Running by Faith

End of the Season

2010-04-30T21:02:00.009-06:00

The last 4 months have been a whirlwind! From Jan-April my life has consisted of snowboarding and living at Beaver Creek. I loved my job! With over 100 days on my pass I have enjoyed many powder days and shredding the gnar! Snowboarding is now one of my passions in life and with the beauty of Colorado it's hard to think of living anywhere else. I've met some amazing people and have made lifelong friends. Right now it's May 1st and we just got a foot and a half of snow on the ground! (fyi - the snowboarder pictured above taught me how to ride for the first time.)
My co-workers were awesome! I loved working with Erin Stege (pictured above) and Pipi! She always had a smile on and helped me learn the ropes of our sweet job as the Lunch Meister!
With my job I had the opportunity to meet almost all the ski and snowboard instructors. They were so much fun to hang out with. On my days off I was able to ride with them and improve my snowboarding skills. By the end of the season, I was auditing classes to teach for next year! I can't wait to be an instructor!
Beaver Creek celebrates the end of the season with a big "Splash." Riders have to skim across a pond of freezing cold water. There were many hilarious costumes and only a few made it all the way across. We partied it up Colorado style for the weekend and said goodbyes to all our friends from around the world.
Me and my friend Steph had fun dressing up in our summer dresses, riding up the freezing chair lift, and snowboarding down the hill. Afterwards hitting up the favorite Coyote for some drinks.
Awww! These amazing people (above) are my roomies from River Edge, building B room 207. Our place was where the party was usually at. I miss you Pipi (my co-worker), and Analia (snowboard instructor), Christy Tao, and Michelle!!! <3 One by one our roommates left back to Argentina and other parts of the US...sniff...
Every Saturday Beaver Creek had "Rail Jam" - an opportunity to try out and improve your park riding skillz over boxes. Above are some of the amazing snowboard instructors and friends I rode with throughout the season. (Lynn, Bay, Me, Lachlan, Florance, and Steph M.)
Getting all steezy in the park yo! Look at that air and the beautiful mountains! I was hitting up the intermidate parks by the end of the season! Doing front and back boardslides, board grabs over jumps, and the half pipe.
Getting my backboardslide down. yay! Don't forget about inspirational music like "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha. That always helps ride better. :) My park shredding buddy Bay (below) left to Paris before the season was up. We had a blast and stayed outta trouble for the most part. haha.
It has been a season of growing. I've had ups and downs (literally, I've fallen on my butt many times), but I loved it out here. I'm so grateful for this experience and for my loving Aunt and Uncle to open their doors and let me live with them and my little cousins this winter. I'm planning on staying out here this summer potentially and will keep you posted hopefully more often! Come out and visit me next winter season!

Home for the Holidays

2009-12-30T19:19:00.004-07:00

AHHH!!! One of my dearest and bestest friend Jessica Wilson is now married! We've grown up together. We've gone through many happy, sad, hard, and wonderful times together. We've had many adventures. Now life has brought Jess into a new part in life. She found prince charming, fell in love, and put a ring on it. I'm so happy for Jessica and Jeremy!
Rehearsal was smooth despite the anticipation of the big day. Jess and Mr Wilson look like they are both getting emotionally prepared.
The first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Newhouse. Such a beautiful bride - and the groom isn't too bad looking either.
It was with great pleasure and delight that I made it back and was able to participate in the wedding. (I truly wouldn't have missed it for the world!)
The lovely bridesmaids were: Marija Wilson, Me, Cheryl Benson, Abbie Elrod, and Leith Tews. Our dresses were black and stunning. I really liked them - (except for the fact that you needed a lint roller with you at all times.)
Goodbye Ms. Wilson, and Hello Mrs. Newhouse! Whoohooo to the newlyweds! December 27, 2009.

Welcome to Beaver Creek!

