Saturday, February 26- "You know I like my chicken fried..." (aka AMERICAN DAY!)

Oh, beautiful... Oh say can you see... that glorious sight? Why-- IT'S AMERICA!

I have missed my homeland so very much this month, but today it almost, almost felt like I was home again; or at least it tasted like it.

Emily and my day began at 4:00am.  After not leaving ourselves with enough time last time we were called on to cook we decided to start as early as possible.  the looks on some our dorm mates' faces were quite hysterical (and I'm sure our tired eyes and bedhead hair was quite funny too). You could almost hear their thoughts: "What? Those two American chicks who we never see before the breakfast bell rings?? What are they doing up."  The question really should be what are the kids doing up!?! It's Saturday! If we had made them follow American tradition they'd be in bed for another 6 hours or so, but old habbits die hard and we were already giving them enough change for one day.

We headed for the kitchen around 4:30am and started the french toast right away. This worked SO much better than pancakes. We purchased 12 loaves of bread and 90 eggs to make french toast and scrambled eggs for approximately 50 people. We'd much rather get too much than too little.  Well we indeed did have extra, but that was fine.  I made 110 pieces of french toast 4 dozen scrambled eggs (and we made 10 liters of orange juice).  This alone was amazing considering the cooking equipment.  We have this huge and incredible heavy medal slab thing sitting on top of two gas burners but the front one doesn't go higher than 'low'. I couldn't cook more than 6 pieces of toast at a time so the early start was very necessary.  We  were completely spent after one meal, but it tasted delicious, and the kids were all smiling and getting seconds.  The syrup was also a HUGE deal to them. Meal 1: Success!

[This segment is dedicated to Lauren Bain. Who else could I chose?! I think French Toast I think Lauren... cannot wait to pick that tradition up again when I return! Love]

Full and feeling pretty proud of our first achievment, Emily and I meant to start on lunch right away, however we both went to our rooms to change and we BOTH fell asleep.  We did a film showing the night before with the kids which had us up until 10:00pm and the 4:00am wake up call really killed us.  We were grateful for our cat nap but were back to work by 10:00am to take on an even more difficult task: Hamburgers. Emily and I were by far the most excited for this one having been craving a burger for weeks, however we were also very nervous about pulling this off.  We assumed our positions back in front of the strange make shift skillet and this time Emily (and our kitchen helper Melvin) got started on cooking the patties while I worked on condiments and, a fun addition, nametags! We gave all of the kids and house parents American names.  It was hysterical-- they totally loved it! A lot of them called each other by their American names for the rest of the day.  It was difficult to think of names especially for the girls since we wanted them to be similar to their given names and we have a Mary Lyn, Maricel, Mary Joy and Marivel.  We got it done though and it was great.  After over an hour of cooking and over cooking just to be on the safe side and setting up everything we bought (including DISPOSABLE plates, cups and silverware-- the American way) we once again rang the bell and got the kids in for another meal.  They looked confused when they entered since we had rearranged the room to provide a space for the buffet-style burger station.  We told them we'd explain and demonstrate after we prayed.  This was another fun chage, because the children just rotate around the room and one person prays at each meal.  Today though, they had to pray in English.  The really don't like doing this, but we really hate not ever knowing what they say when they pray, so in the name of American day, they agreed and did a swell job.  The line formed and they got their burgers complete with the options of ketchup, mustard, mayonaise and cheese, and then further down the line the got some Cheetos or Sour Cream & Onion chips and then finished the line with their choice of Sprite, Coke, Coke Lite, Pepsi, 7Up or Mountain Dew.  After we did crowd control we went down the line and looked like giddy children the whole time. Our faces after one bite and the faces of the kids said it all.  Burgers are good... all the time!! When we announced they could get seconds it was less than a minute before that was no longer an option.  Filipinos, it turns out, love them some burgers.  We even have video evidence of more than one of the kids saying burgers are better than rice.  I think I'll keep this hidden a while since I believe you can be convicted as a traitor for a comment like that, but I'll get it out when I'm back in the land of the cheeseburger.  Meal 2: HUGE success!

[This segment is for my dear Janey who is my consant companion via email while I'm here, but who is my Freddy's buddy at home.  As good as these burgers were, Freddy's will always win... and Freddy's with you can't be beat. Can't wait to see you!]

We had enough time for a nap after lunch but we procrastinated doing computer stuff and all of a sudden we were rushing again.  We had a small activity for the kids but then it was back to the kitchen for the least glamorous part of the day.  Unlike American chickens, we explained to our dinner assistants, Filipino chickens have bones :). For the American (ehem, Mexican) meal we were preparing for dinner, we had to de-bone the chicken.  For anyone who has been here, you know the agony of the meat market experience. Well, this wasn't that bad, but it was pretty nasty. I've done this at home plenty of times, but somehow the manufacturing companies take care of a lot of nastyness for me. With 3 very blunt knives (and 1 machete) we went to work pulling flesh from bone and fat from meat and finding all kinds of hidden treasures. (If gross stuff bothers you, maybe skip ahead a few sentences, but I think it'll be theraputic for me to document this.) One particular piece was giving me a considerable amount of trouble and I flipped it over to give the other side a try.  When I did this, an at the time unidentified organ plopped down in front of me.  A split second later I reaslized this was the heart and I darted to the kitchen to have a minute alone.  It is little things like this that push you over the edge even if just for a second and you need to take a minute to pull yourself together and calm your stomach before returning to the task. Thankfully our helpers (Brindy, Joel and Jojet) are super friendly and understand that just like American day was weird for them, everyday is Filipino day for us.  Anyway, we finished that lovliness and got to marinating with some yummy teriyaki sauce.  Then we once again cooked and over cooked and cut up onions and lettuce anf cheese for our fajita toppings.  To Emily's sadness we could not find salsa and to mine, no sour cream.  However the kids were once again pleased and even more so when the saw the familiar sight of rice on the table. Most of them opted out of putting the rice in the tortilla (or tortilia as they say) and just ate it alone. Strange people. :) Meal 3: Another success!

