We are the Same

Who knew that I had a family thousands of miles away? I didn't meet them until a few weeks ago but there is no mistaking that they are my family. They don't look like me or sound like me but they are my family. They don't know that I love vanilla Dr. Pepper's from Sonic or that I really like snow cones and they have never meet my dog but they are definitely my family. My love for them began in the middle of a foreign country way up in the mountains where the heat was stifling and the bug spray was plentiful and it has continued to grow each day I've been here. I did not think something like this was possible, in fact before I came here I really thought Christian love was just something that people were striving for and that I might never see it exist fully. I was wrong.



The people at the Mactan compound show love to each other in ways that are unfathomable. They treat each other like true brothers and sisters without pretenses or question marks. I keep waiting for someone to slip up and say, "this is only how we act when you are here," but that is not the case. This is actually who they are and when I realized that, I began to see why someone would want to become part of this place. The love here is contagious and it's something that as an outsider looking in, I immediately wanted to be a part of.



I wish I could take a few of these people and replant them in churches in the States, to show that it's ok to love each other. There are no rules that say because your child goes to a different school than mine, we can't be friends. Or just because we are in different book clubs, on different soccer teams or like opposite things, we still can't love each other. The love of Christ is what brings us together and thats ok, that can actually be IT.



So...to the group at Mactan, Camp Arapal, the teachers of Green Garden and Kuya Sal...Thank you for letting me become part of your family and showing me that we really are all the same.



Recap of the last few days:



1. My feet have been swollen because of the heat the entire trip and Peter, being his sympathetic self, likes to call them "little sausages."



2. Peter, Ben and I went on the skywalk yesterday, harnessed in of course, on the 39th floor of Club Ultima and survived. It's bascially a glass platform around the top story of the building without any walls to keep you from falling.



3. The last leadership seminar today with church leaders at the Mactan Church of Christ and the one yesterday with teachers from the Green Garden school went fantastic, they are all such passionate people and the Philippines is lucky to have these dedicated servants.



4. Tomorrow is our last goat farm visit and I am a little sad, I'm going to miss those noisy things!



5. If you have not given a goat yet, you should, here is their website. http://www.giveagoatnow.com/

It's Picture Time!

Ben has taken some incredible pictures on the trip, here are just a few...


Gemma holding my hand on the way down one of the mountains. She looks so relaxed with the coat thrown over her shoulder, but don't let her fool you, this was hard stuff!!!!


Halo Halo!



The kids did a talent show for us and did such a great job!

My bodyguard Aimee! She has a beautiful voice and WILL be famous someday.

Ella will be jealous but this thing is so darn cute! This is one of Estrella's, (a very successful goat farmer), baby goats.

Top 6 things I've learned from the Philippines thus far. ( I still have 2 weeks)

1. Sleeping is overrated; there are 24 hours in a day, every single one of them should be spent doing something productive.

While at Camp Arapal, aka the goat farm and children's home, we have started each day at 6 am with a morning devotional. However, when I am on my way to the devo, there are already guys that have been awake for an hour at least that have been bringing water back and forth from the Cave so everyone will have enough water for the day and the goat farmers in the area will have some as well. These guys are the same ones I see at midnight who are still haning out with the group and having fun. I will never know how they do it but I am so thankful for their devotion to this place and the peope in it.


2. Everyone needs a Gemma.

Gemma is one of a kind, she has been my fill in mom while I have been here and has looked out for me the entire time. The other day we went to a water co-op, what was not explained before was that we would be hiking to the cave that the water came from, which ended up being very dangerous. I will try to explain what the climb was like in few words so as not to scare future visitors; however, it might be the hardest thing I have ever done physically. It was definitely harder than the half marathons I have been a part of and a lot more physically grueling than any tennis match I have every played. The ascent and descent were straigt up and down and were very rocky with gravel falling in all directions. I slipped probably 15 different times and Gemma held my hand almost the entire way. I was never in a real threat of dying but my heart was racing as though I was and Gemma was always helping me even though she was in flip flops!



