The Mountains, Compadres, and Precious Promises

Cultural Dictionary (Forgive me, I'm really not a expert and phonetic spelling but I tried!)

Ate - [pronounced Ah-tay] It means older sister, but as a sign of respect, you call anyone here who is older than you Ate (insert name) or just plain Ate is fine too. 

Kuya- [koo-yuh] the male version of ate (big brother) We call all the guards at the clinic Kuya, if they are older than us (they are all older than me).

Milo- a sort of energy drink/hot chocolate mix made by Nestle. It is pretty popular in most countries outside the US too. We give it to our patients when they are in labor and after they have had there baby. It is always mixed with milk powder and sugar. 

Jeepny - a jeepny is a unique form of public transportation. It is sort of like a cross between a bus and a very large truck bed. there is a roof, but no glass in the windows, and one bench seat on either side of the "bed" area. I will try to get a picture of a jeepny. It costs 6 pesos to ride one way and they have their own route, like a bus. You can tell where a jeepny goes by the name of the street or neighborhood painted on the side of it. For example, I live in Obrero, so I would take the Obrero jeepny to get home.

pancit- a sort of Filipino noodle dish, kind of like chow mein with really thin rice noodles. 

buntis- the Visayan word for a pregnant woman. 

Maayong gabii- [Mah-aye-yong Gah-be-ee] good evening in Visayan 

                  buntag - [Boon-tah g] morning

                  hapon- [ha-pone] 

Maayong gabii! I am sitting on the balcony of my house, which is one of my favorite places to be (it is probably the most quiet) drinking hot milo with powdered milk, and listening to the rain all around me in Davao CIty. Today all of the first year students got up at 5:30am to go have a fun day with the Filipino workers at the clinic; the midwives, gaurds, office staff, cleaning and laundry crew. My supervisor, Ate Jhobee, organized all the events for the day. The Filipina gals had a sleepover at the clinic the night before and stayed up cooking pancit, fried chicken, pork, seaweed salad, and of course an ice chest full of rice. It isn't a Filipino meal without rice. They took us all up into the mountains in the clinic ambulance and a Jeepny, where it was actually pretty cold! We saw some of the beautiful country parts of Mindanao on our 3 hour squished jeepny ride. Our final destination was a little mountain resort where some people went swimming in the very cold, but very beautiful springs. There were beautiful waterfalls and green all around (unfortunately I figured out my camera battery was dead on my way up there (Hopefully there will be some pictures tagged on Facebook). 

We the Filipinos had games planned and they definitely know how to party and have fun! We laughed, talked, ate, and swam, until it was time to drive down the mountain and back into Davao City. I may have fallen asleep on my classmates shoulder for a few moments on the jeepny ride home. It was actually really nice, the comfort of her shoulder reminded me of my mom. Salem is a mom with four young kids, and moved here with her husband and kids (from Texas) to do the school. She is so sweet and loving, and I always feel comfortable and relaxed around her. The trip was a fun adventure, but I was so excited to get back home to the warmth of Davao and relax with my hot milo and my compadre Annabelle. 

Talking with Annabelle about the struggles and challenges we are having, God's amazing grace on our lives, and His dreams and plans for our lives has been such an amazing breath of fresh air for me lately! I am in SUCH need for Jesus, and it is so wonderful to have a friend I can talk to and receive encouragement from who will pray with me! There are so many of the girls that are so amazing and special here. I love the hopes and dreams that the Lord has put in each of our hearts for our lives, but it is still challenging because we all come from such different backgrounds and communities. It can feel pretty lonely sometimes. I am really actually thankful for this loneliness though, because it draws me so much closer to Jesus. The joy of the Lord is truly my strength. As I walk into this season of challenge, possibly more challenge than I have ever dealt with before, I have the strength of Christ more than I have ever had before. I can always rest on His promises. That He has called me here for a time and a purpose and that He will never leave or forsake me. I know that He will give me the strength I need in my weakness, because He told me He would. I keep remembering the words that ran through my mind months ago when I felt the Lord was giving me a choice to come here. "It won't be easy, but I am worth it." I go over these words in my head again and again and I thank God for His nearness. I also remember with this, that He also promised me fun and adventure! So I will be looking forward to that as well!!!