AMERICAN DAY: SUCCESS

Throughout the whole day we had our "American Music" playing which was really whatever Bekah and Em wanted to hear, but we actually did download some some songs specifically for the day.  We had a loop going of The National Anthem, America the Beautiful, God Bless America, God Bless the USA, Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue and Take Me Out To The Ballgame.  Emily's song was "Mississippi Girl" and mine was "Come Back To Texas".  We thought they were both very appropriate and the kids like to hear songs with our states' names in them.  We also had the song "Chicken Fried" in the list (hense the title of this post) and we had a little party every time it came on repeating each time how much we missed jeans and dancing and driving around listening to the radio.  And of couse we had our "traditional folk dance" song (which we never did anything with) "Sweet Home Alabama" and "All Summer Long." We enjoyed our day of food, music and a little feel of home.

[This part is for Jeremy Alvis.  You'll be happy to see that that song list is heavy on the country side and I enjoyed every second of it.  That could be because it sounds like home... but either way. :)]

I certainly hope this day can hold me over until I get home.  I never again want to cook for this many people.  Please remind me to never have 40 children. Hahaha....

Well, tomorrow is church! Four hours of Ilonggo.  I miss English church. (Dad, can you come be a guest speaker please. :)

Good night, America!!!!!!!!!

This part is for my dad. Miss you so much! You should come to the pastors’ conference in April!!

See the exhaustion in our faces.

Thursday, February 24- Happy Hands Club

Today we did a very fun activity.  While we were in Marbel shopping for American Day we also picked up t-shirts and paint so that we could do hand print shirts with the kids.  Emily's time here is rapidly coming to an end (so. sad.) and she really wanted to have something like this to take with her.  It ended up being a blast.  We started with the elementary students, thinking they would be more difficult than the high school, however we were surprisingly mistaken.  The younger kids were a breeze but ALL of the older kids are such perfectionists. When they realized they were going to be making something and wearing it they all became ultra obsessive about how they looked.  It was pretty hillarious, but the activity took quite a lot longer than we expected.  I'll put some pictures below of the finished product.

I have to keep this blog short, but please keep Nanay (Miss Ray) in your prayers.  She is not well and actually went to the hospital for a few days although she is home now.  I havevn't been able to figure out exactly what is wrong but I think it has to do with her stomach.  I know she would appreciate your prayers.  ALSO, if you haven't read my last post about the college fund PLEASE DO and keep praying for that as well. Salamat!!

This post is dedicated to my brother Joseph.  The title is a reference from Napoleon Dynamite and those two always seem to go hand in hand.  We'll have to watch that as soon as I get home.... GOSH!

Tuesday, February 22- If you never read another blog post, READ THIS!

Okay, so last night night Nanay (Miss Ray, the Director of the orphanage) shared with me a huge burden that has been weighing in her. Uncle Dick's Home currently has 4 students who are college aged and are being financially suported; next year that number goes up to 11.  The problem is that there is simply not money for this many students to be put through school.  Ray said she and Bert have often taken money out of their personal account to meet deadlines and help the students.  Many of the students who are to begin school next year know about the financial problems and very much doubt that a solution will be found.  If they don't get to go to college, they have to be discharged with a high school diploma which over here is not enough to get any real job with and the fate of these kids could be quite bleak.

So here's the deal.  The cost per student per semester is about Php10,000 (equal to about $200USD).  I think we can all agree that compared to American rates, this is nothing! But over here, that is astronomical when it is needed 11 times over. Obviously they will want to put the kids through more than one semester, but for now they need to get enough for the first semester for each child by June.  I believe 100% that this can be done and that I know some people who can help make this happen.  Emily and I are both getting the word out and we'd love to see God's people join together back in our home towns to help these great kids on the other side of the world who we are now living with.  If you can help out and feel called to support then PLEASE go to http://www.btea.org/ and send in an online donation OR find my parents at church or home and get a BTEA envelope from them.  In the space to clarify what the donation is for just write "Orphanage College Fund."  It would be incredible to see 11 people step up and help out these 11 kids for one semester... or more!

Okay, thank you for reading........ now pray for these kids and for the funds to become avaliable.  I know this can happen!

Love. Joy. Peace.

Saturday, February 19- LAKE SEBU!

