Internet still down.. We met our Littles!

Hello friends.. As you can see, I have not been able to continue my posts. Griff and I are trying to figure out what is happening with our internet. We know for sure that is is not being friendly. Soon and very soon.. we are trying to trouble shoot.

I wanted to make sure and let everyone know that Griff and I met our Littles last night!! They are awesome! They were very enthusiastic about us and being part of the program. I am very excited for what the future holds.. Griff's Little is an 8 yr old boy named Ivory. My Little is a 10 yr old girl named Michaela. Both Littles are absolutely beautiful on the inside and out! Griff and I were just exploding with joy throughout the evening! We took out Littles to Denny's for dinner..there choice. Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?? Anyway, Griff andI definitely feel like we have new family members. Life is so good! Please keep us in your prayers. We want to be the Bigs that these precious Littles need.

Day Four (October 26th)

Today started very early for me! Several group members had plans to leave at 5am and boat out to see dolphins. I chose not to participate because I tend to get severe motion sickness on the ocean. As beautiful as dolphins are, I didn't want to ruin the trip for the others. My roommate was up and at 'em at 4:30am.. I woke as she was getting ready and much to my dismay, I could not fall back to sleep. I eventually gave in and decided to embrace the day. I was able to enjoy the pool terrace, a gorgeous cup of coffee and quiet time with my Jesus. I have to say the view was very inspirational. Truly though, It was precious time that I will remember forever.
At 9:30am, I went with Drs. Milton and Trudi Grin to Ramiro Community Hospital to see a few patients pre-operatively and to begin organizing all of the supplies that we had shipped months before. This time was unexpectedly enjoyable for me.. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Trudi, a Pediatric ophthalmologist, and see some little kiddos. This is not something that I get to do very often, so I embraced this time! These children were so precious! There little eyes were turned in or out and this is all they've ever known. It just made my heart so full to think that we were there to give them the beautiful gift of eye muscle surgery. One of the patients was a fifteen year old, beautiful girl named AnnaFe(featured in the mmfworld.org blog, entry for 10/28). She moved me especially because of the tears of joy she shed when Dr. Trudi officially told her that she would indeed have surgery on Tuesday.. it was really gonna happen. We teased her about all the boyfriends she would be fighting off.. she just laughed. Eventually, the day turned into a big organizing of surgical supplies party. It was quite the project! Midday, we enjoyed a lunch at the Bohol Bee Farm. This was the most beautiful place, with the freshest and most delicious food! They served a seafood soup that was maybe the best soup I've ever had! Delicious!(http://www.boholbeefarm.com/) After lunch, we returned to the hospital for about another hour or so and then we returned to the Peacock for a little siesta. One of my favorite new friends from the trip, Phyllis Vanhorn, was celebrating her birthday on this particular day, so we had to have a special evening. Our dinner was at Bohol Tropics. The food was honestly a little questionable..it just didn't set too well with me, but there was live music.. so that was alot of fun! On an interesting note, we experienced alot of live music throughout this trip and it always consisted of 80's rock ballads and typical wedding reception songs. I have to say, the Filipinos are unbelievably musically talented! We ended the outing with a few dances and birthday cake! It was a wonderful time! Happy birthday Phyllis!!

Day Three (October 25th)

We started the day down in the lobby of our hotel, eating a quick to-go breakfast before heading to the airport. My first official meal in the philippines consisted of rice, cold chicken, bread and butter. This interesting meal was very short-lived as we were rushed off to the airport to catch our early flight. We made the flight and arrived in Bohol a few hours later. This is when the abundance of appreciation began.. We stepped off the plane and were greeted by a marching band, huge welcome banner and seashell necklaces.. oh yah, tons of hugs from the staff of the mayor's office. It was the best welcome ever! I was overwhelmed with the appreciation and yep.. I shed some tears. Big shocker to everyone, I'm sure. We gathered our bags and loaded in the vans. It was probably about a 30 minute drive to the hotel.. actually, it was a resort. An amazing resort (www.thepeacockgarden.com). We pulled up to the resort and everyone's jaws dropped.. It was beautiful! As we stepped out of the vans we were greeted with coconuts with umbrella straws.. a fresh drink of coconut milk. I'll be honest.. I didn't really like it, but the setting was pretty awesome! The relations manager "Mel" gave us a brief tour of the resort and showed us all to our rooms. We found out that the mayor worked out a deal with the resort owner and made it possible for us to stay there. It was an amazing way to start our Bohol adventure! This day was to be our only day until the very end to sight see and relax. After lunch, we went to see the Chocolate Hills (www.bohol.ph/article6.html). It was alot of fun and truly beautiful! Time flew while we were at the hills.. We had to go straight to our dinner destination. On this night, we enjoyed dinner on a river boat with a ton of mysterious Filippino food. I say mysterious because at this point, I just didn't know what to think about all the new foods. I'm usually very open to trying new foods, but in a different country, my mind wasn't feeling so open. I made it through the meal though and life was still very good! A favorite part of this day was a performance by the Loboc Childrens Choir (www.bohol.ph/article76.html). It was amazing! I have to say though that the best part of the evening was a performance by the Loboc Childrens Ambassador Band (www.boholchronicle.com/2008/oct/5/comm1.htm). We had finished dinner and were all very tired. We were ready to go home and the mayor was insistent that we stayed to hear just a couple songs from this band. We gave in.. and we were all blown away! Again, I shed some tears. It was just blowing my mind that these beautiful people were so thankful that we were there! I felt unbelievably humbled to be part of this group! I wish there was some way that I could transport everyone to that very night and share the experience of this band! Unbelievable is all that I can say!! After the band, we did head back to the Peacock and we all crashed. For me, I hadn't slept in almost 24 hours at that point. I was ready for bed!!
And so ends day 3.