Buko (aka young coconut water), the most amazing and healthy drink here in the Philippines. It can be used to treat dehydration and urinary tract infections. It is loaded with electrolytes and potassium. It has been used as an IV before in rural hospitals when IV fluids are unavailable (personally, I'd rather have the buko even if the IV fluids are available. Haha.

Beautiful view from the beach at Paradise Resort on Samal Island. They took us there for two days and one night for our orientation. It was amazing! We had air con AND hot showers for one glorious day! 

Public transportation in the Philippines! We call them tricycabs. or tricys. They are one of many ways to get around. Super fun though! It costs about 10 pesos (25 cents) to get from my house to the closest malls/restaurants etc.

First day in the Phils

Well, after 37 hours of travel, I have made it to my new home in Davao City! The last day has been a little bit of a jet lagged blur, and I still feel like I am moving sometimes when I stand still. We arrived at 5:30pm last night (Wednesday). After dinner and a quick house meeting, we all started to settle into our new places and spaces.

The house is a bit more full than usual, because there are some girls interning here for the summer, and they are living in the other house right now. So, at the moment, we are sharing a 6 bedroom house with 19 girls. Out of the 6 bedrooms, 3 are used as student rooms (4 girls to each room). One of the rooms belongs to Joy, a graduated student who came back to re-vamp our curriculum. The second room is known as the "air con room" and is used for after girls get off night shift and need to sleep during the day hours. There is 2 sets of bunk beds in there. The 3rd and final room is our study room. I have claimed a corner space, which I am pretty excited about. I will be able to put my computer, textbooks (as soon as they arrive, and PLEASE pray that they arrive soon!), and all other school related items. I am planning to build a nice little study corner!

Today, we got photos for our I-cards (Identifications Card) that we will be getting once our visas come through and went shopping for cell phones, laundry items, toiletries, sheets, and other goodies we will need. Unfortunately, I was not able to get all the things I need, because I am waiting for more money to come through. I had a decent amount of money saved, but I had to spend a about $200 to get my luggage over here since they only allow 15 kilos on the domestic flight we took from Manila to Davao, and also about $75 to get a phone, SIM card, and "load" (for a pay as you go plan).

(I am still in need of monthly supporters as I have more expenses coming up with for my visa, household essentials, school supplies, and also outreaches. If you would like to support me with a one time or monthly gift, please email me, and I can let you know how to do that. I would greatly appreciate it!) 

After shopping, I went with a few of my classmates, and one of the staff at the clinic to get a massage and recover from the plane trip over here! (Sleeping upright does NOT make your neck feel good).  I had one of the best massages of my life by a very sweet Filipina and all for a whopping $3.50! HAHA. Doesn't get much better than that. I am feeling SOOO much better, and my neck has thanked me multiple times since then. After the massages, Heather (our teacher/clinic staff) informed us that we needed to find our own way home by riding in a tricicab, jeepny, or motorcycle taxi. It was a pretty short ride home, and we made it home in time for dinner. I was in heaven, there was homemade chili, cornbread, squash, and a very big very healthy/green salad. Tomorrow we get to go to Paradise beach for orientation and all home to catch some Z's and get some book reports done! I start shadowing at the clinic on Monday! As for the rest of this night, I believe it is time to lock my computer in its bag, away from the ants (who think its the coolest home ever), and go to bed. I will catch up after Paradise!

The Journey Begins

So, after a CRAZY week of goodbyes, I survived packing and being rear-ended less than 48 hours before I was set to leave the USA, and now here I am in Portland!

(A little back story on the car accident. I have been going to the chiropractor for the last 3 weeks, and was making incredible progress in the healing of my neck. Then I was rear ended! I had whiplash and I still needed to finish packing and doing things non-stop until it was time to go! I wound up going for my last adjustment on Friday where they gave me the good and bad news. Bad: my neck had moved a lot and was seriously inflamed/traumatized. Good: since my neck was now used to being adjusted from the previous 3 weeks, they were able to move it back into place and let it stay and not be more traumatized. I knew it was God's faithfulness. I was a bit sore the first two days, especially after packing and hauling a huge backpack and carry-on with neck trauma! But I iced my neck when I got to Gary and Lynn's house (our hosts). In the morning I woke up and have felt great ALL day! Praise God for His faithfulness! He really gave me the grace to believe for healing instead of hopelessness!)

