Friends in Manila

A few weeks ago we went to Manila to re-establish some contacts we made when we were here in 2006. There were 2 specific places we went. The first place is Quiapo. This is the area that we plan to do a lot of our main ministry focus when we start our children's home. This area is very poor and there are many street children and families. When we were here last time Jack and I got to know one family pretty well. The family and people that we had gotten to know had lived right under the Quiapo bridge, which goes over the Pasig River. When we went back to visit them this time we were shocked because the area that they lived in had been bulldozed down and was now a parking lot for Jeepneys. Since 2006, the government has also developed a ferry system that runs along this river as another means of transportation. There were a lot of people that had lived in that area and we thought that there was no way that we could find this family again since they had been displaced. Long story short, through no luck of our own, we found the family and were able to reconnect with them. They now have a little store that they run right by one of the ports for the river ferry which is really good for them. They are wonderful people with big hearts and are very protective of us when we're there. They will be helping us to find the street children in that area. Jack is currently on his way to Manila and they are all planning to rent a van tomorrow night, around midnight, and drive around the area to find the kids that are all alone. Many street children work the streets during the day, so going at night to find them is the best way. The family that is helping us also has a friend that is a politician in the area and he is very interested in what we're doing and is going to help out as well. The Lord is really putting things together for His ministry! We are so excited!

Our other friends that we met up with are from a part of Manila called Mandaluyong. This is the same part of Manila that we worked with the clinic in and lived in in 2006. These folks are a little better off than the families in Quiapo, but not by much. They were very hospitable to us and served us lunch. They fed us squid adobo! Jack and I were a bit nervous to try it but when I saw Layla gulping it down with no problems I thought it can't be too bad. Sure enough it was delicious! Isn't it wonderful how 2 year olds have no preconceived notions about anything!? I love it! Anyways, we spent a good chunk of the day just hanging out with them and enjoying time together. We even got a treat of ice cream! There is one gentleman, his name is Marlon, and he has to support all 5 of his kids by himself. The problem with that is that there are very few jobs for him to find and he cannot afford to pay anyone to watch his young children during the day and all his family works as well. It is a really sad situation. Jack has talked to him extensively about this and discovered that Marlon wants to start his own business selling different types of food at the basketball court in their neighborhood. So we have decided to help him start his business so he can support his family. That is also one of the things Jack will be doing this trip he is currently on. Please pray that the Lord blesses Marlon, his children, and his family through this business that God is providing.

There is another woman that we've become close friends with in Mandaluyong who is having a very tough time as well. Her name is Raquel and she works at a Call Center, which is normally a very good job. The problem is that this call center has not paid their employees since December, but tell them if they continue to work they will get paid. The worst part is that the call center is contracted out to an American company and it is the American Company that is saying they can't pay. They are blaming it on the economy...but I'm pretty sure all the execs of this company are still getting paid their big bucks! It just disgusts me. Anyways, the workers filed a complaint with the Labor department in the Philippines but things still don't look so good. Please keep her in your prayers because she is looking for another job but is having a difficult time finding one. She has two beautiful little girls to support as well. Thank you for your prayers!

Here are some pics of this trip to Manila. There are pictures from both Quiapo and Mandaluyong.

Manila

Wedding

There was a wedding at the beginning of this month for the daughter of the family we rent our house from. It was quite the party! In one day they put up and entire tent made out of bamboo and tarps. They also cooked enough food for the entire baranguy! It was amazing!!! They butchered 1 cow and a bunch of pigs (I can't remember how many)!!! So at about 5:30 in the morning it sounded like people were cutting down trees. That lasted until about 10:00am but I didn't see any trees chopped down or wood that was being cut, so I asked what the noise was. Come to find out that the chopping noise was from the men butchering the meat!!! Can you believe that! They butchered meat for almost 5 hours and it sounded like they were chopping down trees! It was crazy!!! Well, besides that :) it was really great to get to watch all the people come together and prepare for the wedding feast right outside of our house! It was interesting because this is the first Filipino wedding I have been involved with. The couple that got married are Delson and Nelfa and they now live in the small house up the hill right behind our house. Not many people went to the actual ceremony in the church, like we do in the States. Every time that we pass by the church that Delson and Nelfa got married in Layla always points it out and talks about 2 people getting married. It is really cute, and I was so suprised that she recognizes the church and knows that's where they got married. It's amazing how much she knows and I don't think she could know that kind of stuff...anyways! Everyone, and I mean everyone attended the reception, from the poorest villagers to the foreigners who don't even know the couple. Here are some pictures of the wedding ceremony and the preparation for the feast. I didn't get a chance to get pictures of the reception, which I was really bummed about.

These pictures show them setting up for the Reception!

You can't see it too well, but they are cooking meat in big bowls over an open fire behind the house.

This is Nelfa's parents, Fely and Leo...they are the owners of the house we live in and very, very nice people.