2009-12-06T20:42:00.003-07:00

Well, for starters let's just say that I love Colorado! It has been a great experience so far and there is beauty everywhere! I have an awesome job and have been blessed with many amazing new friends and loving relatives! I had my first snowboarding lesson this last week and was whitewashed and bruised. However, I went out several other times during the week and learned to love it. Snowboarding motto: "no gain without pain."
I work at Beaver Creek, which is truly like a winter wonderland! There is a village with an ice skating rink and fire places surrounding. My job as the Ski School Children's Counselor is basically; registering kids up, signing kids out, getting them gear, putting on their gear, preparing food, bringing kids to class, encouraging the crying kids, and assisting the instructors, etc. Beaver Creek is the second largest ski school in the nation, next to Vail. We get an average around 200 kids a day and over 1,000 during the holidays. There are so many cool people here and I enjoy all my co-workers. We all get these cool uniforms of black ski pants and blue snow jackets, (not including all the layers underneath.)
Waking up early for work is no problem when there's a beautiful sunrise over the mountains! The real fun comes when you take the shuttle bus jammed full of people up the mountain and barely can keep your balance standing. You can see the NY mountains in the distance.
This last weekend was the World Cup for famous ski racers from all over the world! It was super cool to watch. USA placed 4th.

Pumpkins and Spice

2009-10-29T13:29:00.002-06:00

Between making pumpkin pie and carving pumpkins we are feeling the fall spirit! The Sonntag family and I had fun carving pumpkins the other night. It was fun to see all the different faces on each one. My pumpkin (happy jack) is pictured above. :)

Colorado Beauty

2009-10-15T21:59:00.002-06:00

I am truly living in one of the most beautiful states in the US right now! After pulling an all nighter and packing till 2:30am (with some help from a friend), I said goodbye to home and started off on a new adventure! My bag ended up weighing 49lbs. - not including my 20lbs carryon and laptop. It was hard leaving when your dad is getting all tearie-eyed before you leave. The flight was good, even though I looked like an Eskimo wearing all my winter gear around the airport. That was only because those were my heaviest items and didn't fit in my luggage bag - but were necessary. My aunt, Carol, and three cousins picked me up at the Denver airport. It was a two hour drive and on the way back we drove through the rugged desert, snowy mountains, and rainy hills. The elevation in Eagle, CO, (which is where I am living), is 6600 feet. There is nothing like waking up and seeing the sunrise over the mountains. I feel so blessed right now. Not sure if I'll move back to MN. Right now I am living with my aunt and uncle with their three kids as the adopted older sister. This is a new adventure and I am super excited! I'm also looking forward to when all my dear MN friends come and visit. I love and miss you all!

Twin Cities Marathon

2009-10-08T09:40:00.000-06:00

This was my second and last marathon this year. I woke up at 6am after a night of no sleep at my sisters loud dorm room. My adrenaline was already rushing and I got ready, put some mascara on (because I wanted to look pretty if I died), and headed off in the cold. I didn't eat anything, which was probably stupid. There were over 11,500 people at the starting line. Suddenly we were off running through the streets of downtown Minneapolis next to the dome. My mom was running it as well, but we both have different paces and thus I lost her at mile 1. While I was running I listened to some amazing music on my ipod. However, there was also many bands that played along the run. There were so many people cheering on the runners along the race. A friend of mine was able to take my long t-shirt from later when I finally warmed up. The whole time running I was thinking: "Why the heck am I running this again?!?!" I laughed at the person holding the sign saying "YOU'RE ALL CRAZY!!!"
I kept chanting, "I hate running, I hate running, etc..." I hit the wall at mile 18 and looked down at my shoes and nearly blacked out - my right foot had blood soaking through the shoe! Okay, well I guess that's why my foot hurt a lot. Just keep running I told myself. I was ready to quit at mile 23 and no longer cared about beating my last time. Suddenly I see my good friend Lizzy, who encouraged and ran with me the last 2 miles. It was a glorious sight when the capitol was in view!
After sprinting the last hundred yards, I completed my goal and finished at 4 hours and 30 mins. My mom wasn't too far behind and finished at 4 hours and 47 mins. I was dead afterwards and hungry! People asked me, "So why did you run 26.2 miles again?" Well, because I could! You also have to be a little crazy. One of the things that keeps me running is having a passion, (not for running), but something that keeps a person running till there feet bleed.
No one ever tells you about the pain after the race. My feet were shot. I wrapped them in horse vetrap and then my mom soaked them in salt water, coconut oil, and iodine. Yeah, I admit it might have been easier to just chop off the foot. (It sounded like that anyways.) After limping around like a 70yr old for several days, I think I'll survive. NEVER AGAIN! This was my second and last marathon!

