, Val and I were the best looking coaches there. (We're not that vain...just an inside joke.)


Our team took three All-Tournament awards, the Best Setter, and the Best Blocker award. I like my, "I am furious that we took 3rd when we should've taken 1st" smile.


After the tournament, we sent the girls home to clean their rooms while we polished off a huge plate of nachoes and two ice cream sundaes. I'm sure we looked great sitting in the booth, frowning, and stuffing our faces.



The next day we headed back up to Seoul for the night. The weather all week was sooo perfect. Sweaters, jeans, crisp air, turning leaves, it was ideal. On the base we had to walk everywhere and we loved it!


So, back to Seoul. We were treated to an authentic Korean meal. We sat on the floor up to these great little tables. When I looked around, all the Koreans were sitting up with straight backs and all us Americans were slouched over.



This is what we were treated to. Bulgogi, Tofu-rice thing-a-ma-jigs, Curried something or other, Kim-chi, and noodles. Very yummy!



When we flew back to Taiwan from Korea, we heard rumors of a certain huge star that was travelling as well. We weren't sure if we'd see her...
...and then she walked out in all her bootylicious glory. Beyonce autographed our trophy and also my coaching notebook! Apparently, Val told Miss Knowles, "Beyonce, we WON the tournament." I showed up next to her and said, "Liar..." Val has no recollection of telling her that, but she do remember being accused by me, so she guesses it's true. Beyonce said, "Congrats" as she signed away, but I'm sure she was thinking, "Way to go on getting 3rd place. I have more trophies and awards this year than you all will get in your lifetime."


One of the definate highlights of my trip was getting to spend time with a very dear friend of mine, Vanessa. She is from a school in Taiwan, and we met last year during basketball Fareast in Korea. It was really neat how God worked it out for us to have this time together again.

BABY #2

Congratulations to our second mom Crystan and her new baby Derek. He was born Monday Oct 29, 2007 at 9:30 p.m. (This would be 8:30 am Nebraska time) They are both doing soo well. (please excuse the gross sweaty face of mine)



At our lesson Tuesday we wanted to pamper, serve, and just plain make the women feel special. And we thought since most of them can't reach or see their toes, we would give them a little pedicure. It was a bit of a stretch for me cause I don't like feet, but I died to self and they absolutely loved it!



Just to add this in.... this is the Family I'm living with here. Roger and Tammy Akers along with their kids Sam, Allison, Julia, and Laura. They also have 2 older kids in the states. They are so wonderful and such a great "Philippines Family" (having computer probs..will post picture later..sorry)

MAMA MANIA

Tuesday we had another awesome day with our pregnant moms in Tanza. We had 21 total pregnant women...plus a few helpers.


There were even a couple that weren't there from last time. May Ann wasn't there because Monday Oct 15 she had hers and our first baby, Ashley Nicole!


Our schedule usually includes first a devotion, then some sort of game/activity, followed by the lesson, and finishing with a merienda (a.k.a. snack). I absolutely love the time with them! We trying to get to know them on a more personal level by visiting them in their homes and spending more time together other than just at the lessons. So please pray for that! It's a little tough because of language barrier... I know a little Tagalog, and they know a little English.... but we manage just fine! A smile is universal! I'm also lovin my time with such an awesome girl Chelle. She's an answer to prayer! We do a lot of ministry work...and hanging out together.

ChRoNIclES oF nArNIa

Friday night in Tanza we had a movie night and showed Chrincles of Narnia. The word had obviosly spread like wildfire that we were going to be showing the movie. We had probably around 500 people show up.



After the initial setup of the projector and curtain we used as a screen, we handed out a bag of treats and got the movie rolling! They were so excited. Well, after about an hour mother nature stepped in and ruined our fun. It started to rain and knocked out the power and caused a brown out. (Where a small area of city loses power for a short time) But what the people got to see of the movie they really enjoyed. It was wonderful seeing how much they enjoyed the movie.

DUCK DUCK GOOSE!

Ministry work in Tanza is going great! Things are starting to get organized and taking shape. For the past few weeks we've been going to do some games, crafts, devotions, etc with kids there. This week I taught them how to play "Duck Duck Goose". It was new for them and they totally loved it! Here's a short clip for you to enjoy.



After the game was some worship time for them. These kids are so adorable. One of their favorite songs goes "Read your bible pray every day and you will grow, grow, grow". It's sooo cute!


We also offer food to anyone in the Tanza area: kids, adults, families. Each week the numbers have grown. This week about 120 people showed up. Praise God!



Please continue to pray that God will work things out and get the scheduling set up. And also that He would hand pick and bring the pregnant women that He wants us working with and ministering to. We'll be starting the first lesson on Oct 9th!!! October 6th we'll be showing "The Chronicles of Narnia" to anyone in Tanza that wants to come watch. We'll also be sharing the gospel with them that night so pray for God to move wonders in their heart! Thanks so much!