Here is Nelfa! So beautiful!


The happy couple!

Manila

It's been a while since I've updated and there have been a few things going on so I thought I'd fill you all in! Last weekend Jack, Layla, and I made our trek to Manila. The boat ride was beautiful and the 2 hour bus ride was ok. One thing about the air conditioned buses in the Philippines is that they're FREEZING! It is the weirdest thing, but they are so cold you practically need your winter jacket. Luckily I had a blanket and sarong, so we were ok. Jack was super cold and did not enjoy it at all! Once we made it to Manila we met up with some old friends from the Philippines and stayed with them at a missions guest house. It was great to see Chris and Cathee and meet their son Samuel. He is adorable! In Manila we did a lot of running around, mostly getting things that we can't get on the island. It was a very exhausting trip because having a 2 year old there is tough. Because of the way the streets are made you can't use a stroller, plus there's too many people to maneuver the stroller around even if we could use it. So we basically had to carry Layla everywhere! It was very tough and exhausting! While in Manila we were able to attend the Manila Vineyard and meet up with some people we hadn't seen since the last time we were in the Philippines. That was a lot of fun...great worship, but I forgot my bible there...oops! And of course, while were were in Manila we got our Taco Bell fix, something we always do :) Our trip back to Puerto Galera from Manila did not go as well as the trip there. The bus was super crowded and uncomfortable and then the ferry ride was super choppy! It makes me scared and nervous, but praise God we made it safely!

Back here in Aninuan (this is the name of the baranguay, or neighborhood, that we live in) we have been busy helping out. Jack has been teaching guitar on Tuesdays and Fridays, and he started his classes that he has to take at Denver Seminary online. He has also been hanging out with the guys around here and playing some basketball and playstation with them. I have been helping out with prenatals on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I have been attending a moms group that the clinic is trying to start on Friday mornings. So far there has not been much luck with moms coming, but hopefully it will take off. The clinic does well baby check ups on Friday mornings so they are hoping that some of the moms will want to hang out for a little while and support each other with being new moms, and of course breastfeeding!

Yesterday, I attended my first birth! I was so excited! I was paged at 4am that a labor was in process at the clinic. So I went down and supported the mom with her labor and birth. She had a beautiful baby boy and the labor went great! She delivered at 7:30am, so it didn't take too long! I felt so blessed to be part of this baby's birth. Mom, Joveth, is doing great and so is her son (they haven't named him yet). He is breastfeeding like a champ, which I was super excited about!

We also took our kayaks out for the first time yesterday afternoon (after I woke up from my nap). It was a ton of fun! Jack did a little snorkeling and Layla went in the water too. I snorkeled as well, but just for a short time because I have this weird fear of seeing the fish in the water that I'm in. I'd rather just think there is nothing there. However, I am trying to get over that since there are beautiful reefs here!

Our neighbor (who is the family we rent this house from) is having a wedding tomorrow that we're invited to. Their daughter is getting married and there are currently a lot of preperations being made for that. Right now they are building a giant bamboo tent in front of their house for the reception. I will post pictures of that and the wedding once I get them. It should be fun and interesting. So that it what's been going on for now...sorry this post is so long. I will try to update more frequently. Thank you for your continued prayers! Blessings!!!

Settling in

We are doing well settling in to our routine and catching up on the time change. Layla and I actually went to bed at a normal time last night and woke up at 7am! Yeah...jet lag is so hard, especially when we are no 15 hours ahead of Denver time. So far we've gone to the market a few times to get some things for our house and food. We also went to the beach yesterday for the first time and Layla loved it! At first she was really scared to get in the water, but after some time and watching some of the other kids go in she was happy. She kept saying "I'm swimming with the fishies! Yeah!" Layla has also made friends with some of the other missionary kids here. This is them all hanging out on a big bouncy thing.













Yesterday Jack made us our first meal here. Eggs, potatoes, and some veggies. It was quite delicious and fun to make our own food.














In addition to that we've run into some creatures. The ants here are horrible! The laundry detergent and fabric softener that we used back home must smell sweet because the ants are attracted to our clothes like no other! This is a picture of the ants we swept up after killing them. They were in some of our clothes. It was disgusting! Since that picture we have had a few killing of ants like that. I just have to give up this battle I think, but there is something in me that won't let it go. I hate ants!!! I also saw my first gecko in our house last night. They are fun little creatures, but they're also a little freaky. Every time they move they scare me!















So now that we're settling in we will start up with the stuff we came here to do :) Jack will start helping out with the clinic and teaching the medical assistants some guitar and bible classes. I will be helping out there as well, plus I might start training to do some midwifery. We'll see what the Lord wants me to do, but until then we're excited to get started! We will keep you all posted as things get interesting. We love you all! Blessings!

We made it!!!

