Sweet home USA

We are all back home now. We didn't have any problems with our flights. Tokyo wasn't as crazy with swine flu this time, which was a blessing. We were all blessed by family and friends picking us up at the airport. It is a good feeling to be home but we still have a lot of processing to do before we'll be able to pick up a normal routine again. We had such an amazing time in the Philippines and we do not want to forget what we learned and how we were stretched. Pray for accountability to remain in prayer for one another, the missionaries, and the nationals on the field. Pray that God would continue to work in us and teach us as we face reverse culture-shock. (It hit hard when the airport workers in Detroit were rude instead of the hospitable workers in the Philippines). Finally, pray that we would all know how to apply what we learned about ourselves, God, and His will to our everyday life. Some of us had affirmations of callings and received greater direction on His life plan. Thank you so much for your prayers while we were away. Please continue to pray for the other World Impact teams still out and those who haven't yet left.

Philippines!!!

Hey! We're still doing really great here. We're having a blast and getting to know one another and the culture so much better. We're excited for home but we're also going to be very sad to leave this place as we will miss it very much. I know that the relationships we've formed have made a positive impact and our experiences won't be forgotten. We have huge smiles on our faces as the parents, children, and pastors light up when they see us coming. Everywhere we've gone we have felt so safe and so welcome.
Yesterday we went on a 6-7 hour car ride up the mountain to Baguio City. It was very very different from every place we'd been thus far. It was very difficult for us to be separated from Jun and Joel while they attended district convention - a good hint of how hard it will be to say goodbye to them. We've done a lot of sightseeing lately. Filipinos are very very proud of their country and love to show it off. We have been blessed so much by the creativity of God's nature. The flowers, animals, mountains, sky and trees are so beautiful here. We wish that our stories and pictures could truly explain our experiences... but they'll never be able to.
Today and tomorrow we will be back with Jun and Joel before we fly out Friday morning at 7am. They have planned more sightseeing and some wrap-up debriefing in order for us to process what we've experienced in a healthy manner. It is our desire that the seeds we've planted will reap a plentiful harvest. Because we've been the first Americans to ministery in most of the churches here, we pray that we've been a positive light of our Savior's love. We hope that world impact can continue to play a part in the spiritual development of the provinces. We know the people would love that.
We had shirts made for this trip and it says - 36 hours on a plane, 5 days on a boat, and 12 hours in a Jeepney . . . going to the Philippines - Timeless. Oh so true! The theme for World Impact this year is announce joy - and we are filled with joy at the presence of the people.

Fun with Filipinos

Hey guys! Wow, each time i write to you it seems like there is so much i should/could say. We are having an absolutely amazing time here. Not many of us are ready to go home, but sadly our trip will come to a close on Friday. However, our relationships and connections with the people here will not. Two of us are looking at returning next year through world impact.
Up to this point it seems as if our trip has gone by in a blur. We are filled with emotions and excitement when we think about all we have accomplished, the people we have met, and the fun we've had. We've worked on 3 different islands in at least 7 provinces (villages) under one name - The Almighty! God has blessed us on this trip. Though a couple have had stomach problems, it has not held us back from ministry. Our team is getting along amazingly and working well together. We have been kept safe on the roads (although sometimes we have feared for our lives, haha). We have tried so many new foods (raw seaweed, fried calamari, grilled stingray, lapu-lapu, oyster soup, grilled clams, grilled squid, lots of fresh manogs and coconuts, halo halo dessert, and ube ice cream). It's actually kinda suprising we haven't had more stomach problems - haha.
Today we went to Joel's (Filipino host/traveling pastor) church and met his family. It was so nice to meet the people that are related to the crazy guy. It was very refreshing to be back in church and be filled with the spirit again. We've given so much and had so much poured out of us - last night we have a much needed time of team devotions and debriefing to retrack our mindset and focus on our own spiritual strength while ministering. It is hard now because we just left Palawan (our favorite island where we'd been for the past week) to come back to Manila. The emotions are increased because we know this is our last leg of the journey before US customs. We are also with a new host because Jun & Joel have to attend a district convention. They're so so so much fun and we are going to miss them for the next 2 days. We know we're still in good hands, but it was an abrupt change we weren't expecting. Pray that we are still encouraged to work with this new pastor and minister just as hard as we were with Jun & Joel. This has given us a clue of how hard it will be to tell them goodbye when we leave.
Tomorrow morning we leave at 5am to go to a province way up in the mountains. It is a 6 hour drive. I haven't been told specifics but i'm sure we're planning on putting on our normal VBS routine with games, crafts, stories and songs. We'll be staying overnight and coming back Tuesday evening. I'm not sure again what our overnight conditions will be but we really want to rough it - like stay with squaters in their village w/o electricity. I'm sure that's not the plan though because we've been blessed with our living accomodations (except for the part of having very little water pressure and only cold water - haha).
Each Sunday our team has been asked to sing a special for the church. We've chosen God is so good. It really reflect the blessings we've had on our trip...
God is so good - God is so good - God is so good - He's so good to me


Happy mother's day to all of our mothers. We love you and we hope that you're having a really great day. I'm sure we all have special gifts for you when we return!
And a special happy birthday (tomorrow) to my mother! I love you mom!

