So let me tell you a little bit about the daily life here at Open Door...

Monday thru Friday we have school

• We get up at 5am and head downstairs to get the children ready for school at 5:45am.
• Usually they are already up and ready so we play with them until breakfast which is usually around 6:30
• School starts at 7:30. Each of our team members goes to the classroom they have been assigned to. I have been assigned to Pre-Elem which is great because I possibly want to work at a preschool or day care after I finish school.
• There are 2 class periods from 7:30-9:15. There are 8 children in the Pre-Elem class (3 girls and 5 boys). I love each of them to death but sometimes I get a little frustrated. They often try to speak to me in tagalog. They don't understand that I only know a little bit of tagalog. If I can speak a couple things they automatically think I can speak and understand everything. Its great. lol. Its also hard to teach because of the language barrier but thankfully the teacher traslates for me sometimes. I'm not sure if I can give names but I will give just their first names for you. The girls are Nicole, Amaze, and Rhein (like rain). The boys are Kenneth and Mariel (who both live in the orphanage) and have been their since they were very very little, Kelsey, Kiel, and Lau. Lau has a very very special place in my heart. He is a little trouble maker and has had a hard time adjusting to school, but I think he gets better and better every day. He gets in trouble all the time and sometimes doesn't get in trouble when he should. He's had a hard life. Everyone knows him as the bad kid but I know there is good in him. He just needs special attention. I found that he gets frustrated and doesn't want to do his work when he has been sitting down for a long period of time but when we sing or move around he loves it and participates well. I try to give him special attention everyday even if its just a wink from across the room because what he craves is attention. What he needs is encouragement and attention in the small things instead of the bad attention he often gets and disapproval. anywho....
• At 9:15 we have recess!
• At 9:45 classes start again.
• At 10:45 I teach the children Christian Education. We sing, play games, memorize verses, and have a small Bible study. We use their curriculum which is pretty great. Their favorite part is singing! Sometimes we sing through so many songs that we run out of songs to sing. I've learned some great songs from another team member, Brea, and also some of their songs.
• My school day ends at 11:45 because the younger children only have half-a-day (which is just as tiring as a full day with older children I think) and we dismiss for lunch.
• After lunch is siesta for me and just doing different things for the team like paperwork, laundry, cleaning, preparing for lessons, etc...
• When school is out we play with the children at the orphanage until the day is over! We have so much fun. We help them with homework, play card games, have tagalog lessons, or just chill.
• On Fridays we have prayer meeting with the church. Last night we had prayer meeting, then a special movie night with the older children.
• Earlier this week we celebrated our late 4th of July Independence Day celebration! We made s'mores for the children and they loved them! We couldn't find Hershey's chocolate so we bought something that looked similar but it turned out to have peanut butter in it. Real s'mores taste better to us but they don't know the difference. When we made the first s'more we got the marshmellow and squeezed it in between the graham crackers. All the children saw the melted marshmellow and said "EEEEWWWWW!!!!!" They couldn't believe we wanted them to eat the strange snack but once they bit into it they wanted MORE and MORE and MORE!
• Last week we started our first discipleship class with the older youth. I know that some of them are Christians but others I'm not sure. We know that they go to church because they are at the orphanage but we wanted them to have another opportunity to hear the Word and have a place where they could be free to ask questions. It was a great first meeting and we will have out second one tonight. God has laid one special teenage girl on my heart. She arrived at the orphanage only days before we got here so she does not have a lot of Christian background. Her family is catholic but they do not practice very well. I know she does not know a lot about Christ and my prayer is that she has seen Christ in us over the past month and a half. I hope to see her come to Christ before we leave, and perhaps even tonight, but if not, I pray that God will move in her life and draw Him to her soon.
• On Sundays we lead sunday school and go to church. I have been teaching the womens sunday school class which is pretty scary. I thought I was going to teach the childrens class but they needed someone to teach the adult ladies so I volunteered even though I felt so unprepared or experienced to do such a thing but it has actually become one of my favorite parts of the week! I think sometimes God puts us in uncomfortable positions or in places that we know we will fail on our own so that when we succeed we can only say it was because of God so that He gets all the glory. I think thats pretty cool. There is no way I can teach older women on my own or out of my own strength but with God, nothing is impossible.

