Heading Home

We are going to miss this place. We are not just going to miss the place, but the missionaries, John and Shannon Foster, Tanner, Layton, and Hudson as well as Mike and Marti Foster. Our host have been fabulous to work along side this week.

We are all so proud that Westover supports missionaries and their work such as the one we have been a part of this week. Word of Life Philippines is an organization that you, our supporters, would be proud as well. They are building the Kingdom!

Keep us in your prayers as we being our 29 hours travel back to Greensboro!

Much love and gratitude,
Philippines Team '13

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice-Cream

The Snack Shack is the center of all happenings at the Word of Life Camp. You will find students, campers, staff, mission workers and hordes of young children clamoring for food and drink. Not only do you find food at the snack shack but you find relationships being formed, discipleship happening, as well as a WHOLE lot of fun!

The Snack Shack was where we would go for our cold water, gatorades, hot cappuccinos, and yes COLD Mountain Dew for some of us.

Upon arrival, Mike introduced us to the Snack Shack and told us how all of the proceeds of the snack shack sales go into a fund that helps with camp maintenance and special needs in order for them to cut down on fund raising for these items. So, in short, all the money they raise at the snack shack goes right back into the camp. We love that!

There was one thing they felt they were lacking in the snack shack and that was a soft serve ice-cream machine. This week Mike and two staff members went to purchase the machine. They spent all day purchasing, learning how to operate and clean this baby. They proudly brought it home and installed it.

As a team we wanted to make a lasting investment at the Word of Life Camp. Because of our generous supporters we came with extra funds to put into a project for the camp. As a team, we decided what could be more perfect than providing an ice cream machine that would make everyone SCREAM! So today we were able to present Mike and the camp the funds to pay for the ice cream machine. They were ecstatic! This machine will save hours of fund raising and continue to pay dividends for the camp for many years to come.

Thank you friends and family for your generosity for making this possible. We wish you could have seen the smiles on everyone's faces as we celebrated with cones for everyone! We had a fun time with the staff and students. It was very special to the whole team. A good time was had by all.

More Pictures

Our Thursday....

We started our day with a great devotion led by our missionary John Foster. He reminded us that if you want the maximum attention of God, you must give your maximum attention to God. It was an encouraging word that we will carry with us.

Our work day consisted of working construction project of the dorm rooms. We hauled concrete, lifted buckets of concrete and shoveled gravel and dirt for hours. Yes, it was incredibly hard labor. There was a moment that we thought time stood still, but the lunch bell rang and after a good meal and an ice cream bar we were off to paint the trusses for the dorm. A work day full of accomplishments. We can't wait to see the finishing project of the dorm rooms. They should be completed by July.

This afternoon Traci was able to attend a promotional service for the Bible Institute. It was such a blessing to attend. The students are at a turning point in their life. Eleven of the students have completed three years of the program and this year they are being sent out as interns to work in local area churches or organizations. They were so excited! The first and second year students have to decide if they would like to continue in the program. This is a big decision for these students. Many fears try to steer them away from completing the course work. Please pray for them. They have to decide within a couple of weeks. It was my first Filipino Banquet and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

All of us are doing well. Continuing to learn how to serve with that humility Christ has asked us to serve with.

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

(Mrs. Hardy would like to give a shout out to all of her students at SGMS. Miss you all):)

Bible Institute Student Interview

Here on the Word of Life Campus they have a Bible Institute that teaches students Biblical Doctrine and Christian principles. Some of the students are studying to be pastors or teachers and some are simply interested in learning more about God's Word.
One of the main purposes of our trip was to help construct dormitories for the students at the Bible Institute. We were able to work with the construction crew today and boy was it HARD work! We did not mind one bit how much food they served us! Tomorrow will be another hard day of work with pouring concrete and other labor intensive jobs in the hot tropical sun.

We thought you would like to hear from one of the Bible Institute's female students. Her name is AI. AI grew up in a Catholic home with five children but she never felt that the church had any impact on her family's life because her mother ended up leaving them when she was eleven years old. AI had the opportunity to attend Bible Club led by Word of Life where she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior.

During her high school years, she attended Bible Club and Word of Life summer camps and eventually worked on staff at the camp. She was trained to teach and be involved in camping ministry. Someone offered her a full scholarship to attend the Bible Institute and her first thought was , "They are crazy, Bible Students are perfect, and I am not". She was also scared to leave home and she did not have any friends there."

She realized it was fear that was holding her back and she decided to trust God. She is now a second year student. She is now praying about whether or not to attend as a third year student. God is still providing funds for her year by year.

