Humbling

First week is DONE! I think the first week of anything new is the hardest. This was no different.

I have realized that what I thought was necessity at home are really just comforts. So the first few days of not having those comforts at all were pretty hard. Each day is a struggle, but each day is a learning experience. God is molding, shaping, and humbling me.

We started our shift work Tuesday. There is always at least one of us in with the babies/toddlers all day. Two of us are partnered together twice a night to do an overnight shift which is from 10pm to 6am. They give us mattresses on the floor so we can sleep. I was expecting the worst, but it really wasn't that bad. The older kids are in school during the day. So one person will have a shift at 5am to wake the boys up and get them ready, eat breakfast, and get them off to school. The kids come back to the home for lunch, so one of us has a shift then to make sure they eat, do their chores, and get back on the bus. Then, of course, there is a shift for the same reasons at dinner.

I have absolutely loved getting to know the kids. I would much rather be spending time with the older kids, so I hate that they are at school all day. The majority of our time is spent with the babies/toddlers. It's hard to see that we are doing work for the Kingdom because we can't really disciple them. I've realized just how little faith I've had. I doubted for a while that I would raise enough money to make the trip. Well, God completely blew that out of the water! I know God doesn't waste time or make junk. I just have to trust that His light is shining through me daily and that someone is catching its' glimpse. If anything, I know God is growing in me, and that in itself is marvelous.

The children range in age from one month to 14 years old. There is one baby who has cerebal palsy and another child has a cleft lip. They all speak English. Of course, 4 Southern girls in the Philippines, they have a hard time understanding us sometimes. Yes, I've already picked out a kid who I'd take home with me if I could. He's absolutely precious, but then again, they all are!

My team is phenomenal. We aren't all together anymore because of our shift duties, and we are sad about that. However, on the weekends, no one has overnight duty, so we can catch up, chat, and just goof off then.

Our living conditions aren't terrible and I know that compared to some of the other teams, we are in luxury. We have showers, toilets, beds, and electricity. The water we bathe in is colder than the water we drink. So that definitely wakes us up in the morning! We do have to wash our clothes by hand. Thankfully, I brought some jump ropes for the kids, so we've used them to create a makeshift clothes line in our room. It's quite the sight and quite the obstacle to get from the door to our beds, especially at night.

Having Mondays to get online and call home is such a blessing. Being halfway around the world is hard, so being able to hear familiar voices is VERY comforting. Some amazing people got together and each wrote me an encouraging letter a week for the summer. You have no idea how precious mail is when you're so far from home. I've had to restrain myself from opening all those notes at once!

Please continue to pray for us. So far no one has gotten sick or gotten lice! (Knock on wood.) Which is a miracle in itself. Homesickness and just sheer tiredness can really affect you, if you let it. So pray that those things don't hinder our work here in Malaybalay.

Next Monday we are going to ride the longest zip line!! It's over 300 feet long and you ride it laying down like Superman. AHH!! So excited! (and completely terrified!)

I love you all and miss you all very much. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Worthy is the Lamb!