Amanda's Blog

Back in Town

2009-04-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

This picture is of me and my beautiful roommates in Cebu.
From Left to Right: BJ, Rhonda, myself and Jona.

Well friends, I'm back! Back in cold Canada! I have now officially completed my onSite experience in Cebu. Though my time there may be over, the things I learned and the growing I am doing is not close to over.

April was an incredibly difficult month as I wrapped up Stepping Stones ministry, had some final speaking engagements and did my best to say goodbye to as many people as I could from around the city and the country!

During Holy Week I was able to spend the week with my Cebuano language teacher, Ate Anita and her family at the house where she grew up in Bantayan island. Bantayan is a tiny island located just off the north west of Cebu island. To get there, we took a four hour bus ride first to the very north, than about an hour boat ride straight to Santa Fe. It's absolutely beautiful on that island! The week was designed for a few different purposes. Firstly, one of the assignments for onSite is to write a life story on a local of our host culture. I chose to study the life of my teacher Anita. So being able to spend a week with her was a great way for me to practically shadow her and observe her as she interacted with her family. I feel I got to know her in a really deep and meaningful way. Second, it was a test of sorts for me to see how I would do with the Cebuano I learned over the course of my nine months. It was a way for me to put what I learned to real good practice especially with my teacher watching! And I passed my test!
And thirdly, I was in Bantayan for one of the most famous Holy Week celebrations in all of the Philippines. In the days before, of and after Easter, there are numerous religious processions that Filipino's from far and wide come to join in. There are huge floats decorated with flowers and images depicting the events leading up to the death of Jesus on the cross. Then on Sunday morning for Easter, they celebrate His resurrection by having a final procession ending with children dressed up as angels throwing flower pedals and singing Hallelujah. It was a really neat and certainly unique Easter experience for me. It was amazing to see the dedication and faith of the thousands of believers come to that tiny little island, and celebrate the most important time of the year for a Christian person.

After I made my way back to Cebu (after a 10 hour wait for a boat ride!), it was just straight busyness again until my last day. Rhonda threw me what is called a "Despedida" which is a going away party at her new office. Many friends came for the party and said their goodbyes. It was an emotional time but a blessed one!
I then had to begin packing up my things and prepare myself to leave Cebu. Rhonda and I decided to take the 24 hour boat ride up to Manila because that was the way I first came to Cebu all those many months ago: on the SuperFerry boat ride! I think it was the best decision we could have made. It was 24 uninterrupted hours of debriefing my internship, praying, laughing, crying and resting. After that trip I felt closure. I felt like I had finished well and for the first time I was ready to come home.

Now that I am home, I will battle reverse culture shock in its different forms. I will find a job somewhere in Okotoks where I'm staying with my family and slowly adjust back into Canadian life. The other day when I was feeling overwhelmed and missing Cebu a lot, I happened to be in Wal-Mart and hear two Filipina's speaking Cebuano standing right beside me. I could have cried,.it was like a small gift from God reminding me I'm not alone and I'm going to get through it. This summer I'm looking into finding a job that can connect me to immigrants and work with those not native to this country. I'm hoping that there is a job available where I can use my experience and show love to those who may feel they have no place to call home.

I suppose I will keep this blog for now on even though my onSite is done. Thank you all for reading these updates throughout my time. Thank your for your prayers, support and encouragement. I hope you will continue to keep in touch! Thank you for journeying with me and being part of the greatest experience of my life. God is good!
Salamat kaayo sa tanan!

Love,
Amanda Joy Kneeshaw

April na!

2009-04-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

Pictures above are some of the youth going swimming in the ocean and me with Pastor Bong and his wife, Evangeline at the day care graduation I spoke at.

Maayong Gabii sa tanan!
Thanks for checking in. As the days tick away here I continue to wrestle with processing what I'm feeling.
I've already been saying goodbye to people or have been making arrangements for a time of formal "goodbye." Goodbyes are hard, but they are needed and actually help me to know what I am feeling. They are proving to be an important way to finish my internship well.
Recently I have been wrapping a lot different ministry things and attending a lot of graduations of my youth. For our final youth event, Mark and I treated the youth group to an afternoon of fellowship with another youth group in a different part of the city. There were close to 100 in attendence. We had a program for them, with worship, dances, games, a Bible Study, and some great snacks. And to top it all off, we took them swimming in the ocean to cool down. It was a fun day. I'll miss those guys a lot, I really spent a lot of time with the youth group and they taught me a lot.
I was also given the privilege of speaking at the graduation of the kids attending the day care at our church. I spoke to the 10 graduates and their families and was able to hand out their awards and diplomas.
I've now successfully completed all my Cebuano language classes and my reward is spending a week with my language teacher Anita and her family in her home island of Bantayan. We leave early tomorrow morning by bus to the north of Cebu than take a boat west for Bantayan. It's Holy Week here and the party begins! Bantayan is known for having large festivals, prosessionals and parties during Easter so a lot of foreiengers and tourists flock to this island during Holy Week, and I guess I'll be one of them also. But I'll be staying with the locals which is the best of both worlds.

