Food, a stuffed animal and a prison..all a day in the life

Hello friends and family. Happy thanksgiving again to all you Canadians! I hope it was a great time of reflection for you and of course.. great food!! We had a wonderful Chinese thanksgiving meal with the Canadian Consulate representative and his wife here in Cebu. They really spoiled us with an abundance of food and even some salmon sent from their nephew in Canada. Rhonda and I were really blessed.

This last week I received in the mail the Ambrose mascot which is a little stuffed lion. My onSite team is sending this mascot around the world to each other just for fun and also as an encouragement. He started in China with one of my onSite teammates, then he went to Indonesia and now to me here in the Philippines. Next, I will send him off to another onSiter in Asia. So the point is we each have him for a few weeks and take pictures of him in our various ministries and important places in our city/region. So I have taken him to my language classes and my ministries. Everyone loves him and are quick to jump into the photo opportunity. This silly little Ambrose stuffed animal has actually been a great ice breaker and conversation starter.


Here is a picture of the lion with some good ol' Kraft Diner my roomates and I made.



<--And this is my language teacher, Anita posing with the mascot. She is great. We share a lot of laughs and she is very encouraging to me as I learn all the ins and outs of Cebuano.










Our trip to the prison went really well. Rhonda and I were accompanied by two women. One of the women was visiting her son and the other was visiting her husband. When we walked in we were greeted by hundreds of men, both young and old. But we quickly found our men amongst the crowd who came to greet us. Then we were escorted to the visiting hall which is basically a big open room with tables and chairs and people selling things. They were all speaking Cebuano back and forth and I just sat and listened and tried to pick up on words or phrases I could understand. Though most could also speak English and we kind enough to do some translating. To her surprise, Rhonda ended up knowing quite a few more young men in the prison, not just the ones we went to see! So I ended up meeting at least 20 people who sat and visited with us that afternoon. We were able to share the gospel with them and hand out some tracks which they willingly took and read. After that they took us outside to see some dancing! Sounds kind of random I realize..but dancing is really such a part of the Filipino culture it just doesn't seem strange to me anymore. Last year, a YouTube video of hundreds of prisoners dressed in their orange suits dancing in sync to Thriller by Micheal Jackson was made famous all over the world. That dance was performed at the Cebu Jail we were just at. And we were actually allowed to see their new routine they were practicing to try to get on YouTube again. It was great! They are really good. There is certainly some controversy surrounding the inmates dancing, but they were getting exercise and they loved performing for Rhonda and I. Some even invited us to join but we kindly declined even though I think it would have been hilarious. All in all it was a really neat experience and a ministry I could see myself pursuing one day. Not the dancing..but the prison. To let those men know they are not forgotten, but loved deeply but their heavenly father. That is a place where Jesus would be and I want to be where Jesus would be and in fact, is.

Thank you for your prayers. God Bless.
-Amanda

The harvest is PLENTIFUL

Greetings again all the way from Cebu! I hope this finds you well.
As I was looking at my calender, I realized it is almost thanksgiving in just a few days in Canada! So Rhonda and I decided we needed to celebrate thanksgiving with other Canadians we could find here. So we have arranged a thanksgiving meal this coming Monday with the Canadian Consulate representative and his family. I'm looking forward to this time of fellowship and celebration.
This last weekend at my ministry at Stepping Stones, I spent all of Saturday with the youth scholars in my tutorial class. In the morning there is a Christian Education program of about half an hour with all the 45 scholars at Stepping Stones from as young as five or six to college age. This program every Saturday morning is where they are taught a Bible Story and do different activities in relation to what they learned. I am in charge of leading this part this weekend. All the staff rotate every week. I will be teaching them some songs and playing games along with the Bible story from Acts 2: The Day of Pentecost.
Then I will be tutoring the youth on how to do effective online research and continue teaching them how to put together a power point presentation. They really love to learn computer skills. Some have never had a chance to learn how to type or go online very often, so I find great joy and satisfaction in being able to teach them very practical skills!
Then every Saturday evening I continue to co-lead the youth group from Alliance Fellowship Church, where Bong pastors at. I have included a picture of the youth group Mark (another Bible College student) and I lead. I really love it! We have a lot of fun, and we like to tease each other. At the same time, I have also seen so much potential in the youth and their appetite for learning more about God. I look forward to my ministry to come with them.
I'm also busy at church these next few weeks. We as the leadership team, have planned for a children's outreach in Didos where we will have a feeding for them and teach them some English, songs, games and of course about Jesus! We will also be having a worship seminar at the church for the church members involved in worship teams and anyone interested in learning. We have split the seminar between a few of us, and the part I am in charge of teaching is about how to present yourself confidently, how to lead a worship team and I will also teach practical singing tips. Pastor Bong is very thrilled to be doing this and have the resources to do so.
Also every Saturday night, I have the unique experience of sleeping over right in the community of Didos. I have been there now with two different host families. Not only is it practical for me to stay over on the weekend, since my house is about an hour commute away, but also very beneficial for me to apply for language study and cultural learning hands on. The families have been so gracious, hospitable and wonderful! I feel so blessed to have stayed with them. I certainly attracted a lot of attention from all the neighbors, but I was able to turn the attention for God's glory and use it as a witnessing opportunity!
Tomorrow I will be visiting a prison with Rhonda and quite a large group of others from a community here in Cebu City called Lorega that is built in and around a cemetery. Over the years Rhonda has done a lot of ministry in this poor community and has started Bible Studies and there is even an Alliance Church planted right in the heart of the cemetery. Unfortunately this community is notorious for crime and drugs and two young guys that Rhonda has known over the years are now in prison for those exact things. So we will accompany their families and go visit and minister to them. I am a little nervous about what to expect about this trip since I've never been to a prison before..but excited for the opportunity.

Praises:
For a family to share thanksgiving with.
For all the ministry opportunities I've had.
For the acceptance and blessings I have had from working alongside the scholarship program at Stepping Stones and in the community of Didos

Prayer Requests:
Prayer for the children's outreach and worship seminar we will teach at the church this month.
For safety and wisdom as we go to the prison.
For continued protection and good health as I stay over in Didos every weekend and practice my Cebuano.

Also, I have included a picture of ittle baby Sam, Pastor Bong's son, who brings joy into my life every weekend! In this picture he's grabbing for my hair..not a surprise!

Blessings on you all, thank you for reading and thank you for your prayers.
Until next time..