I arrived last night at 4:45pm. As I walked off the plane SO tired and exhausted with 2 overstuffed carry on bags, I slowly but surely made my way to baggage claim. When a friendly gentleman with a big smile asked me if I was a midwifery student, I had stop myself from flinging myself into his arms! I was SO relieved to be off the plane and in the care of a DAD! Gary loaded up my WAY overstuffed bags into the suburban and took me to the Embassy Suites parking lot right by the airport, where we met Annabelle and Eileen (the IHOPpers). We then headed up the freeway to Clatskenie (pronounced KLATS-KEN-EYE) Oregon, where his wife (Lynn) and daughters were waiting and preparing dinner and lots of amazing sweets for us.

(Gary and Lynn are good friends of the directors of the school in the Phils and they lived there for 8 years and have been back in the states for the last 4)

We met and had dinner with the other midwifery students (there are now 10 of us here in Portland/Clatskenie). Gary drove us to the coast today, where we hiked up and mountain and then went to the beach. During a pit stop at Costco, Annabelle and I went in to find her a swimsuit, which she had apparently forgotten to pack, and Gary bought us our last strawberries we will be eating for the next year! I was SO honored, because I had just mentioned earlier how I was going to miss them! What a dad heart! My love tank was full!!

We got back in time for Lynn to serve us an amazing dinner of lasagna and spinach salad! YUM. Oh and of course, more sugar. Haha. Then they shared with us girls about dress code and some other practical matters regarding clinic conduct and spiritual health. We closed in prayer, then I went back to the house where we are staying to downsize my bag about 40lbs to make it affordable to take! My bag was 91lbs and I couldn't even pull it without a struggle! I will be sending another Balikbayan box from Portland for less than half the price I would have paid in overage fees!

The Lord has blessed our time here so much though! I am really enjoying the company of the girls (and Gary). We are so like-minded in SO many ways! Each one from a different place with a different background, but all SO wholehearted for God. I really feel it will be an honor to serve alongside these women on the mission field. I know already that I will be able to trust them and go deep with them. Thank you Lord for your blessing, provision, and camaraderie! Can't wait to board that plane on Monday to the Philippines!

Newlife class of 2013!!!

Ready or not...

Time is now flying even faster than I expected! I am trying to get in all my time with family and friends, give away and sell most of my belongings, and read a million books (which I am not doing so hot with) before I leave on the 5th of August!
I have so far sold a piano, some clothes (also given away countless clothes for modesty reasons or inappropriate weather reasons), and still have 2 bikes, a sewing machine and various decorative things and housewares for sale. I have also acquired 2 suitcases, a computer, several cotton T-shirts, capri pants, scrubs, medical supplies, one water filter, various toiletries, a few vitamins, and some suntan lotion.
I am sort of reformatting my entire life, and God is doing a lot of work on the internal as I go through the practical shedding of stuff. Do any of you ever feel like you have too much stuff?  I do. I am realizing I really have been needing to simplify my life for a long time. It really feels good to get rid of the stuff you don’t need. Like a cleansing process is taking place. I have also really felt the Lord upping my standards with a lot of things, including how I spend my time, food, and one of the biggest ones is modesty. I have been super busy, and super on edge lately, so in my weakness, I have definitely had to lean on the Lord for my strength, and pray for those around me a lot more!
So, the bottom line is that wether I am ready or not, I will be getting on a plane to Portland, OR 2 weeks from Friday where I will spend 3 days for orientation with my classmates from Newlife. Then we will all be boarding a plane on the 8th of August to the Philippines, where we will settle in to our new home for the next 2-3 years! Are we a group of crazy ladies or what!?
It IS bittersweet to be leaving Roseville. I LOVE my home. I have lived here for the last 16 years of my life, and though I have not loved every minute of it, I have loved the last 4 years very much, and it is my home where my family, friends, and church reside!
However, the truth is, I am so excited!!! I am such an adventurer at heart. I will always go new places and make new friends. But I am so excited to take all the memories I have and go to change lives and share the gospel in a different part of the world! God raised me up and taught me how to be a missionary to my own city, to share the gospel and love people here in Roseville. And now He is taking me to a new place and will continue to teach me His ways. I am so excited to see what He is going to do. In the end, its just me and Him alone. So I know I will be blessed no matter where I go, no matter what my circumstances look like. I am a part of this crazy upside down kingdom, and I am a big weirdo, so I wouldn’t want to have it any other way!