So, what did you do today?  Did you go to the #1 attraction spot in the country and ride a 700-meter zipline suspended hundreds of feet in the air and hike all over and boat all around an island to see the 7 beautiful waterfalls with a bunch of really awesome people? Well... I DID! :)
Today was AMAZING! Emily and I have been waiting for this day since I arrived. Today we took the third year high school students to Lake Sebu.  It was everything we hoped it would be.  It just so happened, though this was not planned, that the third year kids are the ones that we have gotten closest to, so that made today even better.  We could not have asked for a better group: Jestoni, Jemboy, Jimboy, Jojet, Janeth and Glend (lots of Js!) plus our accompanying supervisors/filipino friends/translators/awesome people, Mama Lynn and Red.  The day started like most days with breakfast at 6:30am, but when Nanay came in to assign chores for the day she told the third year students that they would be going to do a special project.  No one here will say a word against Nanay, so the got in the van and silently wondered where we were going.  Not
long after that they figured it out due to us who were in the know talking louder than we should have been.  It was fun to surprise them anyway.  When we got there we immediately headed for the main attraction- the zipline! (To my TbarM friends, I'm sorry, but the Travis zipline doesn't hold a candle to this one!) This was such an amazing experience.  It is 700 meters long and though I don't know how high it is, I can safely say it is SEVERAL hundred feet high, if not higher. I am a fan of heights and adrenaline driven activities, but this caught my breath in my chest.  You really have no idea how high it is from where it starts because there are trees all around you blocking your view of anything else.  However, about 3 seconds into the ride the trees-- and the ground-- disappear completely and your are flying above waterfalls, rushing rivers and beauty
that cannot be described in words, photos or videos-- although I definitely attempted all of those! (see below). As soon as we all (minus Red who was not keen on the idea of flying) made it off we knew we were going to have to do it again.  Actually, after you get off the 700-meter one you go back across on a 400-meter one... but we still craved more! We decided to wait a little while though and experience some more of Lake Sebu.  We hiked down for some time until we came to the bottom of a giant waterfall.  The power of water never ceases to baffle me.  It was another breathtaking experience.  After at least 50 pictures and and a good rest time, we headed back... up 776 stairs (yes, we counted)!! Oh my Lord.  My thighs hate me; as if I don't put them through enough everytime I use the CR (I suppose only peole who have been here will understant that. That's ok. :) We did, against all odds, make it to the top and we Americanas needed a substantial sit down and breath time after that.  I guess I need to step up the pilates and Tae bo a little (or it could just be all the dang rice that turns to rock in my belly.)  We shopped around a little and were able to treat the kids to a souvenouir t-shirt before returning to the zipline for one last thrill.  Red joined us this time and we were so excited to have our whole group experience this together.
Next was lunch and it was starting to feel overdue after all the hiking, sweating, flying etc.  We got to eat on a floating restaurant while we were "entertained" by a toothless guitar player (who was actually alright and played some good tunes of The Beatles, Elvis and Journey.  The words weren't all there, but we say along anyway.) and some people showing us traditional Tiboli dances while they banged loudly on some wooden blocks and metal pots.  On the menu was chicken, tilapia and rice.  Familiar, but we were no less grateful.  Emily and I also decided to try out their french fries and though they were certainly not up to waffle fry standards, they served as a worthy substitute.
It is hours later now and the house is quiet (well, as quiet as it can be) and filled with exhausted kids who I hope had an amazing day like I did.  I am up much later than most of them because I was waiting for water so I could shower the dirtand sweat of the day off of me.  Right before braving the icy shower, I saw a mouse run down the hall and disappear somewhere past my door............ "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!!"
Ok, if you'll excuse me I am going to climb inside my mosquito net now and thank God that though apparently mosquitoes may be finding a way in, I don't think mice are.

You are loved. By me.

Today's blog is dedicated to Andy the Bald, Ariana the Great, Meghann the Majestic and Marcus needs a funky name.  You all came to my mind today when I wanted to close my eyes and suddenly have waffle fries in front of me! Enjoy some Chick-fil-A for me. Love you guys!! Even Andy...:)

Our group.

(L-R) Jestoni, Jimboy and Jojet about to fly!

Me, Emily, Jestoni... :)

Monday, February 21- Marbel... Lord have mercy!

It is deafening now as rain pelts against the massive tin roof above me ridding me of the last few scraps of sanity that I had left after returning home from shopping in Marbel.  There is no way for me to mentally recap the full events of today, however I shall do my best to pick out the highlights. Emily, Jiji (I've been spelling it wrong) and I left around 9:30am for Marbel, a town about 45 minutes away from us and significantly larger than Surrallah; the reason for this is because this Saturday is "American Day" and we need some serious supplies.  After the trial run/fiasco on Valentine's Day, we decided we'd rather over prepare than be short on foodso we went to work.  We got to the grocery store, located inside the mall, and it took all of 2 seconds for every eye to be on us.  Every now and then I just feel like snapping at someone and saying, "DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER EVER TELL YOU NOT TO STARE?!", but then I realize the answer would be "no", and I control myself.  I guess we were kind of making a scene though as we were buying all American food (or American food substitutes) and in rather large quantities.  We are going to be serving french toast for breakfast (we found mapel syrup!), cheeseburgers for lunch and chicken fajitas for dinner.  The
quote of the day goes to Emily who, while we were shopping for American food in the Philippines asked, "Do you think they have a Mexican food isle?" Both of us totally consider fajitas as American as it comes, but this is truly more international.

After we got everything we could need for the meals (except meat which we decided we get right before we left) we moved on to lunch at Greenwich Pizza.  This was a serious treat for Em and I as we indulged in pizza and lasagna.  Luckily Jiji was also excited for a change of menu scenery and indulged with us.  As delicious as this was, we really couldn't ask for better food than we get at the orphanage, and we were no less thankful for our pineapples, rice, veggies and chicken when dinner came around. We were perhaps even more thankful tonight because unlike the Greenwich staff, the children did not gawk at us as we ate. :)

We stopped by a store called "Chocolate and Wine" with big smiles and high hopes.  Those hopes were certainly not dashed when we stumbled upon Hershey's Chocolate (which we need for a bonfire on Wednesday) and Reece's (which we have beencraving for a month).  The last stop was a department store type place where we needed paint and t-shirts for an activity we are planning.  Before getting to that part we found a whole section of board games and the like and we able to find some great prices on games I know the kids will love.

So the shopping rapped up around 3:15pm and we exited the mall with two very full and very heavy boxes and about eight Fm 1 5 h t t p : / / k h . g o o g l e . c o m / f l a t f i l e ? f 1 c - 0 2 1 0 1 1 3 3 3 2 3 2 0 - t . 3 6 7 and motioned over to by several trycycle drivers, and the few overly persistent ones followed us for a while as we ignored them completely.  We did end up getting all of us and our stuff onto a tryc and had a very slow and terrifying ride to the bus terminal.  When we arrived there we once again invited some very odd and unsettling looks.  As I was packed in quite tightly in a line trying to board the bus I looked to my right and an rather old filipino in a Dirk Nowitzky jersey gave me an almost toothless grin as
the smoke from his last drag blew on my face.  Deeeelightful.  We got all of our purchases loaded into the lower compartments on the bus and got on all to find out there were no seats left, and to my complete shock, they actually don't allow you to stand on the bus.  I couldn't believe there was actually a rule that had to do with safety in this country.  So we got back off and got all of our stuff of and slumped into a pile of exhaustion and melting chocolate and thawing meat as we waited for the next bus to arrive.  That one thankfully took us all the way back to Surrallah.  The last leg of the trip was to take a jeepney from the terminal to the stop near our house.  When I say the jeepney full of passengers I did not think we
would fit, but somehow we did, along with our boxes and bags.  Everything in the Philippines is like Mary Poppins' bag; the possibilities of what you can fit in here are endless.  This trip was about 15 minutes long and for every second of the trip a man in the corner looked at Emily and I with such a deeply disturbing look that we knew we would not feel good until we were back inside our safe and secluded little world.  We have both been here several times and experienced this same thing dozens of times, but it never stops being weird and uncomfortable.  It is no longer unexpected, but it is ever appreciated.  So as nice as it was that the driver took us all the way to the entrance to UDH so we wouldn't have to carry all of our stuff a long distance, we did not like the idea of that purple-shirted man knowing where we live.  I think we have both been here
long enough that we are starting to psych ourselves out a little.  Sleep deprivation will do that to you. That and having a mouse fall on your shoulder (I am so thankful to say that this was Emily's fate and not mine... though I'm sorry for you, darling!)