Leaving on a Jetplane

2009-09-02T18:52:00.000-06:00

Be not dismayed whate'er betide,

 God will take care of you; 
 beneath his wings of love abide, 
 God will take care of you.

 God will take care of you, 
 through every day, o'er all the way; 
 he will take care of you, 
 God will take care of you.

I have had many farewells to my many new friends. However, it didn't hit me that I was leaving till I said goodbye to the kids at CSC. Yup, broke down crying. I will never forget them singing "God Will Take Care of You" or running to give me a group hug!
Although I have packed up my life in Cebu, a part of my heart is still there... This was truly the best summer of my life. God works in mighty ways. I was never for missions, especially overseas, but the power of Love is far greater than my self will. Looking over the past year, I am grateful for God showing me how precious life is. I will continue to live me life to it's fullest and not look back! He has brought me so far this last year.
The college girls at ETCP also had a farewell party and sang "Friends are Friends Forever." I have many notes that I am looking forward to reading on my long flight back to the USA. I will miss all the children calling out: "Teacher Stephanie!" :)
I will miss all my new friends! Teacher Michelle and Teacher Tammy - you gals are awesome! So many good memories!

"Goodbyes are not forever,
Goodbyes are not the end,
The simply mean I'll miss you,
Until we meet again..."

Don't Let Me Go...

2009-09-01T11:27:00.000-06:00

The time has flown by way too fast! It has been a busy last couple of days! Some of the first year college students invited me for an outing at a resort.
Singing some karaoke "Leaving on a Jetplane." I can check this off my list to do this summer.
Also some practice shooting. This would fall under the category: Missionary Training.
Then we went swimming and ate a whole bunch of filipino food;which included rice, fish and pig fat.
This was the wrestling match with Uncle Paul and the 3 midgets. It was the CSC kids reward for reading a certain amount of books.
The girls at bible club celebrated my 21st birthday with some chocolate cake! :D
I have had many farewell parties with many dear friends who I am going to miss tons!
These are all the teachers at ETCP. They had a farewell party for me. It is truely amazing on how God used me in these 2 months. I hate to leave, but I plan on returning. :)

Finishing up Teaching

2009-08-26T08:05:00.000-06:00

It has been quite the experience teaching in Cebu. Not only am I a new teacher, but this is a totally different culture. This is my grade 3 class for music theory. We have worked mainly on rhythm and counting, along with notes, time signatures and ostinato.
This is chapel hour for the kindergarden class. We have been going over the wordless book and the story of salvation.
The children love to do group hugs! (until you almost lose your balance. )
This is my amazing cebuano language teacher Anita Panita. I would have private lessons with her once a week. My cebuano has improved a lot and I was told I have an accent.
Some of my piano students from Naga village. I've had them as students since week one!
The girls dorm at ETCP college. I was invited to lead devotions and then spend the night. However, I did not realize they woke up at 4:30am. ha. It was a good experience though, and I brought American candy too (jellybellys). They loved them!
My grade 4 music theory class. For some of the classes we would work on just listening to the rhythm (and teacher). By the end they usually could clap rhythms in 2/4, 3/4 , and 4/4 time signature.

Counting the Days...

2009-08-23T18:16:00.001-06:00

This is my last week teaching, my 2 months are almost up. Please pray for me as I get prepared to go back home. I am really torn about leaving - part of my heart will always be here. I fell in love with Cebu. Already planning my next trip out here.

Oh What Fun!