Day One and Two (October 23rd-24th)

Well, today started out on an interesting note.. I woke up early and started showering and putting my last minute supplies in my bags, pretty typical for a day of traveling. A very unpleasant surprise occurred.. Griff came in from outside to share with me that his van had been broken into. Oh, what a wonderful way to start the day.. a broken out window. Satan was already working hard trying to dampen something beautiful. I was proud of Griff. He was all about business and got things taken care of with his van before I even left the ground, new window and all.

We left MCI at 11:00am, headed first to Minneapolis(1.5hrs), next stop Tokyo(12hrs), next stop Manila(4hrs), next stop Bohol, Philippines(1hr). I have to say, traveling was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I sat next to Nancy, Babbette, and Sharon from Minneapolis to Tokyo. It was so much fun to spend that time with these ladies and develope a friendship. They are awesome! I was so comforted to learn that these women are all believers in Christ! I share a common goal and a common heart. Thank you Jesus for that gift!

When we arrived in Manilla it was almost midnight and we were all immediately shuttled off to a hotel for a night of rest before heading to Bohol early the next morning. Sue, Mona and I shared a room. It was an interesting night for sure! It was midnight there and noon in K.C. Of course my body still functions on K.C. time. Mona fell asleep quickly. I layed in bed forever, staring at the dark ceiling and walls.. trying to figure out how to pass time. I finally got up to use the restroom and Sue was quick to share with me she couldn't sleep either. We've laughed many times about that night now. We would occassionally whisper "Are you still awake?" "Yes, I am wide awake!" We were beside ourselves..waiting for 4:45am to hit so we could turn the lights on and get ready!

The alarm finally rang loud.. and so ends the first couple days of adventure..

I'm back!

I was so disappointed to not have had the opportunity to keep up my blog! I want to share my advetures with those that have been supporting me. I will post my adventures and my pictures now, post mission. Again, thank you to everyone that supported me prayerfully, emotionally, financially, etc. I am eternally grateful!

The time has finally come..

It's Monday night, three days until I leave with the team for the Philippines. I am traveling with Drs. Milton and Trudi Grin on an Ophthalmology medical mission. I will be helping Dr. Milton in the OR with cataract surgeries. Next Monday at this time, I will be in surgery. I am so excited! We were short on doctors at the office today so I was able to stay home and get ready for the trip. It's funny how fast the day goes by when your at home! I feel like I got a good start on my packing, but I'm not quite finished. I was able to spend some time with Katie Cawley this morning. It was so perfect because she has also gone to the Philippines on a medical mission. She was very kind to let me pick her brain. I am so thankful for our visit because she helped to calm my nerves and make me all the more excited for my upcoming adventure. Katie, I am very excited to try some lemonsito water! Alrighty, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am hoping to be able to get to an Internet cafe periodically throughout my travels. I want to be able to communicate with my family and friends. So, I will blog and please feel free to email or send me messages on the blog. Thank you to everyone who has already been praying for me and this mission! Please continue your prayers for safety. Also, please pray that I will be bold and courageous with opportunities to share my faith. Please pray that I am an example of Christ to my team members and to the Filipinos.

Until then.. Eek.. I will probably be in an Internet cafe next time I am blogging. Crazy!

P.S. I've only traveled as far as Mexico until this trip. I have had some nerves.. But all is and will continue to be, very well!