Malaybalay

Hello!!

I am officially in the Philippines. It is 4:20 pm Monday the 13th right now. It is about 13 hours difference.

We had orientation in Rainsville, AL. It was filled with A TON of information, team building, and security training. I got to know so many people so quickly, we all became such good friends in a short amount of time. My team is amazing. It's me and 3 other lovely ladies. We are truly turning into sisters now. :)

We left the States (wow, that's weird to say) on Tuesday and arrived in the Philippines on Thursday. We did not get to experience Wednesday; time change is so strange. After a very long 16 hour flight, we landed. Whew! We spent the night in Davao City with our supervisor, Lizzie. Then took a 5 hour bus ride north to Malaybalay.

Lately we have just been observing and getting to know the kids a little bit. We just got our schedules and the kids started school today, so hopefully a routine will start. There are 27 kids at New Faith Family Children's Home. They range from babies to 14 year olds. They are all so very precious in their own way. They try to say my name, but it comes out "clear". Apparently that is a type of shampoo here, so they relate me to that.

It's been different adjusting to the culture and climate here. I never realized how much I loved and depended on the comforts of home until they were taken away. I actually never realized how everyday things were "comforts". We see them as necessities.

This town is absolutely beautiful. We are surrounded by mountains. The home is about 3 miles from the town, so it is really peaceful.

We have rice with EVERY meal. So that's....fun. Ha. I've tried a lot of new Filipino foods and I'm learning some Cebuano phrases and words.

I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of information, but I'm trying to write this quickly. We don't get a whole lot of time for communication purposes, especially since there are 4 of us that need to use the computers.

Side note: I passed my Praxis!! So I can officially teach...once I graduate in December!

If you have a chance, you should look at my teammates's blogs:

Joelle: www.ashleyjoelle.blogspot.com (She should have pictures/videos up!)

Maicie: www.maiciehammons.blogspot.com

To see what my other brothers and sisters are doing and updates on our team please visit www.nehemiahteams.blogspot.com.

I love you all so much and miss you all terribly! Please continue to lift us up in prayer.