Daughter of the King

Flesh vs. Spirit

2008-06-30T21:23:00.001+08:00

Matthew 26:41 says "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" The word of God always speaks truth and it's screaming loud and clear in my life. There's been a knock down, all out battle going on inside me for a few weeks now. The flesh and the spirit have started WW III in my heart and the score seems to be tied. I've started a new job at a place where God is moving in huge ways and He's using me to be a part of it....and Satan hates it! And the worst part is the enemy knows my weaknesses, sometimes I feel better than I do. And he hasn't been holding anything back. But I know I have victory because God is on my side fighting for me. Although my heart is deceitful, wicked, and beyond cure, (Jeremiah 17:9) God can see the true depth of my heart, knows my every thought, my every heart's desire, and continues to love me unconditionally. HE can't love me anymore or any less, His love is PERFECT! So until my flesh starts waving the white flag of surrender or Jesus comes back, I'll continue to fight the good fight of faith, and take hold of eternal life to which I was called. (1 Timothy 6:12) And I'll continue to keep watch and pray, for my spirit is willing but my body is weak.

CONGRATS ANDREA!!!

2008-06-02T10:57:00.005+08:00

My cousin Andrea got married this weekend to her new hubby Doug! It was such a beautiful, simple, small town wedding. Absolutely perfect for her. And the church was beautiful!

The actually wedding was in Lincoln, but then the reception was in a small town just north of town called Davey. I think it might have maybe 300 people in it :-)

Since I've been in the Philippines most of the last two years I haven't seen much of my extended family. So it was a great time to reunite and catch up! Family truly is an amazing blessing from the Lord!

Here's some of those blessings...

My big bro Kevin

My beautiful mama

My fav cuz Steven, his wife Jacey, and their new son Owen

My little bro Nick

My pops!

Aunt Debbie the mother of....

The beautiful bride Andrea!

Great Uncle Richard who is always givin me pinchy kisses!!! haha

And I just love this picture so I wanted to put it on here. Which I can cause it's my blog! He's such a proud daddy!

O-TOWN LIVIN

2008-05-27T22:48:00.008+08:00

I've been living in Omaha now for a couple weeks. It gets pretty interesting at times, but I'm really loving it. Here's a pic of my roomies.... Alyssa, Me, Sharlay, Misty.

I've been playing a lot....let me rephrase that.... AAAALLLLLOOOOOTTTT of basketball. I started off extremely rusty, broke shot, slower than molasses in the dead of winter, hackin-crazy, and blister filled feet. But slowly my skills have been coming back. My new J's helped and I've been hitting the occasional three pointer, droppin dimes, and playing tenatious D! We've been runnin full court games so its an awesome way to get in shape. And it's also fun to humble the guys when I blow past em. My body is still adjusting to playing so much. I still get aches, pains, sore and stiffness. But I've realized my body isn't exactly 19 anymore and ibuprofen is a necessity.

One thing I've had to get used to living here is hearing the sirens at all hours of the day and knowing we're sort of in the middle of the hot zone. It's been getting worse with the nicer weather. I woke up last night at 4am and heard some quick pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. I'll let you guess what it was, but don't worry it was pretty far in the distance. I know that this is where God has Misty (my sister) buying a house, and me living right now. I trust that nothing will happen that God doesn't allow. I trust the hands of the Savior my life is resting in.

Living here also opens a huge door for ministry opportunities. My sister Misty works at an after-school program called the Hope Center about six blocks from our house. I've been volunteering there (where we usually play ball) and we're constantly giving kids rides, having them over, and feeding them. It's a great way to give them something to do and get them off the streets. God has created a lot of opportunities to talk about Him and how He's changed my life. I've been seeing Him use my past in huge ways to relate to them and open conversations about His love, forgiveness, and grace.

Yesterday,we had about 20 of the kids over for a Memorial Day grill out. We grilled burgers, bratts, had chips, baked beans, fruit salad, and iced tea. We set up the volleyball net and also had football and frisbee going. It was such a beautiful day. And God held off the rain until long after the kids had gone home. (which was about midnight!) It was awesome to be able to serve and love them for the Lord.

a short video of the boys so called "victory dance" even though we absolutely killed them!

some pics of the day...

Thank God I'm A Country Girl

2008-05-06T22:20:00.004+08:00

Well I left the big city of Manila and came back to the good ol' country... and I've loved it! In fact, this afternoon I'm moving to go live with my sister in Omaha so I'm sad to be leaving the country. I'm just praying one day God will have me settle in the country again.... (with an awesome husband and lots of little ones running around :-) But until then I'll keep sneaking in country time whenever I can get it. Since I've been home I've been staying at my parents house which is about 30 miles from a decent size city, and their nearest neighbor is one mile away, who just happens to be my Grandpa! It's been so wonderful to sit outside in fresh air, no noise, wildlife running around, and just breathe in Gods beauty. I truly love the country. Here are some of the moments that make me love it....

Riding horses.....

Climbing windmills...

The view...

Turker hunting...

With dad...

GRADUATION

2008-04-28T23:08:00.013+08:00

We had another awesome Pregnancy Class graduation. These women are so much fun. They are so quick to always have a smile and laugh. Their hearts are so big and challenge me to not be so worried about life, but to choose joy.

Upon arriving, we found that Bilma had FINALLY had her baby...only about a week overdue. The poor girl, she was looking more uncomfortable every time we saw her. This is her with her daughter, and new baby boy.

We started off the celebration by singing praise and worship songs led by Charmain and Marites, two awesome girls who have become close fiends of mine.

Then came competition time. The first game we split up the women in two different teams. After balancing the calamansi on a spoon in their mouth, each contestant had to race as fast as possible around a chair and then return to their line where they passed the calamansi to the next in line. (with no hands)

Because Val is also pregnant and we were short one player, she was game enough to join in.

Each member of the winning team got to pick out an outfit from the basket. All the outfits that weren't given out during games were given to the women at the end of the day. Many of these clothes and the money for the graduation celebration was donated from supporters back home. Thank you supporters!!!!!!!!!

The next game was a contest of three women at a time. Each woman was blindfolded and they had to race to see who could diaper a Cabbage Patch Doll the fastest. Each winner got to take another pick from the clothes basket.

After the games Charmain, the church pastora, shared the gospel of salvation with the graduates, their families, and even some visitors outside the church.

Charmain has become a very close friend of mine who has an absolutely beautiful heart for the Lord. She has been such a blessing in my life and will continue to be a blessing to those in Tanza. Many of the women have started coming to church. We don't know how many hearts have received Christ because of this program, but one day when we're in heaven we'll find out.

Next on the program was the turning of the tassles....oh wait we didn't have caps and gowns. But we did hand out certificates, bibles, daily devotionals, pictures frame with class pictures, and gifts including outfits, cloth diapers, thermometers, diaper pins, blankets, etc. The women were so grateful. It was a joy to be able to give these gifts to them.

After all was over, we took time to take maraming (lots) pictures, and say many many sad goodbyes. There were lots of hugs and lots of tears. But even though goodbyes were said, memories and friendships will last a lifetime.

BABY NO NAME YET

2008-04-03T09:53:00.015+08:00

When we showed up to class this week Marjorie was there with her new baby daughter!!!! She is soooo beautiful!

When I asked her name, Marjorie said she didn't have one yet. Don't be alarmed, this is actually pretty common here. And since most women give birth in their own homes, they typically don't even get a birth certificate until quite a while after the child is born. She is Marjorie's fourth child, but her first girl. "Baby No Name Yet" was born last Wednesday, March 26. I of course suggested she name her Lisa. :-) I don't think she went for it :-(

Bilma hasn't had her baby yet. Her actual due date is April 5, so maybe by our next class we'll have another new baby! I just love it! And of course Bilma looks as beautiful as ever!!!!!

________________________________________________________

We've been visiting Jerilyn and her family atleast once a week taking formula and such. Jerilyn is really putting on weight. Its so great to see her flourishing and growing!

This is Jerlyns older sister Jeserie. We had a movie night at the church a couple weeks ago and Jesrie slept on my lap through most of it. We've been friends ever since. ;-)

Here's Rosie with her other daughters Jeserie who is two, and Jenrose who is three years old.

I just thought this was a funny picture and that you might enjoy seeing it.

CONGRATULATIONS MARITES & HELLO GIL

2008-03-30T20:35:00.006+08:00

This weekend my friend Marites graduated from college. Marites interned with First Love this year and through which became a good friend of mine. She helped us out by translating, leading worship, doing kids bible studies, and so so much more. Marites graduated from Evangelical Theological College of the Philippines with a degree in Theology. After receiving her diploma and turning her tassel, her supervisor and friend Dave Clinton prayed for her.

It was great to be able to celebrate this moment with her. I'm so proud of her!

One of my good friends from last year, Gil Wong, came back to the Philippines for a visit. She's one of the sweetest girls I know. And being from the UK she has one of the sweetest accents I've ever heard! Our time together was short, but it was so great to spend time with her again. And maybe the next time we're together it will be in Liverpool.

STRENGTHS

2008-03-30T20:10:00.002+08:00

While I was home for Christmas, I got a book called "Living Your Strengths". It's a book about discovering your God-Given talents and then using them to inspire your community and bring glory to God. When you buy the book, it comes with a web adddress and code to take a strengths-finder test. The test involves eighty-some questions, and you are allowed 20 seconds for each question so that you can't over-analyze the questions. Your answer needs to be your initial response. Three doctors came up with the test and the results. So the questions and answers are very well researched and educated. So here's my top five strengths in order. I would say the full description of each strength has me town to a tee.

