Hi everyone!
We will be returning at 1:30am Sunday morning (yes that is in about 13 hours) to the Perth International Airport on Malaysian Airlines flight number MH127. This is as we understand it to be but anything can happen when flying so please check with the airport as to our flight status. Looking forward to seeing you all and telling you our stories.
:) the Manila Crew!!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Day 12
Well the day has arrived to start winging our way home to all those that have been reading our humble blog to see you all face to face and share both our last 2 weeks with you and your 2 weeks with us.
The day started with another extra 30 mins of sleep (8am!!!!) We can tell the Beacham is letting us gently feel the burdens we will face when we get home, how will we manage to sleep to 8:30 or even 11 am if we don't get some exposure to those things before we get home. (Talk about culture shock) Bless him?
Breakfast for the last time here was, as always, amazing, eggs, toast and mangoes. To avoid any further culture shock we may need similar on Sunday at home! After breakfast we honoured our kitchen ladies with a small gift and a long applause. The next 2 hours was a blur of flying clothing as bags, that had not see many clothes in them for the last 2 weeks, were now re-stuffed for our return. There were a few surprises as items that had been missing for most of the time away were uncovered in amazing places. Many of us contributed to an amazing pile of clothes that we were leaving behind to be used in the community.
Jeff Long, directer of Kids International Ministries, spoke to the team about ways we can continue serve and bless the Philippines so please ask us when we return of the many ways we can all help through out the year.
We enjoyed a quick lunch at 10:30 and were on our way out of the Ministry Centre by 11. But before we could really get on our way we needed to slowly drive past the school gates to receive their farewell. At least 60-70 students lined the street, holding up traffic, to wave us all goodbye. So finally, with our hearts both heavy and joyful we endured our last two and half hours of Manila traffic to the airport.
We now find ourselves in a beautiful place in Kuala Lumpur, closer to home but not quite there. We are starting debriefing tomorrow morning so please read through the Debrief post to get some useful information. Tomorrow night we head back to the airport to start the final leg of this amazing time we have all enjoyed very deeply. Photos are still a bit of a problem in trying to attach them to the blog. We will aim to get a copy of all the photos to all the team soon after we get home.
Thanks for coming along with us over the last 12 days, we hope we have been able to make you feel you have been with us, for you have all been very much with us in our hearts. We are all looking forward to seeing you again and we can't wait to tell you every story we can remember.
God bless you.
The day started with another extra 30 mins of sleep (8am!!!!) We can tell the Beacham is letting us gently feel the burdens we will face when we get home, how will we manage to sleep to 8:30 or even 11 am if we don't get some exposure to those things before we get home. (Talk about culture shock) Bless him?
Breakfast for the last time here was, as always, amazing, eggs, toast and mangoes. To avoid any further culture shock we may need similar on Sunday at home! After breakfast we honoured our kitchen ladies with a small gift and a long applause. The next 2 hours was a blur of flying clothing as bags, that had not see many clothes in them for the last 2 weeks, were now re-stuffed for our return. There were a few surprises as items that had been missing for most of the time away were uncovered in amazing places. Many of us contributed to an amazing pile of clothes that we were leaving behind to be used in the community.
Jeff Long, directer of Kids International Ministries, spoke to the team about ways we can continue serve and bless the Philippines so please ask us when we return of the many ways we can all help through out the year.
We enjoyed a quick lunch at 10:30 and were on our way out of the Ministry Centre by 11. But before we could really get on our way we needed to slowly drive past the school gates to receive their farewell. At least 60-70 students lined the street, holding up traffic, to wave us all goodbye. So finally, with our hearts both heavy and joyful we endured our last two and half hours of Manila traffic to the airport.
We now find ourselves in a beautiful place in Kuala Lumpur, closer to home but not quite there. We are starting debriefing tomorrow morning so please read through the Debrief post to get some useful information. Tomorrow night we head back to the airport to start the final leg of this amazing time we have all enjoyed very deeply. Photos are still a bit of a problem in trying to attach them to the blog. We will aim to get a copy of all the photos to all the team soon after we get home.