So, I was surprised by Rhonda with a concert by the famous Filipino Christian singer, Gary V. There was a "God Bless Israel" worship concert here in Cebu where a few thousand Christians came together to pray for peace and bless Israel together. And there was a surprise appearence by Gary V at the end. I feel like my Filipino experience is now complete with a Gary V concert because every Filipino takes pride in him. It was such a treat to see him live. I hope you all will also be converted to Gary V fans. Sorry the picture is a little dark, but there he is.

So, my last month is looking very exciting, busy and difficult. Please continue to pray for wisdom and protection as I gear up for the end. Financial provision is still an important prayer request. I apologize for not getting out those newsletters to you. Due to a lot of technical difficulties and missends, it has taken a lot more time than I anticipated. But I'm working on it, I have some people helping me out now.

God Bless you all,
Hope Canada is starting to warm up! I know I'm going to be so cold when I come back.
In Christ,
Amanda

"Gawasnon ako!" I am Free!

2009-03-19T01:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings one and all. I think I have fully come to realize that my time remaining here in Cebu is very short! April.24th is the date I fly back to Canada. Only about 6 more days. Floods of mixed emotions come as that date gets closer. It will be hard to leave all the wonderful people and places of the Philippines but I also look forward to my return to Canada and to Ambrose for my last year.

There seems be a theme of freedom in my life recently. I had the freedom to come here for 10 months and experience a change from the western ideal of life. I saw freedom from riches and wealth, freedom from certain luxuries and freedom to worship God openly. Though at one point, I may have looked at being poor as a bondage, and having money as the freedom, that has proved not true at all. Money isn't freedom, only Jesus brings true freedom! I've been able to live these last many months being free to live out the calling of God on my onSite and it is a wonderful thing indeed.
Filipino’s taught me that people are more important than getting ahead. They taught me that even despite poverty and despair, God is still good. They taught me that there is always time to sing, to dance and to play; regardless of age or status. I was taught that it is possible to eat rice three times a day, every single day without fail! Filipino’s taught me what respect is by the way they treat anyone older than them. Filipino people taught me to be more laid back and to have patience in all circumstances. Finally, God used Filipino people to help teach me that I am valuable. That I have indeed have gifts and skills that were used to bless them. To God be the glory.
These are things I couldn't have learned in a classroom. Though I’m not done yet and there are many things left to be finished, I know I have been given the will and strength to finish here well.
In latest news, Rhonda has now rented a brand new office building for a display centre and training centre for Padala ministries. Instead of having our prayer meetings and staff meetings in her living room, we now have an office room! This is a huge answer to prayer for her. She had this dream for over 10 years and I was here to witness her receive the key to the front door! Just this last week we had a house blessing event where dozens of friends, workers, volunteers and their families were invited to come pray and dedicate the building to the work of the Lord. It was a great turn out and the building is already being booked for training pastors, counselling rooms and workshops. And of course a larger space to display all the Bahandi bags and many other livelihood projects of poor Filipinos. I’m privileged to be here for this chapter in Rhonda’s life and ministry.

I also have lots of plans and ideas as I wrap up my time with the ACF youth group and my youth students I teach at Stepping Stones. In April, I have also been invited to speak at the graduation of the pre-school held at the church during the week.
During Holy Week here in the Philippines for Easter, I have been invited to stay with my language teacher Anita and her family on Bantayan Island. It has a few different purposes, first to meet all of her relatives and enjoy the fellowship with the family. Also, to practice my Cebuano (especially with my teacher as my host) and also witness the biggest Easter tradition and celebration in the Philippines. On Bantayan island, the whole week there are huge parades and festivals which will be a great cultural experience for me. I’m very excited to go.

As you see, there are many praises in my life at this time! But there are also unmet needs.
Please be praying specifically for God’s financial provision. I still have not yet raised all my funds at this time and am unsure of where the remaining funding is going to come from. Please keep this in your prayers. Thank you for your support in every way.

God Bless.

Amanda

P.S. I will be sending out a newsletter addressing some of these needs by e-mail, so some may be receiving it soon

Back to Work

2009-02-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of me and the other onSiters, on our ELE in Phuket. The team included Hung and Duc both living in Cambodia, Lindsey living in Bali, Indonesia, Natasha living in China, Sam living in Thailand and myself from the Philippines.

Greetings once again! I will start this blog post with an update about our ELE trip to Phuket. It was certainly a great trip! I had a lot of fun with the other onSiters. It was really relaxing and a perfect time to debrief together about what we have been learning in each of our host countries. We shared funny stories and sad stories and encouraged one another as we shared our hearts. It was really nice to be able to laugh and joke around with friends who understood me completely! A lot of the time I get laughed AT in the Philippines, rather than laughed WITH. So you canunderstand how relaxing it was to laugh with others who also know exactly how you feel.

In Phuket, we went shopping at lots of different markets, ate lots of spicy Thai Food, spent some time on the beach and rode motorbikes around the beautiful countryside. We had a whole week of sleeping in and taking it easy. Unfortunately, Lindsey had gotten some sort of bug bite or mosquito bite when she was back in Indonesia where she is doing her onsite, and it got terribly infected half way through the week in Phuket. She ended up having to go to the hospital and get it cleaned and bandaged up! The poor girl was having to limp around and take lots of anti-biotics. But she was great and made it through the week fine, even managing daily trips to the hospital for regular checkups!

