Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Long, long, long overdue....
Wow, so long overdue...I haven't written here in a LLLOONNGG time! It seems as if as soon as I stepped off the plane back here in the States my life returned to the same rate of speed it had before I left! I've been busy with work and going back to college. I'm in the throws of Anatomy and Physiology right now..trying not to pull my hair out...or loose my brains in the process..this class is Hard!!! I'm giving it my best shot though and hopefully that best shot makes it with a passing grade..hahaha..
I miss my days as a student missionary on the island of mindoro in my little village of Binuangan...ah memories...Sometimes I watch the little home videos I made of the kids and I want to jump on a plane and spend the Sabbath with them again. If you ever get the chance to go and serve as a student missionary...GO...even if you get behind a year in your college studies..even if you experience culture shock, both going there and coming home (seriously, I think my culture shock was worse coming home) even if you get lice (it wasn't so bad, just let the kids pick it out it makes for great relaxation to let the kids run their hands through your hair), get sick with who knows what kind of stomach virus (ugh...I remember that night...), break out in rashes (it happens), get ring worm (I only got 1 the whole time i was there), teach a class you've never known anything about before (I taught Filipino history...hahaha), eat food you swear your never going to like and find that you come to enjoy it a lot, ( i miss filipino food:) ), wash your pan of rice you are getting ready to cook at least 3 times to get rid of all the bugs enjoying it, cut worms out of the precious tvp (vegetarian meat substitute) that was given to you, ah..my list could keep going and going...:) Those are just some of the trials...not to mention 2 weeks straight of earth quakes shaking the ground day and night with no prior warning...scary!!!! Yet the joys FAR FAR FAR out weigh the trials..You get used to the "trials", you do..you learn how to live with those challenges and it becomes a daily part of life that you come to not really think of anymore. So with all of this said my advice is still to GO!!!! Oh what I would give to be able to see another colorful sunset on the South China Sea, to lay on the beach at night and look up at the stars and watch them fall, to see them so close and to see just how round the sky looks at night with no city lights to light up anywhere just viewing the natural beauty of how black the sky can be and how bright the stars and moon really are, what I would give to be accosted by my little friends wanting hugs from "maam jessica" though they were half naked and dirty their happiness from our hugs shown from their little brown eyes, if only I were be able to go to church tomorrow and sit on the hard wooden bench next to my little kinder student who affectionately called me "Maam Honey," to be able to tease her again and ask her what I should call her "babes" or "honey" and hear her say that she liked me to call her "Babes.":) Ah..the list is still longer..especially when teaching my Bible class my 5th and 6th graders would tell me that they want to be baptized and when I read their papers I could see the love of God shining in their hearts...tell me that a year of being a student missionary is too hard and I will tell you it is worth every minute of your time...Not only is it a wonderful experience for those you are going to serve but more importantly it is a wonderful faith building experience for you! Yes, you!! I recently re-read most of my journal during that time and I saw what a wonderful dependence I had on God. I miss those days...I could hear God speak to me in ways I had never before heard His voice...It was truely a blessing...So my last thought for today is...Be a student missionary! Make memories and friendships that will last your lifetime and for eternity...:)
I miss my days as a student missionary on the island of mindoro in my little village of Binuangan...ah memories...Sometimes I watch the little home videos I made of the kids and I want to jump on a plane and spend the Sabbath with them again. If you ever get the chance to go and serve as a student missionary...GO...even if you get behind a year in your college studies..even if you experience culture shock, both going there and coming home (seriously, I think my culture shock was worse coming home) even if you get lice (it wasn't so bad, just let the kids pick it out it makes for great relaxation to let the kids run their hands through your hair), get sick with who knows what kind of stomach virus (ugh...I remember that night...), break out in rashes (it happens), get ring worm (I only got 1 the whole time i was there), teach a class you've never known anything about before (I taught Filipino history...hahaha), eat food you swear your never going to like and find that you come to enjoy it a lot, ( i miss filipino food:) ), wash your pan of rice you are getting ready to cook at least 3 times to get rid of all the bugs enjoying it, cut worms out of the precious tvp (vegetarian meat substitute) that was given to you, ah..my list could keep going and going...:) Those are just some of the trials...not to mention 2 weeks straight of earth quakes shaking the ground day and night with no prior warning...scary!!!! Yet the joys FAR FAR FAR out weigh the trials..You get used to the "trials", you do..you learn how to live with those challenges and it becomes a daily part of life that you come to not really think of anymore. So with all of this said my advice is still to GO!!!! Oh what I would give to be able to see another colorful sunset on the South China Sea, to lay on the beach at night and look up at the stars and watch them fall, to see them so close and to see just how round the sky looks at night with no city lights to light up anywhere just viewing the natural beauty of how black the sky can be and how bright the stars and moon really are, what I would give to be accosted by my little friends wanting hugs from "maam jessica" though they were half naked and dirty their happiness from our hugs shown from their little brown eyes, if only I were be able to go to church tomorrow and sit on the hard wooden bench next to my little kinder student who affectionately called me "Maam Honey," to be able to tease her again and ask her what I should call her "babes" or "honey" and hear her say that she liked me to call her "Babes.":) Ah..the list is still longer..especially when teaching my Bible class my 5th and 6th graders would tell me that they want to be baptized and when I read their papers I could see the love of God shining in their hearts...tell me that a year of being a student missionary is too hard and I will tell you it is worth every minute of your time...Not only is it a wonderful experience for those you are going to serve but more importantly it is a wonderful faith building experience for you! Yes, you!! I recently re-read most of my journal during that time and I saw what a wonderful dependence I had on God. I miss those days...I could hear God speak to me in ways I had never before heard His voice...It was truely a blessing...So my last thought for today is...Be a student missionary! Make memories and friendships that will last your lifetime and for eternity...:)