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!

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.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a big day.

Tomorrow my big sister marries the love of her life.

She will go from Ms. Sarah Mattox to Mrs. Sarah Powell.

She is such an amazing big sister. She has always been there for me; through thick and thin.

Yes, we fought constantly, and still do sometimes, but when it comes down to it, she is my sister.

Tomorrow is also a big day for my best friend.

She has completed the criteria for a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders as outlined by the University of Mississippi.

She has worked incredibly hard these past four years.

We are all SO proud of her.

Amy and I met waaaay back in the day. We lost touch, but the Good Lord brought us back together at the wonderful, ICC.

She has been there for me in absolutely everything.

Tomorrow is a big day for both of my families.

I love you both so VERY much!

It's getting closer

In five days my sister will be married! We are all so excited!

In twenty one days, I will say goodbye to my family and friends. May 30th, I start team leader orientation for the summer. June 2nd, begins general orientation for the summer. On June 7th, I will fly out for the Philippines. Ah! It's all starting to happen so fast!

I do have an address for the summer:

Claire Mattox

c/o Mark Hymes

P.O. Box 47

8700 Malaybalay

Philippines

Who doesn't love getting snail mail? I certainly do! Keep in mind that it'll take about 2 weeks for it to get to me. However, I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you!

Mondays will be my day off, so I will be able to get on Facebook, update the blog, and check my email. If you'd rather shoot me an email, that'd be lovely, too. claire_mattox@yahoo.com

Slight change of plans

I know I told you that I would be spending the summer in Davao City. Well, one of the characteristics of a missionary is flexibility. With that being said, I will be serving in the town of Malaybalay. It is still on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is just more north than Davao City.

I will be serving at New Faith Family Orphanage. I was told that the children range in ages from 5 months to 14 years. Mainly babies and toddlers. That excites me!

Every Monday will be my day off. We will get to shop, sightsee, and communicate then. So be on the lookout for new blog posts on Monday! Well, it will be Sunday evening for you. I'll be 13 hours ahead!

Continue to pray for myself, my team (Victoria, Joelle, and Maicie), and for the children in the orphanage.

As far as school goes...I'M DONE! I took my last final Tuesday. It's been great to have such a stress-free exam week. I had time to complete a 1,000 piece puzzle!

Fundraising

I am selling t-shirts as a fundraiser for my Philippine trip this summer. Here is what it is going to look like:

The gray is going to be a lot darker on the actual shirt. The top right corner will be on the front and the rest will be on the back.

T-shirts are $12. You can also order this shirt in a V-neck style for $15.

I am hoping that through this fundraiser, I will raise the rest of my cost for my trip. So tell everyone about them! :) Let me know if you'd like to purchase one.

Summer Plans

Well, if you can't tell from the pictures above, I will be spending my summer in the Philippines. I will be on the Southern most island of Mindanao in Davao City. I will be staying at an orphanage and working there all summer. I fly out June 7th and return August 4th. I bought my plane ticket and looked at my flight itinerary and with all the time changes and such, I will land in Davao City on June 9th. The longest flight will be from Los Angeles to Manila which is a 16.5 hour flight. Eesh. I've never been on a plane for that long; not really looking forward to it.

I am really excited about this experience though. It'll be my first time overseas. I'm not taking my computer, nor will I have my phone. However, Davao City is a very urbanized city so there should be plenty of internet cafes that I can use to update. I feel like this summer is going to be very liberating, humbling, and eye opening.

My biggest concern is the money situation. Which I'm sure is normal. I have an amazing father who someone got the money together for me to purchase my plane ticket before the price went up any more. When I first found out about going to the Philippines, the ticket cost was $1775. However, when I purchased mine, it had gone up to $2202. My cost of living while I'm there is ~$1050. I know there is no purpose in worrying about the money. God has called me to go to the Philippines to love on the orphans there. So of course, He is going to provide the way for me.

My family has been very supportive of me. It's a situation in which they are excited for me to go, yet want me to stay here. The not having a phone thing kind of worries them, but it will be okay. I ask that you pray for me, my team, and my family. It's going to be different, but He is making the way for me. I'm just following.