We had a relatively hassle free week. At one point, in the middle of the highway one of our motorbikes tires blew, but thankfully we were going slow enough that no one was hurt and we were almost right beside a gas station and got ourselves fixed up. All of our planes got us there and back on time with all our luggage and I would say we all left refreshed and satisfied. So praise God.

As soon as I returned here to Cebu, it was the grand finale of the Doulos. We packed up all our items there and moved off! Rhonda and I were blessed to be able to stay in a guest room on the Doulos it’s very last night in Pier 2 of Cebu City. It was fun to be on the ship and hang out with the crew and send them off with our blessings. We made some good friends and they will be missed.

Only days after the ship left, we received a group of 8 Canadians here on a short missions trip. They consist of 2 grandparents and one of their children and 5 grandchildren. Robin and Morgan are the grandparents. Charmaine is their daughter and she brought her two children, Darien and Christian. And they also brought along three other grandchildren, Autumn, Austin and Jordan. All ranging in age from 12 to 16. So this last week we have been very busy running around with them to different activities. Robin and Morgan have been to Cebu 4 different times and were major contributors to the establishing of Stepping Stones where I am so heavily involved. So we instantly had a connection through the Stepping Stones Scholarship ministry and even though they have been involved longer than I have, I have been able to be THEIR host there, show them more of the community and even took them to visit the schools of some of the children they sponsor. Its been a blessing to have them here. Despite their many sunburns, bug bites and dealing with the intense heat, they are troopers and are open to learning a lot while they are here. Which is what I like to see!

Speaking of Canadians, there is another young Canadian guy named John here visiting for a month. He is a Filipino, but born and raised in Calgary. He actually lives quite close to where I did downtown when I was going to Ambrose, so we were neighbours and didn’t even know it! This is his first time back to the Philippines in his older years. It’s really cool to have him around and use his help in the ministry! He comes with me on the weekends to Stepping Stones and helps lead worship at youth group. And during the week, he’s with Pastor Glemar, going all around doing everything from attending our staff meetings to building church buildings!

This last week I have been feeling really under the weather. I’ve had a cough ever since I got back from Thailand and it’s gotten progressively worse. So finally, yesterday I went to the doctor and found out I have an infection..and now that I’m on antibiotics, they’re taking their tole on my body. They are really hard on my stomach and also make me incredibly tired. So I’ve been taking it really easy and resting at home these last few afternoons and evenings. But I’m restless to get back out with the visitors. I’m saving up my strength for the next few days, because on Sunday, as a result of a great connection to one missionary with Samaritans Purse, we have a tonne of shoeboxes to give out to the kids in Stepping Stones and Didos community. I can’t wait to give them out to the kids. I’ll take lots of pictures to put on here!

Praise God for a great ELE experience and safety in all our traveling. Praise God for all the visitors we’ve been getting and the blessings they are to us here.

Please pray for good health as spiritual protection as we continue working here.

Until next time..

2009-01-31T01:15:00.000-08:00

A big and happy hello all the way from Cebu to all those keeping up with my blogs!! I trust everyone is doing well, whether in Canada or somewhere else in the world.

This New Year has continued to prove God’s goodness and purpose in my life. This month of January has been one of the best months so far here on my internship journey that started way back in July. I feel like so much so happened in my being here (and it has) and has gone by very quickly.

One of my major focuses this last month has been with the ministry of the Dolous. I find this so interesting because I had never heard of the Dolous until I came here and felt so out of the loop because everyone knows of the Dolous well here. This ship, which is the oldest and largest floating bookshop in the world, sails the seas and ports in dozens of different countries every year bringing help, hope and knowledge to all those willing to receive it. At any one time there are about 350 crew members all working for the Lord on the ship as volunteers as part of a 2 year commitment. Rhonda and Padala ministries were given the opportunity by the leadership of the ship to be able to sell the many livelihood projects she supports here in Cebu. We’re doing this in order that the local artists and workers are able to make some income for their hard work. So every day this last month, the Padala staff and volunteers have taken shifts selling these items on board. The ship is due to leave Cebu by February 10^th, so until then we have many more hot and long days ahead. It hasn’t always been an easy time on the Dolous, since most of us are not gifted salespeople and are working out the kinks of how to work in an international team of people with very different ways of thinking. But I didn’t come here expecting or even wanting an easy time! I’m here to do exactly this, learn how to work in intercultural ministry! God is no doubt blessing Padala and our team through this experience, so we are grateful for the opportunity. I have met Christian brothers and sisters from over 50 different nations around the world and got to hear their stories. My favourite part has been being able to led some teams out into the city and show them what I do in my internship here!

One of the Dolous teams I was able to lead, was a group of 6. We had one from Mongolia, one from America, one from the Netherlands, one from Japan and one from the Philippines! They did a presentation at Lawaan Elementary School that the children from Didos attend. We thought we were only visiting three classrooms, but instead were able to do an assembly for the entire school on the stage! Who knew!! They did a great job.

Other than the Dolous, I have also been preparing for my ELE trip to Phuket, Thailand! I just arrived here yesterday and now the whole team are here in Phuket together. Duc and Hung just arrived from Cambodia and Natasha from China, Lindsey from Indonesia and Sammy from here in Thailand! We will be staying here for one week at a guest house in the downtown of Phuket. We're planning for some fun events,; beach days, market shopping and sight seeing in the next few days. We can't wait!