FAITH ACADEMY VOLLEYBALL

I'm coaching vball at Faith Academy. One of the greatest things is I get to coach with one of my best friends in the Philippines Val! (click on her blog) We were killing time before a game by hanging out in the school library. We started looking at a Magic Eye book. You know the kind where you have to stare at the image and it sort of appears? Well Val had NEVER been able to see one before. But because of the great coach I am I was able to teach her! She finally got it! And this smile is genuine! She was sooo excited!

Before the games the girls have a few different ways to get themselves pumped up for the game. This is one of their ways. Don't worry if you can't understnad it....its pretty much a bunch of yelling and jumping around...but hey it works! And we won the game!!!!

MANILA TIME

I have been in the Philippines for one week now. It was quite an experience to get here though. I was supposed to fly out Tuesday, Sept 10 but my after being delayed about 2 hours, they cancelled my flight. So I rebooked it for Wednesday Sept 11. Ya my heart about dropped when I realized what day it was. But I think other a lot of people shyed away from flying on that day because the airports were far less busy and the planes were less than full. In fact at one point on my 12 hour flight I got to lay across 3 seats to sleep! Talk about a blessing! Actually I slept about 15 of the total 18 air hours. Just popped in the earplugs and I was out! Sleeping that much really helped with jetlag though.

I started off strong once I got here. I got settled into my house, shopped for some necessary items, went to practice, had a couple games, went to a couple college basketball game, did a feeding ministry in squatter village, worked out, visited orphan children, and started teaching.

But when I'm not doing that I have relaxed, spent time with the Lord, and slept some more. It's really been great. It feels natural to be back here. And the family I'm living with is really wonderful.

Last night I went to a college basketball game. Kirk is a guy that graduated from Faith last year and plays for Ataneo. This kids family is like family here to me so it was like cheering for my younger brother. Anyways...it was the playoffs and they were playing their rival team LaSalle. The arena was the nicest I've seen here and it was packed to the max. We ended up losing by 1 point but one of the craziest things was how the two teams drums competed to see who could be the loudest...throughout the entire game! It was intense though. Here's a little video to give you an idea of the madness. Enjoy! (Kirk is the one on the bigscreen and his mom Colene is who shows #1)

SEE YA LATER

I finally booked my ticket today to go back to the Philippines!!!!! God totally provided for me financially to get me there...He's so good!!! Thank you to all of you who have supported and prayed for me. I wouldn't be able to do this without the Lord using you. I leave this coming Monday Sept 10, and will be returning June 18. I'll be back in hot, sweaty, rainy Manila by Tuesday night!!!! As of right now I'm not planning on coming back to states for Christmas but God could surprise me and provide support to get a plane ticket...all things are possible. I'm really looking forward to what I'm going to be doing back in Manila teaching, coaching, and workin with poor, but I'm not lookin forward to sayin goodbye to friends and family again. So please pray for safe flights, bags underweight, no complications in traveling, and that God would prepare my heart for some tough "see ya laters". Love you all and pray Gods blessings upon you.

HIS SERVANT,
LISA

LOVELY LADIES

This past weekend I spent another weekend in Omaha. God totally blessed me beyond words with quality time with my best girlfriends. These are the girls I have lived with, cried with, laughed with, grown spiritually with, and everything else girls do together. These were the girls that God gave to me when I first became a believer back in 2004. He knew that I would need them in my life to challenge, encourage, uplift, and pray for me. Because our relationship has been centered on Christ from the beginning, it's a relationship that doesn't only go deep to the heart, it goes deep down to the spirit. We are connected by our love and devotion to our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. I don't know where I would be in my relationship with the Lord without these wonderful women of God. Their hearts for the Him are so extremely beautiful, just spending time with them you will see the what it means when God said we are created in His image....because these girls are images of Christ.


Kadi, Mipp, Shelly, Erin (and Liz I miss you and wish you could have been there, you hold this same dear place in my heart) I can't thank God enough for you and the role you have played in my life as a friend, sister, mentor, advisor, and spiritual leader. You've loved me through my triumphs and my falls, through my praises and my struggles, and I know you'll love me no matter where God chooses to lead me. I can't believe God loved me enough to give you to me. My life is enriched because you are a part of it. I love you very much and I hope I haven't only said it, but you've felt it.

FACEDOWN

Hey all!! God has been doing some great work! This past weekend I was able to speak at my parents church, and my home church. God really used some amazing people to support me and is continuing to provide in His mighty ways. So the support is coming, even though there is still a long way to go. But God knows the exact time I'll leave, and the exact amount down to the last penny, or peso, that I need. I trust Him! I tell you what; raising support is one of the most humbling things I've experienced. Just seeing how people are willing to sacrifice their wealth because they trust in God and what He is doing in my life....it's enough to make me fall facedown humbled in front of my Maker. I totally don't deserve the love and support these people and God give me, but I am truly thankful for it! Please keep praying the support will come in and that I'll have enough to leave in the next couple weeks. I'm so excited to go back to the Philippines! ( oh man, did I really just say that?) God bless! ><>Lisa Jo<><

~* FLYING *~

My mom had come up with an idea to surprise my Gramps and take him flying.
He used to have his pilot's license back in the day and we knew he would love the opportunity to go up again. We have a family friend, Josh, who is in the aviation program at UNK and was willing to take him in a small two-seater.


