The birth of ANOTHER Goddaughter, and other new beginnings...

Dear family and friends,

School is back in session! There's no "snooze button" when your alarm is a rooster and a pack of barking stray dogs. So I wake up early, toss my books into my backpack, then I catch a "jeepney" and a light rail train to my morning class. These days I'm feeling much more settled into my dorm and into my everyday routines here in the Philippines. Learning Tagalog is my first priority right now, so I spend a lot of time conversing with shopkeepers in the markets, getting to know the street children in the community, and tackling my daily homework assignments. Studying at language school four-days-a-week is hardly a chore as my teachers have truly become good friends of mine (...I attended the same school twice-a-week during my internship here in 2010). The school is called "His Name SALT" (Shem Adonai Language Team), and it's specifically designed for missionaries. In fact, most of my teachers are pastors, and they support their families primarily through their income from teaching Tagalog. While my lessons are typically one-on-one with a different teacher each day (on a rotation), we also enjoy the occasional group class or field trip in which we explore the history and culture of the Philippines. Speaking of experiencing the culture, just a few days after I arrived in the country I was a guest at my teacher Decai's wedding! There's just so much going on here each day, I sometimes forget to include even such major events in my blog.

Hanging out with the staff at school (left-to-right: teachers Jeff,

Mark, Romy, a White guy, Nenette, Decai; absent is teacher Joei)

My humble abode at St. Andrew's Seminary Dorm

where I'm only renting a room but also occasionally attending

prayer meetings and fellowship with the seminary students.

Privacy isn't a necessity for most Filipinos, including in dormitory showers.

Toilet seats and toilet paper aren't a necessity either.
That's what squatting and scoops are for! ...just don't ask...

Moving on. Yeppers, another Goddaughter of mine just entered into the world! While my first three Godchildren are all pure Filipino and from various families I've befriended here (one of which you saw in my last blog entry - Yanarah Micah), my newest Godchild is actually a Filipino-Canadian. Her father is my good friend from home Brett Ostrander (the youngest son of the director of International Teams Canada - Neil Ostrander). I was in Brett & Grace's wedding party the last time I was here in the Philippines. Their first child, Isabella Yvonne Gantia Ostrander, was born just two days ago. I rushed from my Tagalog school in Quezon City to get to Bicutan (a two-hour commute by bus, jeepney, and finally a motorcycle with a sidecar) and then I spent the afternoon at the hospital. I was able to keep Brett company (even the husband isn't allowed in the delivery room) and I stayed to meet my beautiful newborn Goddaughter. Right after delivering the baby, Grace was sent to a recovery room while Isabella was bathed and placed near a window where together Brett and I could see her for the first time just minutes after she was born. I'm not quite sure when I became such a sap, but in that moment I shed a few tears just witnessing God's stunning work and His amazing little gift to our community.

Isabella Yvonne Gantia Ostrander - a beloved little miracle.

Born at 3:43 pm on November 29, 2011, she's healthy and weighs 2.5 kg.

And there's even more to be thankful for... Just yesterday our church held a baptism service at a swimming pool out in the rural province of Laguna (south-east of Manila). We baptized fifteen of our members in one day! They each shared their testimony, then they were baptized as a symbol or picture of what has happened in their life through experiencing the grace of God and emerging from their old life with hope and faith in a better future. The newest members to our church are always comforted knowing they never have to walk through difficult times on their own - but they have a loving church that genuinely looks out for them and an even more loving Father and God. After the baptisms, we shared a barbecue lunch and an afternoon of swimming and relaxing by the pool. Since most of the families in our church are squatters living in shanties on the street, the entire day was really a huge and unforgettable blessing. In addition to the baptisms, I will cherish the bonding time I spent with the kids at the pool. I spent most of the afternoon teaching swimming lessons to our daycare students and to my Filipino Goddaughter Micah. We really felt like one big family. And that's what community is all about!

Fifteen young adults tell their emotional testimonies before being baptized.

 Through tears, Marisa shares how the church brought her

into knowing God and provided a safe haven for her children,

Jet-Jet and Adrian, who are students in our educational daycare.

Young leaders Mackie (left) and Raymond (right) baptize the youth.

Pastor Joshua (left) and Nico (right) also lend a hand.

Thanks again for following along with my experiences in the Philippines. My team and I always need your prayers here - and we appreciate them so much. I will blog again in the next few weeks after the Christmas parties for children in various urban and rural poor communities.

Take care!

John

Where am I? - "Sa puso mo!", that's where.

My wonderful family and friends,

So I'm now settled into the dorm in Quezon City, and I'll be starting Tagalog language school on Monday! In the meantime, I've been catching up with friends and with everything going on in my team's programs here.

