April 28, 2010 - Bible Study

Tonight's Bible and Prayer time at one of our ladies' homes was wonderful. Instead of Ferd teaching as he usually does, he asked that each of the Study group share something that they have been learning through their own personal Bible study. This shows us how they are maturing. Some were not ready, others couldn't wait to share..we were so encouraged by the maturity of many of the folks!

We also enjoyed some Filipino pasta which is all buttery with celery leaves and some puto which is a spngy rice cake..I LOVE THOSE things and usually eat so many that it makes my stomach hurt... tonight was no exception.

April 26-27, 2010- Ferd's Trip North

We found out last night after church that Ferd's Uncle Andring is very ill and they don't expect him to make it much longer. Ferd was very upset. He is very close to Andring and spent most of his summers up at his house. I say " UP" because Andring lives like WAY on top of Luzon island. It is super far from here. Andring has been down here 2 times to visit us over the past 8 years and Ferd was able to share the Gospel with him. His son accepted the Lord, but Andring never did. This was weighing on Ferd's heart so heavy as he didnt want his favorite uncle to die without Christ. He left here about 10pm and drove all night. He got there at around 5am and went directly to the hospital. Andring can sit up ,but not for long. He is still coherent, but is losing strength quickly. He has liver cancer and it is at its last stages. In fact, while Ferd was there, the doctors sent Andring home so he could die at home. Ferd was able to open his heart and share the Gospel, plain and simple. He told him the whole story of God's love and how that without his acceptance of God's Son, he would die without any hope. Andring was concerned about his life, but Ferd shared that he needs to be more concerned about his soul. WE PRAISE THE LORD, that Andring surrendered his life, repented of his sin and accepted the Lord as his Saviour! Oh, Ferd is just thrilled and so happy that he will see his uncle again. Ferd spent a few hours with Andring and then turned around and came home. He got in around 11pm tonight and hadnt slept a wink in 2 days!!!! He went right to sleep...poor guy!

April 25, 2010 - Teens are my fave!

I have totally surrendered all my children's classes to others. That feels soooo good in many ways. First it is wonderful that I have successfully trained enough people to completely operate the children's ministry..that is one of the best feelings a missionary can feel. Secondly, I am sooo glad to move on to other ministries that I enjoy more. I love the kids, but they aren't my first pick of ministry I love to do. I like more of a challenge. Teaching kids is easy if you mess up with the language. They are more forgiving and don't put too much pressure on me. Teens are ALOT different. They are so much more critical and wil point out mistakes and even laugh. So, it really keeps me on my toes and makes me master the lesson before I get in front. I love it. And on a personal level, I love to be with the teens. They are so fun and my favorite group.

This is such a crucial time..Psalm 25:7 says " Remember not the sins of my youth".. Things we did in the past can haunt us. I have some mistakes I wish I hadnt made. But, I want to help these kids to not have the same mistakes..to guide them in the Lord so that they can use this precious time to serve the Lord in their singleness.

We have so many teens and young 20's that we have divided them now into 2 groups. One meets on Fridays and one on Sunday afternoon. I lead the Sunday afternoon group and love it!

April 24, 2010- Saturday

Saturdays are my crazy days. I stay so busy...I can't even think straight. I usually am balancing 10 things at once, but I like it that way. I like multi-tasking, and I love the work here. I am trying not to get too boggled down, though so that I don't relaps with my health probs. One things I have been really doing is making sure I have a high protein breakfast. Since I dont eat pork or red meat, I eat ALOT of fish...we eat fish nearly every morning. Eating fish for breakfast is the Filipino way of life and I love it! Ferd goes straight to the ocean when they are pulling in the nets and gets our fish super fresh, brings it home and we broil or bake it or grill it outside. We eat salmon ,talapia, bangus, and tons more.

Today I stayed busy with the choir, computer work, and working with the boys on guitar. We practiced " Humingi, Hanapin, Kumutok" for the worship service tomorrow.

April 23,2010 - New village Progress

Our Bible Study/Outreach is going ok. It has it's ups and downs. Some are growing, some are still inconsistant. But, we are seeing faithful people that do not miss, so we keep on going. There are some blessings and some obstacles. We are meeting in a lady's front yard. We started out in her small home, but outgrew that. Now, we are in her yard and need to make some decisions. The rainy season is coming soon and we need to start praying about 2 things. First , we still do not have a passenger van. We have been praying and asking the Lord for one for about 8 months now, but He has not seen fit to provide, probably because we did not need it urgently. But, in a few months, we will. So, hopefully and prayerfully..He will provide. Also, we need to provide a shelter to meet in. The lady said we could use her yard however we see fit, even to build a meeting place. We are thinking simple, like wooden frame or bamboo poles with a tin roof. There is so much to plan for and we need direction from the Lord...