Thanks for coming along with us over the last 12 days, we hope we have been able to make you feel you have been with us, for you have all been very much with us in our hearts. We are all looking forward to seeing you again and we can't wait to tell you every story we can remember.
God bless you.
Debrief Info for Families
Dear Parents/Carers of the 2011 ACC Philippines team.
The following pages are provided to resource you in receiving your students back home. Some of the information is directed to the family members and other parts of this information is directed to the students. We suggest that you print out these pages and re-read them several times to help you feel better equipped to help your student process the experience they have just had. We would also like to suggest that this printed material be handed to significant others so that many of your family are all working together to make the students growth and transition as smooth and possible. We have started the debriefing process aimed at helping prepare our students for some of the emotions and reactions that they most probably will experience in the coming days and weeks. It is a longer journey than we can hope to finish whilst away so we want to help you feel equiped to take up the supporting role that is needed at this time. It is our hope and prayer that you all enjoy the new person that is rejoining your home
Our hope in running this Philippines trip is to further equip these young people to became ‘extra-ordinary’ adults, and to grow a healthy ‘others’ mindedness. We also would like to assist families to pull together to share one another’s lives as we see this as vital in teaching all the children that move through ACC.
If at any time you feel like you need some assistance with your students re-entry please make contact with the college to arrange a chat or meeting with Pastor Pete.
Re-Entry Stress
Definition:
Re-entry stress is like culture shock in many ways - only in reverse. While culture shock is associated with a sense of disorientation brought on by a new and unfamiliar environment, re-entry stress is precipitated by returning to a setting you presume to be familiar, but which in reality is no longer the same because you have changed.
It is the unexpected nature and subtlety of such change that will cause stress for your student. Your once familiar and comfortable environment no longer appears the same. Something definitely has changed. But you don't easily recognise just what has been altered.
Suddenly you find yourself out of phase with your own culture. Your reaction may come in the form of bewilderment, dismay, disillusionment and perhaps even irritation or anger. Somehow, "things are just not the way they used to be.", "nobody seems to care.", "nobody really understands.".
There are several contributing factors to re-entry stress. One is that you are being caught by surprise - you do not anticipate change and consequently are unprepared to cope. Another factor is value conflict. Your values, once taken for granted and even highly cherished, now seem of lesser significance or of little importance at all. Your way of thinking, your manner and your responses to many situations have been changing. Often these changes are not apparent until you are back in your own culture.
Common symptoms and effects of re-entry stress
1. Disorientation - feeling out of place, not fitting in
2. Feelings of loneliness, isolation, or being lost in the crowd
3. Restlessness - a desire to "get away" from those who don't seem to understand or care
4. Feeling that nobody understands your experience or that nobody cares
5. Feeling tired, listless
6. Critical attitude toward home country - its waste, extravagance, wrong way of doing things, etc.
7. Loss of identity - just "another cog in a big wheel"
8. Inability to communicate new ideas, concepts freely
9. Feeling of superiority - standing aloof from others because of your overseas experience
10. Feeling of dissatisfaction
11. Defensive in responses
12. Retreat, withdrawal, lack of concern
13. Unnatural, uncomfortable responses to "ordinary" situations
14. Confusion over conflicting attitudes and responses
15. Rejection of overseas experiences or a desire to forget and not talk about them
Basic Debriefing Tips for Family and Friends
1. Listen, listen, and listen some more.
Student will have many emotionally laden stories to tell. The most loving response family and friends can have is to sit regularly, without time constraints, and listen until all the stories have been told (and re-told). One great way to spend time unpacking the trip for your student is to spend time with them over this blog and/or their Personal Journal. Move through day at a time, the stories will flow and will really help your student to feel heard and understood.
2. Expect the student to be a different person.
Global experiences change a person. Encounters with poverty, a new culture, inability to communicate in an unknown language, and being an ethnic minority possibly for the first time will alter the way your student views and interacts with the world, including you and your family. Seek to discover the changes in your student and help him/her to make adjustments to living in Australia. Also allow the changes in your student to bring changes in your family, if your student has grown, then your family will have to grow to make it meaningful. Also your student may be experiencing grief at saying goodbye to people with whom they have connected.