Hopefully we will both get some rest and retain some much needed sanity and rationality before Saturday.  We are both very excited about American Day but it is going to be a huge undertaking.  Jiji said we should teach them our "traditional folk dance."  Emily and I about died laughing when she said that, not having a clue what we could possibly do that wasremotely close to that.  Texas and Mississippi are represented here so we think we'll be teaching 50 filipinos to line dance to "Sweet Home Alabama" (I really wish Sarah, Jono, Kevin and Jeremy were here for this; any chance you guys can take the weekend off???)
I am excited to be able to tell you all how this day goes.  As for now I am off to de-bug my room and nap before washing clothes later on.  I have enough clothes to take me about 3-4 hours, so I need to be well rested.


This post is for my dad.  Baby Bob saw a picture of you and said, "Daddy!" :) Come see him.... AND ME!

Friday, February 18- The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes.

I don't have too much to say today considering Emily and I have been walking around like zombies all morning.  We both had
completely unsuccessful attempts at sleeping last night despite the fact that it was the darkest and quietest night yet.  I
have no idea what happenned.  I kept saying, "Bekah! Go to sleep! Before you know it that dang rooster is gonna start up
again."  It was incredibly aggrivating.  However around 3:30am, before any sleep had happened I did experience my first
earthquake. I was very drowsy though still awake and everything started to get loud.  I calmly thought to mysef, "Oh, the
roof is shaking." Then I realized, "Oh, I'm shaking too!" It was brief and quite small; I doubt it even woke anyone who feels
these more frequently.  Still it was strange for me and I felt like I was still shaking for a few minutes afterwards.
I will be taking a magic blue pill tonight. Must sleep.
(The pill worked by the way! Ahhhhh.....)
This is dedicated to Josh and Caleb.  I just think you'll think the earthquake thing is cool. I love you boys more than my
mosquito net!!!! :)

Wednesday, February 16- ‘Brown Outs’= NO TUBIG!

So today was a very odd day.  There was not really any reason for this, but everything just felt strange and different today.  Most of the day was spent in a brown out (Or black out to us. No power.) which means no lights, no fans and for some reason we can’t figure out exactly, no water.  The ilonggo word for water is ‘tubig’ so all day long you hear people saying, “sorry girls, no tubig!”  That was an especially unpleasant thing to hear after doing Pilates and Tae Bo for an hour.

When I first arrived Nanay had mentioned something about getting a new baby sometime in February.  I decided to ask her about that today and to our shock and confusion she said he had already arrived.  After hearing this we suddenly understood a very “hush hush” trip Nanay and Tatay took to Gen San airport yesterday.  One person on staff said something about it and then no one would breath a word after that.  I really am not sure why since Nanay divulged all the information today without any real questioning.  The baby and his mother (a former resident of Uncle Dick’s Home) arrived and will be staying for some undetermined time.  We don’t really know the specifics, but I got to hold a precious two month old Filipino baby today and was quite content.

After talking to Nanay about the baby we somehow launched into a conversation about the other kids and how they came to be at UDH.  More than once I found myself in tears over hearing what so many of the children had to go through before being here and just to get here in the first place.  From one widowed mother who left her own three children alone to be with another man and his children to another woman selling her baby in the market for 1000 pisos (around $20 USD), it is truly amazing to hear what some people did to these kids and to see what joys they are missing out on.  We look forward to the next time we can sit and talk with Nanay.  It definitely gives us a renewed appreciation for our wonderful families.

This post is dedicated to my entire family. Love every one of you.

Monday, February 14- Cooking for 45 on Valentine’s Day

So today is Valentine’s Day—a day which I pay no attention to in America, however turned out to be my busiest day by far since being in this country.  The events of today which you will read about below (if I can find the energy within me to document them) can definitely be classified as disastrous.

Today began last night.  Emily and I stayed up in here room chatting and planning the V-day events until around 11:00pm.  Neither of us was too keen on being alone in our rooms due to lizard noises and large bugs.  There are certain creatures that not even the comfort and protection of you mosquito net can make you forget.  (Side note that you need to be aware of:  Both the lizard and the rat that reside above my room and the evil rooster that lives outside my window have been named.  The lizard is Chadwick.  The reason for this is that while I was reading my book, trying desperately to relax, he simply would not shut up.  Right when I was introduced to the person of Chadwick ((In the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place)) he bellowed out his awful “REEERER!” and continued to do so until I had to put my book down, grab my mp3 player and try to drown him out.  The rat is Keith Olbermann.  No explanation necessary.  The rooster’s name was a combined decision between Emily and me.  He is Obama.  Just so you know, whenever he disgorges that ridiculous squawk at 3:30am ((or 2:25am like this morning)) the children boys in our dorm have been instructed to yell out, “SHUT UP, OBAMA!” ((This is what happens when Mississippi meets Texas meets the Philippines)). All these animals will be hereafter referred to by their proper names.)