1. COMPETITION

2. ADAPTABILITY

3. WOO

4. BELIEF

5. ACHIEVER

BUNTIS BA KAYO?

2008-03-26T14:58:00.009+08:00

We are about in the middle of another awesome pregnancy program in Tanza. These women are so much fun. One of my favorite parts of the class is when we do some strectching/exercise/game/dancing in the beginning. It usually involves a lot of laughing. We had odd number so I got to jump in....even though I didnt really know the words or moves! They are beautiful women already, but when they smile they could light up the world. I still can't believe God has allowed me to be a part of it. (sorry for the sideways movie) And if by some odd chance you cant figure out which one I am, I'm the tall white girl in back :-)

In the beginning of each class we take a little time to sing praise and worship songs. It's awesome to hear the women singing praises to God.

One of my best friends and fellow missionaires, Val, does the actual teaching part. She has two kids of her own, and one on the way. So needless to say she has a little bit more experience than I do at the whole pregnancy thing :-) She really does an awesome job. We're so blessed to have her helping us this session. Even if she is a little too old to be playing with dolls. ;-)

In this country there are a lot of superstitions handed down from one generation to the next. So these women are so eager to learn truth about pregnancy and parenthood. It's information and knowledge that they otherwise may not have have known.

Two of the mamas, Bilma and Marjorie, are due any day. In fact on our way to the class I was wondering if we were going to get there and find out that they already had them. But not yet. I'm excited that maybe at our next class I'll have two new babies to hold!!!!! Chelle and I were trying to listen to see if they could maybe tell us when they were going to be born.

Our class:

"PINOY IDOL"

2008-03-16T17:39:00.014+08:00

Because of Ramiele Malubay, the Filipina contestant on American Idol, this country is Idol crazy. So this week at youth group we hosted "Pinoy Idol". Oh my word, it was soooo adorable and so much fun! The kids could choose between four different categories: singing, acting, dancing, or drawing. The kids were so excited to show off their skills. And of course, what is Pinoy Idol without judges? So Charmain, Chelle and I were the lovely judges.

But thank goodness we didn't have to give feedback, just choose the winners. I would have pulled the Paula and told everyone they were lovely, beautiful, talented, full of colors, and then proceed to clap like a walrus :-)

We started with singing where the kids praised God with their voices singing worship songs.

Next were the actors. We only had one group, but they were extremely entertaining. If I watched Pinoy soap operas....I think they may look a little somethin like this. (It's in Tagalog)

After that were the dancers. We had a couple groups but Noime, Veronica, and Rozel stole the show dancin for the Lord.

The drawing competition was a little different. While all of the groups were preparing their performances, the artists were given a piece of scripture where they had to interpret in their own hearts, and then artistically display their interpretations. It was really neat to see their hearts for scripture on paper.

So, the lovely judges had to choose one winner from each category. And the winner is.......(left to right) dancing: Ludy, acting: Christine, singer: Kate, and artist: May Ann. The prize: a pack of Oreo's :-)

We brought some hats and wigs with us, just for fun. It was hilarious watching the kids try them on.

I just love going to the youth group and hanging out with them.

HOME

2008-03-10T22:00:00.008+08:00

YAY!!! PRAISE GOD! Today Jerilyn got discharged from the hospital. After a month in the hospital she has gained enough weight and is well enough to go home. Rosie was so excited to be able to go home and see her other kids again. Her husband Jeri met Rosie and Jerilyn at the hospital in the morning to help bring them home. They were so cute carrying and protecting Jerilyn on the way home.... I just absolutely LOVE them and their family.

Jerilyn is such a great baby. Traveling by taxi, train, and car, she never cried. She was very content to lay in her mama's arms.

Now that Jerilyn and Rosie are home it will actually be quicker and easier to visit them than when they were in the hospital. Now they are only a short 5 minute car ride from where we do ministry at five days a week. So they'll be getting a lot of drop-in visits. We will still be supplying Jerilyn with formula, monitoring the amount she is fed, weighing her to make sure she's gaining weight, and transporting them to and from doctors check-ups every two weeks or so.

God I thank you so much for the life of Jerilyn. Thank you that you have already ordained all the days of her life. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it. You are so good all the time!

YOUTH GROUP & LADIES NIGHT

2008-03-09T21:26:00.010+08:00

The youth group at Tanza are preparing to set up worship teams and dance worship teams. In order to assess their strengths, and then have them try out in appropriate divisions. A guy named Jomel from a sister church in Antipolo came to give the kids an exam to determine their strengths. In the next couple of weeks the church will be hosting tryouts for the worship teams, and we will also be having a "Pinoy" Idol. It should be a lot of fun!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

First you take six women, mix in some chocolate, sugar, caffeine, laughter, American Idol, talking, and games. Add many side dishes for taste. Serve and enjoy. Thats usually the recipe for an awesome girls night. God has given me some incredible women as friends here. Friday night Val, Michelle, Nat, Susan, Chelle and I had such a fun night. We all came bearing gifts of chocolate, sugar, and caffeinated drinks. Chelle made her yummy fruit pizza.

Yes, I know it looks like a lot of food for six women, but we did a pretty darn good job eating it!

After an hour of the typical chit chat, we proceeded to watch American Idol where screams of rage were directed towards the TV after one of our favorites, Asia'h, got voted off. We'll miss you Asia'h.

We then started what ended up to be a long game of Cranium. Val had been given the newer version for Christmas complete with accessories for the game pieces. It's real cute. The teams were Val and Michelle vs. Chelle, Nat and I. After Nat was done yelling out the answers to the other team (for reasons still unknown), we had a heated game going on. After a couple more hours of competition and of course eating, Val and Michelle rose victorious....ugh darn. Here's a short video of their victory celebration, Chelles half hearted effort to be happy for them, and my face of disgust. :-)

LIFE TO THE FULL

2008-03-06T18:44:00.006+08:00

I can't help but praising God. We made another trip to visit Jerilyn and Rosie. Every time we go I am blown away by how awesome she looks and how she has improved since the first time we saw her when her mom brought her to the medical mission. Her cheeks get pudgier (if thats a word), instead of hanging skin she's got little rolls on her legs and her color looks so great. She has currently gained 3-4 lbs. Ahhh it's just so awesome to see her growing. I absolutely love being able to be a part of her and her families life. Rosie has even started saying things to Jerilyn like "Say hi to nanay Lisa and nanay Michelle." which means mama Lisa and Michelle. It warms my heart every time I hear it.

Through this, God has shown me how as believers we are a lot like Jerilyn. When we first come to Christ we are helpless, broken, and in need of someone to save our life. We're unable to save ourselves. We're too weak. We can't do it on our own strength. We are in need of a savior to come in and rescue us. In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Jesus came to give us life, and life to the fullest. Not only life here on earth but eternal life with Him in heaven. I now have a little bit better understanding of how much Jesus desires for us to have life through Him. I want so badly for Jerilyn to grow, mature, strive, and have an abundant life. So badly that I ache inside. And God wants that for me....times about a billion jillion....yes a lot :-) It gives me such joy to see Jerilyn growing, striving, maturing, and smiling. It made me realize that God gets pleasure out of seeing me grow, strive, mature, and to place my life in His hands. Just as I yearn for Jerilyn to do that, God is yearning for me as well. Thank you Jesus, I love you so much.

Here's some pictures that I'm sure will touch your heart as Jerilyn has touched mine.

and a little video....

ITS A BIRD.....A PLANE...NO IT'S SUPERMAN!!!!

2008-02-24T12:00:00.013+08:00

Well, it may not be Superman but help is on the way. Jerilyn has been in the hospital 10 days now and is already improving significantly. For the first few days she had to be in her own room because the open sores on her head were contagious as was her pneumonia and they didn't want her infecting the other babies in the Malward. (malnutrition ward)

Last Monday we paid the bill (you have to pay first before anything can be done here), packed up all their belongings (which you would be surprised how much they can accumulate in such a short time) and transferred her through the maze of a hospital to the room she will be stayingin for the next month or so. As of right now there are four children including Jerilyn who are being treated. The ward can treat up to six at one time. Praise God they had space for Jerilyn.

Jerilyn has been doing such a wonderful job of eating since she's been in the hospital. Her source of food has been a combination of formula and breast milk that has been donated from a good friend of ours, and also from a pediatric doctor who's heart has been touched by Jerilyn. The doctors have reported that she has gained weight, although they aren't able to determine exactly how much weight. But she is gaining and thats awesome. The doctor who is in charge of the Malward this month (the doctors rotate each month because it is a volunteer ward) wanted to put Jerilyn on a feeding tube so that they can regulate and control how much milk she is getting. So Rosie had to learn to feed her using the feeding tube but is doing such a wonderful job!

We also found out yesterday that Jerilyn is anemic so the doctors have been treating her for that as well. Please continue to pray that Gods will would be to heal her and continue to make her stronger every day. Also pray for Rosie. Her heart is being transformed by the Lord. God is so faithful and so good.

Friday we had our feeding program at Tanza. Once we were done for the day we took a little trip to visit Rosie and Jerilyns family. They knew we were coming and they were so excited. But I have to admit I doubt as excited as I was to see them. We took them some food and just sat and visited for a while. It was neat being able to meet them and to put faces with the family Rosie has talked about. God has really connected my heart to this famiily.

I'm also praying that Acts 16:31 would hold true for Rosie's family. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Although we didn't get to meet all 18 living in the house, the ones we met were more than welcoming. Rosie and her husband Jeri's kids include JonMichael 7, JonIverson 5, JenRose 3, Jesire 2, and Jerilyn 4months.
I praise God for using me to be a part of delivering His love to this family. Almost daily I wonder why He chose me....but I so humbled and thankful that He has.