3. Help the student find places to share his/her story.
Encourage returning students to speak at gatherings and help them to make contact with churches, youth groups and any other groups that would be interested in hearing about their experience. If a student does not like to speak in public, encourage him/her to invite family and friends over for small gatherings where stories and pictures from the trip can be shared.
4. Help students in their church and youth groups for service by encouraging them to:
a. Learn more about the nation they have just visited as well as any other nation they have on their heart
b. Commit to giving financially a regular portion of what they earn (a regular and defined portion assist people to fit their personal changes into regular life without it being forgotten or producing a fanatic)
c. Consider planning the next year so that a similar trip can be taken soon
d. Study the Bible for, and lead Bible studies about, God’s heart for the nations
e. Mobilise fellow students and friends to consider giving time and money to international mission service.
Between Two Worlds: Returning Home
Dr. Miriam Adeney, a Christian anthropologist, tells her students that they "will never be able to go ‘home’ again. They will probably always leave part of themselves behind, and thereafter will be split. And home may be in more than one place. But that is the price they pay for the richness of having experienced more than one culture deeply."
Some suggestions for Christian Families:
1. Help your student to find other returnees (short-term volunteers, missionaries) with whom you can share and have fellowship.
2. Give your student time to readjust. Be patient.
3. Recognise and accept which transition stage your student is going through, and remember that "reverse culture shock" or "re-entry shock" is a normal part of the process of returning home.
4. Encourage your student to have a good sense of humor. Be aware, though, that your student could feel that you are laughing at him/her and the mission experience if you make too light of their experience or feelings.
5. Use this time of re-entry as a growing process for your family to learn about your student, the people group/culture in which your student served, and how you can continue to minister to the people group from home. Re-entry provides an opportunity for you and your family to become bi-cultural or multi-cultural people.
6. Express to your student what God has done in your life and your family's life during your student's time in another country. Possibly the changes God prompted were the result of your student serving internationally.
7. Help your student find opportunities to share the story of his/her international mission service. Examples of this can be a church service, Sunday School classes, or other groups.
8. Help your student learn to tell his or her story well. There are many tips to help people effectively tell their stories, please spend some time researching these.
9. Review the most significant changes that have occurred while your student was gone on mission. Talk through the events and changes, show pictures and videos of events, if possible, and discuss the implications of those events and changes on your student's future.
10. Talk with your student about his/her great expectations in returning home. How relevant and realistic are they? What are steps your student can take, and your family can take, to meet the realistic expectations?
11. Keep a clear perspective and remember that God is with you!
Conflicting Values
Preoccupation with materialism
Back in Australia, the desire for material comforts and possessions is a dominant theme. Are you prepared to face this fact if you are returning from a culture where people are content with little or have only the basic necessities of life? Has your sensitivity to basic human needs been heightened by your experiences abroad? What response might you have to affluence, waste or overindulgence?
Suggestions:
1. Do not be quick to condemn; realize that others have not had the same exposure to another way of life. Their preoccupation with "their world" as they know it is only natural.
2. Be prepared for a sensory bombardment if you are accustomed to simplicity in choice and lifestyle. An overabundance of goods, choices, etc. can overwhelm you at first.
3. Expect others to not fully understand how you feel when their "materialistic ways" strike you as sinful.
Doing things the "best" way
This is often referred to as ethnocentrism. It's only natural that every culture values its ways. Is bigger, better, faster and more accurate really best? Do other cultures have something to offer us? Expect to receive blank stares or an air of disapproval from your compatriots if you question traditional ways.
Suggestions:
1. Be on the alert for a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Do not be too quick to judge others for their ethnocentric stance or to think that your way is the best way.
2. Share your perspectives, but at the same time avoid becoming involved in arguments . Do not allow yourself to withdraw or refuse to discuss matters because of opposition.
