Piggy piggy piggy

Howdy folks back home. There has been so much that has happened since the last report with a jam packed weekend. Beginning with Thursday, we started laying our footer and first layer of blocks for our septic tank project. With only a few hours of work, the team was able to make great headway on our second project which put us in a position to continue making fast progress with our other work times. Our Sunday school on Thursday was both really fun and a total adventure. The village was very remote with several miles of very steep rock and dirt roads. The drive there was super bumpy. Due to its remoteness and the military presence over the past several years, we were their first time having Americans there, so everyone was super excited. It made the Sunday school and our presentation a blast because of the kids’ excitement. But it gets adventurous when it started to rain cats and dogs while we were presenting. While we were covered, the roads were not. As we were leaving we were worried about getting stuck or not being able to make it up the hill in our truck, so Mr Brant took over driving the truck through the mountains. God is very faithful, and He heard our prayers about a safe ride back to the base; He let nothing get in the way. Now Friday was its own amazing day. We did a sight seeing day where we island hopped from one pearly white beach to the other on clear blue waters. It started with us waking up at 4:00 in the morning, so we had time to eat breakfast and leave for our 3-hour, one-way drive at 5:00 am. After another long and bumpy ride with most people getting car sick at one point or another, we finally got to our destination where we loaded up on the boat to begin our tour. When we made it to our first island, the TMI staff and BMW students that came with us prepared a huge spread for another, much larger, breakfast. It included a whole pig that was roasted on a stick, rice, noodles, a lot of fruit, chicken and much more. Several of the team members were able to experience some brand new foods such as sea urchins, pig intestine, pig eyeball and pig brain (which the staff discovered later was only half cooked). After feasting, the team was able to explore the island which included a cave and both rocky and sandy beaches. The rocky beaches provided a great place to take pictures, and the sandy beach was a great place to swim. We moved on to the next island where we were almost positive we were going to find Gilligan there. After exploring the island (and finding that he was not there) the team bonded with the students some more by swimming and taking photos before moving on to Naked Island. It gets its name from the fact that there was nothing there. The team was only able to swim and play there for 15 minutes since we had to leave because of the tide. When we made it to the last island we ate the many left overs from breakfast for lunch. This last island had some water sports to try, so the team was able to get a lap around the island on a banana boat pulled by a jet ski to end our amazing day of island hopping. By the end of our 3 hour ride back to base, we took time to assess and came to the conclusion that we could not have had a better day, that we were truly blessed to have experienced God’s beautiful creation, and that we were all multiple shades redder. This last Saturday was also different than all the others. Due to our ministry, our work hours were going to be very short so the team came to the conclusion that they wanted to knock them all out at once. Saturday we were able to bring the walls of the septic tank several feet higher to conclude the final day of working on the job site. The rest of the day was spent catching up on the classes and quizzing that we had missed on Friday. Sunday brought another wonderful day as well. We had a very nice church service and stopped by the mall to make our last grocery run of the summer. The team was able to spread out and get a little shopping done for their last few days. This included getting some new water shoes, snacks for our travel days, and souvenirs to bring back home. They also got some treats with the guys getting some DQ blizzards and the girls getting some boba tea. By the time we made it home we were able to spend a nice day relaxing and resting to close out the weekend. Looking back on the past several days, it has become evident just how much God has been along side us every step of the way by answering so many of our prayers. We have been so incredibly blessed to have experienced everything God and the Philippines have had for us. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.

Jesse L It has been fun here. As the trip has been coming to an end we have been able to buy souvenirs on Thursday. We’re flying to Manila and staying at a hotel for two nights. And we are going to the Mall of Asia for more souvenirs. I can’t wait to see you soon.

Blade M Hi family! Since I have been in the Philippines, God has been teaching me to rely on His strength instead of my own. I’ve had such a fun time here, and it is going to be very sad to leave.

Jenavive M This last month here has been very moving. I’ve learned that God has given me a heart for missions, and I can’t wait to see what God has planned for my future!! I have loved getting to know the BMW students here and growing with my team! Although I’m sad to leave this beautiful place, I’m so blessed to have gotten this opportunity to share with the people here! I have loved the evangelizing to kids. I can’t wait to do the last two Sunday schools here! I love the culture and the people here, and pray one day I have the opportunity to come back here.