April 19, 2010 - Chickens

AS many of you know, Sean has been raising chickens. He has been doing good with it, but I admit, I am doing much of the work. It is nice to have organic, natural foods. We have banana trees, mango trees, calamansi ( lemon) trees, coconut trees and papaya growing wild right in our yard. It is so cool.

Well, the chicken thing is a little different, because they are easy to build relationships with. Yes, they poopie everywhere , but I have gotten close to them and I don't like this whole idea now of raising them for food. It's hard. The one chicken follows me around the yard like a shadow. Each step I take, he is right there with me...like Im his mother. It's like they are trying to be cute so we won't kill them. We have had one casuality..our dog, Scooter got one chick and "played" with it. But, other than that ..it's going well, for now...

April 18, 2010 - Great Sunday!

Today was an amazing Sunday. We always have great services as our first church plant, LBC.

First, the College teens got up and praised the Lord for their time at camp. They took over an hour to praise and share what they learned and cry and just give thanks for the opportunity to go to camp and grow in the Lord. Then, they sang the theme song that they learned at camp, it was beautiful!
We then recognized the 8 new converts who were

baptized by presenting them with their certificates, which made them so proud. We also were able to present the new converts with their very first Bible, which we hope they will draw very close to.

Today, at the teen and college classes, their leader, Pastor Ronald was sick so I came in and led them. They are so special to me, and I am VERY close to each and every single one of them.

They tell me everything and treat me like their sister.

They are so on fire now that camp is over and today, we were able to organize two more soul winning groups who I will go out with and help reach 2 more areas that we haven't been in yet. We are all excited about

what the Lord has in store here for LBC as well as in the new church plant efforts..

April 17, 2010 - IT RAINED!

I can't believe it...it rained last night! It startled me at first since I hadnt heard rain drop on our tin roof for a LONG time. It hasnt rained one drop of water since late October! It is so dry, and we are under a severe water reserve. That makes it hard when it is soooo hot! I loved the rain shower last night, but it is also a grim reminder that dry season is ending and rainy season is next. That is 6 months of rain and typhoons...I am a little scared to be honest. The past 2 rainy seasons have been a nightmare for us.

Anyway, Summer is here. Camp, VBS, lots of ministry...oh, and flaming, scorching temperatures. It is unbearable at times. I seriously get physically ill from the heat. It aggrevates some of the health probs I had and it just drains me physically. Honestly, it is hard to do much of anything. I hate to cook as my sweat drops in the food...( ugh) and I hate to wash dishes becuase I use boiled water to kill the germs, and it literally makes me want to pass out it is soooo hot! I take around 3-4 showers a day, and have to wash so many clothes because of the sweat.

Today, it about killed me to work in the church. It is so hot there. I spent several hours woring with the handbell choir and in the office...time for a COLD shower and a fan!

April 12-16, 2010- CAMP

Well, camp is over and it was another successful year. We were blessed to see 23 college kids go up to Baguio mountain and draw closer to the Lord. 2 of the girls are from our new village outreach and it was cool to see them meet Christian friends and want to grow more in the Lord by watching more mature Christian youth have fun in serving God. They got back today and are so excited..so on fire for the Lord. We are so proud of our young people as they do 90% of the ministry with us.

April 13, 2010 - Babies!!

Here in the Philippines, animals roam free. I'm talking dogs, cats, cows, chickens, etc.. We always have animals in our yard..some belong to us, most do not. Well, our neighbor has a herd of goats that roam into our yard everyday and we have adopted them as if they are ours. We feed them and they each have their own names and personalities. Well, one of the ring leaders is who we call " Big Mama"..she has been pregnant Forever and we have anxiously watched her carry her baby and become VERY hormonal with the other goats. She shoves and pushes and gets mean when it comes to food...hey, it's something i did when I was pregnant, so I sympathize (-; But, finally..the babies are here. We thought it would be just one, but she had twins, they are so cute!!! We need to name them..hmmm

April 12, 2010 - Happy Anniversary

I love Ferd so much. He is my best friend. Sure, we are totally different. We look, speak and think completely opposite. But, he is my soul mate, my best friend. Usually you hear love songs about how you could never love someone like you love your mate..yeah, that is true, but in my case, I have to change the wording around. I not only have never loved like this, I have never been loved like this. He loves me so deeply and so much, like I can't even fathom why I deserve him. He is so gentle, so caring. He treats me in a way that I can't even explain. Maybe all wives feel this way, but I certainly am blessed..