Ministry in the Philippines

We have been blessed by God so much on our trip. Our hosts continue to make us laugh. When we flew to Cebu we partnered with the Wesleyan Bible College there. We put on a one-day VBS with over 150 kids. We acted out the story of Jonah and sang lots of songs and played lots of games with them. They were so energetic. We took tons of pictures because the kids aren't used to seeing themselves on a digital camera screen. They taught us some of their games too. I think they don't have many toys because they used their flip-flops for balls and stuff. Basketball is the biggest sport here so we played lots of that. After their mirinda (snack) we were back to playing again. We were exhausted after our first mini-VBS. Then we went to another very rural village where the people lived in bamboo and banana leaf shacks. Everything they eat is out of the ocean. We weren't able to stay there for long because it started to rain and the roads were turning to mud. Our Jeepney driver was nervous about getting out. So we played with bubbles and sang some songs. In the end we found out it was God's intervention for sending the rain because the village was spliting over our presence - because there are 2 tribes and we were only able to be with one. We went to a third village the next day. This village had never seen Americans because it is a new outreach by the Wesleyan Bible College. Everyone and their mother came out to see us and play games and sing with us. The parents were laughing and playing along with the kids. It was awesome to be their first impression of Americans because i think we did a great job!On Sunday there was a big boxing match that took place in Los Angels. There was a filipino boxer (Pacquien) fighting. For the Filipinos it is like their superbowl. There was very little traffic and all the stores were closed. We listened to it on the radio and then saw re-runs of the fight on TV at the restaraunt we went to. It was interesting to be a part of the celebration, especially because Pacquien won!
We have been able to have tons of traditional filipino meals... lots of rice. Today we had fresh sea food. It was all laying in a row in the market (much of it still alive) and we got to pick which we wanted and how it was cooked. Quite an experience for many of us.
Right now we are in the airport heading to Palawan. Although we were only able to be in Cebu for a few days it was great. We've learned a lot about ourselves, Filipino culture, and about God. Some of us have even had affirmations of life callings and convictions for future work. God has been so good.
Please continue to pray for us. Praise God that no one has gotten sick. We have had safety traveling and have made good connections. Pray for even more seeds planted and strength f0r us as we minister.

We're here!

Hey everyone. We're in the Philippines now. We made it with no problems. We were picked up from the airport on Wednesday night and arrived at our hotel around 1 am. We are in Manila which has 15 million people living in it. The city never calms down. At 1 am you would've thought you were in indy rush hour traffic. There aren't really road rules so the driving has been hectic, but it's fun. Yesterday we just spent time getting acclimated to the culture. The two pastors were are working with are Jun and Joel. The best way to describe them is hilarious. They laugh all the time, and their laughter is contagious - even when we don't know what we're laughing about. They feed off of each other too, so it's great.
Everyone here has been really welcoming and sincere. The hotel staff greets us each time they see us with their hand over their heart and a bow of the head. You can't help but smile at their hospitality. The hotel we've been staying at is dorm style - kinda unique. But it's really nice. The food has been good. We've eaten lots of rice and sea food. Yesterday we ate both lunch at supper at SMmall of Asia - the largest mall in Asia. It was really nice food. The meals were cheap - about $7 a person for what would've easily been $10 at home. We like that. The dominant mode of public transportation are tricycles (like motorcylces with side cars) and Jeepneys. We all really wanted to ride in a Jeepney so we were able to do that to supper last night. It was pretty thrilling. It's basically a long jeep with sideways bench seats. I think the idea was picked up after the war when the soldiers left the Jeeps here. They are all really colorful. They make the traffic much louder with horn honks.
Today we are going to a church to play with kids and talk with teenagers. We are all really excited to move from the role of tourist to one of minsitry. It will be a good transition to learning how to relate in ministry to the nationals. Then later this afternoon we are flying (no longer boating) to Cebu where we will be doing more intensive ministry.
One suprising thing here is how much english there is. In all reality there really isn't that much of a language barrier. All the signs and menus are in English and it's almost the dominant language. It helps that we are in a pretty touristy area... although we've seen only a handful of other 'white people'.

Thank you so much for your prayers and please continue to pray with us and for us. We're not suffering with Jetlag too much, but we're lacking in energy. I'm sure working with the kids today will help that (or hinder it, haha). Pray also for continued safety and health. No one has gotten sick yet, which is a praise. The airports were pretty intense about the swine flu. When we landed in Tokyo we had to wait an hour on the ground for quarentine officials to come on the plane and check us out (all 403 passengers). Then they gave everyone masks. No one had it though. It was just kinda humorous. It wasn't an issue when we arrived in the Philippines though. Also, praise God for the wonder and creativity of his creation. It is so different here, and it's actually refreshing to many of us. The colors, smells, sights, tastes, and sounds have us on our toes. In many of the rides we are silent - soaking in our surroundings. It's been awesome.

We're going to the Philippines!

Hey guys! This is the Philippines team. We are packing to leave tomorrow morning. The team heads off from Detroit at 2:55 on a 13 hour flight with a layover in Tokyo before we land in Manila at 11:20 pm on Wednesday. We will be ministering in Manila and the islands of Cebu and Palawan. There are 8 people on our team. 

Top (from left to right): Amanda, Meghan, Dr. Pettis, Kristi, Lindsey, Jessie. Front (from left to right): Jamie and Laurinda 

We will be spending our time in ministry doing VBS, evangelism, church planting, leading worship, and teaching english. We will be working alongside bible college students. It is our prayer that God will use us in ways beyond our preparation. That the seeds that are planted will be planted in fertile soil and reap a plentiful harvest. We pray that we will be used by God in ways beyond our imagination. It is our desire that we can encourage the missionaries and the nationals, as well as one another. Although we don't know how frequently we will be able to blog, we hope that you will follow our story and what God is doing while we are doing His work in the Philippines. 

Here are some specifics you can pray for:

* Spiritual & emotional strength as we are tested with a new routine, jet lag, and Satan's disgust

* Safety in our flights to and from the Philippines, on the boats from island to island, and traveling around in the Jeepnis

* That we will be models of the love of Christ to all that we meet

* That we will be guided by the Spirit to do His work according to His plan not ours

These are the missionaries we will be working with: 

Jun, Mamel & Jairah Rafael

Romy & Linda Carnigal with their 11 yr old twins