Hey Family & Friends!
Since the last update on Tuesday, we have been quite busy, and there is much to report to you all as it is already halfway through Saturday here. While the girls were at the baby clinic for 2 1/2 days, the boys (Jared, Nolan, Matt) were at the Children's Garden, a home for out of school boys from age 13 to 20.
There were about 17 boys while we stayed overnight each night at the home. The first day was a bit rough as the boys were very nervous to speak english to us at first, as they almost always are, and we didn't quite know exactly what we were doing there at the home. The first thing we tackled was building and painting a ping pong table for the boys under the direction of Pastor Buddy (sp?) who was one of the directors of the boys home. That night I, matthew, got a very terrible headache and ended up very very hot, throwing up that night, and having very erraneous excretions from my bottomportion.
Jared and Nolan meanwhile did dance practice with the boys, which they do everyday in order to prepare for performances and contests that they enter. There were a few boys who played guitar, and even others who played chess, but the one thing they all had in common was playing basketball on a very uneven gravelly pavement like surface with rocks and dirt and potholes. barefoot of course.
As the days went on at the boys home, we played lots of chess (losing almost everytime to this very talented guy Presley, who actually works each day when he's not in classes to support his 8 or so siblings going to school.) We also got to jam on the guitar with the boys, dance some more, and just get to talk and hang out.
Almost everyday the boys go to school, one jeepney ride away, and take classes on Math, other subjects, English, and Martial Arts, the last two of which we got to join with them on tuesday.
KARATE WAS INTENSE! OOSE!
That's the sound we were supposed to respond with when the Martial Arts Master, Pastor Bong shouted out Kill! or other commands.
The stretching and warmup excercises alone were enough to make all three of us guys laugh in despair and weep at our insufficencies. After joining the previously out-of-school youth while they trained and practiced new moves, we watched them spar. After class, Pastor Bong, the super Amazing Martial Arts Master shared with us his incredible testimony, which consisted of him getting shot five times. Amazing! What a strong masculine influence for these boys! You could tell that they really respected Him and his teaching.
Most of the meals at the boys home consisted of rice, pb&j's, i think they thought we liked them? and some sort of meat dish, which usually consisted of fish. I think all three of us ate fish heads, and that same night after leading devotions with the boys, we all ate balut, which is like the Filipino national dish or something which is half developed chicken cooked inside it's egg and when you're given it you just crack open the egg and eat a baby chicken, beak, brain, bones, feathers and all! but don't worry it's pretty soft! and tastes like chicken/egg!
In talking to one of the Pastors for a while who had came by the boys home, it was very encouraging to see how helpful and willing different people in the community were to invest their time and resources to the boys home which ran off of donations and quite commonly didn't know where the next meal was going to come from. It was also extremely encouraging to realize that these very neat, disciplined, respectful Christian boys who we had been living with for the last couple days only a year previously, if not less for a lot of them, were wild teens who lived on the streets and got into whatever trouble you can think of and had no idea who Christ was or if they did, what He had done for them on the Cross.
The final day, Wednesday, Maria brought the girls by after picking them up from the baby clinic so they could see what the boys home was all about, and we soon departed from the Children's Garden after taking many pictures and videotaping an awesome song that the boys had written and performed for us.
After leaving the boys home, we drove to Faith Academy, the missionary kid-school where Michael and Lauren, two of the Bell's children currently attend school, and have done so since they moved to the Philippines. It is a massive private school located up in the hills above Manila with incredible views of the city! Because of donations, in the last few years the campus has gone through many remarkable renovations and new projects of which Maria informed us about during our lengthy private tour. We spotted her son Michael, who we've gotten to know and love very much playing indoor soccer with some of his teammates, and then went on to their AWESOME indoor (ish) playground. This is the location where Jared and Nolan stayed when they came in 2005 during their high school missions trip here.
The school was incredibly blessed, and even without knowing too much about the faculty and staff, and only knowing about the student population from Michael and Lauren, i fell in love immediately and Dana and i promised each other we'd come back and teach there when we get older!! -a hope shared by the Bells' two kids who are currently enrolled, to come back and teach at their alma mater.
That wednesday night we spent getting plenty of rest, and catching up with the girls and getting to hear about what not only they, but also the Bells had been up to for the last few days!
It was just really cool and informing to get to know what and where the rest of the Bells' family did for a living (studying), and get to see their stomping grounds. Faith Academy was also the place where my grandfather taught classes back when my Grandparents were missionaries to Manila, and where my aunt took classes when she was just a young kiddo! NEAT!
It was truly a blessing to get to see more of the Philippines in the provincial area this time around, Antipolo, and get to know more of what life and following Christ is like for these quite impoverished, but still incredibly joyful and encouraging Filipinos!
Nolan is going to catch you up with the rest of our activities up until now, starting with having the opportunity to meet a man who has been at Faith for over 50 years, who brought Jared's grandfather to Christ, and knew my grandparents as well! Tine Hardeman!
Love Matthew!
p.s. He says Hello G&G Cox!
