Our team left San Fransisco(our home city) on thursday for a little barangai called San Jose. It was crazy far up a mountain and pretty secluded. The road up, on a jeepney, was ridiculous. I think everyone almost puked by the time we reached the destination. We stayed in a barangai hall, which is pretty much just a giant room and a bathroom. As soon as we got there we realized we were the main attraction..the hall had "windows" all around that were just rails that let air in. The kids from the neighborhood, sometimes sixty at a time, would hold onto the bars and just stare at us all day and some of the night. Awkward, maybe? Nope, thats the Philippines.

We met the neighborhood for the first couple days. Oneday me and a Matt and Leah trekked up a path leading farther up the mountain. Once we reached a little village, we had a bible study for about 15 people.There was a older lady with her five-month old grandbaby in her arms, rocking back and forth on her feet. I smiled and turned around to listen to what was going on in the study. A few minutes later, I turned around again and the lady was still on her feet as the baby randomly criedout and fussed. It suddenly occured to me that I was passing up an opportunity to love..I motioned to hold her precious grandson. She placed him in my arms willingly and sat down to attentively listen. I realized so far, over the past month, that love is not just a spoken word. It's not a tract. It's not a sermon. It's not a bible study. Love is sacrifice in any form. Sacrifice your time, desires, energy and love someone else. Jetter told me that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Corny and I have heard that before but its relevant now.

The seminar was all day Saturday for juniors and seniours in the local highschool. Nerves got to me, especially at first, but I made it through the lesson. I was intimadated by the group of students looking at me, some older than me... I knew I was unqualified, but I was the one in front and I had to teach this thing no matter what. I taught about what real purity is and how you can regain it even if you've lost it. I told them about the forgiveness of God and His love. Looking back, I can't believe I actually did it. I haven't ever taught something like that before, especially not to my peers. In a foreighn country. Up a mountain. God carried me through it though.

So, its been a month. I want to think of all the things I have done now that I couldn't say I had done a month ago...
1.Woke up to roosters crowing incessantly

2.Bathed by bucket

3.Ridden a motorcycle

4.Ridden a motorcycle without a helmet

5.Helped teach true Love Waits

6.Watched a kid relieve himself right in front of me while I taught a bible study

7.Sang at a karoake bar

8. Looked up while bathing to stare into the face of an iguana

9.Eaten peanut butter for breakfast and lunch pretty much everyday

10.Seen a huge roasted pig being carried through a market

11.Washed my clothes my bucket(I'm not so good at it, they still smell a little after they're dry)

12.Seen a beetle kite(these gianormous beetles that fly were in the barangai where we stayed and kids would tie strings to them and fly them-no joke)

13. Ridden in a jeepney

14.Carried around my own toilet paper in my purse

15.Sang a Cebuano song

16.Seen a spider as big as my hand

17.Eaten fresh coconut

18.Had diarhea and constipation in the same day (...how does that happen?)

19. Been so tired of my hair(if its chopped off when I get back, don't be surprised!)

20.Looked out a window and found sixty plus kids staring back

Alright, peace. I'm out.