Goodbyes and Double Portions

A few days ago, one of my most precious spiritual fathers sat in my kitchen with me and we chatted about my relationship as a Rock of Roseville missionary and also as a Table Missionary. He pointed out to me how I am blessed with a double blessing and a double covering! These two ministries have both had a huge part in raising me up and making me who I am now. They are the same in heart in many ways, yet completely different in structure and practical execution of daily life. In fact, my spiritual father likened it to being sent out by Grandpa[The Rock] but also by Dad[The Table].

I have begun to build this ministry[The Table] for the past 2 years.It feels like it has already been a lifetime since we started our first community home group at Kelvin’s house (on Friday night). Though it was almost exactly two years ago. Our second community group (on Tuesday nights at my house, the Sunflower House) just had its first birthday! I can’t believe how the time flies.

Well, I could not imagine going anywhere without taking the heart of Table community with me. It is a commission I feel from God to share what I have learned and to pray forth an atmosphere of healing, discipleship, faith, and radical love.

Pastor Marco asked me as we sat in the kitchen, “What are we going to do without you? Who is going to champion for us?” and I really have to trust God that He is calling me to go, and that He will take care of things here. I am praying that this will be a time of immense growth in our community. That people will stand up and champion. People will become sold out to our vision of living Christian lives of community, like we have read about in the book of Acts.

Acts 2:43-47

“43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

This is the promise the Lord has given to me to pray. I feel that our community is a place of healing and preparation. For some it is a destination, and they wind up here by an act of God. For others it is merely a pit stop on their way to their destiny. But this is a place which God has raised up, anointed, and called His own. He has called forth the destiny of many young people, healed their brokenness, and trained them to minister in their daily lives. I see this place as a training ground. When people come here, they begin to change. Their hearts begin to warm and they realize who God is and how they are loved deeply by Him. I have been told it is a safe place, lacking judgement and criticism, and having open arms of love and acceptance. Though we do not compromise the truth, which we believe comes from the holy and perfect word of God.

So as I prepare to leave Roseville, an obscure suburb of Northern California (where our largest and most important landmark is a mall) I have resolved to stay in the moment as I prepare for the future. I will continue to build, seek God and pray for this place. I will not pass up any ministry opportunity for what I may perceive as lack of time. I will pour everything I have into doing what God has for me to do. My work is not finished here, and I know that as August gets closer, the Lord will continue to surprise me with the things He has for me.

I am looking toward the future with a smile on my face. I joyfully anticipate the adventure that awaits me in the Philippines. I earnestly seek Him in all that I do. I LOVE my Jesus! And He LOVES me! I am so excited to be anywhere that He is. I know His heart for me and I don’t know how not to be joyful in the presence of His love and under the direction of His teachings. Though it will be difficult, I know I will have waves of homesickness and see things that are very hard to see that I cannot control, I know that I will also be experience the joy that I have in Christ Jesus as I am in His will. That is always my portion.

Party weekend to blissful spring break!

The past couple months have been a blur of work, school, community, and getting ready to leave to the Philippines. I have one more month of my math class and PD8 [personal development]  at Sierra College and then I will have successfully completed my first semester of junior college. This is no small feat for me. I struggled through high school as a teenager and really thought I wouldn’t go back to school after I graduated. But I have to say, it has been fun. I have really enjoyed myself. Of course, being the relational sanguine, I have LOVED every minute of the social aspects of school! Getting to know my classmates and joking with my teachers.

I am now here sitting still [as I enjoy every moment of my spring break] and I find that my heart is overflowing with things I want to write about and the things I need to write about [support letters and letters to friends, etc.] And also thinking about all the things i need to do and the books I need to read [and write book reviews on]. But, I have decided to write in my blog first.

SO, I am going to start with the events of last weekend.