So as I said we were up late and when we both finally went to bed we both had nearly entirely restless nights, as we discovered through the sharing of similar horror stories this morning.  From stinking Chadwick’s scuttle across the tin roof to (as previously stated) Obama freaking starting his never ending cackle starting a full hour earlier than it’s usual ungodly start point to Emily’s attempts to ward off an oppressive arachnid sans her contacts and then deal with a built up adrenaline, neither of us got more than an hour of consecutive rest.  That would have been unfortunate for a normal day, however today had already been given an extra measure of stress.  Nanay decided that V-day could also be a smaller version of our upcoming “American Day”.  Emily and I were asked to be in charge of preparing breakfast and lunch, and after asking what we thought were all the needed questions we purchased all of our ingredients at the market last week.  Well about 5 minutes after we began preparing to prepare breakfast (at 5:00am) we realized we were grossly unprepared.  We asked what ingredients we needed to prepare pancakes vs. what ingredients they already had and were told all we’d need was flour; when I got to the kitchen before me sat our 4 kilos of flour plus 8 eggs.  That was only the first time my stomach dropped today.  Doing my best to explain to my ilonggo-speaking helpers that I needed other ingredients to make anything edible, we rounded up a small amount of baking powder, salt and sugar (Blythe Meyer, I sincerely hope that images from 4^th grade are flashing through your head right now).  After a brief call to the states to find out more precise measurements and substitutions from my mom, we went to work mixing, adding this and that, more of that, less of this and everything we could think of as our 6:30am deadline rapidly approached and 42 children (plus house parents) began arriving with empty bellies. Runny batter on a not so hot make-shift skillet made our job look completely impossible.  We were able to rearrange the burners enough to get about 6 inches of surface hot enough to turn our batter into cakes.  Since we had no milk we had to use water in the batter which added another level of stress as we Americanas are not to drink the non-purified water.  We couldn’t taste the mix along the way (much) so we said a prayer and kept cooking.  We used leftover chocolate from our bonfire to make them “chocolate chip pancakes” which was good if only to distract the eaters from any less than delicious tastes.  Tastes then proved to be the least of our worries when came up 7 cakes short of letting everyone have ONE. (This is probably the first time many of the kids actually felt like hungry orphans at Uncle Dick’s Home.) A very hastily thrown together final batter got us to our mark with a few left over for some of the boys, but even with many of them assuring us they tasted “namit” (delicious) we pretty much felt like total failures.  We walked the kids to school and returned exhausted, dejected, and after a brief pity party of tears and gobstoppers, we pulled ourselves together and returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch: PB&Js! Much simpler, we thought.  It turns out though that no matter the how simple the meal is, preparing it for nearly 50 people will always complicate it.  We started making sandwiches at 9:00am and continued for two hours until we were sure we had enough.  We also mixed together 3 gallons of pink Kool-Aid and had a few minutes to sit and relax.  Just to make up for the sparse breakfast, we had our kitchen pals throw together some rice as well.  That turned out to be completely necessary, and though I can’t seem to remember exactly why now, we again ran around like wild animals trying to get everything prepared as dozens of Filipino children crowded and stared as we worked like mad.  We walked away feeling better than breakfast, yet still not too thrilled with ourselves.  It was about this time that we realized we had not eaten at either “American” meal, but we felt too mentally and physically exhausted to pay too much attention to that.  We had about 10 minutes to breathe before moving on the actual activity of making Valentine’s for all the children.  They stayed home from school in the afternoon (something Nanay didn’t seem to think was a big deal at all) and we explained what they were to make notes for their friends and put them in the decorated envelopes we made on Saturday.  This process began at 1:00pm and, not including clean up, finished at 7:00pm.  I think Emily and I looked at least 5 years older by the time the last scrap of paper was swept up, the last card was put in the right envelope, the last child stopped trying to break into their loot early and we heard the blessed sound of the dinner bell.  Filipino food for dinner and enough to go around was a happy sight for all the kids, and any food was a heavenly sight to us. 

It is now about 24 hours since all of this mess began and I am just about to head to bed.  Obama, Keith Olbermann and Chadwick better not mess with me tonight.  I may be exhausted, but I am fed, showered and after today I feel like I can conquer any foe. However, in the words of the sweetest boy here, Jestoni (whose Valentine brought tears to both of our eyes), “I’d kill that rooster, but he is just too fast!”

This entry is dedicated to Andrew Bain who was thought of in the naming of the rat and the rooster.  I’m sure you will appreciate those names more than anyone. J

Saturday, February 12- One Week In.

Okay, so we are not talking about the title of this blog because thinking about the whole time thing is still freaking me out a little, so moving on.

Today (as you remember from the last entry) is the day after prom, so I am feeling pretty sluggish.  After breakfast we went right into washing clothes.  This is my second time to wash clothes since getting here and I just don’t like it.  I don’t like it even a little.  I have done this plenty of time while be here in previous years but normally once or maybe twice the whole time.  Again, I don’t want to focus on the time thing, but I have about 20 or some odd more washing days ahead of me and I’m just not too psyched about that.  Whoever invented the washing machine and dryer- You are so going to heaven! 

Nanay is going off to a ‘Women in Missions’ conference today so Emily and I are in charge of keeping things going with the kids.  Everyone is washing clothes for now and then have other chores before lunch.  After lunch (and Lord-willing a nap) we will have some games and things and then after dinner we will do the bon fire and s’mores.  I think I am more excited about that anything thus far.  I need to work out because I think I am forming a rice baby, but with all the washing going on, I’m not sure that any water will be left and I am not going to sweat like a pig and not shower… that just wouldn’t be fair to the kids. J

This is the toughest dedication yet.  This post is dedicated to my Joshua.  Happy birthday, baby boy!! I will never, ever be able to tell you how much I love you and how much I miss you right now.  I am living off the 100 hugs you gave me before I left, but I cannot wait to get home and get 200 more! I love, love, love you!

Friday, February 11- Elementary Day, Marketing and PROM!

Today we had a very busy day, which I was so thankful for.  I appreciate a change of pace from the very slow lifestyle we experience most days.  When we took the elementary kids to school this morning they pulled on our arms to get us to come into the school with them.  Angel explained as well as she could that today was “Elementary Day” and we could watch.  We weren’t too sure what we were in for, but we stayed for the show.  It turned out to be a parade and was so super cute.  It was very much like a homecoming parade complete with a float at the end holding the princes and princesses.  We heard later on from Bert that is was a simultaneous annual even across the country.  It was fun to get to experience this.