As she looks back on her time here these are her words, "Wow, Lord, we made it together." Three or four years ago she would never have imagined what God has taught her while attending school. She has gained confidence in speaking, teaching, and leading kids.

When asked what she might be doing in five years...these are her thoughts..."I don't know if I want to be in full time ministry with an organization. Just being a Christian is a full time ministry. I might want to work in a company with unbelievers--Who will tell them, if I don't?"

Work teams like ours have been coming to the Word of Life campus for several months and the dorm rooms for the students are continually progressing. The investment you have made to our team in making this trip will pay eternal dividends through students like our friend AI as she goes out into her world carrying the gospel.

Much love and gratitude to you all!

A day in the life of a mission worker at Word of Life, Philippines

Each morning we are up and at the internet cafe (aka the ping pong table) checking in with family as we wait for the breakfast bell to ring around 7:00. We always have a filling breakfast and then we attend devotions with the staff at Word of Life which are always very inspiring. After devotions, we report to our work station. We work there until 10:00 and are fed again a delicious snack, which they call merinda, this can vary between fried bananas or even a bowl of soup. We go back to work on our assignments and work until 12:00 noon. Once again the lunch bell rings and we are fed a yummy meal and afterwards we are able to rest until 1:30. Around 1:30 we head back to our work station and work until 4:00 pm. Then, we clean up and take an inspiring cold shower and socialize a bit with workers, students, and staff around the campus. Suprisingly enough, we get a dinner bell at 6:00 so we eat AGAIN. After dinner, we talk with the missionaries and enjoy our evening together as a team. We try to settle in for the evening around 8:00 pm, because by now we are feeling some exhaustion set into our bodies.

We are loving our time here. The hand of the Lord has been upon us day after day. One thing we would all like to share is our Favorite Miracle of the day. Yesterday, we had a real hard time trying to paint with Third World Country Paint with an American mindset. It just wasn't working. We all felt a bit defeated yesterday as we left our worksite. As we were leaving we were joking around and said it would be nice if Jesus would turn that water into paint. Well, supporters, this morning as we reported to work, the paint painted beautifully. And it painted beautifully all day! We were able to paint three bedrooms and a great room and they all turned out great! Some of the us worked on new cabinets that have been made today as well. They sanded and polyurethaned them. Hoping we can put them up before we leave this week.

We have ended our day with a feel of accomplishment! Your prayers are being answered! and so are ours! We love you all!

Please note: the green room WAS the blue room(yesterday's post) and it also was the room where Jesus turned water into paint!

Correction

For those of you that googled "Wang Wang" and it came up something bad...Sorry about that. Try this link. It explains it all.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/39409/airport-terminals-declared-a-no-wang-wang-zone

First Work Day

Everyone slept better last night and we all feel like we are settling in to camp life. Thank you again for your prayers. The Lord is faithful!

We are impressed with the pristine campus and the dedicated staff at Word of Life Camp. Our hosts, Mike and Marti Foster and John and Shannon Foster, have welcomed us so warmly. We are all hoping that John and Shannon will be able to join us for our Fall Global Celebration at Westover this year. We consider them troopers, doing all they are doing as well as having three boys under the age of 4. These two couples are impacting the Kingdom here in the Philippines. It has already been a joy to serve alongside of them.

We enjoyed starting our day with staff devotions after another yummy breakfast. Our work began productively as we spackled, primed, sanded, and painted a single girls staff apartment. We were able to accomplish just what the Lord had planned for us today and we hope to finish that project tomorrow. The team is getting along great except when we begin to "Wang-Wang". (If you want to know what Wang-Wang is...google it.) :) This picture of the sign was the first sign we read as we were going thru customs. We all thought it was so funny!

Our favorite part of the day....
Steve - going to the store and seeing "Roachkill Paint" the paint that kills roaches
Wilson - cleaning paint brushes and rollers with my new buddy JM (5 yr. old Filipino boy)
Carolyn - kidding around with the team and talking with the students
Dave - walking up and down to the job site. The view is awesome!
Pam - going to the fruit market and buying the team DELICIOUS mangoes.
Tanya - fried bananas during Merienda(morning snack)
Traci - getting a COLD shower....NOT! Really it has been the weather. Absolutely Glorious!

Please continue to pray for adjustment to the time difference, good health, and strength to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

Our view

Today, we were able to have a phenomenal meals, and take a tour of the grounds. And hopefully REST! Tomorrow starts the heavy labor. :)
Enjoy the Pictures