Personal worth and recognition
Possibly one of the most difficult areas to address is personal fulfillment. Your questions may include: Was my service valuable? Will anyone recognize my contribution or my sacrifice? Will I be just another fish in a big pond? What will the situation be like upon my return? Quite likely you are returning from a position where you were the focus of attention, where you felt needed, accepted and loved.
Suggestions:
1. Do not expect to be in the limelight for long after your return. Some may ask to see your pictures, have you speak, etc., but soon you will be back to your "ordinary citizen" status.
2. Realize that your worth and recognition comes first from God. View your service as service to Him, not something with which to gain recognition and praise from others.
3. Do not allow yourself to feel hurt or sorry for yourself when people do not notice you or your service. God does. Look for ways to meet others' needs; this will help you take the focus off yourself (Phil. 2:3-4).
The following pages are provided to resource you in receiving your students back home. Some of the information is directed to the family members and other parts of this information is directed to the students. We suggest that you print out these pages and re-read them several times to help you feel better equipped to help your student process the experience they have just had. We would also like to suggest that this printed material be handed to significant others so that many of your family are all working together to make the students growth and transition as smooth and possible. We have started the debriefing process aimed at helping prepare our students for some of the emotions and reactions that they most probably will experience in the coming days and weeks. It is a longer journey than we can hope to finish whilst away so we want to help you feel equiped to take up the supporting role that is needed at this time. It is our hope and prayer that you all enjoy the new person that is rejoining your home
Our hope in running this Philippines trip is to further equip these young people to became ‘extra-ordinary’ adults, and to grow a healthy ‘others’ mindedness. We also would like to assist families to pull together to share one another’s lives as we see this as vital in teaching all the children that move through ACC.
If at any time you feel like you need some assistance with your students re-entry please make contact with the college to arrange a chat or meeting with Pastor Pete.
Re-Entry Stress
Definition:
Re-entry stress is like culture shock in many ways - only in reverse. While culture shock is associated with a sense of disorientation brought on by a new and unfamiliar environment, re-entry stress is precipitated by returning to a setting you presume to be familiar, but which in reality is no longer the same because you have changed.
It is the unexpected nature and subtlety of such change that will cause stress for your student. Your once familiar and comfortable environment no longer appears the same. Something definitely has changed. But you don't easily recognise just what has been altered.
Suddenly you find yourself out of phase with your own culture. Your reaction may come in the form of bewilderment, dismay, disillusionment and perhaps even irritation or anger. Somehow, "things are just not the way they used to be.", "nobody seems to care.", "nobody really understands.".
There are several contributing factors to re-entry stress. One is that you are being caught by surprise - you do not anticipate change and consequently are unprepared to cope. Another factor is value conflict. Your values, once taken for granted and even highly cherished, now seem of lesser significance or of little importance at all. Your way of thinking, your manner and your responses to many situations have been changing. Often these changes are not apparent until you are back in your own culture.
Common symptoms and effects of re-entry stress
1. Disorientation - feeling out of place, not fitting in
2. Feelings of loneliness, isolation, or being lost in the crowd
3. Restlessness - a desire to "get away" from those who don't seem to understand or care
4. Feeling that nobody understands your experience or that nobody cares
5. Feeling tired, listless
6. Critical attitude toward home country - its waste, extravagance, wrong way of doing things, etc.
7. Loss of identity - just "another cog in a big wheel"
8. Inability to communicate new ideas, concepts freely
9. Feeling of superiority - standing aloof from others because of your overseas experience
10. Feeling of dissatisfaction
11. Defensive in responses
12. Retreat, withdrawal, lack of concern
13. Unnatural, uncomfortable responses to "ordinary" situations
14. Confusion over conflicting attitudes and responses
15. Rejection of overseas experiences or a desire to forget and not talk about them
Basic Debriefing Tips for Family and Friends
1. Listen, listen, and listen some more.
Student will have many emotionally laden stories to tell. The most loving response family and friends can have is to sit regularly, without time constraints, and listen until all the stories have been told (and re-told). One great way to spend time unpacking the trip for your student is to spend time with them over this blog and/or their Personal Journal. Move through day at a time, the stories will flow and will really help your student to feel heard and understood.