Praise God we all arrived here safely with no problems at all and please continue to pray for safety and protection in our travel around Phuket and head back to our homes next week.

Please pray that as we finish our time up on the Dolous, we will be able to continue to work well as a team and be able to network with more crew members on the ship.

Also, for the Dolous itself, it is such a great ministry and outreach. Keep your ears open, it may be coming to a country near you!

Thank you for reading. God Bless you always!

Until next time..

New year = new oppurtunities

2009-01-14T04:19:00.000-08:00

Hello one and all! I apologize, it has been many weeks since I have been able to update my blog! There are many things to inform you about.. Where do I begin? Well I left you hanging last time just before Christmas... So Christmas went great. Rhonda and I had a quiet Christmas day exchanging gifts and eating great food. Rhonda and I were invited to dinner with an older American missionary couple on Christmas day so we joined them at their house and had a great time together. We even watched the classic movie, What About Bob! We all laughed a lot,.This couple have been really good to us. When we were missing home on Christmas day they took Rhonda and I like their own "children" and really helped make us feel at home with a family. Praise God for them, it made my first Christmas away from home very bareable.

I was asking for prayer for our youth retreat in Massin, Leyte and thank you for your prayers! It was such an awesome time with the youth. The theme of this retreat was: " Leaders: Challenging the Youth of Tomorrow!" There were over 150 young people from all over the central Visayas who came out to this district conference. And I was able to meet dozens of Alliance youth pastors, youth leaders and of course the youth over the week,. My job was to lead 5 leaders of my youth group from Cebu to this conference in Leyte. Also during the afternoons, I was asked to lead the delegates in team building exercises. At the end of the week, each team won prizes and presented skits and dances. Here are some of the youth making a pyramid for the team building exercise! Each of our days were jammed packed with activities and some of the longest working days of my life. But the best part was, that it didn't feel like work! We would wake up at 5 am and I would lead them in our daily Bible Study and prayer for about an hour. Then by 7 am we would be picked up from the host family we were staying with and dropped off at the church to begin our day at the conference which would go until about 11 or 12 at night! There would be a morning speaker, then three different seminars on worship leading, Sunday school teaching, and Christian values that the youth got to chose from. Then the afternoon activities I led with another youth pastor from Cebu in team building then there was an evening speaker and of course games and songs! (This IS the Philippines) We all enjoyed our time in Leyte and left physically tired but spiritually refreshed and geared up for another year of ministry ahead! Little did I know that just a day later I would have the adventure of a lifetime,..

The four of my youth: Nadine, Lyka, Emmy and Fredgie took an early boat back to Cebu on the 30th with about 100 other youth from the conference. Rhonda, myself and Riezel stayed behind in Leyte for another day to go visit some extended family of Riezel way in the "boonies" of the island. Before we went all the way out there we had left all of our stuff with friends of Riezel in the city and then made our way. We were visiting the auntie of Riezel and her cousins who live in this humble little provincial home in the middle of a rice field. In order to get to this house you have to climb down a cliff, cross a river by a raft and hike back up another cliff, cross the rice field and you are there (as in the middle of nowhere!) Check out the pictures below! We spent the day with the family, visiting and eating and playing some games. I wanted to explore a bit around their property but it began to rain, and hard! Our boat to Cebu was leaving that night at 9 pm, so at around 6 pm we began our trek back to civilization through muddy fields and steep cliffs..! (it's all so dramatic I know!) By the time we reached the river, (after falling into the mud a few times and being completely soaked from head to toe and laughing hysterically with Rhonda) it has risen so much from the rain and was moving so fast, that it was too dangerous to cross. Thankfully Riezel had already crossed safely earlier and was able to catch a bus to the next town and stay with the friends who had all of our stuff. So Rhonda and I were stuck in a flood with no clothes or money and missed our boat back to Cebu! During the night the water continued to rise and snapped the nylon rope that is needed to pull yourself across on the raft. Thankfully word got out that night of our situation and by early the next morning one of Riezel's older brothers who was living in the next town came to rescue us. He swam across the river and fixed the rope and we were able to get across and catch another boat to Cebu on the 31st. We got back just in time for our News Years celebration with some other American friends and watched the fireworks with them, and of course had some of our own as well :) So, I ended off my 2008 with quite an adventure. But thanks to God we were completely safe and will always have a fun story to tell.