2009-08-23T06:54:00.001-06:00

Well, this weekend I was formally invited to be one of the judges at the ETCP college student talent contest. Quite the experience and honor. I was introduced as the "import." There was everything from dancing, singing, debating, and musical instruments. Then I had a piano solo in front of the entire foreign school students, teachers, and pastors! Ah! I was a little nervous.
It was a relaxing weekend. I went for a walk around Cebu City by myself and experienced more of the culture. Still trying to take everything in. There are some things that really bother me, like people not looking where they are spitting or running you over. However, I love it here and am really sad about leaving soon. I got a ride in the horse and buggy too. (pictured above.)
Here is one of my main transportation's: Jeepney. People pretty much get packed in like sardines. It's quite the experience! Then I also had my first motorcycle ride down the crazy streets of Cebu! :D I was wearing a skirt too - and got us lost.

Man, I'm going to miss these kids! Counting the days now... September 3 is coming up way too fast!

Only 2 weeks Left!

2009-08-19T08:17:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe that I have only two weeks left in Cebu! I love it here, despite all the Filipino cultural experience's I've had. (They have been good and bad.) Defiantly going to leave a part of my heart here when I go. One of the adopting families bought ice cream for all the shelter kids. They were super cute eating it!
I taught all day today at ETCP school. After that I went for a run at the track here. Since my dad signed me up for the Twin Cities marathon I thought I should probably keep up my running in this 80+ degree weather.
Christine was in our Saturday Bible Club. Now she is on her way (with her sister) to Cambridge, MN! Goodbyes are bittersweet. There is nothing like experiencing seeing off kids to their new home. It is something they have always dreamed of! Here is a picture of their new family -

Weekend at CSC

2009-08-16T06:50:00.000-06:00

Another fun weekend! I was healthy too - my last day on medz! Rode a jeepney and taxi today, taught piano, got a haircut, and attended the CSC kids presentation! Oh, I was also at a coffee shop today and two random Filipino's invited me to join them at their table to chat. They were super nice though, so no worries. :) Then I had an interesting conversation with a taxi driver about the bible and commandments.

Here are some of the musicians at CSC (Children's Shelter of Cebu). They did a great job. Teacher Francis is their instructor playing piano. A group of kids also did a fun dance to a Hannah Montana song.

Analise won the giant pizza eating contest! Our table was super fun - and full! ;)

These are some of people from a church in Lahug I teach piano lessons to. I have a busy week coming up with many more lessons!

After a long day of teaching I love coming to CSC and play with the children! The other day we played basketball and volleyball for two hours! Super fun, but I didn't think a person could sweat that much!

Telling a missionary story to the kids at ETCP (the school I teach at.) The kids listen intently and groan when I leave them at a cliff hanger ending point.

Something Beautiful~

2009-08-13T06:01:00.000-06:00

These are some of my college piano students, Hazel and Maimai.

One of my favorite hymns is "Something Beautiful"

Something beautiful, something good,

All my confusion he understood,

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,

But He made something beautiful of my life.

I'm Alive!

2009-08-12T02:50:00.000-06:00

Hey, just thought I'd keep everyone posted that I am still alive after living in my room on bedrest for several days. I'm not sure what was more painful - being sick or being on bedrest. :P I survived though and the Guills took good care of me. Continuing to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration (good water only)! It was my first day teaching again in over a week! Really missed the kids. FYI - when it rains, it pours out here!

Sickness

2009-08-09T01:32:00.000-06:00

God seems to be testing my body's strength right now...
Last week I was sick in bed for a couple days with the virus/fever going around. I really missed hanging out with the kids and teaching. Now, just when I was about fully recovered, I get what is called "Ameoba". It's a parasite and one of the more extreme sicknesses out here that I was trying to avoid. It is from the water. I am in a lot of pain right now, but there is no really danger except getting dehydrated. I'm getting the full missionary experience. Please keep me in your prayers though so I can get healthy soon!

