What a beautiful wedding on Sat. My friend Shelbi married her love Justin in a awesome outdoor ceremony complete with an ice cream sundae bar. The setting was amazing and it was so cool because it had gotten cloudy around the time the ceremony started...then right as Shelbi was starting to come down from the house--the clouds broke and the sun just came beaming down. She looked so lovely, as you can see by this picture.
I love weddings.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
--Matthew 11:28-30
Ever since I first read this passage of scripture, I've been intrigued by it. Perhaps because I've never been one who could find rest easily, perhaps because I always had a hard time thinking of burdens as being light...whatever the reason. Today I was really feeling the pressure of all of the demands on my time at work. I've always tried to remind myself that I am only one person and I can only do so much in one day. With a lot of deadlines looming very close---that just doesn't seem realistic for the next week or two. Teacher training, strategic hits, kick off of Sunday school, Tuesday Nite Live, internet registration, Teen MOPS kick off...all of this amidst a computer system that hasn't been working properly the last two days and other people who depend on me to have things done for them for these different events. So today after an exasperating voicemail message---I leaned back in my chair, sighed heavily and said, "Ok Lord, the rapture...anytime...I'm ready!" A few people around me laughed and we joked a little bit about it, but it got me thinking back to this passage.
I have not been taking these burdens, these deadlines to Him. I have not been seeking Him first. This passage is clear. It doesn't say...a select few of you, it says..Come to me ALL who are weak. Um, yeah, that includes me. It doesn't say...if your burdens are worthy, if I'm feeling extra kind...it says, I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Period. I have to seek Him. I have to come. So often I get caught up in the whirlwind that is my life and try to focus on the next task at hand and in doing so, leave out the most important part---Him. Bible study--right with Him. Prayer--He's my right hand man. Important decisions--white on rice. But day to day things, my job tasks...I wayyyyyyy too often rely on my own strength. And my strength is lacking. I am tapped out.
I actually had planned to do a ton of work from home tonight, but due to the connection problems I'm not able to log on. Hmmmm....rest? Certainly can't deny that tonight. Thanks God for simple blessings!
Take His yoke upon me. And learn. And when I do those things, He tells me that I will find rest for my soul. THAT sounds good.
So here's a few pictures from Jordyn's party last night. Do you now that a bunch of those crazy kids were out swimming and hot tubbing it in the rain!? lol She had a great turn-out and a lot of fun. It's so fun to see that her friends are so diverse. It was so odd too--because so many of her friends have their licenses now that they just came and went on their own. That will be her soon too----aaaarrrggghh!!! lol
The rest of the weekend was full as well. Friday Marlon and Izzy went to the Brewer game, Jordyn went to a friend's house for HSM2 and Isaiah and I went shopping for Jordyn's party. Sat. we were up and out of the house by 5:30am for Isaiah's soccer tournament. They had 2 tough games but came out on top for both. The 2nd team was from IL and they were down by 2 until the last few minutes of the game and then came with 3 goals back to back. So awesome to watch--even if it does churn your stomach sometimes!! :) It's great though that they play their hardest to the last minute-even when they are behind. It's so frustrating to me when I see teams give up, or have a bad attitude when they start to lose and then they have no chance of coming from behind. Then all nite was Jordyn's party.
Anyway--a hard thing was that due to the weather the tournament was cancelled for Sun. Poor Isaiah--he actually shed a tear--sweet thing. I reminded him that weather is beyond our control and even though it's irritating sometimes...he can feel satisfied that they won both games on Sat. and played their hardest. Today we all got to sleep in (Thank you Lord for the rain! Sorry--not very soccer mom of me...lol) and then took the kids to my parent's house because we had a prison. That was a good thing for me--since the tournament was cancelled, Marlon was able to go to Taycheedah with me. Came home and just relaxed, watched some TV, visited with my Grandma and then picked Jordyn up from a party at 9pm. Now everyone is in bed...I'm headed there soon and I'm feeling content. I am hoping some sun comes are way soon--I'm looking forward to getting back into the pool soon.
Nite all.