Ok well its about time for me to get offline today. Hope all is well in America. Only two more weeks left. Pray that God will continue to work and help us to complete the mission he's give us as we prepare to leave. Praying for all of y'all at home. Love you. Mahal kita :)

-grace

These are a few of my favorite things....

We are on vacation now in Puerto Galera, Mindoro! Nehemiah Teams allows each team to go on a 3-day vacation to rest and recharge. Working at the orphanage has been probably the best experience of my life, but you do need a break sometimes and it came at the perfect time for me. We are over halfway through with our summer which is hard to believe. When we get back to the orphanage we will only have 15 more days to be with them. I love these children so much. Each day we spend together causes me to grow more and more in love with them as I learn more about their lives, their stories, and their habits whether good or bad. Leaving the orphanage for our vacation was hard to do, even though I knew we would be back in 3 days. It gave me a small glimpse into the future as to how hard it will be to leave them at the end of the summer knowing I may never see them again or see the fruit of our labor in their lives as they grow up. That is so hard. I can only hope that one day I will see the fruit in heaven and see their smiling faces.
In the meantime I will enjoy the time I have here on the beach to rest in the Lord and ponder over the things that have happened this past month. Here are a few of my cherished memories:
1. Walking around the 4km lake in San Pablo only 2 days after arriving. This trip midday definitely got us used to the heat quickly
2. The church's anniversary service and baptisms
3. Riding a jeepney and tricycle
4. Going to the American supermarket and getting excited when we heard "I'm Yours" playing over the intercom and finding American snacks
5. Going back to the lake with the youth and trying street food (also called dirty food) which included chicken intestines and chicken feet. I didn't try balot but I happy just to watch Brea and Levi eat it.
6. Washing clothes, hanging them out to dry, and praying that it will not rain. Then having to run up the 5 flights of stairs to get the clothes down because it starts to rain.
7. Hearing what we call the demon cat ourside our window cry at odd hours of the night.
8. Hearing rats in the floor as we sleep
10. Growing accustomed to spiders and roaches and hearing rats to the point of it not bothering me anymore
11. Running into an American mormon at a store in the city
12. Finding a coffee hangout place with delicious desserts
13. Bathing screaming children for school
14. Going to a birthday party
15. Playing with the children everyday
16. Eating chicken adobo (YUM), lumpia, palabo, ensaimada, chicken curry, fried bananas, mangoes, pineapple, watermelon, maja, santol, rambutan, milk fish, and many others
17. Walking into the classroom and hearing the children say in unison, "Good morning Ma'am Grace"
18. Hearing the children call me "Ate Grace." I love it
19. Sunsets over the beautiful city and mountains of San Pablo
20. Countless Tagalog lessons
21. hugs (or yakap)
22. WABAAM!
23. Laying on the court and staring at the stars God made for us while singing songs with the children
24. Having a tea party on the rooftop with the teenage orphanage girls.
25. Videoke with the girls
26. Learning our way around the city on our own
27. Having people look at us everywhere we go.
28. Having people speak to me in tagalog and ask me if I am Philipino
29. Getting split up in a crowded market place and having people direct us to the other americanos because they know we are with them. You can't hide in the philippines...
30. Making secret handshakes
31. Going to the church's mission points
32. Singing new songs
33. Spending more time with God than ever before in my life and having Him change me from the inside out.

These are only a few of the wonderful memories I have made, but my favorite memories are when the children get excited to see you. They look at you, scream your name (Ate Grace), run towards you, and give you a huge yakap! Then, the greatest is hearing them say mahal kita (I love you). These are a few of my favorite things...

Wednesday, June 30th Journal Entry

The new president of the Philippines was enagurated today. That is a national holiday here so we didn't have school! YAY!!! My mom always told me that teachers were more excited about holidays than children and after teaching Christian Education for 2 weeks, I definitely believe that. It's been a great day so far. We got up at 8am as opposed to 5am, had a leisurely morning reading and playing with the children, washed clothes and hung them outside to dry (which is a HUGE blessing since it rains all the time), and had a great lunch - rice, lumpia, and green beans!