Kids at the Shelter

2009-08-07T21:20:00.000-06:00

I love these kids! It has been awesome to hang out with the kids from the shelter. A lot of them have been sick though and last week I was sick for several days with the virus going around. I drank my Reliv and water though and am still alive! This trip has really given me a heart and passion for children. I have always loved kids, but when you see their happy eyes and smiles it melts your heart. It's like I have all these younger sisters and brothers!

With all the kids there are birthday parties all the time! They have this interesting purple ice cream.

This is Jocelyn :) She is such a sweetheart. We been learning some cool dance moves together.

Look at these precious faces!

I want to bring them all back with me! Or just stay here forever!

"Jesus said, Let the little children come to me - for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these..."

I've been learning a lot about "faith" this year. Walking out and trusting God for the impossible. Children have so much faith, love, and joy! They have been wonderful teachers. :)

Here are some of the creatures that live in my room. (pictures taken from a distance.)

Feeling at Home in Cebu

2009-08-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

After being here almost a month, I somewhat adjusted and consider Cebu another home away from homes. "Home is where the heart is," and my heart is here with these children and people. These are some of the girls from the shelter who come over every Saturday for our bible club.
On the weekends, I hang out with some other friends who teach. We went to this neat restaurant where we ordered shrimp and ate with chopsticks. I've been trying a lot of interesting foods lately. Last week I was asked to be a food judge for the 4-6th grade cooking contest at school. Then I was invited to a Filipino potluck. That was quite the experience. They really like serving guests a lot of food. And one of their favorite dishes is called a fruit salad - but it's not what you think it is. hmm..

The beach was awesome! Nothing like getting your vitamin E and salt fill! We played some fun games this last weekend and hung out with the group of Minnesota people here and the kids.

Isn't she just the cutest thing ever!!! This is one of my favorite pictures because it melts my heart! I want to bring all these kids back with me, or adopt someday, or maybe just stay here forever! :) My cebuano lessons are improving as well!
Birthday parties are a big thing! I've been to several already. In this picture I was dancing around the room singing "Shall we Dance"very dramatically. The kids just love you to pieces! I don't think that I will ever get tired of their hugs and smiles. :D
At the school I teach at the children had a dance presentation. It was fun to see all their costumes. Teaching has been going good. It's a lot of work preparing for all the classes I teach, but I am really enjoying it. I love all the kids so much!

Island Hopping!

2009-07-27T01:15:00.001-06:00

This was such a fun day! We brought a group of kids from the shelter, along with some new friends from MN and we went to a couple islands and snorkeling in the ocean for the day!
Don't I look like a pro! :) I definitely got me salt intake for the day. Took me awhile to get the hang of *not drinking the water.
A group of me and my Minnesota friends! We had a blast! Two of the girls work at the shelter's school and another one goes to Bethel's nursing program. Pretty much all the missionaries out here are from MN, which is really cool.

Me and Hanna! We've had fun experiencing parts of the Philippines for the first time together! She is going to Bethel right now and wants to become a nurse overseas. I am loving teaching music here! I think that I might just have to finish up school and head back over here! There is such a need for piano teachers! I loved snorkeling! It was amazing! Look at what I found! :) ha, I even got sung by a jellyfish. yeah, it hurt - almost as bad as the sunburn.
The water was really neat where it changes color. There are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines! Cebu is one of the bigger ones.

Maayo man ~

2009-07-22T02:14:00.000-06:00

I have been busy teaching bible, music, and piano lessons to the students here. The kids can be quite a handful at times. There is a lot of sickness and the fever going around. Please pray that I don't get sick. I am taking reliv and trying to stay healthy! I am loving it here though. The people are so friendly and the children melt your heart! I've also began taking Cebuano lessons from a private teacher. They are coming along. :)
We were invited to the neighbors birthday party. This is a picture of the 3 special guests. I was a little taken aback at the main course, but being adventurous I did try some. (as it stared me in the face.) The skin is the best part - so they say. However, I think otherwise. I skipped out on the blood pudding. Mainly ate birthday cake and ice cream.
I have been trying a lot of new and neat foods. By the look on my face you can tell that I am telling myself: "this is delicious!" That was actually a really cool restaurant that the Guills and I went to. You basically choose what kind of noodles, veggies, meats, and sauces you want, and then all they do is cook it.