This last Saturday, we enjoyed the first annual Table Honoring Feast. The event was a throwback of the Honors Gala that the Rock of Roseville used to host every year [We have not had this event at the Rock for about 5 years now]. Basically though, the Gala took place to celebrate people and to honor them for the character God has developed in them.

We at the Table, LOVE to honor each other, so we decided to have an honoring event of our own! Each member voted on the different categories of Man and Woman of the Mount, Joyful Servant, Secret Servant, House of Acts [house that exemplifies communal Christianity], Most Transformed, The Berean, The Zealot, Most Encouraging, Mother Heart, and Father Heart.

We did the event in full Table style: In a house, with all the people we love, dressed in our best, eating off our wonderful plastic plates [used every week for community groups], and of course, potluck! Everyone showed up at the Dandelion House in style! They all walked over to the Sunflower House, where it was a little warm for the coffee and tea we had prepped, so Josiah and I ran around getting ice water and trying to keep the guests occupied. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in our house before [about 75 for the whole event]! They were literally spilling out the doors into the driveway and the front yard! By 6:45, we passed out directions to our final location, the Gove’s house. The location was set up with all the round tables and lovely hand-made decorations. Everyone was so happy just to be together. Then the honoring began, Josiah and Brion emceed together and they asked the 3 nominees to stand for each category. It was SO beautiful to not only see the person who won the category honored, but every nominee was so humbled and honored just to be standing when their name was called! I received so much joy and tears to see people be recognized for their Godly strengths and character, which they pour out into our community! I was completely floored to be honored as a nominee for our category of Woman on the Mount. It was one of the most humbling moments of my life to know that people see me as a woman after God’s heart, and they see the fruit of Jesus’ teachings in my life. It also scared me, because I don’t always feel worthy to be seen like that! Next, I was even MORE floored to be honored as Joyful Servant! I was so honored to stand up with the incredible women in these categories who all deserve honor for their character and love toward God and each other, and I was so blessed to see everyone receive honor where honor is due. We live in a truly honorable community, where we strive to live our lives as a poured out sacrifice to the Lord. Loving, honoring, and glorifying the One who paid for our sins above all else. He is the one who deserves ALL honor and ALL glory! In short, the first annual Table Honoring was a smashing success. After all the tears and love, we honored the Lord, and then broke into a dance party! We cleaned up and danced the night away!

Sunday, it was my absolute pleasure to see Tyler Jessee and Rachel Meyers get hitched! These two people are nothing short of amazing in my book. I know God feels the same way too [He told me]. It was so cool to see two people who have lived their lives well, and done their relationship right be blessed by God and experience His very best for their lives. I am so happy to say that I now have less single friends! Yay for the Jessees!!!

Now, after a much needed Monday where I did… Well absolutely nothing, I am getting jamming on all the fun things I need to do to prepare for my 2 year sojourn to the Philippines. I will be back soon to explain how you all can help me with the things I need to do to get there and stay there! I am so excited to share with anyone who is interested, about the work I will be doing in the birth clinic in Davao!

For I have set my heart on a pilgrimage

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” Psalm 84:5

I cannot even begin to express what I am feeling right now. The past few months has been such a crazy mix of emotions, hopes, dreams, and other things. I just found out I have officially been accepted into Newlife International School of Midwifery. Its been an interesting journey, and its only just begun. I am so excited and curious to see what God does with the next 5 months that I am here in the Table Community. I feel like I have spent the last four years in preparation for this and now I am going to a foreign country to go to school for 2 years. If you know me, and know about my involvement in community and ministry here, and know how invested I am, and how much I love this place, you know that it is a big deal for me to be stepping out in faith in God to do this. I feel like God has been leading me toward this for quite some time now, and I am ready to trust Him in one of the most awesome adventures yet!

I have counted the cost, and I have decided that obeying God is worth it to me. The work I will have the honor of doing, serving women in their greatest time of need, is worth it. I am called, commissioned in fact, to go to the Nations and make disciples of all men (and women). I am called to be a radical lover of Jesus and to follow His lead wherever He may take me for all of eternity! I am so blessed and honored to be entrusted. I cannot fathom why God would entrust me to steward all of this, and I hope to be found worthy in the end. And in conclusion, I hope above all else, that my life gives the MOST glory to God that it possibly can forever and ever AMEN!