I was friends with Josh when I was really young and the last I saw him was about eight years ago. So what better way to catch up than some time in the air? I got to fly with him back to Kearney to drop off the plane and get his car. I even got to fly about 3/4 of the way. Ok, so it was only the steering part, not the pedals, but hey I still did it. I was soo nervous though. For the flying part ;-) It was a really great day spending time with an old friend and also getting to fly. Definitely not how I expected the day to turn out but was so blessed by it! I unfortunately didn't have my camera with me in the plane, but got the pictures from my mom.

RAISING SUPPORT

Hey all! Thanks for checking this from time to time. I know I don't post that often, or that interesting of stuff, but I'll try to get better. I tend to go in spurts; posting a lot and often, then going weeks without it. Oh well, bear with me :-) School and volleyball at Faith starts in 2 short weeks, and it's not looking like I'm going to be able to be there for the start. So I'm hoping to be able to leave the first week in September. But God is in control and is working it out. I trust Him for He is my provider. As of right now I am at about 20-25% of total support I will need for this upcoming year. So there's a lot of money to be raised in a short amount of time. I will be speaking in my home church in a couple of weeks, so please pray that God would begin to speak to the hearts of the people there about supporting. And I will also be speaking to one, maybe two other churches around home. I also ask for prayers that God will continue to provide and surprise me with the support He raises. I am also learning as much as possible about pregnancy, nutrition, and motherhood so that I can be equipped to help with the ministry when I get back to Manila. I can't thank you enough for your prayers and support. If you would like to support me, you can send it to:

First Love INternational Ministries
PO Box 15836
Loves Park, IL 61132

~*~JEREMY CAMP~*~

I am a HUGE fan of Jeremy Camp. I love his music and he has such a beautiful heart for the Lord. You can imagine my excitement when I new he was going to be at the Luis Palau Festival in Omaha. Even though there was about 50,000 people there, we were only about 20 yards from the stge. It was a lot of fun. So I thought I would share some of it with you :-)

SOFTBALL AND SWIMMING

There's not much I love more than spending summers at the ball field. My dad has been pitching mens fastpitch softball since before I was born....and he's still at it. My older brother has also been pitching the last few years. They both played in the state tournament this weekend in Hastings, Nebraska. My brothers team ended up 4th, and my dads second. Overall I watched them play in 14 games, plus a few more other teams. There's nothing better.

My dad was inducted into the softball hall of fame in January. (yes I missed it because I was in the Philippines) So in between games we toured the building. This is my pops by his plaque. I'm sooooo proud of him!!!!

It's been getting warmer and warmer every day here. And since both my jobs are outside, the only thing I want to do when I'm done working is jump in a pool. So I usually steal someones kids as an excuse to go swimming. Today I stole my four nieces and one nephew. We swam for about 4 hours. (we swam in a big pool but just happened to take a picture in the baby pool)

Jaidyn was so tired she fell asleep while I was swinging her...what a cutie!

O-TOWN WEEKEND

Last Thursday I hit I-80 and headed east, but on my way ran into a huge storm!


But once it passed I found myself in North Omaha....in the ghetto. Yes, that's where my sister Misty lives....in the ghetto....and she loves it!! She works at an inner city Christian youth center called the Hope Center (click on link on left to view website) Thursday nights are skate night at Hope Skate. So I had a blast from the past when we went roller skating!!! I used to be really good and I must say I've still got it!


That night a few of the kids came over and we decided to go play basketball at a court just a few blocks away. It was Misty, our friend/her roommate Kadi, and myself.... ya we beat em. I think our game faces scared them the most!


One of the girls named Precious stayed the night with us. She stuck up for me when Mipp was bein mean...yes she's younger than me but she pushes me around :-) But with Precious I wasn't scared!


Fridays are the Hope Centers field trip day. And so we got to go bowling. It was tons of fun. This is me with Diamonique on left and Precious on right. This is called the Lisa Oreo.


Friday night Mipp and I got some alone sister time. Time with her is such an encouragment to me. She has the most beautiful heart for the Lord. I'm never quite myself unless I'm with her. We went out to eat at Carlos O'Kellys, had TCBY for dessert, and rented 3 movies...which none of the moves were that great. So don't rent My Brother, Crossover, or Catch and Release. Saturday we went to my dads softball game all day. It's great to be able to spend a day at the ball field watchin your dad play, hanging with your sister, all while getting tan! Sunday morning Misty, Kadi, and I went to Freedom Church...right next to the projects...no joke. But it really was an awesome truth teachin church and the worship was incredible! I was sad for my girl time to end and I had to leave but work was calling on Monday! I think it was enough to get me through another work week.