Things I will miss

It hasn't all been just playing with the kids while I've been at Rehoboth. I have also been out with Sarah for a few afternoon activities. I've had my first ride on a motor bike (please don't freak out too much, Mum! I didn't crash or anything!!) and we visited a few waterfalls!

So much fun!

See, mum! Protective head gear. No need to worry :)

Gorgeous places

Bombs away!

I also made friends with a few critters this week, including a gecko this morning - which was fun until something unfortunate happened...

I found a cute little gecko!

Oops

And here a couple of photos with the kids! My apologies for the quality.

Off to the playground

Birthdays and songs

If you hadn't gathered from the previous post made by Mum, Friday was my 19th birthday. My first birthday in another country from my family but my 3rd in 5 years away from them. I've also now had birthdays in 4 different countries and as many continents!! Birthdays are a very big deal in the Philippines, so it was exciting to find out that myself and one of the other volunteers had our birthdays two days apart!

 In order to be fair, we decided to take the kids to the pool on Thursday to celebrate, as this was between our birthdays. She paid for the entrance fee and I bought snacks for everyone. We were at the pool for 4 hours and it was a success. A few of the little kids got cold quickly but there were 2 who adamantly refused to leave the pool despite shivering like crazy!! As long as they could swim they would! I participated in some fierce games of shoulder ride wars and competitions to see who could avoid being thrown in the pool with the oldest kids and some staff. I paid for it the next day with stiff shoulders and an incredibly sore neck, but I'd do it again!! (Maybe minus the shoulder rides...)

For my birthday I hired a videoke machine for the kids and mamas to enjoy! After their siesta yesterday, the party began with them singing happy birthday and eating ube (purple yam) flavoured cake. I was happy for them to enjoy it, so I only sang twice, The staff and the older girls got into it and the rest just watched. It is too difficult for the ones who are only learning to read to be able to follow along with the English words. I also handed out Caramelo Koala chocolates to all the kids. I only stayed for about 2 hours partly because I was exhausted and partly because I had a few Skype calls lined up! Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!! :)

Other than birthday stuff, I haven't done much other than hang out with the babies this week. We were outside much of Tuesday; at the playground and I supervised while they swam in a wading pool - I got burned. I taught them "Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. If you see a crocodile don't forget to scream. Ahh!" They have mastered the screaming part! I also sang the Wheels on the bus song and taught them the verse, "The money on the bus goes clink, clink, clink." On Sat night I was with them for an hour until they went to bed. One boy kept asking for " clink, clink, clink" and "croc-dile". I also made up a silly song to the tune of Frère Jacques "At-e Jai-me, At-e Jai-me, ma-gan-da, ma-gan-da!" (Basically I taught them to sing that I am beautiful!!) And the same boy kept coming up to me and singing "A-gan-da!" So cute!!

It hasn't all been celebrations this week. Mama Gemma died from liver failure on Thursday night. Please pray for the woman's family and also the staff and children of Rehoboth during this time.

I have been so blessed to witness and be involved in 2 incredible ministries to the children of the Philippines and I would encourage you also to keep Rehoboth and Covenant Christian Academy in your prayers.

Happy Birthday!

So the danger of asking your mum to help edit posts is ... the possibility of having her hijack your post ... on your birthday!

So Jaime, Happy birthday from all of your family! We think you are an amazing, brave, beautiful, godly daughter and sister and we are so proud of you and miss you - especially today. Enjoy your last 2 weeks and we can't wait to see you again. Although, I'm pretty sure that after the incredible time you have had in the Philippines, this won't be the last time you are away for your birthday!

Here's a brief journey through the years!

After receiving money from Grandad for her birthday!

In Africa - after a little friend cut off her hair.

At Taronga Zoo, Sydney - this day last year!

Love you Jaime girl!

Period of adjustment... again

I've now been at Rehoboth for one week. It's been hard to make adjustments to a new place and new people again. I felt like I had finally settled at Rizal, and then I left. Only this time, it was like compound goodbyes and missing people. Because now I miss my friends in Rizal, as well as my family and friends in Australia! I keep feeling like, because of the new place and people there should be another time change. I can't tell you how many times I have looked at my watch and thought, "oh, it's 5:30 which means it's... also 5:30 in Rizal."
But God is good and he has provided with some great friends here also. I have been blessed by the 3 other volunteers who are here; 2 of whom are from the same area of Australia, and the other is from Japan. It was a surprise to discover that the three of us from Australia all live within 40 min drive of each other, and Sarah and I know a number of the same people. (I already knew about some of them, because that is how I heard about Rehoboth. And there was a team from my church who came here a few years ago.) I have enjoyed discussing with the other volunteers our different life experiences, especially with the two ladies in their 60s. Just another way I have experienced God's extensive kingdom!!
I have also enjoyed sspending several hours each day just playing with the children. My first (not counting last Monday) day didn't involve much playing because I was teaching 3 maths classes! Sarah, their teacher, had to go to Manila for the day so I agreed to take the classes. I think it went alright!
I think it was my third day here when I discovered that one of the most helpful things I can do is just play with the kids. They love the attention and it frees up the mamas (the caretakers) to be able to do some of their other jobs. So I spent most of last week back and fourth between the babies home and the children's home (two different sections of the same compound), spending a few hours at each. I think that the toddlers are my favourite age group, but the other 2 volunteers (Sarah has several official roles so she doesn't really count) already spend most of their tune there so I feel like is only fair if I divide my time equally between the babies and the children. And I do enjoy my time with the bigger kids too.
Unfortunately, I will not have many photos to share of my tinge at Rehoboth partly due to policies and partly due to the fact that I can't take photos of myself doing activities. If I had come with a team or another person, or even if I  could duplicate myself, I'm sure I could more photos. Since none of those things exist we will all have to be satisfied with few pictures, and my silly sketches!!
I did, however, take many pictures and videos of the parade and street services at the Hane Festival in Tanay on Saturday. The volunteers, directors, and the 9 elementary school aged kids braved the rain and heat to attend the festival, and it was so much fun. The kids loved it ave did a much better job at standing for 4hrs than I did!
Prayer requests
- thank God that I am settled now and for the friends he has provided
- For energy and good health as I haven't been feeling 100% for the past few weeks. I just need enough to make the most of my time here and get home ib 2 and a half weeks.
- Preparations due the team from Covenant College (the school I graduated from last year) who will be going to CCA in a week.
- guidance in sharing my faith in the opportunities
God has provided.

