Sundays are by far the hardest days here for me to choose joy. It seems that I always have a very short fuse on Sundays and that anything makes me want to snap! At home, I love Sundays. Mornings are hectic but it doesn’t matter. I love my church and I love getting to worship with a wonderful congregation and some very talented musicians. I almost dread going to church here. First off, I always seem to be more tired on Sunday mornings and after breakfast I just want to go back to sleep. Instead though I go get ready for church, and sometimes it’s nice. I like the change of wardrobe when I actually dress up a little and it’s normally nice to have a change of pace. However, this is one that just gets me down. Driving to church is a headache… and a back ache. The jeep we take has wooden seats and metal rungs on the back and the bumpy terrain that accompanies us to Amazing Grace Baptist church does not go well with these two elements. Upon arriving there are a few different Sunday school classes and I go with the high school/college class which is located in the “sanctuary”. We are welcomed again with wooden seat and dirt floor. The class starts with our heavy set (one of the few in the Philippines) teacher who is very nice and energetic and who speaks in Ilonggo for a solid hour. I normally have a row to myself and I just read a book of the Bible while he talks (today it was Daniel). After an hour I have a few minutes to stretch and I mean that literally. Sitting on that hard surface for that long really gets my sciatic nerve hurting (which I believe is pinched again) and my lower back in agony. I straight up start doing Pilates in the aisle. The classes begin to merge then and my once empty row gets filled with kids, normally Jaypee, KB, Carlos, Alvin and Melody. This is another oddity about Sundays; any other day, I love being with these kids and letting them sit on me and joke around, but Sundays I really just feel warn out. The boys have one or two little “jokes” (like looking to see where my eyes are reading in my Bible and putting their hand over that part) which were funny the first time they did it—2 months ago—but now just make me want to flick them! Things only get more aggravating when the service starts. We stand up, we sit down, we stand up, we sit down, and we stand u…oh wait sit down, NO! Stand up! Ahh! They’re Baptist, not Catholic! Gina (who works at the orphanage) gets up and makes a few announcements (like how many people are here and how much our offering from the first hour was) and then asks if there are any birthdays for the next week. We sing happy birthday every week—it is strange. Then we have what our church would label our “meet and greet” time, but here we sing a song as we walk around and shake hands. The lyrics are “I love the thrill that I feel when I get together with God’s wonderful people”, however the Filipino accents turn it into “I lub da trill dat I pill when I get togeder wid…” Again, I know this stuff shouldn’t bother me, but there is that short fuse I mentioned. After this is the worship time which sadly is the hardest part. A lot of the songs are great and I want to just sing them and enjoy worshipping the Lord, but the unexpected tempo and phrasing changes and the singer’s voice fighting to control the pianist even though he actually has it right just causes me grief. Plus the boys don’t care much for this part and they are usually throwing paper airplanes at me or trying to play with my hair. I had two different kids on either side of me today tugging at my head so violently that I (did not scream) had to firmly tell them no more playing with the hair. Then the sermon starts and it’s another hour of sitting and not understanding a word. I try to read during this time but I spend most of it hushing people around me. I say people because it’s not just the kids. House parents and other adults making so much noise it’s ridiculous. I always direct a hush to a child, but I really am hoping the others will follow. I don’t care that I can’t understand the pastor, it’s just so rude! At the end I just can’t wait to leave. It is Monday at least before the pain leaves my butt and back.
Filipinos are very honest people. They don’t see anything rude in making comments that they believe to be true that an American would keep to his/herself. I normally don’t mind that about them, but my self esteem could really benefit from them just keeping some things inside. Almost daily someone will grab my leg and say, “Wow! So big!” One of the college girls who didn’t remember me from last time told me yesterday that she actually did remember me. She said she had forgotten because I was “much slimmer last time.” When in Marbel I saw a dress that I thought was so cute and Jiji said, “Don’t even think about it. You’d have to work out a whole lot more for that to fit you.” Earlier tonight she was looking at pictures on my computer and saying, “Wow, look how slim you were!” These are people who eat at least 6 cups of rice per day… you guys are blessed! Be happy and leave me be!
I am being bombarded with bugs from every direction right now which means my light is the last one on. I have to go before I throw my computer at the gnat constantly trying to get in my eyeball.
Tomorrow is graduation! It’s exciting but also sad. Tomorrow is Alberto’s last day here as he will be returning to his parents (who were recently released from prison). He has been one of my closest friends since getting here so that will be hard. Then I also found out tonight that Marivel is leaving too. I know her less and that is simply because she is shy, but I know she is a sweetheart and I’ll miss her dearly. Please pray for both of these kids as I do not know the kinds of lives they are returning to. Alberto is excited to be with his family again, but Marivel did not seem happy about leaving. Pray that God will protect them and give them peace and comfort and boldness to share the love of Christ that they found here at UDH.
24 days! Crazy.
I miss you all and love you heaps.
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