Here is the huge Cebu mall. It is very impressive and they have pretty much every store.

I went on a city tour with some parents from America adopting here in Cebu. I also visited the children shelter for the first time, and was touched by all the happy children. It made me want to adopt someday. The kids are all so precious and run up to you and give you hugs. There are several people from MN who are working there. It made me feel at home meeting other Minnesotans! One girl just arrived who is my age and is going to Bethel's Nursing program. I thought that was really cool because that's where Camille goes.

Everyday traffic in Cebu. I couldn't tell how many lanes there are. Driving here is insane. For those of you who know me, I wouldn't make it. :P

This picture does not speak fully of all the poverty here. The smell of sewage is everywhere. I think that I am *almost used to it; meaning that it doesn't bother me as much. Still, I am going to wash my clothes 5 times when I get home to get rid of the smell. This little boy reminded me of my brothers at home. He found a birds nest and was very proudly showing me his new pets.

Mountain Walk

2009-07-17T01:34:00.000-06:00

As I was walking the streets, three girls came up to me and asked me to take their picture. Everyone here asks me to take their picture! They love pictures! I talked with them for awhile, then they became my tour guides and took me up the mountain. We had a lot of fun! It was so beautiful too!
Overlooking Cebu City - as far as the eye can see. You can even see the ocean in the distance.

At the top of the hill there was a cemetery with cool statues. I am the tall American looking person in my holister t-shirt and sunglasses. ha!

They have beautiful flowers here, which are very photogenic!

After our hike up the mountain, I took the girls out for a treat and we had cookies and mango drinks. They loved it! (as did I) Since they were so poor, they had never done anything like it before. So, I kinda adopted them as my little sisters for the day.

Simply breathtaking!

Full Day of Teaching

2009-07-14T08:05:00.000-06:00

I taught bible lessons all morning to around 70 preschoolers, at the school. The little girls come up and surround you with hugs. It melts your heart! Then afterward I went farther out of town to a village and had a slight culture shock as I had a tour from some of the kids. It can not even be described in words. It was like walking into some missionary story, where all the huts were man-made with muddy roads where there was just enough room for one person to walk because everything was so close together. The smell of sewage was overwhelming.
The kids were super excited when I knew how to teach piano, thus, I taught a small group lesson. It was amazing! They had no musical background. Besides teaching the village kids, I also taught private lessons that night to a group of college students. I have found my calling. :)

This is a once in a lifetime experience!

This is the day I fell in love... with Cebu.

A Week Gone By...

2009-07-13T07:01:00.000-06:00

Every Saturday the Guills host a Bible Club with some of the orphanage girls. Next week I start teaching around 200 students grades 1-6th music lessons. It will be a whole new amazing experience! Please pray that it goes well.

Me and Maggie went shopping in the Cebu mall. I also felt like I was in America, minus the smells and being the tallest person. I found several neat things and like bargaining with sellers. I am doing much better with the time change of 13 hours and almost fully recovered from jetlag.

Chuck and Maggie Guill - my host family. They have been a great help in teaching me the culture, along with keeping me healthy with Reliv smoothies and lots of water!

After church we went to a restaurant where they used banana leaves for plates. The food was pretty good. However, I did have to sit next to a pigs head (notice in the background.)
This is another corner fruit stand nearby where I bought fresh pineapple and bananas! They were so sweet and delicious!