After lunch we had group time. The article we read today was about unreached people groups - people who have never heard the gospel. I used to think that since the world is practically all discovered that that meant the gospel had gone to all those places. I was mistaken. I also thought that if there are missionaries in Africa all Africa must be aware of the gospel or at least heard it once before. So not true. There are so many little tribes of people who have never heard about the love of my Savior. In India alone there are over 4,600 people groups. Even thought the gospel may be nearby, a people group may be unreached because of language, ethnic, religioius, or social boundaries. The Bible says that in heaven there will be people from every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. That is the will of God and it will happen no matter what, but who will go to these people groups and tell them? The need for missionaries is so great! I believe there are people everywhere who are ready to hear the Good News of Christ but so few people who follow the will of God. "Many are called but few are sent." How selfish of us who know of the grace of God and keep it for ourselves. Our team read a biography of a missionary to China named J. Hudson Taylor. The biography tells of a man who asked Taylor how long the gospel had been known to England which is where Taylor was from. Taylor told the man, "Oh several hundred years." The man responded by saying. "What! And you have now only come to preach the gospel to us? My father sought after the truth more than 20 years and died without finding it. Why didn't you come sooner?" This story had burdened my heart ever since reading it. How many people have sought the truth in their lives and died without finding it all because we were not faithful to the calling? Because we didn't take Matthew 28:19-20 seriously? There will be a representative from ever nation, tribe, tongue, and people in heaven, but the longer we ignore God's command to go, the longer we delay Christ's coming.

Going to unreached people groups may be dangerous, but so is driving a car and playing a contact sport. Even more dangerous is ignoring God's commands and being held responsible for your lack of action on the day of judgement. I'm more afraid of the dangers of being outside the will of God than the dangers of this world. Elizabeth Elliot says, "If our object is to save others we must be clear that we cannot save ourselves."

This quote makes me think about a game we played with the kiddos last Saturday. I'm not sure what it is called and I'm still not completely sure of all the rules but this is how it goes... There are 2 teams on either side of the court, each with a base. Each teams tries to tag people from the other team. If you are tagged you must touch and stay at the base of the opposing team. Then, if one of your teammates is tagged they must begin to form a chain by touching you and you touching the base. Your team must try to tag people from the other team but also try to free those bound by the chain by touching the last persons hand without being tagged themselves. If they are tagged they join the chain as well. Whichever team tags everyone from the other team wins (I know this may sound confusing because I'm not very good at explaining games but hopefully you get the gist). If there is a a chain, it can be difficult and dangerous for the person attempting to free them because the enemy is seeking to make them part of their chain as well.

When we played I was the only one left on my team who was not part of the chain. Therefore, if we wanted to win it was up to me to free the other team members, but freeing them would mean putting myself at risk of loosing my own freedom (Sidenote: I don't like being in this position. When we play underground church at home I am the first person to hide and stay in my hiding place until the game is over instead of freeing people from the jail. Even if it is just a game, I dont naturally put my life on the line for others). I had a decision to make. I could put myself at risk and try to save my teammates or I could stayed on my base and enjoy my freedom (salvation). Although I really wanted to stay on base where I was comfortable and free, I looed out at my teammates who were bound by chains of the enemy and counting on me to be their escape. They wanted to be freed and I was the only one who could free them. It would have been really selfish of me if I stayed on base while others were being held captive. Plus, the game would have never ended and no one would have won. Therefore, I got out of my comfort zone and headed towards danger in an attempt to free the people being enslaved... And if you know me and my athletic abilities you know that I was tagged and became part of the chain as well, allowing the other team to win...

But the point is that as Christians we are saved, but God does not call us to a life of comfort. The true Christian life is a hard one filed with trials, persecution, and danger. We are in a spiritual war with God on one side and Satan on the other. Christ gives us freedom but people under Satan's rule are bound in chains. It is our Christian responsibility to go into danger, into the battlefield, and reach out to those bound by Satan's lies, free them, and bring them to the feet of Christ. It may mean leaving comforts or even sacrificing your own life but it is a risk worth taking if it means allowing others to experience the freedom and life you have in Christ. And the sooner we recognize the need to follow Christ's command, the sooner the game/war is over. And, unlike my game where we lost, we know that even if we are "tagged" the enemy will never be victorious. We know that the war we are in is already won! Will you be faithful in the battle? Will I? I hope so. I pray that when I meet my heavenly Father He will look on me and say, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

My God is a Father to the fatherless

"Honor your father and mother..." Exodus 20:12

"Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right." Ephesians 6:1

"My son, pay attention to my words;

listen closely to my sayings.