------------------------------------------------------------

We've also started our next session of teaching for pregnant mama's. We had 16 beautiful women show up this past week. Val Manthe, a fellow friend and missionary, is joining us this time around.

It's such a huge blessing and help to have her on board. She's had two children of her own with one on the way, so she is pretty experienced when it comes to the whole pregnancy and motherhood thing. Maybe just a little more than me :-) She is doing such a wonderful job teaching. This week the topic was "Nutrition". Next week will be "3 Trimesters; When to worry, when not to worry". I'm excited to get to be a part of these womens lives!

I can't hardly forget to mention quite possibly my favorite mama (I know I say that about most of them) Claire FINALLY had her baby! She has two of the most handsome boys in the world. I'm often tempted to kidnap them and bring them home with me :-) This is Claire pre-baby with her youngest son Kedrick.

And this is me with the all handsome, all ornery Kenneth.

All during her pregnancy she didn't know what she was having, but secretly I was hoping for a girl. Claire is soooo beautiful and I knew she would have a gorgeous little girl. And guess what......she did!!!! Yay!!!! this is a picture of her when she was only eight hours old. She doesn't have a name yet but of course I suggested Lisa :-) Can my job get any better?

BLOWN AWAY

2008-02-18T23:09:00.012+08:00

I can't even begin to explain how blown away I am by God right now. If I were to just sit back and look over the past couple months and all that He has done it brings tears to my eyes and makes my hair stand on end. I can't help but praise God. When I came back from Christmas, my feet moved one in front of the other, but my heart lagged far behind. And the worst part of it was I had no way to explain the reason for the feelings in my heart. But Gods word says the heart is deceitful and beyond cure, who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 God didn't give me understanding of my own heart, but He gave me something far better; His peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding. And that, is enough for me. God is daily changing my heart and showing me so many reasons why here is where He has my heart for this time. I'm so glad He knows my heart better than I do.

Last week we had a group of doctors and dentists from a church in Seattle, Washington that came to Tanza to pull teeth, check rashes, do minor surgeries, hand out antibiotics, and so many other things. And one of the best parts of the whole thing was I got to do it with one of my best friends Chelle. It was so awesome to see how God orchestrated all of it. In two days time nearly 500 people were seen for aches and pains ranging from a cough, to a rotten tooth, to a 5 year cyst that needed removed. In one day alone, one of the dentists pulled 36 teeth. One of the doctors commented that Tanza was one of the poorest most diseased areas they had been to.
I'm so thankful God allowed so many people to get medical attention, I only wish we could have seen them all. While the people were waiting the gospel was shared and invitations to accept Christ were given. Only in heaven one day will we know the number of hearts and lives transformed from those two days. But God was glorified!

One of the greatest miracles of the two days was in the life of a little girl named Jerilyn. Her mom Rosie came walking onto the basketball court holding a little bundle wrapped in a blanket. At first glance I have to admit three things that happened: I realized the bundle was a little tiny baby, my heart dropped to my stomach, and I thought the little girl had died in the mothers arms on the walk over. Jerilyn was grey in color, had sunken cheeks, only skin hanging from her arms and legs, little hair falling out, open sores on her head, and a little chest that was barely rising and falling. Rosie informed us that Jerilyn was 3 1/2 months old and weighing only 4 lbs. She was 6 lbs when we was born, and has had pneumonia since she was about two weeks old. I couldn't stop the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyest. One of our Dr's examined her and decided she needed to be admitted to a hospital asap. They said her heart was strong but her lungs were failing.

A couple of us missionaries took her to a hospital where they have a special ward for the rehabilitation of severely malnourished babies and children. The doctor who first treated her said she was in critical condition. It has been so awesome to see God take care of this little girl since then. She was admitted last Thursday, and from formula we've provided and breastmilk from a good friend of ours, Jerilyn is showing signs of improvement. She is smiling at us, has better color, is crying (its a good thing), and the sores on her head have healed.

Jerilyn's dad Jeri works six days a week, ten hours a day, and is making 250 pesos per week; which is roughly 7 US dollars. Jeri and Rosie have four kids older than Jerilyn. There are three families living in their home consisting of 11 children and 7 adults. Please pray for the health and salvation of all of them.

Because Gods word commands us to help the poor and to have compassion for one another, we've committed to helping Jerilyn's family by paying the medical bills for whatever care she needs. And when you look at this beautiful little girl you can't help but want to do whatever you can to help her. Another example of God is that most of the doctors that have attended to Jerilyn have waved their medical fees because they are thankful for our help. It's such a huge testimony for us to share why we are doing this.....it's all about God, and He gets all the glory. I just can't believe He has allowed me to be a part of it.

Since the second I laid eyes on Jerilyn, I haven't gone hardly an hour without praying for her and her family. Not only for the health of Jerilyn and for God to spare her life, but for her salvation and the salvation of her entire family. God has already starting answering those prayers. The first night in the hospital, Jerilyn's mother Rosie accepted Jesus as her Savior... I have tears just thinking about it and how amazing God is. Had it not been for the medical mission and Gods perfect timing, we probably wouldn't have ever found Jerilyn. And I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see her beautiful little smile. God is so good. His grace still amazes me.

Needless to say by the end of the week with driving, directing foot traffic, me having walking pneumonia andsinus infection, Chelle with bronchitus, broken down vehicles, getting stuck in traffic, getting lost, early mornings, late nights, etc....Chelle and I were wiped out....but would do it again tomorrow in a heartbeat.

NEW BABIES AND MORE FOOD!

2008-02-07T17:55:00.000+08:00

One of my favorite mama's Anamie gave birth to her third child. Rea Mae was born Jan 12, 2008.
They are such a beautiful family. I just love visiting and spending time with all of our moms in their homes.

Justin Ray was our New Years baby born Jan 1 to Janet. Can you believe all that hair?

This is Justin with his family. His mom wasn't home during this picture but all of them are doing extremely well.

Our feeing program has moved to two days a week and soon to be three. Along with the feeding program we are incorporating classes/lessons for the kids who's parents can't afford to send them to school. They need to complete lessons and homework as a requirement to be a part of the feeding program. It's our way of keeping them accountable while giving them tools for life.

One of the women we've gotten really close to in Tanza is extremely sick. She is in the advanced stages of TB. TB is extremely common and contagious in the Philippines with a 70% infection rate. Jalynn is in her mid-thirties and weighing roughly 65 lbs.
She's struggling to take care of herself while trying to raise her son Edgard and pay for him to go to school. We've been providing her with food and medicine. The meds cose roughly $80/month and schooling is about $50/year not including transportation. We would greatly appreciate it if you were able to help us fund either of these. Jalynn is such a sweet sweet woman who has become so dear to my heart. It's hard to watch her get weaker with each passing week. Please pray for her health and funding for her and her son.

~VANESSA~

2008-01-30T16:06:00.000+08:00

Last weekend my good friend Vanessa came to visit. She is Filipino-American, born and raised in the States. For the past 2 1/2 years her and her husband have been living in Taiwan. He works for Nike and she coaches/athletic trains at a Christian International school.

Last year during our Fareast basketball trip in Korea, Vanessa and I met and instantly clicked. Our love for sports and easy going personalities gave us a natural friendship. Her husband Alex took a job with Nike in Portland, Oregon where they are from, so in March they will be moving back there. Vanessa still has family in the Philippines so she decided to take a short trip to visit them and also spend some time with me. She came baring gifs of clothes, food, toothbrushes, and toothpaste for us to pass out for ministry.....and she also brought me a new pair of shoes! (Nike of course) They are sooooo awesome!

Friday Vanessa joined us in Tanza to see what our feeding program is like. It was great being able to share with her this part of my life and heart.

During our weekend I got to experience a little slice of the good life. Friday and Saturday night we stayed at the Renaissance Hotel. Other than the aircon, cable,full shower, and the fantastic fitness room (which yes I did use), my favorite part had to be the beds complete with down bedspread, bedding, and comforter. I'm still surprised I was able to peel myself away from it!

On Saturday, Vanessa and I went to the Manila Polo Club to have merienda (snack) with some of her family. They were sweet old ladies. It kind of reminded me of hanging out with my grandma at coffee breaks. Here's a picture of us by the huge Polo Club pool.....Vanessa wouldn't let me jump in with my clothes on...not sure why :-) Notice the white girl towering above the rest of them....I was even squatting down a little...which one of these is not like the other? :-)

The Renaissance was right across the street from a ginormous mall. So we spent most mealtimes there. Our favorite choices were Itallianni's and Bubba Gump's. Yummy. And of course I had to take her to quite possibly my favorite place in the Philippines.... Max Brenners: The Chocolate Bar. I got the Italian Milk Chocolatte and Crunchy Chocolaty Cheesecake, while Vanessa opted for the Swiss Chocolate Blend and Fried Bananas with chocolate drizzle. Both drinks came in a cute little hug mug. I paid for it later that night with a belly ache....but so totally worth it!

Vanessa is such a great friend whom I hope will get to spend more time with someday. But until then I'm going to miss her!

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

2008-01-21T09:47:00.001+08:00

Well it's been a full month since I last posted something...and a few days ok give me a break val :-) and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed thinking about all the stuff I should put on here. Lets see I need to cover Christmas, New Years, etc, etc, etc. So I guess I have to start somewhere.