I also was able to celebrate my birthday here with many friends. On Saturday, the 10th there was a group of over 100 scholars who are in a tutorial program run by Jiji and Rick a missionary couple here in Cebu. They were having a celebration day at this beautiful park with a petting zoo, a pool and huge areas of grass and places for kids to play. And it just happened to be my birthday so they invited me along and turned it into a birthday party for me and there was cake and ice cream and lots of games and prizes for the kids. I rang in my 22nd year with beautiful children of the Philippines, there is nothing better :)

Right now, in this month of January, Padala ministries has been given the opportunity to sell many of its livelihood products for the poor on the OM ministry ship called the Doulos. This is a massive ship that travels around the world with over 350 crew members and ports in different countries to do ministry and also let the public come on board for their famous Christian book store. I has never heard of it until I came here, but its a huge thing here. And thousands of people come each year to see this boat, tour it, and shop at the bookstore. I am also in charge of taking teams of crew members on the ship and leading them to different ministries we're involved in. I will take a team of about 6 to Stepping Stones where they will lead a children's outreach program for the kids and I will take them also to meet the youth I work with and they will lead the youth group for a night. I have been able to be on this ship helping sell the recycled bags which are a huge hit for crew members on board and its a great ministry opportunity to be involved in. The Doulos will be in Cebu until the second week of February, so please pray for this ministry as they reach out to the communities in Cebu and also invite those to come to the ship and offer them hope in Jesus :)

There is also a group of young people from Nyack university in New York visiting on a missions trip right now staying with Jiji and Rick who I mentioned earlier. They are a real fun group and I have enjoyed getting to know them. Rhonda and I have been working closely with them and touring them around this last week and a bit. They will head back to New York this Saturday.

So it is a very busy new year here in the Philippines! Though I am loving every minute of it as I soak it all in. I am now over half way done my internship and the end is fast approaching with many more things to be accomplished before I go back to Canada in April. But by God's grace it will all be finished and finished well.

Thanks for reading! I appreciate your prayers and support! Pag Ayo Ayo mo!

This is a view from high up of the river and field.

Here I am crossing the river by raft with Riezel's auntie and little brother, Arnel.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2008-12-16T04:02:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends and family. And a very Merry Christmas to you all! The count down is on, since only days remain until Christmas. The malls and streets are busy here with shoppers preparing for the big day(s). This has indeed been the busiest month so far for me since I came in July. Rhonda and I were looking through our calenders and realizing that between the both of us, every day of this month there is some sort of party or function which we have been invited

to. Of course, we can't make it to everything, but we are sure trying!

There has even been a wedding we were a part of of a Filipina friend of ours who married a Nigerian. So, not only did I get to experience a Filipino wedding for the first time, but also a Nigerian one! It was a neat mix of both. There was a lot of cultural dancing and music and the most entertaining with seeing Rhonda dance down the aisle at the reception to Nigerian music, she did great! We had a lot of fun and great food.

I have also planned a few parties of my own here with our different ministries. The biggest so far was our youth party last saturday night which was also a sleepover at the church. We started with a dinner. Here we are praying before our meal!

And we played a lot of games. Here are Lyka, Jane and CerryAnn getting ready to play as they listen to the instruction of our M.C., Mark. -->

And here is us as a group with our gifts! Saying Merry Christmas to you from the youth group of ACF church!

Last week was also extra busy because we had three visitors from Japan here to see some of the children's ministries going on in Cebu City and visit a bunch of schools. We also took them to the island of Bohol where they saw the Chocolate Hills and the smallest monkeys in the world: The Tarsiers. See below :)

But it wasn't all fun and games, we visited a large land property where we were before back in August to do our missions trip. On this property, there is a dream to build a camp and/or retreat centre for pastors and couples to go and rest. And also a place for recovering addicts to go and live in the province, away from the city where there will be counsellors available to them as they recover. It's a beautiful property. So we took some time to pray over the land and ask God's direction and provision for this dream camp in Bohol.

Next big event coming up, is on the 26th of December. Rhonda and I will be leaving for an Alliance youth retreat in Leyte, another island off of Cebu. We both have big roles to play as we are leading and facilitating small groups and doing some teaching together with many youth pastors from all around the Visayans. I will be taking 4 of my youth to this retreat and we are all pretty excited to go.

That's it for now, its about time to go. There was just a large group of young people that came in with a guitar and sang Christmas carols in this tiny internet cafe! There, my friends, is an example of something I would have never thought even happened in this world, but I have learned to never say never. Everyday I am witnessing that anything is possible in the Philippines!

Praises:

-Had a great Christmas party with the youth, it went smoothly and we were all blessed

- God's provision for all my needs

- A great month of meeting new people and making new connections

Prayer Requests:

-For the rest of this busy month, to get everything done that needs to get done!

-Youth retreat in Leyte, safety and protection in our travels and for the youth to grow deeper in their walk with God!

- All around health and protection

Thank you all for your prayers.

God Bless

-Amanda

Updates!

2008-11-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

Its been a few weeks since my last post, so its that time again for a new update.
As it is getting colder in Canada, I'm pretty sure it is getting hotter here! And the Philippines is in full swing for the Christmas season! I have heard enough Christmas carols and have seen enough Christmas decorations for any one person to handle! Since the beginning of September, Cebu was transformed into a Christmas wonderland and I've been told the Christmas season in Cebu ends at the end of January, so we're not done yet!

This last week, we as the staff of Padala Ministries, had a prayer and planning day from 9 am to 10 pm! Long day, but it was well worth it. We were even able to go through some material from the popular, 'Emotionally Healthy Church' to see how emotionally healthy we were personally and pray for one another in our areas of struggle. It was also a great time of seeking after God as we move forward in this ministry. We also all took out our calenders and planned until the end of the year. This is when I realized I am invited or hosting or singing at 12 different Christmas parties! Filipino's know how to party, so I'm looking forward to this month. When I say know how to party I mean, there is always singing, dancing, roasted pig, games and fireworks! I still have a lot of prep work to do but it should be a great month.