When we got home we talked to Nanay (Miss Ray) about going to the market to shop for some special events we have coming up.  Tomorrow night we have a bon fire and will definitely be enjoying s’mores!  Then we will be having a small Valentine’s Day party on Monday and Emily and I will be in charge of breakfast and lunch that day too.  On the way to the Market I realized that a few uninvited guests had accompanied me from America: Katy Perry and Ke$ha. (AND, Blythe, I saw 2 black pick-up trucks. Today.) The market was very similar to all of my previous Filipino Market experiences.  Very hot and busy and I’m still not a fan of the meat market.  The dusty roads were all lined with motor-tricycles and excited owners hoping to give us a ride.  We were able to find everything we need except for jelly for our heart-shaped pb&js for V-day.  We may try to make it to Marbel (the next city) to get some; otherwise we will make do without it.  Em and I also picked up a little “American” snack for ourselves.  She chose some fry type things and after trying one she offered me one while exclaiming, “You’ll think you done gone ta Wendy’s!”  Man that Mississippi charm just oozes from her. J

We got home and had about an hour or so before it was time to help the third and fourth year kids get ready for prom! We were informed earlier that day that we were invited as well.  Emily and I were both very excited, but it turned out to be not quite what we expected.  If fact it was more like the festivities we would expect to see at a graduation.  Everyone got SUPER dolled-up and they all looked so great (see pictures below).  We arrived at the tarp-covered, dirt floor “gymnasium” at 4:00pm and watched other fancy Filipinos arrive for the nest hour as Vivaldi blared out of the speakers behind us.  Right around the time that the thunder clouds started rolling in the TIC (teacher in charge) got up to welcome the students, teachers and “guests from America.”  We just can’t go anywhere in this country without causing a fuss. Anyway, after that the kids all entered very fancily to the same classical music we were listening to before.  The musical choices of the night were very confusing.  We started out with the lovely classical genre and moved from there to two of the students singing a “Prayer Song” which ended up being “Who Am I” by Casting Crowns.  After that we had a choral rendition of a Backstreet Boys song and then a medley of Martina McBride and the Jonas Brother’s during the Candle Lighting Ceremony with a few American and Filipino inspirational tunes interspersed.  During that part of the program the TIC would turn down the music every minute or and quote a poem or Bible verse or inspirational line including an oddly placed reading on John 3:16 followed by an unfortunately worded line, “let’s make love and give God the glory.”  We’re always happy to hear things in English, but in times like that you can’t help but wonder if it would have made more sense in Ilonggo. J The rest of the night included an inspirational speech, the classes ‘Last will and Testament’, the class prophesy and an honorary dance that several of our kids have been practicing for all week long.  It was a very elegant waltz and I must say our kids did the best job.  However, the next thing was not expected.  Em and I assumed we were there to watch and photograph until we all of a sudden had Filipino hands extended toward us asking for a dance.  We honestly didn’t know what to do and so to not offend, we accepted.  It was hilarious.  In the maybe 2 minutes that the dance continued I danced with about 9 different people.  Someone would see their friend dancing with an Americana and would yell “SWAP” and I’d be almost launched to my next partner.  Emily on the other hand seemed to be the hit of the night for the teachers, one especially who described her as his “unforgettable woman.”  Oh, the things that happen in the Philippines.

After all of the many, many festivities the actual prom started and renditions and remixes of Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, The Black-Eyed Peas, and Ke$ha  boomed and blared loud enough to be heard for at least a mile in any direction. (For those of you who know me at all, you know how I felt about these particular choices of ‘artists’.)  We stayed for maybe an hour or so until close to 11:00pm (by far the latest we have stayed up since arriving here.) Emily and I were already so tired which became a blessing when we realized the pour down from earlier had added a new layer of moisture to our rooms and in particularly our beds.  Soggy clothes, sheets, pillow cases etc. are becoming the norm but are not exactly comfortable.  However, I slept through the night and did not even hear the evil roosters, dogs or the breakfast bell.  Emily woke me up to eat and I dragged my still exhausted body over for some rice and mangos.  J

This post is dedicated to my sister, Sarah.  Happy (24^th?) birthday!! I love you!

The whole gang!

Sweet Rosela!

Rosela, Brindy and Mary Joy

Thursday, February 10- A day in the Life.

So I thought it was about time for me to fill you in on the daily life here at Uncle Dick’s Home. 