2. Expect the student to be a different person.
Global experiences change a person. Encounters with poverty, a new culture, inability to communicate in an unknown language, and being an ethnic minority possibly for the first time will alter the way your student views and interacts with the world, including you and your family. Seek to discover the changes in your student and help him/her to make adjustments to living in Australia. Also allow the changes in your student to bring changes in your family, if your student has grown, then your family will have to grow to make it meaningful. Also your student may be experiencing grief at saying goodbye to people with whom they have connected.
3. Help the student find places to share his/her story.
Encourage returning students to speak at gatherings and help them to make contact with churches, youth groups and any other groups that would be interested in hearing about their experience. If a student does not like to speak in public, encourage him/her to invite family and friends over for small gatherings where stories and pictures from the trip can be shared.
4. Help students in their church and youth groups for service by encouraging them to:
a. Learn more about the nation they have just visited as well as any other nation they have on their heart
b. Commit to giving financially a regular portion of what they earn (a regular and defined portion assist people to fit their personal changes into regular life without it being forgotten or producing a fanatic)
c. Consider planning the next year so that a similar trip can be taken soon
d. Study the Bible for, and lead Bible studies about, God’s heart for the nations
e. Mobilise fellow students and friends to consider giving time and money to international mission service.
Between Two Worlds: Returning Home
Dr. Miriam Adeney, a Christian anthropologist, tells her students that they "will never be able to go ‘home’ again. They will probably always leave part of themselves behind, and thereafter will be split. And home may be in more than one place. But that is the price they pay for the richness of having experienced more than one culture deeply."
Some suggestions for Christian Families:
1. Help your student to find other returnees (short-term volunteers, missionaries) with whom you can share and have fellowship.
2. Give your student time to readjust. Be patient.
3. Recognise and accept which transition stage your student is going through, and remember that "reverse culture shock" or "re-entry shock" is a normal part of the process of returning home.
4. Encourage your student to have a good sense of humor. Be aware, though, that your student could feel that you are laughing at him/her and the mission experience if you make too light of their experience or feelings.
5. Use this time of re-entry as a growing process for your family to learn about your student, the people group/culture in which your student served, and how you can continue to minister to the people group from home. Re-entry provides an opportunity for you and your family to become bi-cultural or multi-cultural people.
6. Express to your student what God has done in your life and your family's life during your student's time in another country. Possibly the changes God prompted were the result of your student serving internationally.
7. Help your student find opportunities to share the story of his/her international mission service. Examples of this can be a church service, Sunday School classes, or other groups.
8. Help your student learn to tell his or her story well. There are many tips to help people effectively tell their stories, please spend some time researching these.
9. Review the most significant changes that have occurred while your student was gone on mission. Talk through the events and changes, show pictures and videos of events, if possible, and discuss the implications of those events and changes on your student's future.
10. Talk with your student about his/her great expectations in returning home. How relevant and realistic are they? What are steps your student can take, and your family can take, to meet the realistic expectations?
11. Keep a clear perspective and remember that God is with you!
Conflicting Values
Preoccupation with materialism
Back in Australia, the desire for material comforts and possessions is a dominant theme. Are you prepared to face this fact if you are returning from a culture where people are content with little or have only the basic necessities of life? Has your sensitivity to basic human needs been heightened by your experiences abroad? What response might you have to affluence, waste or overindulgence?
Suggestions:
1. Do not be quick to condemn; realize that others have not had the same exposure to another way of life. Their preoccupation with "their world" as they know it is only natural.
2. Be prepared for a sensory bombardment if you are accustomed to simplicity in choice and lifestyle. An overabundance of goods, choices, etc. can overwhelm you at first.
3. Expect others to not fully understand how you feel when their "materialistic ways" strike you as sinful.
Doing things the "best" way
This is often referred to as ethnocentrism. It's only natural that every culture values its ways. Is bigger, better, faster and more accurate really best? Do other cultures have something to offer us? Expect to receive blank stares or an air of disapproval from your compatriots if you question traditional ways.
