Photo shoot in Manila

While I was in the Philippines, we decided to take advantage of a few free hours one morning, and do a photo shoot.  Heather is my brother's wife, and Sharon and Kezia are the two other American women on staff there at the center.  All three of them have inspired me by their commitment to following God wherever He leads, and I had such a fun week with them.  They've made many sacrifices to serve there in the Philippines, and I'm grateful for their friendship.  The three of them are planning on starting a blog soon to chronicle their experiences and adventures while working with the students at the center, and living overseas...they wanted some pictures of the three of them together for the blog, and I was happy to be their photographer. :)

The guys took us down to an old Spanish fort in Manila, and were kind enough 

to be our patient bodyguards and purse holders when we needed them. :)  

I loved the texture and look of the old walls and buildings...

Kezia

Sharon

Heather

We finished up with a stop at Starbucks :) 

I'm home in Pittsburgh again, and so thankful for the memories and pictures of my time there.  

God is so good. :)

Blessings to you all...thanks to those of you who were praying as we were traveling,

Rachel Elisabeth

Shopping trip!

I’m sitting on the plane on the way to Cebu, looking through pictures from our shopping trip with the students yesterday.  Just to give a little bit of background, my brother, Andrew, has lived here in the Philippines for over a year and a half now – he is the director of a children’s center in the heart of Manila and the founder of the EIMI foundation (their website is here).  There are currently 22 students living at the center – they are enrolled in a two-year program during which they learn Biblical principles and character development along with their normal education and practical skills.  Each student had previously been in government facilities, and was placed in the center by the DSWD. 

The students are nearing the end of their first year in the program - it’s been wonderful getting to know them and see how God is working in their lives.  Many have become Christians and are allowing His grace to take root in their hearts as they work through issues of the past and gain vision for the future.

Before my dad and I came over, a number of family members and friends gave us cards and money for each student.  The money was for the purpose of allowing them to buy new clothes, shoes and other necessities.  So yesterday…we took a shopping trip to a local, market-style mall. :)  It was an all-day event by the time all 30 or so of us commuted there and back, and when we were done, everyone was quite exhausted.  But it was such a great time, and so wonderful to see their excitement as they shopped.

Each of the different personalities came out in a fun way throughout the day…some of them knew exactly what they needed and spent their money right away, happy with the first things they found (mostly the guys :) …poor guys, they had to wait around quite a while longer for the girls to finish up)…some of them very methodically and thoughtfully went down their list and paced out their purchases…and some of them agonized, compared prices, and walked through the whole mall before making a mad dash at the very end to buy what they wanted.

We were divided into small groups to make looking around and staying together easier…I had such a fun group of girls…we laughed, and debated, and exchanged advice.  If I wanted to buy something, the girls bartered the price down for me - they're quite the bargainers

...it's amazing how far they made their money stretch. :)

"Lolo Paul", Garrose, Ian, and Robert

Miriam, Lorena, Sharon, and Nesty

Anna Marie, Joyca, Angel, myself and Rachelle

Edna, Yori, Kezia, and Danicca

Cris, James, Andrew and Ryan

Excel, Jels-Ann, Maycie, and Heather

Mark, Arnold, Sam and Acbar

Garrose was so happy with his new shoes...he's usually pretty happy in general, though 

- always has a big smile on his face. :)

As the tired teams slowly trickled back to the designated meeting spot, everyone was showing off their purchases, and admiring each other's finds.

My team found Starbucks t-shirts for 100 pesos each (a little less than $2.50) and wanted to match...

When we were done shopping, we took the whole group out for dinner.  It happened to be Ryan's birthday that day, and Emmanuel, one of the Filipino staff social workers, picked up a cake for him.

The beauty of the body of Christ was very evident to me that day.  These students were so blessed by people they've never even met...grateful for the money sent, and the friendship and prayers extended to them through the notes.  Every once in a while, during times like this, it hits me, and I stand humbly in awe of the relationships and opportunities God has given me.   

And I am grateful, too. 

Sufficient Grace

Restless and wide-awake, I rolled over and pulled my phone out from under my pillow to check the time again…only 5:30 a.m.  Sunday morning.  Still another hour or two to go before daylight, but the noise on the street hadn’t stopped all night long.  It was my first night in the Philippines, and I didn't sleep.  Perhaps a combination of time difference, excitement and street noise...at any rate, I was thrilled to be here. :)   My dad and I had arrived just before midnight, and Andrew and Heather picked us up at the airport….so good to see them again.    

For some reason, the words and melody to Chris Tomlin’s song Your Grace is Enough were running through my mind at that early hour.  Maybe I had listened to it on the plane ride over.  But when we sang it in church later on that morning, as Andrew was leading worship at the Chinese/Filippino church they attend, I started thinking about it more.

“My grace is sufficient for you…”

Do I really live like I believe that?  What does that even mean to me? 

I look in the joyful faces of these 22 beautiful students here at the center…imagine some of the terrible childhoods they came from…and think, maybe I’m just beginning to see what grace really is.  I talk with one of the girls for a long time at dinner, and think, maybe she at the age of 18 understands grace even more than me.  She, who was abused as a child…whose mother just died on Wednesday…and who wants to be a missionary, having already counted the cost…she who shares her faith with everyone she meets.  I see the joy in her eyes and realize that is grace.  And tears come to my own. 

I watch these students prepare to go out on the streets to teach character lessons to the street children…many of whom were street children themselves at one point in their lives.  And realize that is grace.

Whatever I face in life…whatever comes my way…His grace is sufficient, always sufficient.  I’ve seen that in a beautiful way this week - getting to know the students here has been a blast, and we're only just finishing up our second day here. :)  Below are a few pictures from the week so far...

Sunday afternoon lunch in Andrew and Heather's apartment...Sharon, Kezia and Sam are the other American staff members that live here as well.

The street view from the balcony outside my bedroom door.  The Jeepney coming down the street is just one of hundreds that go up and down every hour...a cross between a taxi and a bus, it's the most popular form of public transportation here in Manila.

This morning, we all went to the park and played games for a while.

The kids are loving my dad...they call him Lolo Paul (Tagalog for 'Grandpa'). :)  

Kezia, Heather and Nesty

Joyca and myself

Some of us rode in a Jeepney to Rizal park for the afternoon ministry to the street children.

Anna Marie and Rachelle teaching the children a character definition and song.

Angel and Mark going over the Scripture verse

Rachelle with one of the kids that lives in the park

Loving to get their picture taken seems to be a universal thing for small children.
And of course I can't resist. :) These children all live in this park, and are going through their first years without many things that we would consider necessities.  It was a privilege to go with some of the students today and be a part of their regular ministry to these children.

More to come!