After a long 30 hours of travel we made it to our new home in Puerto Galera! Our trip was pretty uneventful, which is good. Layla did awesome! She slept on every flight we were on. Our long flight was 15 hours and she slept for 11 of those 15 hours! Can you believe it?! She was such a good sport...no breakdowns or tantrums the whole time! So, just to give you a run down of what our day looked like, we left Denver at 8:23am on the 14th. We flew to San Francisco and had a 2 hour lay over there which ended up being a good thing because we got lost at that airport and we had to switch airlines so we had to get all new boarding passes. It was a pain, but we made it to our gate about 5 min before we had to board. Then we got on the long 15 hour flight. I didn't sleep much at all, maybe 2 or 3 hours, but Layla and Jack slept better than I did so that's good. The food on the flight wasn't bad at all which is definitely a plus. I watched a bazillion movies and tv shows on the flight while Layla slept through most of it. Then we arrived in Hong Kong. That airport was a little tricky, but no too bad. We had a 3 and a half hour layover there so we just hung out and Jack made friends with some of the other Filipinos in the airport. I was super tired by then, but we had to go on. Then we flew from Hong Kong to Manila and that was only a 2 hour flight...not too bad at all. I think the worst part of all the traveling was the lack of sleep and sore rear ends. After we arrived in Manila we got all of our bags and found out that one of our bags split open and was all wrapped in plastic. We have since learned that some of our stuff is missing. :( After all that Vicki from Mercy in Action picked us up at about 1am Manila time. We went back to a small apartment she has in Manila and slept for about 2 hours until the van arrived to take us down the the port so we could catch the ferry and make it to Puerto Galera. Luckily there are a lot of porters around that helped us with our bags. The ferry over to the island was really choppy this morning. We were sitting in the front of the boat and with the bigger swells Layla, Jack, and I all got soaked. Unfortunately, Layla and I got it the worst because of our seats. Layla did great though because she was laughing and giggling the whole time! She didn't mind being wet at all! It was great...she is an awesome traveler. So now we are at our home and just trying to settle in.

Thank you all for your prayers, we appreciate it so much! God definitely protected us and gave us traveling mercies. Please pray that we get settled in and that all of our stuff shows up. I am missing all of my "bottoms." So all of my shorts and capris are missing. We're hoping that once we get things all unpacked they'll show up, but there is very little chance that they will. We're also missing some of our toiletry items. Hopefully everything will work itself out. I must just have to go and buy some pants/shorts. We could also use prayer for strength, health, and a quick adjustment to the time change. I will update you all again soon! We love you all! Here are some pictures of our travels.


Layla standing in front of our plane in the San Fransisco airport. The is the big plane that took us to Hong Kong.



Passing time in the Hong Kong airport.



We just arrived in Manila! Yeah, we made it!!!!



Layla and I on the ferry heading to Puerto Galera. This is before we got soaked from the big swells! :)

The Beginning

It is time for us Fairweathers to leave our wonderful family and friends here in the states and follow the call the Lord has given us. On Wednesday, Jan 14th, we will get on an airplane and fly to Manila, Philippines. We will arrive in the Philippines at 11:58pm on Jan. 15, Philippines time. So that means we arrive at around 2pm on the 15th Denver time. We are so excited to start the adventure the Lord is leading us on. We will be in the Philippines for 4 months so that Jack can fulfill his missions practicum that he has to do for his MDiv that he is getting from Denver Seminary. While we're in the Philippines we will be working with Mercy in Action, the same organization that we went to the Philippines with the first time. We are so excited to meet up with our friends again. We will be doing medical outreaches, working in the clinic, health teachings, teaching Bible/faith classes, and Jack will be teaching guitar. In addition to all this Jack and I will be working very hard on laying the ground work that needs to be done for the children's home that we want to open next Fall for street kids from Manila. This is our heart and we can't believe that our dream is becoming a reality. We want to thank EVERYONE that has loved, supported, and encouraged us. We are so very grateful for everything. There is no way that we could be where we are today without the loving community that God has placed around us. You guys are the best! Leaving is definitely bittersweet. While we can't wait to get to the Philippines, it is also very difficult leaving the ones we love so dearly. I know Layla will miss all her buddies so much once she figures out that she won't be seeing them for awhile. Please keep in contact with us. If you have skype give us a ring sometime...we would love to chat with all of you! We also have our own website now http://www.thehandsandfeet.org/ so please visit as we will be updating it often. I will also be blogging quite regularly as a way to let you all know how things are going. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel and arrive in the Philippines. Specifically we need prayer for Layla as we travel for over 24 hours and come in to a country where we have passed the international date line. Pray that her adjustment to the time and culture go smoothly and that she stays healthy. Please also pray that our culture shock is minimal and that we blend in with our surroundings well. Pray that we stay close to the Lord and really listen and follow His lead as we minister to the Filipino people. I could use prayer for my home sickness that I know I will struggle with. Thank you all again for your love and support! Blessings!