My day has an unofficial start every morning at around 3:30am. The reason for this is that either a rooster (evil!) is outside my room screeeeeeeeching or a bunch of dogs get into a fight or (more subtly) a light comes on or voices of some of the kids wake me up.   I have still not gotten any answers as to why some of the kids are up and about at 3:30 in the morning.  I am normally able to get back to sleep for a little bit with the help of my mp3 player, but often that is not enough to drown out the roosters (I really hate those roosters).  I stay in bed until at least 5:00am, listening to the sounds of kids sweeping and less evil animals waking up.  Between 5:00 and 5:30am I get up and do a quiet time or just journal a while until about 6:00am when I unzip my mosquito net and emerge out of its protection. (This morning it took me longer to leave because I spent most of last night listening to the sounds of the very large lizards and seeing a rat run back and forth the boards on the ceiling. I was not anxious to get up.)  After I get up and brush my teeth and exchange good mornings with all the boys getting ready for school (I’m staying in the boys’ dorm) it is not long until the breakfast bell rings.  We all hurry across the way to get to the mess hall where 42 place settings are always so nicely placed out and waiting for us.  Breakfast (like every single meal) includes rice.  On top of that sometimes it’s pancakes, sometime cereal or oatmeal, and usually some fruit (mostly mangos and pineapples…. Yum!)  After breakfast Emily and I (the other American here until the end of February) walk the elementary kids to school.  That is really fun, but also stinks because they are gone after that.  We get back to the orphanage and it is a little lonely.  We both do our own things for a little while, which for me is normally straightening my room, journaling, praying, reading the Bible or another book, walking around looking at the scenery, wishing I could kill the roosters… and other things.  Then we get together to work out for a little while.  That is really hard to do in the humidity here, but we are doing our best to keep that in the schedule.  We then shower unless (like yesterday) there was no water (NO TUBIG!) and we had to wait a while. The water situation is definitely one of the more difficult ones.  We’re still trying to figure out exactly when water will and won’t be here, but even when it is here, it-is-freezing!  The shower process is best done at the hottest time of the day and VERY quickly. After all of this it is close to 12:00pm and the kids are coming home for lunch.  It’s fun to have them back for a little while.  Lunch looks a lot like breakfast with rice and fruit.  We also normally have mixed veggies and beef or some form of chicken or ponsit (noodles).  After lunch there is only a little bit of time to spend with the kids before they have to go back to school.  Normally we sit in the entrance to the boys’ dorm and talk and joke with them.  They are all very funny and entertaining.  The ones I have gotten to know the best are Alberto, Jestoni, Miko, Joel and Jemboy.  Although we have quite a language barrier between us, they know enough English to communicate with us and to help the younger ones communicate by translating.  Anyway, then we walk the high school kids back to school and come back to more down time.  I really am not used to/comfortable with having nothing to do.  Everyone takes a nap after lunch and I do that when I can or I just read and journal some more.  Emily is a champion sleeper though so I have to really fill my time with stuff until she wakes up.  I am always asking any of the staff if there is anything I can do to help, but they are in no rush to do anything as they are used to this very, very slow lifestyle.  I hope that if I bug them enough they will finally just give me some things to do.  After Emily wakes up, we go to the pavilion with Gigi (one of the ladies on staff) and have an Illonggo lesson (the local language).  We are slowly picking up some words and phrases that we can use in everyday life, and the kids really enjoy hearing us butcher the accents when we practice with them.  All the kids start arriving at home around 4:00pm and they have chores and other things to do for a while.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays one of us will lead their devotional at 5:15pm.  It’s just a short time of singing and then a lesson or Bible story for about 15 minutes.  We then have time for games or taking until the kids need to go shower and get ready for dinner.  The dinner bell rings and we get ready for more rice, fruit, veggies and some meat or bread.  Every now and then a dish presents itself that we do not recognize and if we are feeling brave we’ll give it a try.  My stomach STILL does not feel itself so I normally wait for Emily to give me the ok. J  Dinner is over around 7:00pm and we go to bed anytime between 8:30pm and 10:00pm, just depending on what we end up doing.  Last night I went up to the girls’ dorm where I had never actually been and got to play with the younger girls for a while.  It was really a blast. They are so stinking funny.   The ones who I have spent most of the time with are Melody, Anjalynn, Angel, Casey, Maralyn and her twin Marysol (I think!).  They are sweet and fun, but the language barrier is much higher with them so communication is slow.  We can still have fun and play games though.  Normally Emily and I spend more time hanging out with the boys.  This week has been fun because they are getting ready for the Jr./Sr. Prom and we are helping them chose shirts and ties and they are showing us the dances they’ve been learning.  Some of them are very talented dancers!  I normally get tired first so I say my goodnights around 8:45pm and head to bed. I try to stay up until I am absolutely exhausted because otherwise I will lie in bed and think about lizards or rats or missing home and sleep does not come easily.  Plus, you never know when the rooster is going to start crowing, so it’s a good idea to get as much sleep in as early as possible.

So that is basically a day in the life here at Uncle Dick’s Home.  When I upload this it will probably be Tuesday which is our out of schedule day and we get to go to the Internet Café for a few hours.  I am very much looking forward to that day when I get to hear from you all again.  I cannot stress how appreciative I am for your prayers and encouragement.  This is not exactly what I had imagined and I am certainly feeling the pangs of homesickness more and earlier than I ever thought.  I know, however, that God uses painful circumstances to instill character and give us proof of his control and power in our lives.  I know this and I am doing my best to remind myself of this and spend as much time as I can in prayer and in His word.  Still, this is difficult for me and your prayers will not go astray.

Love to all.

This post is dedicated to Nicole Greiner. Jemboy misses you a lot and one of the pictures below is a little gift for you from him. Also, I love you!!

To Ate Nicole. Love Jemboy.

My comfort zone.

ADDRESS!

You can snail mail me!!!!!!!!

Bekah Congdon
Fower and Tucker Home, inc.
Purok Rizal I, Lamsugod, Surallah
South Cotabato,
Philippines- 9512
C/O Mrs. Ray F. Gauran, directress

It could take a while for it to get here so feel free to send them up until the last three weeks. I don't want to leave before some of them get here.

I love you all!

Quick post.

Hi friends!
I'm so glad I've gotten to talk to several of you in the last couple hours. I didn't get to hear your voices or see your faces, but it still helped to have some communication. I cannot believe how much I miss you all. Especially my mom though. It's hard to think about her without tearing up. And it hasn't even been a week yet!!

The weather right now is just perfect as I sit in Emily's Cafe sipping a Sprite. It feels like the absolute perfect place to be. However, I am really struggling to fully enjoy everything while I am missing home. Please pray that God would rid me of my homesickness and let me be fully used for His glory and plan. I really want to come away from this adventure knowing that I got the most out of it and that I was an empty vessel for Christ. I guess I should be thankful that there are so many people in my life worth missing this much.

I love you all! This post is dedicated to my mom. I just want to hug you right now!

Sunday, February 7- Church

I woke up at around 4:00am this morning.  About half of the boys wake up at that time and since I am staying in the boys building there was plenty to hear that early. However, that was not what woke me up.  No here you have a choir of dogs and roosters going all night long.  I was tired enough that it didn’t bother me when I was going to bed, but I guess I had had enough by morning.  The roosters are so loud that they sound like they are in your room with you… I think they would be of more use in our bellies. J

Today was Emily and my 1^st church service.  We asked what time it started and were told 8:00am, but we didn’t leave until 8:30 so I suppose start time is flexible.  Since the pastor lives here I guess he can do that.  Sure doesn’t work that way in the states.  But then again, neither does having a 3 ½ hour service.  That was tough, mostly because about 85% of it was in Ilongo.  I tried my best to pick out some words but had very little luck. I need to remember that I’ve only been here for 24 hours—I’ll get better with the language. 