I grew up not being " special"...oh, my family loved me and I had a wonderful childhood..but, I'm speaking in a different realm right now. I mean that there was nothing that made me stand out. I wasn't pretty, as I struggled with weight issues back in high school, and just went through a very awkward stage where I didn't know how to fix myself up...I wasn't athletic, and I wasn't scholarly. I rode on my personality to have alot of friends, but when it came to boyfriends..well, they were non existant. I am so glad now that I don't have that baggage, but at the time, it was devestating to watch all my friends have countless boyfriends and I was always odd man out.

I didn't know that the Lord was holding out the best and I am so glad I didn't waste my love on worthless past conquests which would have been a huge regret now. Thank you Lord for protecting me from the mistakes that many others have made, and I could have made if given the opportunity. No one is perfect.

anyway, it just made my relationship with Ferd so much more pure and deep. When we met and fell in love, it was so intense and a first love for both of us. Oh, I love this man so much. He is my best friend and such a Godly man that I admire. He inspires me to be a better person and to have a deeper relationship with Christ.

We have overcome many obstacles that honestly would make a great romantic movie. I come from a place where interracial marriage is not common and it was one wild ride..one that was exciting and terribly romantic. I may write a book one day...

anyway, specifically about today...we didn't do much because we have so much excitement in our everyday life that quiet getaways are more our style. We took Sean to Rosales and had a nice lunch at "Ituro Mo, Ihaw Ko" one of our favorite grills that is SOOOO good! Sean took our pic..

April 11, 2020 - Camp Begins!

It's finally here..the highlight of the year for our college level kids. Since high school ends here in the 10th grade, 16 year olds are already considered college level! We had 3 new graduates to enter the camp aged group this year...a total of 23 campers. Ferd drove them all the way up to Baguio Mountains where they will spend the next week.

Ferd is coming back here to celebrate our anniversary tomorrow!!! The Big 1-3! I can't believe how fast time flies!

April 9, 2010- Romeo part2

Well, we finally had to transfer Romeo to another hospital. He laid in a hall way for 4 days, rolling in pain with no medication or attention. It was horrible. We got so fed up that we loaded him up in our car and just drove to the nearest next hospital we could find. Romeo finally got his surgery and is on the mend. What a nightmare...

April 7, 2010 - Romeo

Ferd's brother, Romeo, was in a serious motorcylce accident and it is a miracle he is a live. He was hit by a tricycle driver, who totally claims fault. We are thankful that the tricylce driver loaded up Romeo and took him to the hospital instead of leaving him on the side of the road like most would do.
Romeo is in a nasty, overcrowded hospital. We just got back from the hospital and he needs emergency surgery but there is no room and no doctor available. He finally has a bed and an IV but he is still sitting outside in a walk way in excruciating pain. It just took my breath away to see someone suffering like that and there is nothing we can do..

April 4- Easter Sunrise/Baptism

Today, we got up at 4am for our Easter sunrise service, and I thought I would be a zombie all day, but the Spirit that was there at our service really picked me up and energized me! Especially when the new converts got up and shared their testimonies, it was very emotional. I am so thankful for the work that the Lord has given us here. The same work that tears me up and wears me down, also picks me up and gives me life.

April 2, 2010 - Good Friday

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/filipino-men-crucify-themselves-18947888

March 31, 2010 - Rough night

Tonight at the Bible Study, we were having a good time, singing hymns, sharing praises... it was a great meeting.. until.....






..... all the sudden, a drunk man violently disrupted our service. He started screaming and threatening us. He cursed and screamed at all the Bible study peeps, and even right at me and Sean. I can't understand why Satan won't just give up already. He uses the same tactics and it's getting old. We have been threatened so many times, and I don't get too offended anymore..but, when they do it at Sean..well, that is a different story. Ferd plans to go deal with it tomorrow as he did not want to make a scene in front of all the attendees.

March 29- April 2 - HOLY WEEK

Holy Week is horrible here. That is terrible to say, but it is. It is a week of drunkenness, wickedness and creepy parades.

Some people drink themselves drunk and whip them selves with whips and others even go to the extreme of nailing themsleves to wooden crosses.

It is digusting and distorted. Easter is not celebrated here and not acknowledged. Stores are closed all week but then open on Sunday like its just another day. They like to keep Christ as either a baby who they can make idols of and hang beads on...or a bloody Savior on a cross who they can pervert the whole meaning of His death. They have no idea that He is risen and is coming again, nor that they need Him. It is truly sad....

March 30, 2010- Getting Out

It felt good to get out today and do some things. I have been inside for a couple of months, both in the hospital and house. I only leave to go to church and ministry outreach..so, it felt good to go somewhere. I felt really strong today and made it several hours out.

We went to the post office and mailed our prayer letters to our supporters..and then on to the High school where we were going to watch the 2010 Class Graduation. We have 3 graduates this year from our church and we went to support them and cheer them on!

March 29 - Happy 9th BDAY Sean