Dont lose sight of them;

Keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them, and health to one's whole body." Proverbs 4:20

These children need a mother. To kiss their boo-boos when they get hurt. To run to when something is bothering them. To talk to. To love them and hold them when they are sad. To make their favorite food when they need it. To rejoice over them when they accomplish something extraordinary. To be their biggest fan.

These children need a father. To teach them life lessons. To teach them the word of God. To discipline them when they do something they are not supposed to. To laugh with and wrestle with. To have a role model to look up to. To have someone provide for their every need.

It amazes me how independent these children are. They have lived on their own for so long that they don't really need anyone to take care of them. And when what they do face something that seems like its just too much to bear, they run to the corner to be by themselves and face it on their own, not wanting to show the world that they are hurting, sometimes even holding back tears. On the other hand, A lot of things that maybe should hurt them or their feelings don't. Its almost as if their hearts have become so caloused from previous pains and hardships. But then sometimes, they do break down, and honestly I don't know what to do in those times. I want to run to them and hug them, but they wont let me. I want to comfort them but they think I might hurt them. I want to discipline them but they usually don't understand what I'm saying or why they should live differently. I want to kiss their boo-boo but they put their arm in the way. I ask whats wrong but they can't explain their pain to me because of the language barrier. I want to tell them that I love them but even if I do I wonder if they really believe me. After all, I am going to leave them in a month. They probably think that if I really loved them I wouldn't leave or I would take them with me. I want to be a mother to them while I am here, and I will do my best to l0ve them as a mother loves her children, but when I do leave they will be back to their old ways, living in independence, depending on no one else but themselves for strength and comfort and love. When we leave there will be 5 less people loving on them and disciplining them. Yes, they have the people who work at the orphanage and the older orphans who act as big br0thers and sisters. But they don't have a mother. and they don't have a father.

I work with the Pre-Elementary class which is the equivalent of pre-school and one of the little boys in the orphanage is in that class. He is 5 years old and has lived in the orphanage since he was 1 week old. One day he was getting in trouble left and right - hitting people, screaming, not doing his work, throwing things, you name it. My first instinct was to say, "Wait until I tell your mother how you've been acting. I'm sure she will not be happy." But you cant do that in this situation. One of the Ate's at the orphanage was called in to take care of the situation and she talked to him but she is not his mother. She can't make sure that he is always doing what he is supposed to do and behaving, especially when there are 30 other children she has to look after as well. How could she give this child and all the others the love and direction they need to succeed in life.

When I was a little girl and was scared or hurt I knew I always had my parents to run to for safety. I always knew I would be loved, hugged, kissed, comforted, sung to, and told I love you. These children have never had that. There is no one they can consistently run to. And that breaks my heart.

Parents, especially fathers, are to be earthly examples of our Heavenly Father. Thankfully, God blessed me with the best example of a father, and because of my father I understand the relationship I can share with my Heavenly Father. I know that He loves me unconditionally, wants the best for me, will always provide for my needs, and will discipline me and teach me in the way of the Lord. These children have had horrible or no relationship with their earthly fathers. We celebrated fathers day at church and my heart sank as I realized that these children do not have a father to celebrate. The Bible is full of verses that say honor your father and mother and listen to parents advise and instruction, but who will these children listen to, look to, and honor? My prayer is that as a team we would be able to bring these children to the feet of their heavenly Father who loves them and cares for them more than any earthly father ever could. He is a father to the father less. If earthly fathers provide for their children and love their children, how much more does our Heavenly father love us? Oh, how He loves... I pray that their broken relationship with their earthly father does not hinder them from building a relationship with their Heavenly father. So many times it is hard for children who come from broken families to see that God is different from their earthly father. They see God in the same way they saw their father on earth - one who expects too much from them or one they obey out of fear. One who will only love them if they do what he asks. That is not my Heavenly Father.

Please pray with me and the team that we would show these children Christ's love for them while we are here. Pray that we show them how much their Abba Father loves them. Pray that he would do miraculous things in their lives and change their hearts. Pray for us as a team as we go to school Monday through Friday on our summer break. Pray that we would be patient and slow to anger. Pray that the children in our Christian Education classes would understand the lessons they are learning, even through the language barrier. Pray that Gods will be done.