So you know those days where your heart just hurts for a friend and it sucks because there is absolutely nothing you can do about it---and nothing that you say seems quite right? My friend lost her job today. Well---a change in the way things are being done, resulted in her being let go. I'm sure there's more to the story---there always is---and I'm sure it was not a decision that was made lightly---but the result still sucks. Sorry to those of you who seriously dislike the word suck. Sometimes it's the true sentiment of a situation.
So when I found out I went right to her and hugged her, cried with her, prayed with her...but I still left feeling like I didn't convey my love for her enough and my heart aching. I pray that she feels loved and encouraged in the days and weeks to come. The current plan is that she will stay and finish up, as well as help the transition of the new system until the end of Sept....how difficult. So I pray also that people are patient and kind to her as she works through this. I also pray for all of us---I think people take for granted what she really does and what she brings to the position. My personal viewpoint (not that anyone asked or cares--but it's my blog so whatever...lol) is that while there are probably many positives to this new way of doing things---it will come at a cost. I don't know if it will be worth it in the end.
So we pray. And have faith that God is in control of everything. If this is the right decision---it means He has bigger and better things in store for her. If it's not the right decision....she only has to stay close to Him, rely on His strength and have faith that He will take care of her---because He will. He redeems all in His time.
Heavy heart. But hopeful spirit.
So I found this picture in our clip art photos and it is the perfect picture of what I need. After this busy beyond belief summer, I need a quiet, peaceful, special alone time. In front of a fire....well, not so sure about that because I get hot very easy...lol...but the picture relayed the "feeling" of what I need. Looking at the calendar...I might get the opportunity in November. Considering how much is still coming in the next couple of months, November will probably come very quickly.
Is that okay? To have a schedule such that November is the first time I could have a little getaway... Is it normal? I don't know. Do I have a healthy balance in my life? I don't know. At a conference once I heard Jill Briscoe say that at different times in ministry life balanced looks different than it might for others. So I do know that I have to keep my focus on God and stay close in His word, do my best to be obedient to all He asks of me and not let myself get sidetracked. I was able to stay away from Kids Kamp this week, which was a big task. I also am not returning to volunteer in Kid Zone. Those are little "big" things that I can do to streamline my areas of ministry to those where I feel I am truly being called to participate.
Tomorrow is Jordyn's 16th birthday! It seems like just yesterday she was just a lil peanut.
Her dad is picking her up from camp a little later (the counselors stay later for a meeting) and then she is spending the rest of the weekend with him. We are having her party next weekend so that she can enjoy her time with her friends at the pool. My friend Amy is celebrating her son's b-day as well! It's a special love you have for those first children---and Amy I think you are so right that our single mom time with them does factor into that relationship. It is a little different--not that we love them more, but there's a special bond there. As she is 16, I thought I'd list 16 of my favorite things about Jordyn...(I know, I know...aren't moms that brag just disgusting? Well if you don't like it, that's ok, I won't be offended if you stop reading here...lol)
1. She has an awesome laugh
2. She is very kind and thoughtful
3. She has great sense of humor---we get each other's corny jokes
4. She has a great relationship with God
5. She is a good friend
6. She is extremely intellligent and takes school very seriously
7. She is respectful of adults
8. Jordyn is an idealist and looks at the positive
9. Jordyn will sing old 80s tunes with me at the top of our lungs
10. Jordyn cares about what people think, but not enough to allow them to sway her from making wise choices
11. She isn't afraid to witness and share her faith with her friends.
12. Jordyn still gets crushes and likes boys from afar---I love that innocence.
13. She makes friends in all "groups"---preppies, jocks, punk, nerds...she isn't influenced by labels.
14. Jordyn is humble.
15. She is great with kids---has patience and a gift of teaching
16. Jordyn prays and let's others pray for her by sharing her prayer requests.
I am thankful to have this special young lady as my daughter!
