Cebu Again!

It has been really good to be back in the Philippines. Lots
of memories have popped back into my mind as I’ve met up with some old friends
and walked the streets of this intriguing city. After the couple of days of
travel it took to get here we took a rest day and started up ministry on
Wednesday. On the plane ride over I caught a bit of a cold and my co-leaders
and I decided it would be best for me to stay back today and get some rest.
Please be praying for that and my team of girls (who are wonderful by the way).
For most of the team, it is their first time to experience a place like this.
Seeing all the hurt and poverty has been hard for them to deal with and they
haven’t even seen the worst of it. On Sunday we will most likely be visiting a
church in a community called Lorega. The word poor doesn’t even begin to
describe this place. Please be praying on that day especially that God would
give them compassion, help them deal with their emotions and let them be a part
of the work that he is doing there.

In my free time I thought up a few things to help you get a
taste of what the Philippines is like. Hope you enjoy!

Don’t go to the Philippines if:

1.      
You like to dance. They play nothing but rap
music at the grocery stores and you will never get any shopping done because
you will be too busy dancing.

2.      
You aren’t very fond of rice. Rice is at EVERY
meal (including desert). If you don’t like rice you will starve to death.

3.      
You are afraid to cross the road without a
crosswalk. Here in the Philippines, crosswalks are nearly nonexistent. Road
crossing is exactly like a game of Hopper, except when you get hit it’s not
game over its life over.

4.      
The thought of eating a boiled duck egg 1 day
before hatching makes you cringe.

5.      
Sweating is something you don’t like to do. In
this country it hits about 92 degrees everyday which isn’t so bad but the
humidity doesn’t seem to ever drop below 100%.

6.      
You have a problem with people taking pictures
of you as you walk down the street. This morning I went to the supermarket and
in the 5 minute walk it took to get there I had probably 4 people take a
picture of me and about 30 people say, “Hello my friend.”

7.      
You don’t like spiders, cockroaches, geckos or
ants because you will have an endless supply of all of those in your house.

8.      
You are afraid to try new foods. The Philippines
is full of some of the most delicious foods in the world but most of the time
it doesn’t sound appetizing (see number 4). You must be adventurous.

9.      
Smelly children scare you. Most of our ministry
is to the children of the slums and the second we walk up there are dozens of
children attacking us and most of them haven’t had showers in days.

10.  
You think nothing can beat southern hospitality
because Filipino culture says they will do whatever it takes to serve others
and make them happy.