Magandang Hapon!

Magandand Hapon! That means good afternoon in Tagalog. The literal translation is "beautiful afternoon" which I think is amazing! Doesn't that sound so cool?! So this trip has been great so far. The orientation in and of itself was intense. We went through intense security training which I will hopefully not have to use, learned how to bathe out of a bucket, wash clothes out of a bucket, use a squatty-potty, and learn how to kill a chicken, clean it, then cook it. That was really hard. I never thought that that would be a hard task but after picking a chicken and looking into his eyes and hearing his cries for help it was hard. I almost thought I was going to become a vegetarian, but I got guts and finally just picked up the ax and... well you know... Eating it was almost harder than the actual killing. It did not taste very good, but I think thats because I knew what it took to get the food on the table. I have no trouble eating chicken now as long as I don't kill it :)
I learned so much from the missionaries at training. They have really taught me a lot about the Christian walk and what Gods desire for our lives is. They prepared us so well for the task that God has before us.
So now, I am sitting in the living room of the pastor and his wife which is in the same courtyard of the church and orphanage. The children are playing outside and my team members are napping after a morning filled with walking around the city and passing out tracks to everyone we came in contact with and waiting their turn for the internet. For that reason, I will try not to take long. I am so happy here, even though it is hot and I stick and smell so bad right now. I am happy because I know I am doing what the Lord has asked me to do and there is no greater feeling than knowing that you are in the will of the Lord.
I have not said a lot about the children and the orphanage, but it is Open Door Christian Orphanage in San Pablo, Philippines. The Pastors wife runs the orphanage and the academy. The children here are not orphans in the sense that they are fatherless, but their families cannot support them so they bring them here to get an education and the proper nutrition they need. A lot of them come from broken and abusive families yet they are so happy and full of life. They love to play all day! Like literally from 7am-9pm. But they are such a joy to play with :) I love them so much already and I've only just met them. They are eager to teach us tagalog and I have really learned more tagalog in the couple days I've been here than I did at training.
I can't wait to see what God has in store! Its been great so far and I can't wait to see what happens after building great relationships with the people here. Please continue to pray earnestly without ceasing. God can do such great things through prayer and we can do nothing for Him without it. Until next time!

-grace

Here Am I Lord... Send Me.

So it's finally here! Its the night before I leave for training. The last night I will spend in my wonderful bed for the next two months. I finally finished packing about an hour ago. It wasn't very hard because there isn't a lot I can bring anyway. I have a duffle bag that I will check in at the airport but it only weighs about 24 lbs. It seems so surreal that I am actually going on this trip finally. I've been preparing for it for the past 4 months, praying about it for the last 7 months, and have felt called to this mission for the past 2 years. For those of y'all who I have not told a lot about this trip, here is the history.

Two years ago, my freshman year in college, I was looking on the International Mission Board website for a missions opportunity in the summer. I came across a trip called "Little Orphan Nanny" which involved going to Manila, Philippines and working in an orphanage for two months ministering to the children and helping out around the orphanage however you could. This sounded like a dream come true. I started researching the trip and I felt God call me and speak to me like never before. I told my parents about it but they encouraged me to start with a smaller international mission trip before I went away for two months. I figured that was wise, so I went to Lima, Peru for 2 weeks with Focus on the Family. It was great, but I knew I wanted to go deeper. To learn about people by living with them. To experience a different culture. To build relationships. To build trust. To stay for a longer amount of time. To get out of my comfort zone and learn what it is to truly rely on God for everything... So last October I started wondering what I was going to do over the summer again and the "little orphan nanny" trip came into my mind. I looked it up online to see if they had another team going this summer and they did! I was so excited and started my application without praying about it first. It took a while, but finally in January I had confirmation from God that this is where He wanted me this summer and I'm so happy to answer Gods call.

I'm excited about the months ahead. I'm going to be doing what I love doing best. Hanging around with children, playing with them, and loving on them with the love of Christ. There's something special about working with children. They are so receptive to the Word of God. So eager to learn. God calls us to have child-like faith. To call on God, worship Him, and come to him with our problems like a child goes to his father. Abba. Daddy. Protect us. Lead us. Show us Your ways. Show us Your heart for the poor and the needy, the orphans and widows. Teach us to love like You love us. Here I am, Lord. Send me.