On December 26th, I will be leaving to another island right beside Cebu for a youth retreat for Alliance youth all over the Visyan islands. I will be speaking at a seminar on Worship and facilitating Bible Study groups every day. I'm really looking forward to this retreat and the plan is to bring 4 of my youth from my youth group to this retreat with me.

As part of the onSite program I am in am Ambrose, at some point during each of our internships, the goal is to meet up with other onSiters around your area for a week called extended learning experience. So with my fellow onSiters in Asia (7 others) we have now decided when and where we will be going for ELE. In the first week of Feburary we will all be meeting in Phuket, Thailand for a week of rest and fun together!

I think that is all for updates for now! Life here is amazing. Everyday is filled with new adventures and challenges. I would just like to thank all of you who follow this blog and pray for me without ceasing that I could not be here without you. Your support and meant the world to me. I praise God because I have found this beautiful country of the Philippines to be my new home for these short months I am here. And please continue to pray for God to use me powerfully for His names' sake in the months to come.

God Bless you all.

"Look after the orphans and widows in their distress.." James 1:27

2008-11-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

Maayong Hapon one and all!

So we're back safe and sound from our adventure to Mindanao to visit Christian Haven, the orphanage, right in the middle of the mountains! It was so beautiful and became a place of rest for both Rhonda and I. They welcomed us warmly and fed us like Queen's! I had a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people who serve at this orphanage full time and want nothing more than the best for these children. The children range in age from 5 years old all the way to 20. The college aged men and women live in separate housing. It's an amazing ministry. The dorm parents and kids wake up at 4:00 every morning and start with a time of devotionals and breakfast. Then they have to leave by 5 am to commute about an hour by jeep over rough roads in the mountains to get to their school. It's a whole different reality for these children. I was blessed so by their joy for their lives which are now filled with hope! I hope I can go back and visit one day.

The pictures below are pictures from the last week: First is a picture with me and a few of the kids: Romeo, Joy Joy and Jessie. The second is the view outside our front door to the guesthouse

Thank you for all your prayers during our trip. Both Rhonda and I feel great and our colds are all gone! But there is another urgent prayer request: unfortunately during our time away from Cebu, our house was broken into. Thankfully and strangely, only a bank card and book and a bit of jewellery was taken. Laptops, money and passports were all left untouched, praise God! Please pray for continued protection over our house, as we go in and out and for all we invite in. We're not scared, just more aware we need to be more careful.
love you and miss you all,
Amanda

We're off to see the island, the wonderful island of Mindanao!

2008-11-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

Dear friends and family,
Unfortunately we no longer have access to Internet where I am living, so it makes it a little more difficult to have regular updates. But as we figure out a new plan, I will try my best to get these out regularly.
It was neat to be able to experience Halloween in Cebu. Two days following Halloween, Nov.1 and 2nd, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, Catholic families go to the cemetery to visit their loved ones who have passed away. In the streets you see thousands of people walking into the cemeteries, lighting candles, saying prayers and offering food and to the dead. What I also saw were Christians with loudspeakers and Bibles and pamphlets telling people to repent right outside the cemetery amongst the crowds! Not quite the same Halloween experience I had growing up that's for sure. But that's why I am here, to experience all these new things and learn from them . Its been something I've asked a lot of Filipino's about, both Catholic and Protestant and there are certainly many different views on the whole thing. Regardless, it continues to be a tradition of the Filipino people.

Last week we also had a Canadian family here visiting and staying with us. We did a mini-missions trip with them. It was great to have them and show them the ministries we are involved in here. They were very gracious and kind and of course brought the good ol' Canadian sarcasm I miss so much!

<-- This is Rhonda and I with the Ardell family from Canada at an art exhibit. We also are with the Ambassador from Canada who was here in Cebu visiting! And we're standing in front of a picture of Niagara Falls! It was truly a Canadian moment so far away from home :)

Tomorrow Rhonda and I are leaving for the island of Mindanao, just south of Cebu, to visit a friend who is the director of an orphanage there. We're really looking forward to this trip. I would love to work in an orphanage one day, so I'm hoping this trip will help open my eyes to the needs and possible future missions opportunity one day.

My language study continues to get better and better. I realize when visitors come that is my gage for how I am doing with it, because I become the translator! And this time I was able to do a lot of translating for them and answer lots of cultural questions. At different points during the week, I was even the one taking them around the city to different ministries. Even just a month ago, I couldn't have done that!

Praise:
That Language is going well: lots of growth.
Visitors came and left safely: lots of blessings from them and for them.

Prayer:
For our trip to Mindanao: safety and protection in every way
Also, both Rhonda and I have been feeling a bit under the weather with colds, so please pray for healing especially as we travel.

God Bless you all,
Amanda

p.s. I will put pictures up as soon as I can!

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

2008-10-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

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..

Gamay lang..

2008-09-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Gamay lang bascially is translated "just small". Though the work I am doing here in Cebu isn't 'just small', its refers more to my language and cultural knowledge. Also just this week I started to learn to play guitar. We have one sitting in our house so I finally decided to learn. I taught myself a few chords, but sought the help of a young Filipina girl named Reizel who sleeps over at our house once a week when we have a Bible study on Tuesday nights. Since tuesday, I haven't been able to put it down!! I have found something I enjoy, its a way for me to de-stress. I even was able to learn a song "Through it all" well enough to play and sing in chapel just today!

