Maayong Buntag everyone…or aayong hapon / gabii depending on the time of day you are reading this blog! We have just returned from working with Church of God Arise children’s camp on Olango Island in the Vasayas region of the Philippines, on one of 7000+ islands here. The Philippino people are really lovely and we have enjoyed getting to know their cultural traits and being a part of their lives the past 8 days.
Our project involved digging and smashing through feet of rock and coral, so fence posts can be planted. The entire island is composed of a coral reef and rock bed, which physically presents many challenges and back breaking efforts to be able to build anything. On top of this the heat of the sun and tropical humidity provide a rather interesting work environment with every team member experiencing the ‘joys’ of cooling sweat! Although we were unable to begin work on the fence structurally, we as a team have now prepared the ground and space for another team to now come in and physically put up the fence around the campground for the children. Thank you for your continued financial and prayer support towards our working projects over the year. The money that was raised has been used to buy the building and fence materials (gravel/posts/bags of cement/bricks) which will be used by the workers or another team at a later stage to construct the fence.
Some of our highlights from our time on Olango Island:
-Moving 2 bamboo houses to another area of the church ground- very physically challenging!
-Digging 15 fence post holes (2 x 2 x 2ft) by smashing through coral and rock in sweltering heat- what an effort by the whole team!
n-Most team members having the privilege to preach a Gospel message at an evening crusade and proclaim Jesus Christ is Lord
-Seeing many people receive Christ/be healed/experience the presence of God through a touch of the Holy Spirit at the crusades
-Swimming each day after work in the clean blue water of the South China Sea
-Learning from the local pastors true servant leadership and service to the community
-Celebrating Given’s birthday in style!
It has been a real privilege to be a small part of the ministry here on Olango Island and as a team we thank the Lord for using us in such a way to help with the beginnings of an amazing project of security and love for the children here. There is a continued need for support as the Church of God reaches out to the different communities on the island through evangelistic crusades and church services, and as they teach the children with quality education in Christ. Future projects envisioned also include a play area for the school children and further land development. Praise God!
Until next time,
Southbound 2011