Suggestions:
1. Be on the alert for a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Do not be too quick to judge others for their ethnocentric stance or to think that your way is the best way.
2. Share your perspectives, but at the same time avoid becoming involved in arguments . Do not allow yourself to withdraw or refuse to discuss matters because of opposition.
Personal worth and recognition
Possibly one of the most difficult areas to address is personal fulfillment. Your questions may include: Was my service valuable? Will anyone recognize my contribution or my sacrifice? Will I be just another fish in a big pond? What will the situation be like upon my return? Quite likely you are returning from a position where you were the focus of attention, where you felt needed, accepted and loved.
Suggestions:
1. Do not expect to be in the limelight for long after your return. Some may ask to see your pictures, have you speak, etc., but soon you will be back to your "ordinary citizen" status.
2. Realize that your worth and recognition comes first from God. View your service as service to Him, not something with which to gain recognition and praise from others.
3. Do not allow yourself to feel hurt or sorry for yourself when people do not notice you or your service. God does. Look for ways to meet others' needs; this will help you take the focus off yourself (Phil. 2:3-4).
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Day 11 & Isabella Trip
Isabella Trip: day one:
We travelled by twin prop plane from Manila Airport!
day two:
Woke up at 7:15. We had breakfast at 8 which was sweet bread with eggs, before practising song items to perform at church.
Church began at 9:30 and was located right next door to pastor rays house. The worship service was exciting as you could feel the presence of God and it was evident that the people we were with truly loved God and longed to serve him 100%.
As the service continued the majority of the group left the meeting to run Sunday school for the children. We performed a puppet show on the story of Samuel and Eli and sung songs which the children joined in and thoroughly enjoyed.
We then shared lunch with Pastor Ray, his lovely wife Winnie, their 2 beautiful children and a few other extremely kind and welcoming Filipino people from the church.
We kicked off our Sunday afternoon by squeezing into a small van and driving to a local supermarket, where we stocked up on candy and other various and interesting snacks to get us through the rest of the day as we approached the treacherous caves.
The first cave we entered can only be described as simply beautiful. Although we were surrounded by mud, looking up through the holes in the roof of the cave and seeing old trees whilst the rain was pouring down, allowing us to be refreshed by the natural shower.
The second cave was more challenging and unfortunately not everyone in the group was able to participate due to injuries.
We climbed a steep, muddy, path leading up to the entrance of the cave, clinging tightly to vines to prevent the possible painful and dangerous fall. The cave was dark and being in the Philippines we did not follow the ‘Australian Safety Guidelines’ as we did not have helmets.
As we approached the centre of the cave, we were greeted by a beautiful ‘mud bath’.
Running through waist high mud was highly entertaining and there was a mass of spear tackling and wrestling that took place along with mud being thrown from all directions.
We battled to climb down the steep, muddy, cliff face, feeling complete relief as we reached flat ground and rinsed off our muddy clothes in the rushing river.
The drive back home (Pastor Ray’s house) was a long one but we made it and were rewarded with the chance to have bucket showers and a beautiful dinner cooked for us by Winnie before debriefing the day and going to bed.
Church began at 9:30 and was located right next door to pastor rays house. The worship service was exciting as you could feel the presence of God and it was evident that the people we were with truly loved God and longed to serve him 100%.
As the service continued the majority of the group left the meeting to run Sunday school for the children. We performed a puppet show on the story of Samuel and Eli and sung songs which the children joined in and thoroughly enjoyed.
We then shared lunch with Pastor Ray, his lovely wife Winnie, their 2 beautiful children and a few other extremely kind and welcoming Filipino people from the church.
We kicked off our Sunday afternoon by squeezing into a small van and driving to a local supermarket, where we stocked up on candy and other various and interesting snacks to get us through the rest of the day as we approached the treacherous caves.
