Gingoog Welcoming

Well, we woke up this morning to head to Gingoog at 4 this morning! While we waited for a van at the bus terminal, I sang karaoke at 4:45am!!!! I sang Party in the USA to be exact. :) When we got to Gingoog after 3 hours after bumpy roads and playing chicken with other trucks & motorcycles, I had this big beautiful poster welcoming me to Pandan! 

This is my room at the Kennys. It is absolutely ridiculous beautiful!!! It is on the second floor and looks out over the sea and the mountains on the front side and looks out over Pandan in the back with some mountains. Yes, it is all outside and the breeze feels wonderful!!! There is a little table for me to sit at to do computer stuff, I have a mattress and mosquito netting, and a nice lil shelf under the bed. 

View from my room!!! So unreal! 

I went to market today with Miss Patti. It was just craziness!! I mean in this picture alone there are like 20 different kinds of rice and this was just one little booth area! People stared at the extremely tall and out of place white woman... i just kept smiling. 

Inside of the market... so many fruits and vegetables i have never seen before! 

Oh, fish fish fish. I have never seen so many fish. Big ones, small ones, dried smelly ones, skinny ones, fat ones... SO many!! 

After the market, I had the chance to wade in the sea water. It is beautiful! I was in up to my chest and could still see my feet (this is no Texas ocean water!!!). Miss Patti and I went down to where Mark is building soccer fields and whatnot for Pandan. I saw a little volleyball game going on, so naturally I joined. It was really fun! The guys would try to do a little bump, set, and spike but hadn't acquired all the skills to do so yet, so they just started laughing a lot. They are all really good at laughing at themselves and with each other. After game time on the beach, we picked up trash around the beach and came on home. On the way home, I think I met 20 different little girls and boys... I wonder if i'll ever remember all their names!! I hope so. I hope that the language barrier becomes less and less.

My main fear throughout the day is just finding a way to help. I want to be of service and I think in America that means doing something. By observing the way of life here, I think just being here and hanging out with them is a ministry. But i want to see what the Lord has in stock for me... It's just a little intimidating right now... but we all knew this would be tough at first!

The Kennys are amazing!! Mark laughs and plays with the kids all the time. You can tell they just adore him by the way they all follow him around. Patti has to be like the greatest asset with all her medical knowledge! When we came home today, she already had a family in here with a baby with some conditions. I can't wait to learn from her! And sweet Bekah is so fluent in Visayan. She knows all the girls and all the girls know her and can laugh and chat with her!

Please continue to pray for me. God is breaking down some of my American mindsets and it has been tough. But i know that God's love and grace is more than sufficient for me. I am so thankful for all of your prayers!