Our house is full of sports. Of course soccer has started back up for Isaiah--which is a huge undertaking since the switch to select last year. He is playing for the same coach and with the same guys---now as U-12---so that is good. They are a good team and play hard. He has improved a lot this summer, working on juggles, touch and endurance. Now we add football. Elijah is playing Jr. Blackshirts-Red Team. He is pretty hardcore...lol. He came home tonight estatic because he made 1st string running back and 2nd string quarterback. These were both the positions that he was hoping for. Marlon of course is excited too because footbal is his first love when it comes to sports. Izzy also just found out that he made the select travelling baseball team. Baseball really starts after the new year, however, they will meet for some practises yet this fall just to connect and such. AND all three would like to play basketball if it fits in their schedules. They can only play one sport at a time, so we'll have to see how those seasons work. Whew. It's going to be a lot of driving, splitting up and switching off on who goes where!
Alright. Mom alarm going off. Marlon just showed me in a pre-season game what the running back actually does and HE IS GOING TO BE TACKLED ALL OF THE TIME!!!!!!! That boy better run like the wind!! I may have my eyes covered for those first few games...lol.
Well, back to work all. I brought some work home to get a jump start. This month is going to be one of my busiest yet as we prepare for our fall kick-offs in Sept. There is always a lot of behind the scenes admin. work to get all of those programs off and running.
Have a good night!
For those interested in reading about the trip from start to finish...you will need to scroll down a few entries and read up. If that doesn't matter to you--then just have at it.
Much love too all who enter here whether it's your first time or you're a repeat customer!! :) Don't forget to leave me your thoughts and reflections.
Peace, out!
So Saturday night was a great time of fellowship with people from the ministry in Philippines. We had a TON of great food, including a HUGE pig roast that was carried into the house wrapped in banana leaves and set on the kitchen table to be chopped up.
I was able to meet a few more individuals from the ministry. Every Sunday, Neena and Pipan go to Ilo Ilo to visit a women's jail there. The plan was for us to visit with them the next day. In the morning we were heading to a church where Marlon was going to preach, but since we didn't have to be there until 9am---we were able to sleep in until 6:30. This was a real treat because most other days we were up and out the door by 6am. Sunday morning came, we dressed for church and then got on our tricycle for the 30 minute drive to the church. They had a small luncheon for us afterwards. It was odd and humbling to have so many people during our entire time there just lavish love and gifts on us. We had gone to encourage and love on them...and we came away feeling so special and cared for.
The jail on Sunday was the another one of the 3 most God powered times. These women. I couldn't help but tear up to see their faces...hear their laughter...chat with them afterwards. They were very happy to have us there and even there-one of the women had made me a gift. 
Monday was spent shopping in the market and mall. Tuesday we headed to our last prison and spent the evening packing. This prison was probably the least sanitary yet. We were actually able to go in and take a few pictures of the actual cells. You can see just how destitute things there are.
We spent the late evening packing and having great conversation with Brother Bob and Neen. It was hard to believe that our time was just about done. We headed to Ilo Ilo early on Wdnesday morning. When we got to Parola Wharf we waited only a short bit before our van came to take us to the airport. Our good bye to Brother Bob was bittersweet. He put us on the van and we began our 45 minute drive to the airport. Our flight to Manilla was right on time so we got to Manilla about 11:30. Ling's brother, Sam, who lives in Manilla was going to be our guide, however, he didn't get off of work until 2 so he couldn't come to get us until 3pm. These few hours though certainly passed quickly. After all of this airport waiting I really think I could be a professional people watcher! Sam finally came and we headed in a taxi to our hotel. The plan was to stay put for the remainder of the day (Manila is not necessarily the safest city in the world) and then head to the airport by 4:30 am (our flight was at 6:30am) Because we had to get up so early, we wanted to be as close as possible to the international airport so Sam took us to a Japanese hotel nearby.
Now I must tell you something about this hotel that may shock you. I know when I realized where we were...even I BLUSHED! First, the place just seemed...for lack of better word, sexy. Only women were behind the desk, the male staff were all overly friendly, basically everyone coming were couples...then as we registered for our room and saw the photos of the rooms and saw that there were HOURLY rates...we realized where we were!!! It was certainly a culture shock. The hotel rooms had plastic mattresses, doorbells, masseuses that would come to your room---$5 for an hour massage, and free porn on the TV. We didn't watch any mind you....the TV guide kindly had photos for us----yucky!! Marlon and I just sat in the room laughing. Once Sam came and brought us our dinner we settled in, watched Law and Order (Marlon was right---that show IS on everywhere and somewhere---and took short naps. Up and out by 4:00am and through security by 5. Thus began our trek home.
