Goodbyes

The last two days FLEW! On Friday we had our Mass Wedding. This was a wedding for 11 couples in our Bible studies. Weddings here cost a lot of money by themselves, not even including the paperwork and missing birth certificates of some people. So most are not really married here but just live together--BUT after a Bible study on the importance of marriage- many couples expressed a desire to get married before God. So Zoe Ministry's (the Kenney's organization) sponsored a Mass Wedding so all the couples could get married! Thanks to my sponsors and God's provision- I got to help two brides rent a wedding dress ($14) and one bride to get all new teeth ($100)! :) I was given a very filipino dress to wear at the wedding (my original dress wasn't colorful enough for their tastes ;)) so no laughing at my purple dress! :) I was also given the honor of lighting the candles at the wedding and laying the wedding cords on one of the couples (a traditional filipino thing). 

Ate Juning and Kuya Wilson  

The alter we decorated :)

Breakfast with the volleyballers

On my last day in the Philippines- I got to go play 3 hours of volleyball with my motorcycle volleyball gang and breakfast with them. Then helped with some more of the hut building, a farewell party thrown  by one of the filipino families who adopted me as "whitney binder-dagoldol" :), and have a bonfire with smores on the beach. I'd say it was a perfect ending! 

The farewell party: This was the sweetest thing ever. The Dagoldol's decided to have a going away party for me that was so well planned that it even had a program to organize it :) Many people gave testimonies as to how I affected their lives, some sang goodbye songs, the men even gave me a goodbye hula dance, and the Kenneys performed a skit. Somehow I was asked to dance by Mimay and she held me in a close, slow-dance grip and just cried, then Ivey stepped in and did the same thing, and then 5 more women. Of course I teared up then too- sheesh. :) What an incredible blessing to have known these brothers and sisters in Christ!!! 

On my way home: I am now on my way home and am at the third airport of six that I will visit on my way home. Traveling to the Philippines is no easy task! I took a four hour bus ride to Cagayan, then a flight to Manila (stayed the night), another 4 flights today for a total of 2.5 days of traveling! I definitely got some lovely lice while in the Philippines so I've treated that, and I am pretty sure I attained some parasites that I'll have to take care of when I get home, have a couple blisters, feet that need a serious pedicure, and several bug bites that I'm not sure what kind of bugs they are--- ALL IN ALL- God's grace covered me this whole trip and I am coming home healthy and more in love with my God and thankful for all I have and don't have! He is so good! 

I wish I could end this blog with some real wisdom-but I just can't. It's an odd feeling come home from such an experience. I want to be able to express all that it was and all that it did to me, but I can't find the words that are adequate enough. I guess all I can say is that if God calls you to missions, even for a short 3 monther like me, answer that call. Don't hesitate. It it the most edifying, rewarding, peaceful experience. 

View of our living room with all the kids!