Dec 18 I hopped on a big 747 and spent about 14 hours in the air headed for the wonderful countryside of Nebraska. I was so excited to get to spend Christmas at home with my family this year. Last year I spent it in the Philippines, which is an experience I will remember forever. But it just doesn't seem like the holidays without family, ya know? It seemed like we celebrated Christmas for like 7 days straight! It was sooo wonderful. Going home is so refreshing to me. I love to walk in and be greeted with hugs from mom and dad. No one gives hugs and love like parents. And there's no love like the love of family.

A true example of the opposite life and culture of The Philippines compared to the states is: the day before I flew out I was laying out by the pool soaking up the sun. My first day at home I was wearing about three layers making a snowman!

A few days after Christmas I went to one of my best friends brothers wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and an awesome reception where I danced the night away and also caught the bouquet!!! Well, actually my friend Liz and I actually both caught it...but don't worry there were only a few punches, but no black eyes :-)

New Years eve was so much fun! I spent it in the small small small town of Bartley, Nebraska. A few of my closest friends were there and we decided the theme of the party would be "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party". Since my mom wouldn't let me borrow one of hers (just kidding mom) we did a little shopping at Good Will and came away with some real beauties. We sang a lot of kareoke, played cards, and ran around the house in the snow barefoot...don't ask :-)

I spent as much time as possible with my nieces and nephew. Stealing them every chance I got to go shopping, sledding, movies, and just hanging out.

One of the days we went to my brothers farm where we rode horses and shot blue rocks. I totally killed those clay pigeons!!! It was a wonderful day with Jocey, Jedrek, and Jaidyn. I love them and miss them so much!

My last few days I got to stay with my sister and best friend Misty in Omaha. Misty works at an inner city youth center called the Hope Center. Misty, our friend Kadi, and I challenged some of the boys to a few games of basketball. Although we lost a couple games, we proved us girls can run with the best of them. And after our victories we felt the need to treat ourselves to diner and a movie.

I said my goodbyes and flew the 16 hours back the the Philippines. It's been exciting since I've been back and seeing everything God has planned for the next few months. Things we only mentioned, He has set up. Ideas we've had, He has put in motion. Our feeding program is expanding to more days a week. As part of the feeding program, we will be having "classes" for kids who's parents aren't able to pay for them to go to school. Attendance will be required as well as lessons completed as a part of the program. Our next session with the womens pregnancy ministry is ready to start up again. I'm so excited to meet the women God is going to bring. The church we've been working with is also starting a youth group and a womens bible study that we're going to be able to be involved with. I also missed there girls here in the Philippines that I have gotten extremely close to. It's so fun, loving, and encouraging to be with them again. I will be thankful for and appreciate every single day I get with them these next few months.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATE!!!

2007-12-20T22:47:00.001+08:00

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

2007-12-11T07:48:00.000+08:00

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

2007-12-01T16:20:00.001+08:00

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

2007-11-19T17:29:00.000+08:00

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

2007-11-14T08:10:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-31T13:41:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-17T07:45:00.000+08:00

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

2007-10-07T17:17:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-09-30T12:19:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-25T19:59:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-18T09:33:00.000+08:00

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

2007-09-05T11:18:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-30T10:13:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-23T10:06:00.001+08:00

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 *~

2007-08-08T01:55:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-01T00:15:00.001+08:00

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~~

2007-07-25T08:19:00.000+08:00

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

2007-07-25T06:38:00.000+08:00

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

2007-06-20T10:43:00.000+08:00

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.

S'MORE OF WHAT?

2007-06-14T03:59:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was my gramps 71st birthday. We had dinner outside on the porch, and for dessert made s'mores instead of a birthday cake....and mmmmmmm they were good :-) Now the grill isn't as good as sitting around the campfire, but it was pretty close. My niece Jocey and I were the official roasters.

After the coals burned out Jocey and I decided to climb on the roof of the garage. It was actually a good view cause we could see for miles!!!!

JUST BECAUSE I CAN :-)

2007-06-11T10:57:00.000+08:00

One of the greatest things about being home so far is spending time with my nieces and nephews. Jocelyn is 8, Jedrek is 4, and Jaidyn is 19 months. The toughest part though was when I came back Jaidyn didn't know me....but that has definately changed :-) So this post is pretty much just to show off pictures of them! But hey I can do that because they are soooo adorable!

Jed chillin in my car jammin on my ipod

Jaidyn reppin the best state there is: Nebraska....the good life!

Jocelyn getting softball advice from her dad

Jedrek and Jaidyn havin a little popcorn and soda picnic

Jocey killin the softball!!!!! Pretty sure she learned that from her Aunt Lisa :-D

Jaidyn just being her ADORABLE self...again from aunt Lisa :-D (actually it's almost a spittin image of me when I was her age...poor girl hope she grows out of it)

Jaidyn showing her muscles...I really did do this when I was little...I was pretty cute too but not this cute!!!

Jed and I posing for our underwear superhero team photo :-)

Ok, never done a video before but here goes...I hope you can see it...

Last one...my little brother Nick laughing....Nick is 7 years old.

COLORADO

2007-06-07T03:18:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend I went with my parent and little brother to the beautiful state of Colorado. My younger cousin Gina was graduating from Loveland Highschool.

My dad was also playing in a mens fastpitch softball tournament in Ft. Collins. My dad is one of two pitchers on the Home Federal Team. They were undefeated going into the championships game, and had to be beat twice in order to win it. Well, it wasn't your fairy tale ending....they lost both championships games and ended up second. But hey it was still a great tourney. My dad has been pitching since he was 18 so h'e's a really good....but I am a little biased :-) I've watched him play every summer since I was born and I just love it!!! I am so content sitting at one of my dads tournaments all weekend, all summer long.

Some of my other family from Nebraska was out for the graduation and made it for a couple of games too.

This is my favorite cousin (shhh don't tell the rest of them) Steven and his wife Jacey.

That night we played charades (sp?) at my aunt and uncles house...it was sooo hilarious. My dad had to act out his brother Mark...oh my goodness we laughed so much! From the clues my uncle Mark ended up being a loveable, beer drinking, booger-eater.

So of course my uncle Mark had to act the part...doesn't he look a lot like my dad?

It was a long weekend and we finally got home at about 3 am Monday morning. But it was well worth it!

PLAYTIME

2007-06-01T23:24:00.000+08:00

Because of so much rain in just a couple days, everything is flooding and it's extremely muddy. Well my niece and I decided to take advantage of this and practice our mud wrestling skills. Trust me when you're living in the country you can find A LOT of mud!! We had sooo much fun!

Pretty sure I beat her!

CLAY & ERIN MANKIN WEDDING

2007-05-28T01:32:00.000+08:00

Hey...I'm finally home!!! I got back Wednesday, but have been going non-stop until now. God couldn't have blessed me with a better homecoming. I got to spend the first 3 days with my best girlfriends, and also being able to be a bridesmaid in one of their weddings. My best friend and sister Misty, Kadi, and Shelly picked me up from the airport.

That night I met my family in Grand Island where we ate burgers and fries at the Platte Duetsche. Thursday we did some shopping for the wedding, I got my haircut, and we ate at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. Then we had to head to Lexington for the wedding rehearsal where I finally got to see the bride, one of my best friends. She was a little stressed but so excited.

Finally, Friday came, the day of the wedding. I woke up early because of jetlag so I spent some time with the Lord and then went for a nice run. Once the other girls finally got up we had a few hours of pampering and wedding preperation to do. We did nails, hair, and make-up for what seemed like hours!! Ok, it was hours, but tons of fun with your best friends.

We headed to the church where we got to spend more time getting us and the bride ready. Oh man I can't believe how excited I was for Erin and how blessed I felt to be a part of this godly relationship and wedding!! It was such a beautiful celebration of Gods love for His children and how He lavishes His love on them.

After the wedding was, of course, the reception. The food was great (Val you would have loved it...although my stomach is still getting used to American food) It was also great because all my other guy and girl friends that we used to hang out with were at the reception so it's like the ol' gang was together again. It was especially nice being able to see my girl Liz.

It's really encouraging to see a relationship that puts God above all else. You could truly see the hand of God in their wedding. As much as they love each other, their love for God will always come first.

We danced all night long. As long as I was dancing I could keep my eyes open :-) Although once it was over I crashed....hard. It really was some of the greatest days and the biggest blessings to be with them again. Now (and my dad is saying it's about time...He sure is glad to have me back) I'm home at my parents and am able to just sit and relax. Tonight we'll go to the Wolbach bull riding and street dance. Just some more good times in the life of a country girl :-)

FIRSTS OF MANY SEE YA LATERS....

2007-05-18T09:39:00.000+08:00

This has been a week of last night out, last movies, last hugs, and last days. It's been a very busy week with one or two things every evening after a long day of school. Tuesday after school we had a little gathering to honor the first year of the High School special education department at Faith Academy. There were words of encouragement and affirmation, prayer for me and the program, and of course snacks :-)

Wednesday night I went out with three of my favorite seniors: Charis, Crystal, and Anna. These three girls became some of my greatest friends here. As tough as it was to say goodbye to them (because they're on senior trip now and wont get back until I leave) we did it the best way we knew how....by getting pedicures and drinking chai lattes!!! Charis and Anna will be going to college in the states next year for nursing, while Crystal will be staying here in Manila to play basketball at Ataneo College.

Once I got back that night I made a late night Starbucks run with Felicity. We took her laptop and a movie we planned on watching but we couldn't stop talking long enough to even turn the thing on!