3. Rice really can go with anything and everything.


But seriously, everything. The first morning we were at the camp, we had rice with pork chops for breakfast. Then for lunch I believe it was rice and scrambled eggs and for dinner one night rice with squid. Funny story with the squid, Peter had made some coffee for himself and thought he set it on the main table, he took a drink of the cup on the table and realized it was extra squid juice that had been reserved as a sauce for the rest of the rice. Nice one Peter. Back to the rice though, I have not eaten a meal yet without rice in it somewhere. Good thing I love rice!



4. If 30 people want to go somewhere together, they can fit in one 5 passenger truck...that's what the roof and truck bed are for.


My very first ride in the Philippines was from the airport, as we crammed into the happy blue bus I thought, "Wow, this is a lot of stuff and a lot of people crammed in here." I had no idea...yesterday, we decided to do a night swim at the beach because it would be our last day with all of these people. So, all 30 of us packed into a truck with 3 people sitting in the front seat and everyone else was either in the bed of the truck or on top and rode like this from Camp Arapal to the beach. It was all worth it though because when we got there not only did we have our own private beach, they built a fire and cooked out out right there on the sand!



5. It's ok to sing ANYWHERE!


Every single one of the people at Camp Arapal sings all the time, I'm not just talking about when we are in church or maybe when we are all just sitting around, I mean everywhere. One night we were on our way back from visiting goat farms all day and the 3 girls next to me sang at the top of their lungs the entire way back. Everything from Celiene Dion to Beyonce to New Reign. Yes, they love New Reign. They know every song ever made!!! One of their favorites is "We are the World," which has undoubtedly gotten stuck in my head about a dozen times now. They have beautiful voices and are always so happy when they are singing.


6. The definition of family has nothing to do with blood line


I'm not sure I can explain this adequately but the people at Camp Arapal are one huge family. They love each other and laugh with each other all day every day. This isn't just a place where people go for a while, this is home for many, their love and commitment to each other is astonishing. I don't think I have ever seen anything so pure before. What I have been a part of is such a great example of people living 1 Corinthians 13.


Recap of the last 6 days:

1. First leadership seminar went great, in fact over the next few days we would be doing something at the camp and one of the leadership qualities that I had talked about came up in discussion.


2. I accidentally saw 2 goats born at Gemma's paretns house; therefore, Ben and I now have goats named after us. :)


3. My speaking tour officially starts on Friday, over those next 3 days I will speak to 4 different audiences, prayers still appreciated.


4. I have so many stories that I think I will just write a book entitled, "No Goats No Glory."

5. Salvador Cariaga may be one of the greatest leaders of our time, you should get to know him. Peter isn't so bad either. :)

6. I ate a fish that still had a head.

7. This is one reason a piece of my heart stayed at Camp Arapal.

Firsts...

As I start this blog there are a few things that I needed to get out at the beginning (and for those of you who know me, you are probably not surprised). I like to think this is the start of a new chapter, I love having firsts in my life, it keeps things exciting and interesting. The other day I went to my first CD release party, did not know the guy singing or what his new CD was but I was excited nonetheless because it was a first. I find myself looking at life as one giant bucket list...so for those of you lucky enough to deal with my bucket list mentality, I'm truly sorry but so thankful to have you in my life.

Go back with me for a second to your first big vacation. Mine was when I was in third grade and my parents decided to take my sister and I to Disney World. Now for a child, this is pretty much the mother of all vacations. From what I know about parenthood, (which is not much, seeing as that I have no children), when you are able to give your children the gift of Disney World you might as well have won the Olympic Gold because you have just become the coolest parents in the world and really that is the most important thing in parenting. :) I digress, but thinking back to that trip, I could not have been more excited, not because I loved Disney characters or because I was excited to be in Florida but because it was a first and everything was so new and unknown.

This past Christmas, my family went back to Disney World, almost 16 years later, (wow I'm getting old) and I was almost disappointed. Nothing had really changed so it wasn't like I was mad at Walt for taking away my favorite roller coaster or musical attraction. In fact there were several things that were way better than before, (including my picture with Pocahonatas) but I still found myself not as thrilled to be there. I had already had that first and all the trips after were not going to be the same.