Blessings were so many to number. But initially off the top of my head:
--safe travel
--kids were healthy and behaved while we were gone
--we got to reconnect with Brother Bob and Neen
--we were able to share the gospel at several prisons, the orphanage and just on
the street
--Neen's sister, Angel, who was ill when we arrived got better and was almost
100% when we left
--travel while in the Philippines went very well
--we didn't get sick while there
Lastly, here's just a few more photos from our trip that I wanted to share. Please know we appreciate all of your prayers and love. It means so much to know that we have such positive people in our life helping us live out God's will for us.
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Nite all!
The Saturday we spent at the orphanage was probably 1 of the 3 most God-powered day I spent in the Philippines. (now don't get it twisted..I know He powers all---so leave your hate mail to yourselves...lol)
A little background. I knew that Brother Bob lived on this orphanage compound and so I emailed quite a few months before our trip to see if I might be able to spend a day, or at least a few hours, with the children there. Due to their feelings about "foreigners" coming the response was difficult to read. It sounded more like I should come with basically nothing planned and nothing expected--but that I would be able to spend some time with the kids. We had a large bag of donated craft items that I planned to take anyway. I figured if nothing else I could leave them with the orphanage. I was told that the orphanage itself had just about 35 children living there, but a school was also on campus and with outreach efforts there was up to maybe 60 or so. Marlon agreed that it might be fun to spend some time with the kids there, but really made no promises either way, mostly because we weren't sure what he might have planned that day.
On the 2nd day there, I met with Bebing, a woman who helps to run the orphanage and activities. It was then that I realized she had let all of the children know that on Saturday there would be a "Children Fellowship" day from 8am to 4pm with special guest from America, Mindy! :) Basically a one day vacation bible school. I smiled, paused, took a deep breath and said--Let's get to work. That evening we impromptu planned a day full of crafts, worship, teaching, indoor and outdoor games, question and answer and food. She agreed to purchase all of the other items we would need and Brother Bob agreed to personally fund it all. She also said we should plan for about 80-90 children! Marlon agreed to come and help with games as well as a lesson for the kids since Brother Bob had no specific plans for him that day. What happened in between that meeting and Sat. was some intense prayer on my part. Our prayers were answered in ways that I never could have imagined.
When I arrived at 8am (they didn't want me to come early to help set up---hey I could handle ministry like that...lol) there were already about 50 children there. We had decided on some worship time first so that as the children trickled in they wouldn't miss out on intro/interview time. I taught them some songs I've used in Kid Zone here along with the movements and they loved them. Very quiet and shy at first I found a great way to connect. All week they had been giggling at me in the back of that tricycle as I went from Brother Bob's house to the main road past the school. I told them that I knew they had all laughed, waved and said hello to me all week so there was no reason to be shy now! By the end of worship they were chattering, laughing, being just silly kids. The age group was 7-16 so I had to appeal to a very broad group. We spent time in prayer, I talked a little about our life in the US, Marlon gave a teaching on David and Goliath (which worked sooooo well due to his size--guess who was Goliath...lol) The kids ate it up. Then I took the lesson and delved even deeper to make sure that the kids fully understood it and how to apply it to their lives. We had question and answer time and I tossed candy out for correct answers. We paused for snack and had grown to just under 100 kids!! 
Next we had our craft time. We had decided on beading, paper airplanes, drawing a picture to go with the lesson, making a bookmark, making a card for someone you love and a cool hot iron bead melting thing. Every single child made at least one piece of jewelry. All of the boys...all of the older kids. They were so excited to choose their favorite colors...to see them proud to have something their own-it brought tears to my eyes. About 30 minutes into craft time, one little girl-Christian-brought me a card. She had made her card for me. Such a big hug. I will remember the feeling of that hug forever. What then progressed was a ton of the kids making cards for both Marlon and I. I think we have about 30 cards on our table right now. This time was laid back and relaxed. Of course the wild dogs and chickens came to join us as well...lol!! Bebing told us how great it was just to see the kids laughing and enjoying themselves. 