Thursday during the day our class spent most of the day off campus. First period we played Win, Lose, or Draw. Then we hopped in the school van, which I drove, to my favorite mall Eastwood. On the way we got stuck in the worst traffic jam I've been in here in the PI. It took us about 30 minutes to go a quarter of a mile. ugh. But once we finally arrive, we ate brunch at McDo, sat and played cards at a coffee shop, walked around the mall, bowled a game, and then went to the candy store. Susan and I played a game during the day that we named "White Person". We were trying to see who could see the most white people during the day. I think by the end she won with 8 and I had 7. It was so great spending time with them outside of the classroom. They're really great kids.

Johanna, the only girl in the class, is having her last day today. So it's another "see ya later" I'll have to do and quite possibly one of the toughest yet.

Thursday night my girl mary and I went out. She's a junior here at Faith Academy that God has allowed me to disciple and just build a friendship with. We have been having our "date night" every Thursday night this semester. It's a time we took to chat (a lot about boys and lessons learned in life), encourage each other spiritually, have fellowship, pray, eat, watch movies, and spend time in Gods word. This was our last date night so we had to end with a bang. We rode the train to Gateway mall where we ate Taco Bell and watched Shrek 3 in the lazy boy theater. So nice. Although it wasn't our final goodbye, it was a bitter-sweet night knowing it was our last.

Oh, and once I got back from that I made another late night (even later than night before) run with Chris to...ya you guessed it...Starbucks :-)

The schedule for the last of my days here is also pretty packed. But hey, atleast I have 4, 12, and 2 hour flights home to catch up on sleep! I'm sure you'll be seein some pictures from the nights to come!

DA BEACH

2007-05-08T13:22:00.000+08:00

My camera is having technical difficulties right now. I have some amazing pictures from the beach...but yes unfortunately I can't put them on the computer to use. When I plug my camera in it's like the computer doesn't register it's there. It's kind of like how my brain has been the last couple days, I've got so much going through it it can't register what I'm really thinking about....ugh. Anyways, last weekend we had a long weekend so some friends and I spent a few days on the beach at Puerto Gallera. My third time there but probably the most fun. It is sooo beautiful. And hey, you can't beat it cause it's pretty cheap too. How often am I going to have the chance to go to an exotic island for little money? I borrowed a couple pics from my friend to use. (No I'm not standing horizontal...I'm diving from the water fall)

I also jumped from about a 45 ft cliff, snorkeled, hiked to falls, got sun, swam, and everything else amazing that goes along with being on the beach....and yes pictures of everything...on my camera :-/ I see God so much in His creation. I don't think anyone can look at a sunset and not believe in God.

This is a picture of my good friend Felicity Taylor (Doesn't that sound like a name that should be in the movies?) She's an Aussie.....but I won't hold that against her because she teaches new words like trekkies, sunnies, boardies, etc. and encourages me to say "no worries"

Hopefully the camera will be workin soon and I can put more up

MEN ARE LIKE......

2007-05-03T13:12:00.000+08:00

I got this in an email and it made me smile today...thought I would share it with you :-)

1. Men are like ...Laxatives ..... They irritate the crap out of you.
2. Men are like ...Weather ... Nothing can be done to change them.
3. Men are like ...Blenders ... You need One, but you're not quite sure why.
4. Men are like .....Chocolate Bars ... Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.
5. Men are like .....Commercials ....... You can't believe a word they say.
6. Men are like ..Department Stores .... Their clothes are always 1/2 off.
7. Men are like ...Government Bonds .... They take soooooooo long to mature.
8. Men are like ...Mascara...They usually run at the first sign of emotion.
9. Men are like ...Popcorn...They satisfy you, but only for a little while.
10. Men are like ...Lava Lamps... Fun to look at, but not very bright.
11. Men are like ...Parking Spots ... All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped
12. Men are like ...Magic Eye Pictures ... you know there's something under the suface but you can't quite see it and it drives you nuts trying to figure it out.

BASKETBALL MINISTRY TRIP

2007-04-25T09:08:00.000+08:00

A few days ago...(ok 12 to be exact) I went with my friend Susan to watch her husband and some other guys I know play in a basketball ministry game. How it works is they travel to various villages/provinces/barangays to play ball and share the love of Christ. This one happpened to be fairly close at a place called Halang Barangay. The guys set up a game with some of the locals. They usually tend to keep the first half fairly close to keep the fans interested, then turn it up a bit in the second half. During half time they share the gospel and hand out tracks and flyers. It's a great opportunity to build relationships and invite people to church and bible studies. During the games I like to walk around and play with the kids and talk to the people. The kids really LOVE to have their picture taken.

You can see more pictures on facebook if you have an account. I really love doing things like that and spending time with the locals. It's times like that when God really shows me my heart and how blessed I truly am. You can watch a video of the trip by going to this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exz1g4EbKXE

This picture is of Jimwell and his mom. When he was in the womb his skull didn't fully close so the brain fluid is leaking out the hole into this sac. I believe he's almost 1 now but the life expectancy isn't very high. We're praying that a doctor would be able to come and help.

Here are a couple more for you just because they are sooo beautiful!

FEELIN HOT HOT HOT!!!!

2007-04-16T13:57:00.000+08:00

It's definately taginit (hotseason) here. Yesterday afternoon it was 98 degrees F but felt like 108. It's one of those times when all you do is sit in front of the fan doing nothing and you still sweat. Thankfully I live in an apartment building that has a pool, so I got some relief by spending time poolside. But a cold front came through during the night and it dropped all the way down to 86 degrees. Wow. (Can you sense my sarcasm?) Needless to say it's kind of tough to sleep on nights like that. But I guess I can look on the bright side....sweating means losing weight right?

AND THEN THERE WAS SIX!

2007-04-12T12:55:00.000+08:00

Man, I thought the changing of the guards happened a lot, but no, I think the changing of the roommates in SB1 occurs more often. When I first arrived in the Philippines in July, there were 4, then 5, then 6, back to 5, to 4, and then to 3 for a good amount of time. Every once in a while it would fluctuate between 3-5 for a couple weeks at a time. Now, it's back up to six.

L-R Marissa and Felicity (from Australia), Kim (North Carolina), Rachael (Georgia), and her sister Rebecca (Georgia). And oh, did I forget to mention that it's only a 2 bedroom condo? Ya. It's always nice to have girl time, but alone time is also much needed. The last two nights I have found my solitude on my bed watching the first season of Prison Break.....and there are only 2 words that need to be said about that..... Michael Scofield.

Ok, so he doesn't kick everyones butt like Jack Bauer, but he's way cuter! Sorry Val.

Passion and Purity

2007-04-10T07:45:00.000+08:00

I'm reading the book "Passion and Purity" by Elisabeth Elliot. It's designed to help you learn to bring your love life under Christ's control. No, I do not have a love life, except with my Savior. It really is a great book though and I definately recommend it whether you are single, in a relationship, or married. However, God has been using this book to speak to my heart in ways other than in the relationship context. Last night I was reading from ch 19 and this is what stuck out to me:

" I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able honestly to pray that He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done"

"It was the taking up of the cross daily that Jesus spoke of. Is it a tough thing to do? Then do it. Take it up at once. Say yes to God. He will bring the very best to pass."

"If you love someone, there are many thigns you will do for that person because you love him-not because it's what you'd prefer if love did not enter the picture. The fact is, love has entered the picture. Therefore, in your heart, you can do what He wants, because, more than your own pleasure, you want His. When obedience to God contradicts what I think will give me pelasure, let me ask myself if I love him. IF I can say yes to that question, can't I say to pleasing Him? Can't I say yes even if it means a sacrifice? A little quiet reflection will remind me that yes to God always leads in the end to joy. We can absolutely bank on that."

I hope this encourage you as it has me.

Substitute Mom

2007-04-06T11:43:00.000+08:00

I got to spend the last few days playing "mom" to 4 amazing kids, and I loved every minute of it. I had really been missing my nieces and nephew from home so God totally blessed me through this time. Sam is in 8th grade, Allison 6th, Julia 5th, and Laura 2nd.

The Akers parents spent a few days in Guam and asked if I would like to stay in their house and make sure their kids didn't kill each other. Other than playing a game with weapons where the point of the game was to "kill" each other and be the last man alive, no one was seriously injured. The biggest problem we had during my stay was when I flooded the bathroom by taking a too long of shower! Whoops! But the girls were sweet enough to help me clean it up.

The days consisted of waking the kids up, making sure they ate breakfast, doing hair, getting lunches ready, taking them to school, coming home from school to play foursquare, go for walks, eat dinner, pray together, play games, watch movies, and just hang out.

Oh and one of the best parts was I got to sleep in a HUGE bed that is from the states and soooooo comfortable. I had anywhere from 1-3 girls sleeping with me each night :-)

And the parents room has aircon, so I got to actually sleep without sweating and having a fan blasting on me. It was nice. The last day I let Sam drive the car just around the subdivision. It's a stick and he's never driven before so it was a little....uhh...interesting. But actually he did a great job and didn't kill it once....but we didn't tell his parents so shhhhh! :-)

It was such a refreshment and encouragment to me to spend time with them and made me long even more to be a mom someday :-)

Can you say "Single?"

2007-04-01T13:26:00.000+08:00

I went out last night with my friends Val and Susan. Val is 26, married with 2 children,

and Susan is 24 (actually 2 weeks older than me), married, and expecting her first baby.

There is no better way to recognize my singleness than to spend an evening hearing stories of "my husband..." and "when you're pregnant...". But I did pipe up every once in a while with something sarcastic. But it really was a great night. It made me really look forward to the joys of being married and having a family. God has truly blessed those two women and it was encouraging to me to hear them talk about the excitement of marriage and mommyhood. It also helped me look on the bright side: I didn't have to find a babysitter and I didn't have indigestion or have to make frequent bathroom runs because of a baby kicking my bladder. And boy did we eat! We first hit up National Sports Grill where we ordered basically a plate full of fried grease. Then we had our first round of dessert at the Chocolate Bar a.k.a. Heaven on Earth.