These last few weeks have been great. Many blessings, many chances to learn new things. I'm really making some progress in my langauge study. I listen to the radio everyday and live with Cebuano speakers, so my understanding has gone way up. Like the other night, I was invited to missions fundraising party that we have to take motorbikes up a hill to. So the driver was asking me a bunch of questions in Cebuano, and I knew everything he was saying and I was even able to speak a little back to him in Cebuano. It feels like a little victory everytime I am able to do that. Which in that case resulted in him asking to marry me...so when that happens I usually don't answer or switch back to English!

Pastor Bong, who is the leader of my weekend ministry at Stepping Stones, and his wife have a 9 month old baby named Samuel who has become the love and joy of my life. He is the cutest baby alive and he loves my blonde hair. He always grabs for it with his little chubby baby hands and drools and chews it. It's quite precious really. The ministry is going really well. Pastor wants me to be training the youth in worship and also training others to teaching sunday school, so when I go they can continue. I'm looking forward to these seminars I will be able to lead. This weekend I will be sleeping over in the community of Didos, where a lot of the schloarship kids live.

At VAST this last week they were in the middle of celebrating their foundation day. On Monday, September 22, was the 16th anniversary of VAST and all the allumi were invited to come to the campus and play games, fellowship, with all the current students and staff. There were teams set up and I was invited to join in the celebration. I was able to sleep over in the dorms on Sunday night and stay all day monday where all the competitions took place. In the evening was a formal banquet. So I bought myself a dress and had a lot of fun with all the students and allumni.

Here's a picture of us at the banquet! I am with my ate Rose Marie who is one of my roomates, Jay an intern and Dennis, another intern. ---->>

Then tuesday was an intern day at our house which Rhonda hosted and led. All of the Bible school interns of VAST (and me, the intern from Canada) had a day together of fellowship, prayer, goal setting, sharing and games. It was great to meet them all and encouarge each other in our minstries. Just this morning I was back at VAST speaking at Chapel. It went really well. I spoke about stepping out of our comfort zones. And I demostrated that by stepping way out of my comfort and playing the guitar in front of people for the first time ever!
Then saturday and sunday I'm back at Stepping Stones, teaching the kids, teaching Sunday School and leading youth group.

This is a picture with me and some of the kids of Didos ---->>>

Praise:
I was able to find resources and time to get a big assignment done for my onSite requirements.
My lanugage study is going well.
That I am learning guitar quickly.

Pray:
For the ministries of Stepping Stones and Padala.
Amoungst all of the busyness, that I really find time to give myself a break from everything once a week.

God is so good!

2008-09-03T07:10:00.001-07:00

Maayong Gabii one and all! You have all been in my thoughts and prayers. It is September already, can you believe it?! I have now been in the Philippines for almost two months and since looking back to my last blog, so much has happened in these last few weeks. Ginny is now safely back in Canada. She headed back early last week. Rhonda and I accompanied her to Manila to see her off. So now its just me and Rhonda back in Cebu City gearing up for new ministries. I am typing this from a Baptist missionary guest house here in the city with our Japanese missions team that we our hosting for the week. They have come to see the ministries Rhonda and Pastor Glemar (the partner in PADALA ministry with Rhonda) are leading in Cebu and work alongside us in livelihood projects with the poor. They arrived on Tuesday and leave on Saturday, so we will just have a short visit before they head back home to Tokyo. It has been great having them.
In my last post, I mentioned our mission team was preparing for a trip to the island of Bohol for a four day outreach and training experience. It went very well. We traveled there safely and met up with pastor Lito and his team to begin our extremely busy, but productive trip. We taught in schools, led various kids clubs', did feedings, helped in an evangelistic crusade, led Bible Studies and witnessed 10 people come to the Lord! God is good. And in the midst of all that, we even managed to take some time to see the Chocolate Hills of course! It was a great trip and one I was so blessed to be part of.
I am still going strong in my language study. I'm finding lots of avenues to practice what I'm learning. I find that I can understand a lot more than I can speak. When I listen to the radio for example, I can now understand quite a lot of what is being said. But ask me to repeat it, and that's another story.
Last Sunday, Rhonda and I met with the pastor I will be working with every weekend at the ministry of Stepping Stones. Him and his wife and baby live at Stepping Stones and help run the scholarship program for dozens and dozens of children every Saturday. He is also the pastor of the Alliance Church in the same neighborhood which I will be helping teach Sunday School and lead worship at on the Sundays I will be there. On Saturdays I will help teach the scholars during the day and in the evenings work alongside another Bible College student named Mark with the youth group. Since this ministry is about an hour away from where I am living in Cebu City, I will be sleeping over every Saturday night being hosted by some of the Filipino families of the children I will be teaching. I'm really looking forward to this and being able to live and work in this community who are so excited to have me.
Praise God that we saw (at least) 10 people come to the Lord during our missions trip to Bohol and praise God for our Japanese visitors who are bringing a lot of new ideas and blessings for the ministries here.
Please pray for continued safety and health. These last few weeks I have been sick on and off. I figure I am still really adjusting to the food and climate.
Also for my language study, that I continue to pick it up quickly and have the patience to learn even when its really tough.
Thank you for reading. You are in my thoughts as many of your are preparing to go back to school and back to work this September.
Blessings on you all.
Amanda
p.s. i have put some new pictures up on this blog for you. I apologize some are really small. I will continue to put more up as they come!