On Saturday nights, I return to Manila and sleep over at the home of my friends Mackie, Lerma, and my Goddaughter Yanarah Micah Custodio (though she goes by her middle name - Micah). She is 11 months old and absolutely beautiful. Her daddy Mackie is a good friend and fellow teacher in the daycare. Him and all his relatives live in a very compact squatter community. Mackie built his own home out of four plywood walls and a wooden ladder to a second level. When I stay over, I sleep on the lower level and Mackie's family sleeps up top. It's a pretty cozy duplex. I'm so thankful for their hospitality and for the chance to spend quality time with my Goddaughter each week. We're now teaching Micah how to walk. I also enjoy playing with Mackie's nieces and nephews. His five-year-old niece Michelle is one of our newest Daycare students, and the two of us love to play hide-and-seek. When I ask her "Nasaan ka?" (Where are you?) she always responds "Sa puso mo!" (Here in your heart!). ...can you really blame me for falling in love with these Filipino children? :)

My adorable Goddaughter Micah.

Micah and I holding on tight to each other.

One of my greatest joys was in witnessing the progress of the educational daycare which Toph, Tin Tin, and I established just 18 months ago. All of our students have new, "formal" uniforms - just like the ones in elementary schools in Manila. We're also sending several children to formal elementary school through a scholarship program Toph, Tin Tin, and I also envisioned called Educational Assistance (EA). Through this program, my team gives financial aid to street children for their school payments, uniforms, lunch, and transportation to-and-from school. Many of the recipients of our EA program graduated from our daycare program last year.

Here are some photos I took last week of a typical day in Daycare. You'll see our students getting picked up by our team van, studying hard and learning from Teacher Mackie, and of course having lots of fun and enjoying the comfort of a safe place off the streets. Enjoy!

Mothers of our students send off their kids as they climb aboard the van.

...yes, we pick up the children in a big, sketchy, white van.

Mackie teaches their phonics lesson each Friday.

Jet Jet plays with the alphabet blocks.

The sheer focus and determination in writing the letter "H".

Many volunteers and teachers like Roldan (red shirt)

and Tin Tin (yellow shirt) help out every day.

Developing social skills and making

friendships are what our students do best.

Thank you so much for following along with my blog! May you also experience the joy and blessings of knowing that your support and prayers change lives in this community. Take care and God bless!

John

Back to reality, though it feels so surreal - My whirlwind reunion in Manila!

Dear friends and family,

Thanks for checking in on me and reading my first blog entry as a full-time missionary in Manila, Philippines! I arrived here in the pouring rain late last Thursday night. Brett Ostrander, my friend and fellow Elmira-native, picked me up from the airport and I spent my first night at his place. I was quickly reminded that I wasn't at home anymore when I awoke to the sounds of roosters crowing and bustling traffic, and I had to bathe Filipino-style - with a scoop and a bucket of cold water.

As I ventured out into the city, reminders of it's poverty pressed in on me. Of course, I hadn't forgotten the harsh realities of Manila - the street children begging in the streets, squatter families cramped in makeshift wooden shanties, and the not-so-hidden signs of prostitution, addiction, and crime. Pangs of loneliness and of missing home hit me. Hard. I felt embarrassed by my desire to escape to my very comfortable world in Canada. I missed my friends and family the most, and I knew that I always would.

However, over the course of the next few days, God provided so much comfort and love and the important reminder that I am here for a purpose much greater than myself. First things first, I went straight to the slums to say hi to the street kids who attend our children's programs. Mackie (my Filipino friend and teammate) and I rode his motorbike down Zanzibar Street where most of the students in our daycare/school reside. Kids came running up to greet me with welcoming laugher and smiles. That was the first of many reminders that I really am at home - or at least a home-away-from-home. After many hugs and high fives, the children and I walked down the street arm-in-arm to greet their families whom I hadn't seen for a year. The kids chanted "Laro tayo!" ("Let's play!"), and we played countless rounds of tag, duck-duck-goose, and various Filipino favourites.

The weekend was packed with more reunions. Somewhere in the haze of jet-lag and exhaustion, I remember several hugs with my beloved teammates, churchmates, and other close friends. Our little Filipino church - Jesus King of Kings Community Church - is the heart and soul of our community outreach programs (including the daycare). At the Sunday service, Pastor Joshua (my team leader) gave me the opportunity to get up and share with everyone my story and my plans as I settled into Manila for the long-term. The joyful reception and warm welcome from the church was overwhelming.

My plan now is to move to Quezon City (1.5 hour commute North of here) on Thursday where I will be studying at a Tagalog language school full-time for up to 6 months. In other news, I should let you know that there have been a few big changes here. Our church and team office have moved to a new location in the last few months. There were some issues with the reliability and financial stability of the management of the old building, so my team decided to move a few blocks away. They are now picking up the daycare students each day with our team van to take them to the new church location. Also, Toph and Nico (two of our daycare teachers) don't really have a place to live and have sometimes been crashing at the church or at Pastor Joshua's home (...another reminder that even my teammates are affected daily by poverty and hardship). We are hoping to eventually find a location near the squatter community where we can house the daycare and provide a place for Toph and Nico to stay.

Thank you so much for reading. Hopefully I can cut down on the length and include some pictures in future blog entries!

Much love,

John