A Walk Around Cebu

2009-07-10T03:45:00.000-06:00

This is my third day being here. The children are so precious and love Americans. I am still getting used to the heat and time changes. I have been dead tired by 6pm every night. The heat is something else! After taking a shower I couldn't seem to get dry fully because of the humidity.
This is the Guills house that I stay at. My room has air conditioning, which I am very grateful for along with a flushing toilet! The meals have been eatable and tasty so far. :) Please pray that I don't get sick though. I drank some ice tea that I wasn't suppose to because the water wasn't purified. Usually people get really sick from doing that, so I am praying hard.
I went for a walk by myself down the streets, (after getting a map and being told it was safe.) It was an eye opener to all the 3rd world countries. There is poverty everywhere and the smells made me want to puke. It smelt like heated up garbage.
These are some of the children that we are teaching bible stories to. Ages range from preschool to 6th grade. I will begin teaching music lessons for all age categories coming up, along with private lessons for some of the college students. They have no music experience at all. Please pray for me in teaching. It will be a whole new adventure.

Umbrellas are quite popular in keeping cool from the sun!

I got a breeze of fresh pineapple as the sellers rode by me. They have these carts and bikes all over.
These are compared to the buses in Minneapolis. ;) As I was walking down the streets I was offered tons of taxi, bus, and bike rides. I think that I am the only American here other than the Guills. Everyone waves and says hi. I am not even that white, but I guess my height gives it away.
Ah, there is nothing like fresh coconut from the Philippines! They are so good! I have had several here already!
Ta-Da! In the midst of the busy streets, look what I found! A Starbucks of all places - with more of the hills in the background.

First Day in Cebu

2009-07-08T02:56:00.000-06:00

"Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see..." Hebrews 11:1

After pulling an all-nighter packing with Jessica and Jessena, I left for the airport at 4:30am hauling 130lbs of luggage. Okay, so I pack like a girl - I am going to be gone for 2 months and needed everything!

I'm not a fan of goodbyes, so I didn't look back after going through security. The entire trip was about 32 hours from Minneapolis to Chicago to Korea to the Philippines. 20 hours on the plane! It was really weird though because I missed an entire nighttime! I sat next to the window on all my flights. For the long 14 hour flight from Chicago to Korea, I sat next to a guy in the army who was going over to train troops in Korea. He didn't appreciate though when I fell asleep on his shoulder and started drooling ;) jk! Then I also sat with this cute missionary woman from there as well. She was very helpful in figuring out where to go next in the airport. Another woman lectured me for flying by myself. She's like "Do your parents know where you are?" I decided that I hate airplane food. Very gross. Ended up getting something from Starbucks in Seoul. I also had my movie fill watching Push, 17 Again, Inkheart, 12 Rounds, and Lovin Dancing. Good thing for airplane movies. Food on the other hand...was crappy. I guess that it was at least something, but when you have the choice of rubber chicken or eel, what would you choose?

I made it to all of my flights on time and didn't get too lost. My passport was my life - along with my flight ticket. When I got to the Philippines, my bags were like the last ones off the rack. Some guy carried them for me and I went out to craziness. Some guy was trying to give me a taxi ride while I was trying to stay with the guy with my my luggage. Finally I saw the Guills (the missionary couple), and I knew that I had made it to Cebu safe and sound.
The heat was amazing, even at 11:30pm. Then smell was something else too. It stunk like garbage heated up. I look out in wonder to the poverty in the streets and all the families out there.

The Chuck and Maggie Guill live in a nice house village, where I have my own room with wireless and air conditioning. Praise the Lord! They even have a grand piano, which Maggie loves hearing people play. Maggie and Chuck are so sweet. They treat me like a daughter. My time schedule was so messed up when I got here. It's like a 13 hour difference ahead of what I am used to. I got a total of 5 hours of sleep in the last 3 days. Then I taught in the schools with Maggie the next day. Then children were around 4-6 years old. Most of them spoke English. I haven't tried any interesting foods yet. Although I have already had fresh coconut! :D Drinking a lot of water! (along with taking Reliv) My feet were very swollen from the long flight and dehydration, but they are looking better. I was out at 6pm and slept for 12 hours. I even fell asleep with my laptop on my lap, which wasn't wise because it crashed to the floor around midnight. oops.

Well, I am looking forward to what the next day holds. Still walking by faith. I a little nervous about coming, but I am excited to see what God has in plan. I just want to soak up as much as I can of the culture and people. Please keep me in your prayers so that I will continue to be strong. Love and miss you all!!!