And you could have found us for our second round of dessert at Cold Rock (pretty much the same as Cold Stone in the States) But the highlight of the evening may have been the Taxi ride home listening to Susan talk about future plans while staring at our Taxi drivers amazing mullet. Business in front...party in the back!!!!

5 Senses

2007-03-29T12:17:00.000+08:00

We're studying about the human body in Science right now. One of the sections is on the 5 senses. So to have some fun, I decided to do a little experiment to test their senses, minus their sense of sight. Susan (the other person I teach with) and I blindfolded our kids and put different foods in front of them. They had to see if they could figure out what they were tasting without looking at it. There were 18 total, and the kids did a pretty good job figuring out what they were.It was quite funny listening to their comments when they first touched or tasted it. Some of the foods included: margarine, honey, mustand, salsa, nutella, mayonnaise, applesauce, chocolate, jelly, peanut butter, sugar, etc. Johanna devoured almost everything, and Nathan couldn't get enough of the mayonnaise. (Even though after he claimed to not like mayo... but we have proof on camera) Yes, right now it's times like these that are the highlights of my days.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-03-26T14:41:00.001+08:00

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

Not bad not bad...I'll take lookin like Reese anyday! :-)

Weekend Madness

2007-03-25T12:57:00.000+08:00

Ok....so my very dear and pushy (joke lang) friend informed me that it has been about 3 weeks since I've posted anything and she is getting tired of checking on my blog only to be dissapointed. Well not to name any names or anything, but Val, this post is for you :-) I'll give you a little rundown of my weekend. Friday night was probably the greatest night I've had in the Philippines. I went out with Josh & Val Manthe, and my friend Chris Cordova.

Some would call it a double date... others would call it good friends hanging out.... whatever floats your boat I guess. We went to my favorite mall Eastwood where we ate at a nice spot called Jack's Loft, got $5 foot massages, and then chatted for a while at Starbucks. But I had to get my fav Chai Latte from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Val and I weren't ready to call it a night yet so we suggested hitting a Kareoke place. Josh and Val sang "Margaritaville"

and Chris serenaded us with "obla-dee, obla-da"....very nice. I've come to the realization that I'm a really good singer when I'm in my car, by myself, with the windows up, and the radio blaring. Other than that....no. So Val was gracious enough to sing "Sk8er Boi" with me. It was my only number of the night out of respect for the others who were within ear shot. Saturday Chris and I hit up Eastwood again where we ate (again), watched "Premonition" and took random pictures with some statues.

This morning went to church at Poolside Baptist with Pastor Sun, ate at McDo (man I eat a lot), and now I should be doing work for school...but I had to post something before Val stops talking to me :-) I'll try to post a little more now...try.

Heaven on Earth

2007-03-09T13:21:00.000+08:00

Last night Rebecca, Rachael, Christan, Mary and I found Heaven on Earth....

It's a place in Makati City called The Chocolate Bar. It's a little restaurant that is oozing with chocolate!!! Pretty much every woman's dream! There are so many drinks, desserts, bars, cookies, and everything else you could dream up that involves 100% pure chocolate.

I ordered a delicious drink that had a shot of espresso, milk chocolate, and vanilla blended together. Mary and I shared what was called "Fondu for Two". AHHHHHHH.........it was wonderful just wonderful. They had huge bins that kept the choclate warm and from there it traveled through choclate pipes to the dispenser. My dream now is to swim in a bin full of chocolate.....with my mouth wide open!

101 Things about Me!

2007-02-12T07:42:00.000+08:00

1. My middle name is Jo....and I love it
2. I'm 5'9 1/2" without shoes on
3. I have brownish/honey eyes
4. I don't like snakes
5. I have a fear of rejection, failure, and drowning
6. My favorite ice cream is mint mint chocolate chocolate chip from ColdStone
7. I love to camp
8. I've had 2 back surgeries
9. I love playing sports....volleyball, basketball, softball, soccer are my specialties
10. I'm daddy's little girl
11. My favorite color is blue...but to wear is black...it's slimming :-)
12. I was born on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1982
13. I have 3 frecklesin the shape of a triangle on my left foot
14. I have one tattoo....a huge eagle that covers my back...just playin it's a small moon and star
15. I have my belly button pierced
16. I used to have a nose ring and my cartilage pierced
17. I love the smell of rain and fresh cut alfalfa
18. My favorite flower is the gerber daisy

19. If it doesn't involve a ball I don't have a talent
20. My sister is my best friend
21. I surrendered my life to Jesus on Feb. 7, 2004
22. My nickname when I was little was scooter....because when I ran it looked like I was scooting my feet along...probably because I was so fast :-)

23. I'm more of a mountain girl than an ocean girl
24. I really do not like mushrooms, olives, or cottage cheese
25. I love taking naps...especially when it's cold and you can snuggle under a warm blanket
26. I'm a sucker for romance, love stories, and falling in love
27. I can juggle basketballs
28. I have a secret crush
29. I don't love planning and grading
30. If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to Africa and take Mipp
31. My best friends are Mipp, Kadi, Jones, Liz, and Shelly, Jocelyn
32. I don't drink.....anymore
33. I've been in love twice
34. My dad is my sports hero
35. I'm a natural athlete
36. I want to live and raise my family in/near the mountains of Colorado
37. I have a heart for HS girls both saved and unsaved living in the world and struggling with wordly things
38. I've been to Mexico, Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, and soon to be Korea
39. I'm attracted to tall, dark, and handsome athletic guys who love the Lord
40. I'm the future Mrs. Channing Tatum :-) just playin (for those of you who don't know he is an actor in movies like Stepup, Coach Carter, She's the Man....pretty much he's the man!)

41. I slept with a teddy bear up until I came to the Philippines...but only because I like to hold something while I'm sleeping not because I'm scared :-)
42. My real hair color is strawberry blonde/brown...but I like to dye it dark brown.
43. I'm a leftside hitter, libero, pointguard, pictcher, shortstop, stopper, foward, coach, mentor, sister, aunt, best friend, daughter of the King, friend, teacher
44. I like to go for runs in the rain
45. I'm insecure about my body....but not my height
46. I have a freckle on my lower lip
47. My deepest desire is to be married, raise 4-6 children in a godly way, and work with the youth in my home church alongside my husband
48. I like water skiing better than snow skiing
49. I ran into a tree stump snow skiing and tore my MCL....not recommended
50. I've broken my arm, back, both little toes, tore MCL ankle and shoulder ligaments, had 2 herniated discs, and pulled hamstrings....all from playin sports...go figure
51. I love any movie or play that has Madea in it
52. I love sitting outside on the porch watching lightning and thunderstorms....especially with my dad
53. I LOVE SUNSETS!!!!!!

54. I'm a sucker for chick flicks
55. There are 2 types of people in this world....those who love chocolate and those who lie....I belong to the first group
56. My 2 greatest memories from growing up are family trips to the Niobrara River and my dads softball games and tournaments
57. I'm a sarcastic person
58. I require a lot of sleep
59. Touch is my strongest love language

60. I'm an outgoing person but have been told when it comes to dealing with things I'm introverted
61. I am like the sinful woman in Luke 7
62. I hate the sound of the crunching when walking on snow
63. My favorite book series is the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers
64. I'm low maintenance and laid back
65. I like to mow lawns...especially when it's sunny so I can get a tan :-)

66. I like alone time
67. I have fallen in love with snorkeling...and hope to learn to scuba dive
68. The feel of cotton balls gives me the heebie geebies
69. I tan really easily
70. My life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6

71. I'm a competitive person....at everything
72. I'm a good girlfriend
73. I'm a good listener
74. My favorite pop a.k.a soda is Diet Dr. Pepper
75. I don't like to not be able to do something
76. I'm feel deep compassion when others are hurting
77. I'm really good at Catch Phrase (especially when Mipp is on my team)
78. I have 2 beautiful nieces and one handsome/ornery nephew
79. I would choose a quiet night at home with my family before a night out on the town anytime
80. I feel alive anytime I'm playing sports
81. I'm a really good singer when I'm in the car by myself with the windows rolled up and the music really loud
82. I have a hard time crossing my legs left over right
83. I think a lot....usually resulting in a headache :-)
84. I love to play cards with my family
85. I have so many scars from playing sports
86. I love love love hugs!!!

87. I won't settle for less than what God wants to give me
88. I would give up everything even if I knew I could only experience God's grace for one day

89. I'm a hard worker
90. My first boyfriend was Joey in 2nd grade....and he dumped me when I got my hair cut...dumb boys with cooties!

91. I played college volleyball for 3 years
92. My favorite Psalm is 139
93. I have trouble admitting I need help
94. I can cook and bake....with a recipe :-)
95. I can feel lonely even when I'm around people all the time
96. I liked to be pushed and challenged
97. I really really want to go skydiving
98. I've experienced God's grace in some powerful ways that takes me into a more intimate relationship with my Creator
99. God is my first love
100. I am loved by God
101. I'm in love with Jesus Christ

if you actually read through all of them....you either really like me and care to read...or else you're really bored :-)

RUN!!!!!!!

