Some very different days!!

It has been a cultural last few days!!
On Sunday we went to the Arthur Center, where we are currently working, for church. We were unable to understand the majority of it as it was in the native language of the Philippines, Tagolog. After church we went to a big mall and spent the day looking around and shopping. This was not an ordinary mall, not much has been ordinary in this country, they had stores which sold real items, and there were stands that sold, as the Filipinos put it, imitation items. You could by clothes, jewelry, things for you home, souvenirs, and lots of imitation items such as shoes, purses, sunglasses, and cologne/perfume.
On Monday we ran into some more issues, as we are now calling it along with all of the other missionaries here, “the culture.” We were planning on working on the basketball court. Once we got to the Arthur Center our plans changed, it’s all in God’s plans. The cement that we had used to secure the basketball hoops was still damp, thus we were unable to work on them. We then spent the rest of the day with another full time missionary, we have been doing some things with and that we will specifically work with later on in the trip, Dave Clinton. We went out to where he works, it is away from the city up in the mountains a little ways. From where we are staying it is about a 45 minute drive. This area is called Tanza, Dave has done a lot of work to support these people. These people are very poor and do not have much. While we were there we scouted out and made plans for the projects that we will be doing. The feeding program was getting ready to start while we were there, we easily saw over 50 kids waiting with bowls, cups, or containers to get a meal. The area was very rough and dirty. The water supply for this area was from a natural well in the ground and from a spring up the mountain. At the time we where there, the natural well was actually out of water, they usually have to wait 4 or more hours to get water again if it is out. All around the well there were buckets and more buckets of people within the village who where waiting to get water. Can you imagine not having water or having to wait for water to go on with your day? We need water to eat, to clean, to shower, to go to the bathroom, but there is none so your day stops until there is more water. Some homes had hundreds of feet of house running from the spring up the mountain to there homes so that they could have access to water. At the natural well and by the side of small creek we saw hundreds of packets of soap, you could tell that this was the showering area, as we were leaving we saw a young girl getting ready to shower. We also went and saw a church that was built in the 1760’s!
On Tuesday we ran into more “the culture.” Once we were able to start working we were able to finish the backboards expect for painting them. After working we were able to go visit a Filipino man who is in his 50s. We got the chance to share our faith with him and talk with him about God. It was an amazing experience, knowing that this is the reason for everything!
On Wednesday once again we ran into “the culture.” We were going to finish up the basketball court but at the Arthur Center there was a timing issue and they were cutting down trees, thus making it difficult for us to paint. We did a little bit of splitting up today. Devin and Trevor went with Dave to do some missionary work, they ran some errands and took care of some of the business that a missionary has to do. I, Drew, went to the Children’s Home, and helped another missionary woman, take a few sick babies to the doctor. This was quiet the experience for me, we sat around for over an hour just waiting for the doctor to show up, and then it was an couple hours waiting for it to be our turn. We were stuck in a small, hot, overcrowded hallway with lots of sick and crying babies. Once we finally got to see the doctor we were only in there for a few minutes.
Over the last week we have met some very incredible people that are giving up everything they have to serve God and these people! They have blessed us and the people of the Philippines. Thank you guys!!
Thank you for all of the prayers! We need them and so do the people of this country!! Please remember them in your prayers!! They are God’s children just as much as any of us!!

God bless!!!