The first cave we entered can only be described as simply beautiful. Although we were surrounded by mud, looking up through the holes in the roof of the cave and seeing old trees whilst the rain was pouring down, allowing us to be refreshed by the natural shower.
The second cave was more challenging and unfortunately not everyone in the group was able to participate due to injuries.
We climbed a steep, muddy, path leading up to the entrance of the cave, clinging tightly to vines to prevent the possible painful and dangerous fall. The cave was dark and being in the Philippines we did not follow the ‘Australian Safety Guidelines’ as we did not have helmets.
As we approached the centre of the cave, we were greeted by a beautiful ‘mud bath’.
Running through waist high mud was highly entertaining and there was a mass of spear tackling and wrestling that took place along with mud being thrown from all directions.
We battled to climb down the steep, muddy, cliff face, feeling complete relief as we reached flat ground and rinsed off our muddy clothes in the rushing river.
The drive back home (Pastor Ray’s house) was a long one but we made it and were rewarded with the chance to have bucket showers and a beautiful dinner cooked for us by Winnie before debriefing the day and going to bed.
day three:
Hey guys, Seb D here, (hi Mum, Dad, Nic, Alex and everyone else). On Monday we got up (obviously) I forgot what we had for breakfast but I know it was awesome. First outing was a primary school visit, we arrived there and we were greeted by the admin. We heard a loud drum sound and to our amazement, around 1400 primary school kids assembled themselves by age with military precision, and the staff played some sort of school song. All the kids performed a synchronized line dance. Still stunned, we decided to join the kids in their simultaneous symphony of movement. They loved it. Following this, we sang “Stand up and Shout it” (and I mean SHOUT) because we had no guitars and no mics. Thanks to Kaity B and Phoebe C’s demonstrations, the kids quickly got the hang of the stand up and sit down actions. After this, we split into pairs and teams of 3, and we proceeded to visit many of the class rooms in the school. Mr Bent and I awkwardly introduced the kids to the concept of Australia through interestingly executed kookaburra calls and badly tied balloon kangaroos. I know that many other teams were a little more confident with their class chat than Mr. Bent and I might have been.
The team and I had a lovely lunch of chicken and rice (cooked by our fantastic Winnie). A smaller team of us split off to help out with the little kid’s school (I believe that they were almost too tired to move by this stage)
The rest of us were whisked away to the Isabella State University (ISU) for some more class chats. We were greeted in the office by the university singing group who were more than happy to sing a song for us (song is an understatement, it was incredible). We nervously decided to assert ourselves with one of our own songs. Nathan did very well playing guitar without paper in front of him; this descended into a light hearted competition but we were quickly put back in our place when they threw at us a traditional Philippine song of courage. They basically slaughtered us with their vocal prowess.
Anyway, we had an hour and a half tour of the uni, which also had a high school on campus. News of my arrival quickly spread and before we knew it, we had a throng of followers, mainly female, screaming, wanting a picture with me (this later became a regular occurrence with school visits). At one staged, Mr. Puzey thought it appropriate to drop me in the deep end. I nervously shared my story with the high schoolers. To my delight they were all dead quiet and my speech just flowed. I think that was a good experience for me. After a bit more walking, Pastor Ray led us to meet more of the staff members, and we shared a brief but insightful bible study in the uni medical clinic. Mr. Bent shared his story and I think we all cried a little on the inside. Lol.
At home (Pastor Ray’s home), we chilled out and chatted, and had an amazing dinner followed by an awesome rest; I’m fairly sure we had an awesome rest because I don’t remember it.
Fair the well the peeps from down under and we shall see you when we return early morning on Sunday.
-Seb D
:3
Day four:
Wake up was very hard and felt sapped of all energy. Breakfast was the closest to an Australian breakfast we have had yet, with snaggas and eggs with rice. Feeding was up first. t was good to go to the school and distribute the food, but at the end we had nine cups of food left so the teacher chose nine students to eat out of a whole class We all found it very unfair! Lunch was called kaldereta which consisted of a spicy marinated beef with the best and freshest mango we have ever eaten. We then had a two hour rest. It was a good rest but another hard wakeup. After that we went to the high school to speak to the students about us, our country and some of our stories. We then took a horse and cart ride back to where we were staying. It was enjoyable but quite painful. Dinner was the best tasting pork with sweet and sour sauce ever and of course more rice.....