I’m sitting in my room right now and I’m just about to take a nap.  Now this IS something we should make a habit of in America.  Everyday EVERYONE takes a nap.  It’s just part of the day. It’s great.  I thought it was going to be too hot for me to sleep but a lovely breeze has picked up and I can hear thunder in the background so it’s safe to say it’ll get a little cooler yet.  The weather here is really amazing.  We were playing games outside yesterday and within seconds a HUGE stormed loomed overhead.  The rain was so think that the mountains in the distance completely disappeared.  I am reminded of a line from one of my favorite movies that I am probably going to butcher but it goes something  like:  “The [mountains] are so strange. One minute they seem so peaceful and the next they are trying to kill you.”  It definitely feels like that here. It is really overwhelmingly awesome to see nature at work.

This post is dedicated to Becca Myer who I think of everytime I check the time. I love you!!!

Saturday, February 6th- First OFFICIAL day.

I finally arrived at Uncle Dick’s Home!  There was a time in Japan when I didn’t know if I’d ever get here, but thank the Lord, I’m here!

I was picked up from CSM in Manila at 3:30am. I slept about 3 hours before that, which brought my sleep total since I left home (3 days earlier) to 9 hours.  I wasn’t able to eat the night before because I didn’t have any Filipino money; I was living off of the last meal I had on the flight at about 9:00am the day before.  So I was very happy to get my money changed and see a Mister Donut at my gate.  I left a few hours later and, after one last flight, arrived in General Santos. A HUGE praise that all of my luggage arrived in all of the destinations safely.  Bert and Ray, who run the orphanage, welcomed me with big smiles and hugs and we headed home. 

Throughout all of my travels I have been reading “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”, is the self told story of Aron Ralston that inspired the recently released movie 127 Hours.  I recommend this book highly, but especially if you are traveling.  No matter what happens, whether you get stranded in Japan or have no food for a day or can’t sleep, it’s really hard to be at all upset… at least you’re arm isn’t trapped by an 800lb. rock! J

It’s been so amazing being with these precious children again.  It still doesn’t feel like I am staying here though. Every other time I’ve been here has been so brief that I expect to have to leave at any moment. Hopefully it will kick in soon that this is for real. Today hasn’t been too busy since I didn’t arrive here until around 3:00pm My dear friend Emily is here too and I am so thankful for that.  It’s great to have someone to speak English to while we both struggle to pick up as much Ilongo as we can.  She will be leaving at the end of this month, but I’m grateful for the time that she is here.  We just finished planning special events for prom, Valentine’s Day and American Day, all coming up this month.  She and I will also begin leading bible studies for the high school kids next week which is going to be really exciting.  Tonight we are doing a movie night (in honor of the super bowl we are watching Facing the Giants) but I’m very dehydrated and sleep deprived so I am opting out to try and get some rest in.  Tomorrow is church, and if it’s anything like what I’ve experienced here before, I’ll need some energy.

This post is dedicated to Lauren Bain who, when I was hungry in Manila, I realized I would be having breakfast with if I were at home. Oh, ihop. I love both of you!! J

MABUHAY!

It’s hot. It’s very noisy. It smells like cigarettes and car exhaust. Welcome to the Philippines!

I finally arrived here in Manila around 12:30pm local time (10:30 pm in good 'ole Texas) and made it to the CSM hotel close to 2:00pm. I'll be here all alone until very, very early tomorrow morning (leaving for the airport around 3:30 am) so feel free to chat or email with me when you wake up! I'll be here! :)

I got a few hours of sleep in Japan last night and then maybe one more on the plane. My flight here was very musical. I started out with a little bluegrass and a little Carpenters and then had a time of praise with David Dunn, Casting Crowns and Donna Stuart. From there we moved to some much needed broadway and the Swell Season and I finally dozed off while Slowdancing in a Burning Room with John Mayer.

(This post and the last song are dedicated to my faithful companion, Janey Matulich:)

I'm going to work out, shower, go through my luggage and hopefully eat before going to bed. Keep the emails and comments coming. Thank you for your prayers and love!

Bekah

A view of Japan.

So, I am waiting to depart Japan and am attempting to show you what this country looks like from my perspective. :)

Waiting for the announcement that our flight was indeed cancelled.

My room. Do not be decieved. That bed is hard as a rock. :)

It looked like a tiny doorm room!

The bathroom. Again... tiny.

Me feeling and looking quite gross. But I got a hot shower and three hours of sleep. Let's get to Manila!!

Welcome to Nagoya!

I don't know that I'll be able to get Internet in Manila, so I just wanted to post a quick update to tell you all that I arrived safely in Japan! The 12.5 hour flight was a breeze as it was not full and I had extra room to stretch out and sleep. God is so good! :)

I'll be departing for Manila within the hour and should arrive there at midnight (which will be 11 am according to your clocks and my brain). Hopefully I can stay awake for the next flight and try to get accustomed to the right time zone.

Thanks for all the love yesterday/today. I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life. Please pray that my baggage will make it all the way through and that we will be able to sort out everything with my visa without any trouble.

God bless! Leave me comments! :)

*This post is dedicated to my very best friend, Blythe Meyer, who was celebrating her 21st birthday while I was 37,000 ft. in the air. Love you!

Tomorrow, tomorrow... I'm leaving TOMORROW!!!

Wow, I can say with complete honesty that I can't believe it is actually time for me to leave. I still feel like there is so much for me to do, but I am doing my best to remain calm and not totally freak out. I should finish packing and everything here in a couple hours and then it is just down to relaxing and spending time with the family. Then I'm off bright and early tomorrow morning!

Once again, thank you ALL for your love and support. You will be so missed. PLEASE keep in contact. NO PHONE, but email (bekahgwen@gmail.com) and here on the blog or on facebook.

Toodaloo!!!