This is the point where I am supposed to say that dealing with the day to day mundane parts of life is the adult thing to do and that you can't always have firsts....but I would be lying if I told you that's what I actually think. What we have been blessed with in terms of the ability to make money, the ability to choose our life and to have support from the people around us is not normal. Let me say this again, if you have one of those three that I mentioned above, your life is not normal compared to the rest of the world. You have been given a gift and the way I see it, this gift is for you to do what you wish as long as you are glorifying God in that decision.

Not only is this my first blog, but more importantly it marks what I hope to be an important venture that helps me to see more fully what God has in store for my life. Now for those of you who are looking for the same, you don't have to fly all the way to the Philippines to achieve that, but I can't seem to make big decisions without big events. I do know that God sent me on this trip for a reason and I can't wait to see what he does while I am here.

So today or tomorrow, while you are sitting at your desk on Facebook, (because I know all of you are doing that, I mean how else would you have seen my blog?) take a second and think of a first to accomplish, if you can't think of anything, ask me, I have tons of firsts that I need to cross off, maybe we can do one of them together...at the very least call your parents and tell them you love them and are thankful for what they have done for you to be able to have the option of firsts....and since I said that, thanks for reading this mom. :)

Now off to the goat farm for 6 days!

365 Days

This is the part of my blog where I get to be fun and show you what a year in my life looks like, so get ready!


February 8, 2011-Preparing for the next big snow storm, I decided to make comfort food at its finest. It might not look fancy but this buttermilk baked chicken was delicious and I am now feel fully prepared to stay inside for 2 days.








February 7, 2011-This is one of the biggest reasons I love Oklahoma. After spending a week trapped inside because of the incredible snow storm, the sun finally came out and everything looked beautiful with the sparkle of the snow that was still there. I met Lori and Lisa for dinner tonight and got to Lake Hefner a little early to capture these.





February 6, 2011-Looking from the outside of my parents house, one might have thought it was a national holiday and in all reality my father probably considers it a national holiday, however, today was Superbowl Sunday!!!! The Packers versus the Steelers this year and even though my family is not a huge fan of either you would have never known that listening to the yelling inside the house for 4 solid hours. This is my dad's pride and joy, we will call her Bertha for now.




February 5, 2011-Picking back up from where I left off in October, today my sister and I went to see the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, at her book signing. Such a wonderful person! Check her out at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/! However, we did not actually get our books signed because after 3 hours of waiting which included consuming way more chips and salsa than humanly possible, we gave up. BUT we did get this picture of Ree's husband from behind!





October 29,2010- Lauren and I decided to go eat at Pearls tonight for dinner, being from Boston she had never tried it and of course the food was amazing. On our way to dinner, Lori called and said she had two extra free tickets to the George Jones concert tonight...yah I didn't know who he was either. So after some major coaxing, I got Lauren (the non-country girl) to go with me! Here is a link just in case you want to catch up on the last 79 years of his life. http://www.georgejones.com/ . We were definitely the youngest people there by about 40 years but as every other concert I've been to with Lori, it ended up being a lot of fun. Our night wasn't even dampened by Lori getting yelled at for singing to the songs too loudly!



October 28, 2010-I began the Halloween cupcake extravaganza at 11 pm tonight but I'm sure the sugary goodness will be worth it tomorrow!





October 27, 2010-Since the weather is beginning to get much colder, I thought it was time to invest in the moccasin looking slippers. Some days, it's the really small things that make me happy.






October 26, 2010-Strata Leadership, LLC had the wonderful opportunity to host Dr. Theodore Roosevelt Malloch today and show the PBS documentary "Doing Virtuous Business," where Kimray, Inc. is one of the highlighted companies. While Nathan and Christie were being grownups, I had the pleasure of not getting to be one with their kids! We went on a mall adventure to try and find red high heels to go with my Cruella Devil costume for Saturday's Halloween party and I was forced into the Disney Store (or maybe it wasn't that forced).






October 25, 2010-On Saturday the Re Pub Club decided to do a Habitat for Humanity project and I volunteered to be a part of it. Having never built a house before, I was not exactly sure what to expect but had heard of a lot of people helping out in the past so I had talked myself into it being not very difficult. Sitting on my couch 2 days later and still in mega pain from hammering nails into wood for 6 hours, I have an entirely new appreciation for construction workers. My desk job is not actually that bad after all. Here are the before and after pictures!



Now you understand why I STILL can't move! Don't judge.

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