2007-02-08T08:59:00.000+08:00

Now that my ankle is gettting better I am able to start running again. It's been great to be able to add more variety into my workouts again. I have starting another, more important kind of running. I'm running towards God. I went through sort of a blah time in my walk with the Lord. Because of living in a "Christian Bubble" I didn't have to pursue God and a deeper relationship with Him as much as I did at home because here I am surrounded by believers. So basically I was taking God and His presence for granted just expecting Him to be there. Well in result of that I was praying and waiting for God to grab me by the hand and pull me into a deeper relationship with Him....but it wasn't happening. I desired in my heart for it to happen but it wasn't. God revealed to me that I can't just sit and wait for him. A relationship between 2 people doesn't work if only one person is doing all the work while the other sits back and waits to be led. It's a relationship so it involves both people putting forth effort. So God showed me to not sit and wait, but to RUN towards Him. And as I do he is also running towards me with open arms ready to embrace me. James 4:8 says "Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you". So I'm not only drawing near....I'M RUNNING!!!!

Basketball Friday

2007-02-05T07:46:00.000+08:00

Friday was a looooonnnnnggggg day. I arrived at school at 6:45 am, which is the typical time, had school, practice, watched boys game, and then the rest of the evening both the boys and girls basketball teams participated in a free-throw-athon. They were raising money for our Far East tournament. On Feb. 17 girls will be going to S. Korea and boys will be going to Japan. Both team will be returning on Feb 24. Each varsity player had to find people who would either pledge them a set amount or pledge per shot made. It was an all evening event including various competitions for the spectators, parents, and coaches. There was a half court shooting contest where I actually made one!!!! It was pretty nice :-) I won a bag 0f chips that I had to "share with my fans". Each player shot 100 free throws total. The girls leader was Anna Dehart with 81 out of 100 free throws, and the boys leader was Kirk Long with 86 out of 100. All of the kids did a great job making free throws and raising money. One of the boys even raised enough to pay for almost his whole plane ticket!!! Darn...too bad coaches couldn't participate! Once they were all done we celebrated with Pizza Hut pizza. I finally called it a night at about 10:00 because our girls team had a game at 8am the next morning. So Friday I was at the school from 6:45 am to 9:15 pm, but when it involves so much basketball it can't be bad!!

If you would like to help me get to Far East send support to:

First Love International PO Box 15836 Lovespark, IL 61132.

Picture: both girls and boys varsity teams with coaches, Superintendant Tom Hardeman and captain of the first Far East Championship team, and his father Coach Tine Hardeman. This year one of our uniforms are replica's of the uniforms from that championship year.

Picture: Players shooting free throws in Hardeman gym.

Picture: with Tine Hardeman

Family Time

2007-01-30T07:47:00.000+08:00

I know I know, it's about time I post something new right? Well, I have a good excuse.....my mom, aunt Pat, and Gramps were here visiting me for the past week. And needless to say I didn't want to take any time away from them by being on the computer. It was actually a nice break from email, facebook, blog, and the internet in general. Reminded me of the "good ol' days". When I first saw them in the airport I couldn't contain my excitement. I ran up to my mom and hugged her so tight, I almost tackled her! And yes there were a few happy tears!

They got in at about 11:15 Tuesday night and we finally settled down and went to bed about 2am. On Wednesday we spent the morning at Faith Academy seeing my classroom, meeting my students, attending chapel, and eating lunch. After that we went to one of my most favorite spots in the Philippines.....The Corinthian Spa. Gramps got an hour foot massage while Pat and Mom got an hour full body massage. They didn't have enough therapist so I was unable to get one :-( but that's ok...it gave Gramps and I time to go to Shopwise for some groceries. We ate dinner at a chinese type soup restaurant at Eastwood Mall. On our way their, I almost got pulled over because it was our "no drive day". (This is something where depending on what number your liscense plate ends in, there is a certain day you cant drive...supposebly to cut down on traffic and pollution....uhhh doesn't work) The police waved me down but I just kinda waveed and kept going...don't worry it's kinda ok to do that here. By this time jet lag was really setting in and my fam was wiped out. They were all asleep by about 7:30. But this actually happened most evenings they were here. We left Thursday morning at 4:30am for Subic Bay. Gramps was really excited to see where he used to live and serve 50 years ago when he was in the Navy. A lot had changed in 50 years (duh)...he recognized the road and what used to be the post office...but other than that everything had changed. After being a little dissapointed, we found a cute little restaurant on the beach overlooking the ocean called Harley's. We had a nice Philipino meal, walked in the water, and then headed for home. Friday morning we didn't have to leave quite as early. But because jet lag was still there, we still got up early...like 6...ugh! We were blessed to have a driver every day so that I didn't have to get us lost and I could enjoy talking with the fam more. His name was Rene and he was wonderful! Friday we spent time seeing the city. We visited the American Cemetary,

Ayala Museum, Ft. Santiago, oldest church in Philippines, Greenbelt Mall where we ate at Bubba Gumps and Cold Rock (we ate a lot!!!) Saturday we were out the door with Rene behind the wheel at 5:45 am. We had to catch a boat from Manila Bay to an island about 48 Kilometers west of Manila called Corregidor.

It's the island where Philipino and American troops held their ground against the Japanese in World War II. We took the day tour and it was really an amazing day! I can't wait to go back and spend the weekend so I can explore all the Japanese caves, old buildings, and whatever else I can find. And the view from the island was AMAZING!!!!

Sunday we went to church and Greenhills which is a shopping area that has hundreds of little shops where they sell things for sooooo cheap! Ex: I got 3 American Eagle shirts for $12 total....nice huh? And sadly....Monday morning their plane departed at 7:50 am on it's way to Hawaii where they will spend 4 days...seriously why would you choose 4 days in Hawaii over 4 extra days in smog filled, poverty stricken, hot weather of Manila with me?!?! I mean that's a pretty easy decision right?....haha...but it really was a wonderful week and I think it recharged me enough to make it through the last 4 months until I'm home.

Basketball Bonding

2007-01-15T17:14:00.000+08:00

What a great weekend of vanguard basketball!!! We played our rival team Brent on Friday night in their house......and of course we took it to them. As a sweet revenge victory well deserved to them for volleyball, we beat them by 10 points. Our girls played awesome. We were scheduled to play again early Saturday morning, so we planned to stay at the New Tribes Mission guest house. It was 4 girls to a room, and the 3 senior girls were the lucky winners to have their favorite coach stay with them......ME!!!! Even though I set the lights out curfew for 11:15, we finally shut our lights out at about 12:30....whoops. There was pictures taken, "truth" games played, boys talked about, weddings planned, and more things that are unmentionable when girls spend the night together! Although we stayed up late and got up early, all the girls still had enough energy to beat Assumption in a 8am game. It was a fun night that made me feel like I was in high school again :-) We're going to have a busy week this week with games on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. GO VANGUARDS!!!!!

The Year 2007

2007-01-11T08:26:00.000+08:00

Well, it's back to school time. My days of staying up late, sleeping in, watching movies, and taking naps are over :-( But I guess I can't complain much since a 2 1/2 week Christmas vacation is more than most professions get. I have the same students and the same schedule this semester. Some things I'm looking forward to in the new year are..... 1) I dyed my hair 2) my mom, gramps, and aunt coming to visit for a week at the end of Jan 3) Erin Jones and Clay Mankins wedding on May 25th where I get to be a bridesmaid along with some of my best friends 4) BEING HOME FOR THE SUMMER!!!!!! 5) going to S. Korea for a bball tournament in Feb 6) sticking to my New Year's commitment of reading through the entire bible 7) falling more in love with Jesus every day 8) seeing the fruit of labor in my students 9) and because of Gods leading, coming back to Faith Academy for the 2007-2008 school year. I pray that in this coming year you all find the peace and joy from the Lord that surpasses all understanding. This comes through His son, Jesus Christ.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2007-01-04T12:32:00.000+08:00

New Years Eve was great. One of the best I've had. I started the evening by spending time with the kids at the Childrens Home. They played with sparklers, and Aya clung to me scared while they shot off fireworks. From there we went to the Kuhlow dorm for a little pre-midnight festivities. I learned how to play call for your partner rook.....and yes I lost...but hey it was my first time! But I really did enjoy the game. On New Years Eve the majority of the people in the "Faith Bubble" go to campus because it has the most amazing view of the city. On New Year's Eve the people in the Philippines buy and shoot off fireworks to ring in the New Year. And there are also no regulations to who can and can't buy the really big ones. If you have the money you can get them.

So with the view from school we could see the grestest fireworks display you have ever seen....and as far as the eye can see.....that is until there was so much smoke you really couldn't see much of anything anymore. It was no Time Square but it was still amazing. Then finished out the evening back at my place with....of course....another game of cards! For more pictures click here HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Christmas Day in the Philippines

2006-12-26T11:48:00.000+08:00

Christmas Day for me was full of blessings from God. I spent Christmas early morning with the Lord, reading His word, and praying. The rest of the morning I spent opening presents from my family, and talking to my family on the phone. I ate a late lunch with my roommate Kim Courtright and her family. Then I spent a couple hours with the Long and Burke families. For the remainder of the evening I was with Charis Jones and her family where we (of course) ate, had a family singing and devotion time, played nerts (skirt), and Mexican dominoes. (Why's it gotta be Mexican?) I'm sorry to say Charis won our game of nerts, but I did win all three games of dominoes.....sorry Jones family! Maybe they let me win because I was a guest ;-) It really was a great day. Even though I wasn't with my family, God provided many families for me to spend the day with. And God answered my prayers by providing me with families, His peace, His comfort, and His love. I felt the presence of the Lord so strong all day. Praise God! It was my first Christmas away from family, but my Heavenly Father was always with me.