Learning

2008-08-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends. It seems just about the right time for another update.
I hope all is well with you back in Canada as you enjoy the last few weeks of summer.
Life is busy here in Cebu. Many things have been happening and happening at a fast pace. I entitled this post 'learning' because I feel that is all I have been doing and nothing else.
I am realizing more and more that I am definitely not in Canada anymore! It seems silly as I write that, but its true. Today I officially got my visitors visa after waiting 2 and a half hours in the immigration office. So now both Ginny and I are good to go (and legally) in the country. Which is of course, a wonderful thing!
These last few weeks have been interesting. We have been doing a lot of visiting of various ministries throughout the city and I am really having hands on participation and experience in what my mentor is living and breathing everyday here in the Philippines.
In my growth and learning there have been growing pains. Not being able to communicate properly, eating different food, adjusting to the sights, smells and heat of the country and learning a totally different world view!
It certainly has not been easy but God is full of grace and continues to give me strength every new day.
I have been starting my language classes, which have been good. My teacher, Anita and I meet in a small room in a tiny building in the middle of a bustling neighborhood. She is really sweet and encouraging when I mess up (which is often). I feel like these classes are very helpful though. All the Filipino's I encounter during my day are eager to help me as I point to something and half mutter the Cebuano word for it. Like when I'm out eating, I will point to the plate and say, "plato!" And they are so happy that I'm trying.
This next week is going to be another busy one as me and the team prepare for our upcoming missions trip to the Island of Bohol, where the famous Chocolate Hills are located! Like I mentioned in my last post, Rhonda teaches a class at VAST (Visayas Alliance School of Theology) which is a local Alliance Bible college. Her class in five eager young women who are being trained for full time ministry. Part of their course is to help plan a missions trip to Bohol. We will be meeting up with a pastor and team there and focusing on evangelism for young people. We have a lot planned and one of my jobs is to teach some drama and songs to the team and also to the children of Bohol we will be ministering to. I also have the oppurunity to share my testimony in a church there, which is great!
This coming Monday night we are planning a large garden party to celebrate Rhonda's ministries and welcome Ginny and I and commission our team to Bohol. It's a pretty big deal, it's catered, there will be an mc and we ahve sent out many invitations. Rhonda, Ginny and I have even learned a tamberine dance (from Rhonda's class) to be performed to everybody! You should see us three white girls dancing beside these tiny beautiful Filipina girls. It's quite the hoot!

This about wraps up my latest news for now. Please pray for our team going to Bohol one week from today (the 7th). There are 10 of us going and still more planning to be done. Pray that God will use our ministry in Bohol and being light where there is darkness!
Praise God that I have been blessed with a wonderful mentor who I can laugh, cry and talk to about anything I may be feeling.
Much love,
Amanda

I am home.

2008-07-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am now officially in Cebu City settled into my new home with my mentor Rhonda and friend Ginny who will be here working with us in Cebu until the end of August. I embarked on this journey last tuesday, July 15th and had no troubles at all in travelling. Smooth sailing, just very tiring! For the last week we have been spending some relaxing time in Manila with missionary friends of Rhonda's there and also took a trip north to the city of Boguio! It's been a great time getting to know one another and speninding lots of time in prayer and preperation. In Boguio we saw the beautiful mountians and experienced some real live Filipino market shopping! I have been meeting some really awesome Filipino's with hearts for the Lord and for His ministry. The people are making my transition much easier and they have shown much grace to me as I learn the do's and dont's of life in the Philippines.
I have been quite busy traveling so haven't had much time yet to sit and write about all that has been going on. Today I will be sharing my testimony with an all girls class Rhonda teaches and we are beginning to prepare for a missions trip with her class to Bohol ( the island east of Cebu).
I have the oppurtunity to be involved in so many things, I really can't wait!
Next week I will be taking a missions class in the evenings at the Asian Centre for Missions alongside my mentor and other Filipino classmates. As well helping out with lots of children's ministries!
I ask that you will be praying for me as I get used to the heat here in the Philippines. It quickly zaps my energy, so please pray I will be refreshed to work! Also pray for continued safety and good health for Ginny, myself and Rhonda.
And praise the Lord that we all arrived safe and sound here in Cebu with a beautiful home waiting for us and a solid friendship between us three girls :)
Thank you for your prayers and encouragements,I miss you all and will keep you updated on the new happenings in my life here in Cebu City!
ayo ayo! (take care in Cebuano)

I'm on my way!

2008-04-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

I received my plane ticket today. It is now real, here in my hands. This is really happening!
God is so faithful even in the smallest details. Things are starting to fall into place and I look forward to these next few months here in Canada as I spend time with my family and prepare to go. I write my last exam tomorrow afternoon and than I will be all done school..for now.
I move back with the family on the 24th and begin my hunt for a job.
Please pray; for He is good and He has plans for me that I can't even ask or imagine!