We then broke for lunch. We had chicken, vegetables, rice, bread, fruit and juice. Marlon and I, as the special guests, were presented with a special lunch served on special plates and with our own desserts. We were told that for many of the outreach children this may have been their first real meal (other than rice) for the whole week. We were also told that due to some exams at school, many of the children would be leaving after lunch. 
After lunch we had another time of worship. We recapped the songs from the morning, they taught me a few and we came together with a few songs we all knew to truly lift our voices in praise! It was amazing. Then came indoor and outdoor games. We did some fun relays with balloons, then a bunch of different games-some that we used in Biloxi and some we just made up as we went along. It was such a fun afternoon. I wish our 4 kids could have been there for that time. Even though our number did drop a little is sure didn't drop much! After games we had a small snack and then someone from the school took a group picture.
We ended the day with sharing time and letting the kids ask us questions about the US, our family, our lives. We also shared some pictures with them of our family. Many hugs and kisses and laughs later, we ended the day a little early at 3:30 so that we could be well prepared for a reception at Brother Bob's house that he was hosting for us with members of the ministry.
I pray for each of those shiny, smiley faces. For those whose names I remember...Margel, Denzy, Quinzey, Chrisian, April, Cemberlee, Lois, Jay, Jomar, May, Juliet, Femma, Cindy...to the many whose names I can't...may they feel our love, but more importantly God's love each day. May they draw close to Him and rely on Him to help them conquer any obstacle they meet. Keep them safe, provide for their needs. Allow them to live full, peaceful lives never taking their focus off of God.
Alright...one more break and then I'll finish up the last few days of the trip. Thanks to all who are continuing to read...it means a lot to be able to share it.
Let's see where were we...
Oh yeah---sleeping all night...lol. There are sure some strange noises when you sleep in the middle of the jungle in a bamboo house. Many of the things I didn't even ask about because I really didn't want to know! There was a few wonderful roosters that crowed EVERY night from about 3-6 a.m. That is no exaggeration. I remember when Marlon went two years ago and told me about the roosters. I believed him of course, but there was a part of me that thought he might be exaggerating just a little. I found out this time that no, he certainly was not...lol. Brother Bob lives on a school compound. There is the orphanage, school, homes of people involved in the school some way and a few other homes as well. Aside of all of the prison ministry that Brother Bob does there...he helps out the school financially when able. Here is a picture of the room we slept in and Brother Bob's main living/kitchen room..jpg)
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Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were spent visiting prisons with some of the full time missionaries that serve in BBO-Philippines. Bro. Bob's main focus and prayer for this trip was that Marlon and I would get to experience a real slice of ministry life in the Philippines. Thus, we were fully exposed to the rough travel and vigorous schedule that the 4 full time women there experience each week. The 45 prisons are located on 4 islands throughout the Philippines. The travel there of course always involves a boat ride (one taking overnight to get to) and then anywhere from one to three hours of travel to the actual prison.
There is the extreme weather to contend with (they go rain, shine or storm), substandard vehicles--the jeepneys and tricycle as well as a tricycab--which is a bicycle with a side car and of course the conditions in the prisons. Often there is 15-25 men/women in one 10x12 cell. No facilities, just a hole in the ground in the corner. There is usually only 5 or so beds and so they need to take turns. The prisons are not sanitary and occasionally they may go a day or even a few days with nothing to eat but a small portion of rice. Yet you see Jesus there. You hear Him in their worship, you see Him in their smiles, you feel His presence as you hug them afterwards. One nice thing is that time is not quite as strict there and so we can linger longer to chat and encourage. Here are a few pictures of some of the prisons.