Princess Aya and Cy Fi

2006-12-26T11:25:00.000+08:00

Sunday afternoon I got to spend the day with two of the most beautiful girls in the Philippines... Aya and Cyril. These two girls live at New Faith Family Childrens Home. It's a children's home here in the Philippines for the street children. Currently there are 26 kids at the home. Click here to visit the website. The two girls went to church with the Manthe family and I, and then I got them to myself for a couple of hours. We watched Anastasia, put on make-up, and painted our nails. It was a great girly afternoon. Before they left they sang two Christmas songs to me. Click here to watch and listen to them sing. There is no easier way to see God than in the eyes of a child.

Girls Christmas Night

2006-12-26T11:11:00.000+08:00

It was two nights before Christmas and all through the condos not a missionary was stirring not even a....wait a minute, that was the night some crazy missionary girls had a slumber party! And it was anything but quiet! What started off as an innocent night spent in the aircon watcing ELF, eating brownies, and drinking hot chocolate soon got a little out of hand. Heidi, a 4th grade teacher brought her wig and all craziness broke loose. Once everyone had taken their turn trying on the wig and posing for glamour shots, us six girls decided to go next door to the neighbor Long familyand sing a couple Christmas carols, just to help get them in the mood. But first we had to get all dolled up, hair and all! Take a look at the pictures and you'll understand ;-)

Jones

2006-12-22T13:11:00.000+08:00

This post is dedicated to the Jones family.....Charis and Caleb...just thought you would want to see yourselves on here ;-) The picture is of Charis doing what she does best....baby hogging. And Caleb showing off the guns....no wonder it's sleeveless....his arms wouldn't fit in the sleeves! You better be careful or else you're goint to have to buy new shirts!

Philipino Christmas Carols

2006-12-22T11:22:00.000+08:00

One of the traditions of Christmas, which I'm sure you're all aware of, is walking around singing Christmas carols. Well in the Philippines, they take it a little more to the extreme. Every night a few weeks before Christmas the kids walk the streets and sing carols hoping to get some money, food, clothing, anything that people are willing to give. They stand outside the gates of the houses of wealthier people. On wednesday night I went to my friends Gil and Sara's house. They live in a province so they have all Philipino neighbors. It was really fun. We just sat by the gate and waited for the kids to come up and sing to us. They sang songs in both Tagalog and English, and we also sang a few in both languages to them. Then once they were done singing, we gave them some cookies and candy. It's better to give them food than money because they usually have to hand over the money to someone else, but the food they can eat. They are the sweetest children. It's so amazing to hear them singing about God and Jesus. God is beautiful and I can see Him in these children! Click here to see pictures of them.

Class Christmas

2006-12-20T11:17:00.000+08:00

My class wants to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!! We finished our last day of first semester today. I'm not sure who's more excited about break around here...the students or the teachers?! I am definately looking forward to the rest and relaxation, and maybe a good book.. or two...or three. Our last couple of days of classes were pretty relaxed. During a couple of classes we took chapter tests, but for the most part we partied; played games, cards, Christmas trivia, name that Christmas carol, etc. It was pretty fun. In one game the students were divided into teams and had to race putting candy on a wooden spoon and then carrying it across the room and putting it into a stocking. The team that filled their stocking the most won. They really enjoyed it...especially when they got to take all the candy home!

Nebraska #1

2006-12-20T10:49:00.000+08:00

GO HUSKERS!!!! Nebraska volleyball won the National Championship....and although I didn't get to watch it live, (wish I could have with you Dad!) I did get to see the game later on the computer. They beat Stanford in 4 games. When Vince, one of the students here at Faith, walked by with a Nebraska shirt on, I couldn't resist taking a picture with him. Husker spirit is alive even in the Philippines!

Mipp's Graduation

2006-12-17T16:40:00.000+08:00

My sister is a college graduate!!!! Misty a.k.a. Mipp a.k.a. White Chocolate graduated Friday, Dec. 15th from The University of Nebraska at Kearney. She got her degree in Social Work. She will continue to work at The Hope Center for Kids in North Omaha. God has blessed her with an amazing gift and heart for inner city kids. She has such a beatiful sincere heart for the Lord and God is really using her in big ways in Omaha. I'm excited to see how He continues to shape her and mold her into who He created her

to be. I am so proud of her....can you tell ;-)

Pinata!

2006-12-13T09:47:00.000+08:00

Today in Tagalog class we had our Christmas party. It was our last class before the final. Technically I don't have to take it, but I kind of want to see how I do, and how much I actually know. During class we watched Cheaper by the Dozen Two, had snacks, drank coffee, and took turns swinging at the Pinata while blindfolded. I must say I connected pretty well. ;-) I guess all those years of softball payed off!!

Ankle update

2006-12-13T09:28:00.000+08:00

I know I know gross...huh? But my ankle is slowly getting better. I chucked the crutches a few days ago....technically I should still be on them but I was tired of them. ;-) It is starting to turn pretty colors though, as you can tell.

I think this was God's way of telling me I need to slow down. I've definately learned to just "sit" in the evenings. Actually it's been kind of nice to have an excuse. The only thing is now I can't work out for a while...so that's a bummer.

Christmas Wrapping

2006-12-12T07:04:00.000+08:00

Well, I finally got all of my presents wrapped last night. It only took me about 2 hours!! As I was wrapping I watched all of Sweet Home Alabama, and then the finale of The Amazing Race. And by the way, the models won. I didn't see much of the season, but they were they team I was cheering for...and no not just because they were good looking...because they didn't fight that much! ;-) I think I may have gone a little overboard with my gifts. Because things are very inexpensive in the Philippines, I didn't spend too much, I just got a lot. But I guess you could say it's one of my love language; gift giving. Now my roommate has the toughest job of getting them all back to the states and sending them to my family....pray for her! My next task is....writing all of the Christmas Cards.....better get to work!

Ankle Sprain

2006-12-08T07:33:00.000+08:00

OK, so I've officially joined the sprained ankle club. It's hard to believe throughout all of middle school, highschool, club and traveling teams, college, and intramurals, I never sprained my ankle.....until now...as a coach! I was playing defense against my girls running through plays and jumped up for a loose ball and came down on someones foot. I heard a pop and fell to the ground. And no, I did not cry! They don't think it's broken, but they're worried about the ligament. The picture on the left is about 2 minutes after it happened. It swelled right away! Pretty gross huh? And the picture on the right was me this morning once I finally got up the stairs to my classroom. I still can't walk on it but hopefully soon....the crutches are a pain! (sorry the pic is sideways...I don't know how to turn it. I'm not very good with computers!)

classroom decorating

2006-12-07T13:43:00.000+08:00

Today my students and I decorated our classroom for Christmas. Students are (back left to front) Nathan, Jayson, Ben, Johanna). We put up lights, streamrs, stars, snowflakes, stockings, wrapped the door, etc. to make it feel a little more like Christmas. Now the only thing we need is cold weather! For Christmas they want: Nathan cell phone and movie, Johanna Switchfoot CD and new cell phone, Jay Apple iPod, and Ben a laptop. Wow....I'm not sure how well their parents will be able to fulfill those wishes on a missionary salary! I would like a trip home to be with my family! But we definately had a blast decorating while listening to Christmas music. Only 8 more school days until break. YAY!!!!!

Johanna

2006-12-06T10:33:00.000+08:00

This beautiful girl is one of my students Johanna. She is in ninth grade. She is a Philipino girl adopted into a German family when she was 4 1/2 years old. The first language she spoke was German. She is now fluent in German, English, and we are both in the process of learning Tagalog. She has the sweetest spirit and a huge heart for others. We have a devotion time together almost every week where we are experiencing God in a deeper way. She is one of the many reason the Lord brought me to the Philippines this year.....and I am so blessed by her.

Sports

2006-12-05T12:17:00.000+08:00

We had a great volleyball season this year. I don't know our exact record, but it was something like 15-8. Our last tournament of the season was in Sasebo, Japan. We stayed and played for a week on a US navy base. Everything there was so American. It was soooo nice, but made me really miss being in the states. We ate a lot of Baskin Robins and Taco Bell. The girls loved it. It was a great week of bonding. I just love those girls. We finished 2nd place in the tournament. Last night we had our first season sports awards banquet. I loathe speaking in front of people, but I made it through! We gave out letter winner awards, mvp (Chrystal Ballentyne), most inspirational (Hannah Harvell), most improved (Yei Won Lim), and coach's award (Charis Jones). The girls gave Val Manthe (assistant coach www.thrilla-in-manila.blogspot.com) and I beautiful bouquet of flowers. And of course they made them carolina blue, my favorite color. I am now the assistant girls varsity basketball coach. I jumped from one season to the next without a break...but that's pretty much how my entire life has been....and I like it that way. We had a tournament during my birthday in Hong Kong. Talk about a nice birthday trip! Our girls got 4th and guys won the championship in OT. We will be having a far east trip in February in Korea. It's amazing where God will take you both physically and spiritually when you make yourself available.

Ayta Village

2006-12-05T11:17:00.001+08:00

November 29, 2006 my students and I went on a field trip to an Ayta village. The village is in the mountains of Bataan, one of the northern provinces of Manila, on the island of Luzon. We spent the day visiting families, schools, hiking, practicing Tagalog, and playing with the children. The Ayta are people slightly different than other Philipinos. They are shorter (which Philipinos are short already), have darker skin, and curly hair. Tagalog is actually their second language. They live very simple lives, with no running water or electricity. They have to hike (slide) down a steep mountain side to get water, then climb back up with the jugs of water. The only bible they have in their language is the beginning of the New Testament through most of Luke. There are a few christians that live in the village we visited. But for the most part many of them don't know about Christ as Savior.