  clockwise from left:

1. last wed i held one of the babies until he went to sleep. i also played with the toddlers at the ssmr time!
2. while i wsd drawing these our resident bird escaped and came in my room - it took about half an hour to catch! the other lady from aust bought the bird at a pet shop last sun, only 3 days after she arrived
3. last thurs i read books to the kids for more than an hour until my throat hurt. and there is always someone playing with my watch!

  one of the street dances

Farewell Rizal

Today is my last day in Rizal, so I wanted to publicly thank everyone at Covenant Christian Academy for having me and for their hospitality and love. I really enjoyed my time here in Rizal and will miss you all. I would also like to thank the Royo family for having me stay at their home, and for teaching me how to hand wash my clothes!

It has been a blessing to spend time with and get to know the staff at CCA. It has been wonderful to witness your love for the students and commitment to your ministry with them. Having been on the receiving end of such ministry for the last 11 years, I really appreciated seeing the other side. Thank you for this opportunity to learn from you. Also, thanks for all the food and trips to SM and sleepovers and videoke! You have all become good friends and I'll miss you very much.

The amazing staff at Covenant Christian Academy

I also wanted to share few photos that I have taken.

View from my window

At Sampaloc Lake with Teacher Reeza, Teacher Malou, their sons, and Ate Raquel (my host family's daughter). That's Jacob with me at the front and Ralph at the back.

 Also at Sampaloc Lake

Tayak Hill from across the lake

Top of Tayak Hill

A barangay patrol vehicle (a barangay is equivalent to a suburb). 

This was what we rode up to the Tayak Hill track in because the barangay captain is the brother of the teacher who took me up there.

My tracing of the Philippines - I tried to mark the 3 provinces I am spending time in

The full rehearsal for the opening dance of Eat Bulaga. 
I promise it is a TV game show, not a rock concert!

Students at CCA practising their Christmas presentations.

A root of a giant tree that was destroyed by Typhoon Glenda. It was saved as a reminder.

Dinner with friends

Please enjoy these few visual depictions of my time in Rizal. I'll try to put some more up, but it is a tedious process. Although, as of next week I'm going to have to get serious about taking photos for myself!!

I have had such a fantastic time. It was hard to say goodbye to the students on Friday and I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to the staff today. But at the same time I'm excited for what God has planned for me at Rehoboth Children's Home.

P.S. Thanks, Mum, for all your help! None of these posts would be possible without all your help proofreading, editing and doing all the stuff I can't on the mobile site/touch screen. Lesson learned: next time bring the laptop and leave the tablet!

Answers to prayer

During my time here there have been times when God's presence and answers to prayer have been very poignant.

The first has been in regards to safety. I have had no concerns, thanks to the teachers who always accompany me. Although, I am not very comfortable with the attention I receive for my appearance. I think I have yet to meet anyone so far who is taller, even though I'm only about 5'8". There is also a general fascination with my pale skin, "blonde" hair and blue eyes. I should mention that people generally desire paler skin here, it seems like every second commercial is about a skin whitening soap/moisturizing treatment. It took me a while to work out why my hair kept being described as "blonde". I think it's because when a blonde dye is used on black hair, the result is somewhat similar to my brownish-red.The other common description is gold.


I get a number of stares when I walk around town, or the malls or ride on jeepneys. And, while the fact that the students and teachers like to touch my skin doesn't really bother me, I didn't really like walking through a market and having a number of vendors touch my arms as I walked past. One of teachers with me at the time commented that it was like I was magic lamp that could bring them luck in their business if they rubbed it. I have not felt threatened by any of this, only uncomfortable with the attention.

Last Saturday on the way home from the TV show I was very tired and feeling a little alone in the crowd due to communication difficulties. I was also disappointed because I had missed two calls from my family despite making sure that my phone was where I'd be able to hear it. Mum texted after the first call to say that she would try again in a little while, but I missed that too. So I prayed that God would get Mum to call again, because I was missing them and really wanted to speak to someone who understands me. Then, I had to just trust.

Since I had a 4hr bus ride ahead of me I decided I would read through the weekly readings again (Jeremiah 40 - 47). The first words I read were ""Comfort, comfort all my people" says the Lord." I think I started crying at that point. I needed to be reminded that that God is my ever present and only true source of comfort. And I marvelled at how when I read that earlier in the week it hadn't really meant much. But in that moment when I was desperate for comfort it was exactly what I needed!!

It took me about an hour to read through the rest of the chapters, but nothing really struck me in the same way that first verse of Jeremiah 40 did. After that I listened to some worship music on my phone, and the phone rang!!! I was struggling with answering the phone because I was so focused on thanking God for answering my prayer. The call only lasted about 5 minutes because the connection was bad but it was ok because I had already been comforted. It was enough just to hear mum's voice and know that God was with me.

There are plenty of other times where I have seen God at work and felt his presence, but I just wanted to share that particular instance because I think that was the most powerful for me.
Thanks for all your prayers, I really appreciate it!