Philippines continued

Monday – June 15
- Fish and rice for breakfast
- Visit internet café for 1st time
- Lunch at Student Union building on University of Philippines campus (lasagna, cheese bread, Hala Hala)
- Visit museum
- Visit U.P. art center up the mountain where about 120 handpicked art students all around the Philippines go to for high school
Tuesday
- Rice, sausage, and dinner leftovers for breakfast
- Hang out at home with family
- Shopping for bird seed
- Rice and pig leg for lunch
- Prepare to preach on Acts 1:15-26 for Wednesday evening church service
- Visit garden shop for a bonsai pot
- Turon snack (fried banana with sugar)
- 5 pm band practice at church
- Dinner and B-day party for Karlynn, fellow SMP teammate, at a family’s house (lasagna, mangos, salad, Mrs. B’s blueberry cheesecake, Balut (hard boiled partially grown chicken inside of an egg), green mango shakes, and games)
Wednesday
- Rice fried fish, peanut butter, and pineapple jam for breakfast
- Hanging out and talking at the host family’s house
- Taho snack (a soy based flan with tapioca balls in it all in caramelized syrup)
- Squid and rice for lunch
- Hanging out and reading Philippine legends
- 6 pm church service where I preached my first sermon ever on Acts 1:15-26
- Dinner at Chow King after church
Thursday
- 9 am practice at Calamba CRC for HIV/AIDS presentations
- Buco (coconut) pie snack
- Visit Rizal’s house after lunch (Rizal is the hero of Laguna.)
- 4 pm HIV/AIDS practice at Calauwan CRC
- Pizza for dinner at church
- 11 pm bedtime

Friday
- 5:30 am shopping at the market
- Breakfast
- 8:30 am – Noon paint church roof at Calamba CRC
- Lunch
- Make HIV/AIDS posters
- 7:30 pm chop suey for dinner
Saturday
- 6 am rise and shine
- 9 am HIV/AIDS practice at Pila CRC
- Noon chicken, rice, and gravy at Jollibee (the fast food restaurant of the Philippines)
- 2 pm HIV/AIDS practice at San Pablo CRC
- Ice cream at Jollibee
- 6-10 pm band practice at church
Sunday
- 8 am Sunday school
- 9-11 am church (Father’s day service – Happy father’s day dad!)
- Lunch
- 5:30 pm dinner at host missionaries house
- 11 pm bedtime
Monday
- 9 am 2 presentations 1.5 hours long at Grace Community Christian School in Calauwan
- 4:30-6:30 pm ultimate Frisbee with Christian fellowship groups on University of Philippines campus
- Curry for dinner
- 9 pm watch movie “Surf’s Up” at host family’s house
- 10:30 pm bedtime
Tuesday
- 7 am curry and eggs for breakfast
- Travel to Tagaytai City
- 11 am pizza for lunch at Yellow Cab Pizza
- Noon boat ride to volcano island and hike up the volcano crater
- Swimming off boat on way back to mainland
- 7:30 pm pork BBQ for dinner

Wednesday
- HIV/AIDS school visit postponed b/c of signal 2 typhoon warning
- Hang out at a pastor’s house 11 am – 6:30 pm (The Dark Knight, lunch, card games)
- 7 pm prayer service at Los Banos CRC
- 10 pm bedtime
Thursday
- Pancakes for breakfast!
- HIV/AIDS presentations to Crest and National High School
- Hala Hala at Max’s restaurant for lunch b/t school presentations
- It was almost like we were celebrities at school. Everyone wanted our picture or email.
- 7:30 pm beef, broccoli, and rice for dinner
Friday – June 26, 2009
- 7 am 2 HIV/AIDS presentations at Barretto National High School
- 11 am lunch at Chow King (Chinese fast food restaurant)
- Group meeting
- Hang out at host families house
- 6 pm – 6 am swimming and karaoke at a private pool
I thank God for the blessing that it has been to be here. We have been given so much hospitality and welcome where ever we go.
Presenting on HIV/AIDS at the local high schools has been quite exciting. This is the first time that many of the students have had a presentation on the subject and especially from a Christian perspective which is accepted in the public schools. I have been surprised at how interested and receptive the high school students are. This has been encouraging. Yet for many of them this is the first time that they have heard the word abstinence.
The teachers and principals at the school have really liked our presentations. Some teachers have asked for material to follow up on our presentation. Our presentations are aimed at gaining awareness for future peer education presentations by the local peer educators after we leave. We have been presenting with college and post-college Philippine youth using dramas, workshops, testimonies, and visual aids. Some students have even asked how they can join the team. This is very good because this is really only the beginning of HIV/AIDS education and awareness like this.
Thanks for all your prayers. They are a blessing and well needed. I am looking forward to the weeks ahead. Planning is often on the fly here so every day is a step of faith. Thanks for your encouragement. God bless your summer as well.