It's February 11th in General Santos, and it's time for my trip to end....
Showing posts with label the Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Philippines. Show all posts
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
The Philippines: GES
Today my lovely Lucy and I say goodbye to Thailand and fly from Phuket (near Ao Nang) to General Santos (GES) on the south eastern side of the main islands. Technically we stop in Singapore and Manila on the way - hopefully long enough to snap a few photos out the airport windows.
We're excited to stay with our friends Amy and Gary in their home, which is about 5 hours away from Davao, where Typhoon Bopha hit the hardest. We plan to help the relief effort in whatever way we can. Please pray that we find an effective way to help the people in Davao!
*** I'm selfishly extremely excited to add to my sea shell collection. I've been collecting them since I was 2 or three years old. Every year it gets harder and harder to find shells I don't already have. Most of the best shells come from the coasts of the Philippines - which I now get to walk myself! Expect overly detailed posts about my shell conquests sometime late February. =D
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Following a Typhoon
The term is almost over, and I'm looking at a 6-7 week break - with tons to do! Some friends and I decided to go to Thailand for a little over a week, join some friends doing mission work, and see the Indian Ocean and elephants!
Even MORE exciting is the decision to go to the Philippines. On December 4, Typhoon Bopha swept through the south eastern Philippines, swallowing hundreds of people without leaving a trace and destroying the homes of over 400,000 people. A small group of teachers and exchange students at our university are from the Philippines, including our building manager who grew up a few hours away from the worst of the destruction. 300 fishermen from her city sailed out the morning of the 4th, and no one has seen or heard anything of them since then.
You know, vacations are great, but I would much rather do something useful and impactful with my time and energy. My parents taught and modeled that times of crisis are times of action. Relief work has always been really important to me, but I haven't been able to respond much during college. I'm currently unencumbered by school or work, and I can literally just pick myself up and go help! A few of my friends and I are going to General Santos toward the end of January and stay in a "cottage" (it's on stilts!) and join a local church's feeding ministry. We're going to do whatever needs doing - feeding, cooking, cleaning, building, clearing demolished buildings. (For my nurse-moms: yes, I'll track down a tetanus shot and mosquito nets!) I can't even describe how excited I am to be able to go do this!!
Besides the relief work, there are many reasons I'm excited to go to the Philippines - the music, the sea shells (I've been a collector for years - it's a deal), the countryside, and the proximity to Papua New Guinea. My great-grandparents met there while they were doing mission work, and I've always wanted to go. I don't think that will happen this trip, but there's a good chance I'll be able to spend time with people who are currently involved in missions there.
I'm headed down with three awesome believers who are ready and willing for anything to happen. Please pray that we can find cheap flights (my task in the next few days). We anticipate that our needs will be small, but funds are limited, and we're headed into an area full of astronomical need. Please pray that we can truly aid and encourage the victims of this awful storm, that we adjust our lives and plans to love them in the way they need us to, and that God's glory shines in spite of our limits!
Even MORE exciting is the decision to go to the Philippines. On December 4, Typhoon Bopha swept through the south eastern Philippines, swallowing hundreds of people without leaving a trace and destroying the homes of over 400,000 people. A small group of teachers and exchange students at our university are from the Philippines, including our building manager who grew up a few hours away from the worst of the destruction. 300 fishermen from her city sailed out the morning of the 4th, and no one has seen or heard anything of them since then.
You know, vacations are great, but I would much rather do something useful and impactful with my time and energy. My parents taught and modeled that times of crisis are times of action. Relief work has always been really important to me, but I haven't been able to respond much during college. I'm currently unencumbered by school or work, and I can literally just pick myself up and go help! A few of my friends and I are going to General Santos toward the end of January and stay in a "cottage" (it's on stilts!) and join a local church's feeding ministry. We're going to do whatever needs doing - feeding, cooking, cleaning, building, clearing demolished buildings. (For my nurse-moms: yes, I'll track down a tetanus shot and mosquito nets!) I can't even describe how excited I am to be able to go do this!!
Besides the relief work, there are many reasons I'm excited to go to the Philippines - the music, the sea shells (I've been a collector for years - it's a deal), the countryside, and the proximity to Papua New Guinea. My great-grandparents met there while they were doing mission work, and I've always wanted to go. I don't think that will happen this trip, but there's a good chance I'll be able to spend time with people who are currently involved in missions there.
I'm headed down with three awesome believers who are ready and willing for anything to happen. Please pray that we can find cheap flights (my task in the next few days). We anticipate that our needs will be small, but funds are limited, and we're headed into an area full of astronomical need. Please pray that we can truly aid and encourage the victims of this awful storm, that we adjust our lives and plans to love them in the way they need us to, and that God's glory shines in spite of our limits!
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