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Here is how the ministry works. There are four full time workers. Due to the travel and distance of the other islands, three of the four are assigned to one of the islands. They travel either Sunday evening or early Monday morning to their location and then stay the week. On Friday afternoon/evening they return home to their families. After three weeks of doing this they each have a week off. The fourth full time staff fills in for each of the three on their week off. The average worker in the Philippines makes $2 per day. $2. While things there are of course considerable cheaper to our standards, nothing is easily obtainable for a family when you make $2 per day. The ministry, however, pays these women a much higher wage and also covers there travel expenses as well as the boarding house they must stay in for the weeks they are gone. Two of the four have children at home still, but with the help of family and neighbors they are able to make it work. Esther, Neen, Arlene, Ling (as they are shown below...and actually we found out Ling resigned just since we've been back) I have the upmost respect and love for these ladies. It was an honor spending time with them and their love of the Lord was both refreshing and wonderful. I am honored to have them as friends and sisters in Christ.
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Well, I got through Friday. Saturday was probably one of the most special days for me as I got to spend it at the orphanage with about 100 kids! That is another whole story...lol...so I will again take a break and be back later with more. Thanks for reading!!
There's so much to share about the Philippines---that I hardly know where to start, but I guess the only way I'm going to get details shared is by starting---so here goes...
The flights there went very well. We flew out of Milw. to Det. and then onto Tokyo. 13 hours. Wow. If you've never flown that far, I must tell you that if you are claustrophobic---um, don't bother without medication...lol! I did end up sleeping around 5 hours and watched a movie, finished about 10 crossword puzzles and wrote in my journal. The crazy part was that because we were traveling up over the North Pole, the sun NEVER WENT DOWN. Bizarre or what? After a brief switch over in Tokyo and security we flew to Manila arriving late Monday evening about 11pm. The next step was a domestic flight on Cebu Pacific. Because domestic flights only fly out during the day our flight was not until 8am--so we sat in the airport the entire night. What's funny is that everyone coming in on international flights had to do the same-so there were about a 100 of us just chillin in the airport all night. Now this isn't a huge interesting airport like we have here....this picture shows the room (about the size of a large gym) where we were..jpg)
Brother Bob and his wife, Neen, picked us up from the Ilo Ilo airport. They had hired a tour bus company with a van to drive and had brought along 2 men that do odd and end jobs for them along to carry the luggage. We went to a mall to have lunch and the 2 men, Shadrach and Bruce, travelled on to Bro. Bob's house to drop off the luggage. We then went on in a jeepney (see picture below)
The back of the jeepney basically has a bench on either side that runs along side of the jeepney and the back is just an open area with no door. Very cramped and most certainly Philippino size :)
So the jeepney took us to the shore where we moved onto a pump boat. This 20-30 minute boat ride took us across the ocean to Guimaras where Bro. Bob and Neen live. Now the trick to these boats is that you walk down several cement steps to a long plank that leads to the boat. You must walk across the plank to reach the boat, often with your bags, etc. I must admit I was a little worried the first time, but once I realized that I could do it without falling, each time got easier. Here a picture of the steps and the plank we walked across. .jpg)
After arriving at the Buena Vista wharf on Guimaras our last step was a 3 mile ride on a tricycle to their home. Now. Tricycle does not mean what you are thinking. Tricycles are basically a small motorcycle with a side car. The side car has a front and back seat. So Bro. Bob AND Neen jumped on the back of the motorcycle behind the driver, Marlon got in the front of the side car and I got to ride in the back. Um...the back was basically just a small seat--no seat belt, no door, no handles...just me facing all of the traffic behind us and holding onto whatever part of the back I could to make sure I stayed in. This is another place where after the first time or two when I realized that I wasn't falling off----I was able to get very comfortable and didn't need to hold on at all. In fact I even took pictures and video!.jpg)
It was about 1 when we finally arrived at their home. The plan was to try and stay awake until 6 or 7 and then sleep through the night, but Marlon and I both decided to take a short nap around 2:30. Well, the next time I woke up was 10pm at night!! After a bathroom break, we ended up sleeping until the next morning!!
So that's a start. Off to have dinner and then I'll be back to share some more.
We're back! Still somewhat comatose from lack of sleep and barely functioning properly...lol...but we got back yesterday early evening safe and sound. I can't even begin to describe or share our trip yet. My mind is ALL over the place with the amazing things we saw and wonderful ways that God blessed us. We've got the pictures downloading already so by Sunday I should be able to share a justifiable update of our time in the Philippines.