Later that night we went to some local bible studies then we went home and slept.
Later that night we went to some local bible studies then we went home and slept.
Day five:
We had Communion breakfast which consisted of solid sticky rice slab with banana leaf, representing Christ’s body and a reddish syrup which represented His blood. We had a trip to the markets and the boys had a haircut under the tree surrounded by the cornfields with Caribou and goats wandering around. We then packed and headed back to the airport for our flight back to Manila. When we arrived the big team were at the children’s home having just finished a bead jewellery making session. Some of us joined in with the movie watching (there was no school for the next day) while others had showers and moved back in to our rooms.
So ends the tales of our adventure to Isabella!
Day 11 Blog
What a fantastic day! We had a sleep-in ... YAY! Up at 7:30 for an awesome breakfast (yes again) cooked by our lovely and huggable ladies in the kitchen. Oat slice, eggs and bananas! We got given our basketball uniforms and so ourselves organised with our Pesos and money belts and headed out to the markets. We had an hour and a half to shop. Sorry if we didn’t get the right presents for you guys but it is such a pressure to have all those people saying, “Mam, Sir, you buy”! We did our best and we learnt to barter. We decided that the best story of the day was Alex Taylor who said that the lady he was buying from kept dropping the price even though he didn’t say anything to her. Obviously the silent approach works. J
From the markets, we travelled back to the ministry centre and had lunch (pasta, rice, chicken, tomato and vegetable stew and a slice. We then crammed into a bus and a red van to play our hearts out in a school basketball competition. The drive to the school was intense. Uphill, driving slowly, gave us plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful views of the countryside. We all agree that the noise and screams of the students was incredibly loud. They are definitely basketball fanatics. We fortunately had the help of a ring-in called Josh. He regularly plays basketball and is quite tall, which helps when you play basketball. We had a pretty good team but it seemed that so did the Filipino’s. The first half was a treat to watch. At half-time we had an opportunity to introduce ourselves, for Jamie to share his testimony and for us to sing a couple of worship songs. We handed out gospel tracts to all the spectators and gave as many as we could, a gift. It was awesome. The Justin Bieber look-alike, Sebastian, was soooo popular with the girls! The second-half game was looking to be just as exciting as the first but there was an unfortunate accident which ended up with one of the Filipino guys getting quite seriously hurt. Pastor Pete and Mrs Scrivener performed first-aid while we decided to mingle with the crowd, sign autographs (yes, we are famous) and show our friendly, after-game, side.
Our hearts raced a little when Mr Beacham tried to start the bus and the usual roar of the engine was non-existent. But without missing a beat, he rolled the bus backwards down the hill and bump started the engine. After a roar of approval from the passengers we were off again. The view coming down the hill was no less inspiring. Jolley Bee enjoyed our patronage once again for sundaes and drinks (thirsty work, basketball).
Once back at the YMC we were greeted to the incredible spread of Luchon Baboy or Roast Pig. Some were a little put off by the entire roast pig, as in head, tail and all. There were also other traditional foods for us to try. Can we say that we made a pig of ourselves? We were joined by many of the Filipino people that we worked with us for the past week and a bit. They continued on the festivities but we had a job to do ... devotions at the children’s home.
The children were a little unsettled tonight, but that could just be due to the fact that we are leaving tomorrow. They didn’t want us to read to them and they didn’t want us to go. It was very difficult for us to walk away.
Back at the YMC we got out our journals and began to reflect on our day and our emotions. Our debrief session was a little brief but then we had Luke, Cameron J, Jordan, Kieran and Jamie share with us. Suddenly we were huddled in prayer and tears flowing freely. This wonderful place and people have gotten to us!
It is with excitement and sadness that we go to sleep, knowing that we will be leaving tomorrow.
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