Less than 3 weeks left! After being away for so long we are looking forward to going home and seeing family and friends again but at the same time we are still really enjoying our time here. Personally for me it has been a great time of rest and refreshment in the Lord. Having more time to read and reflect and pray has been great, especially after such a hectic year last year. This week we listened to a sermon on Psalm 23 about resting and it made me think about what a privilege these weeks have been and how I do feel this has been a time of rest and restoration for me.
Thank you also for your prayers for Chris' health. He stated to recover the day after writing the blog although it has taken some time for him to get back to 100%. The Lord kept him out of the hospitals here for which we are very grateful. We are also very grateful that The Lord has kept my health so good throughout the trip, especially with being pregnant and around so much infectious diseases.
I have been right back into the routine of clinic since Chris has recovered. I had a few days of being nurse at home for him and was very ready to get back to the clinic after having the weekend and then 2 days off. I am really enjoying the work here and it isn't a burden at all to have to get up and go to work. Every week I'm continuing to learn new things, especially about the Filipino culture. There is a lot of what to me, coming from a western system, is strange medical beliefs. One example of this is many of the Filipinos with blood results saying they have anaemia ( low iron in the blood) don't believe it because they already have high blood pressure. They can be confused how they have both 'high blood' (pressure) and 'low blood' (iron) and this is even a view also held by some of the older medical professionals in the country.
Chris, since recovering has been right back to work. Today he finished the building project he was doing with Juan and I think he has really enjoyed learning so much and getting some hands on experience before he starts his building course in a few weeks.
We have also had the opportunity for some sightseeing this week and on Tuesday Dr. Scott took us and another doctor, Dr. Russ to a waterfall just out of Manila and also to see an orphanage of his friend. The waterfall was beautiful, and reminded me a bit of New Zealand swimming holes. We didn't have much time there but it was nice to dip my feet in the water and enjoy such an idyllic setting. From there we continued to go further into the countryside. It was strange to see large empty fields of grass and open space but a nice change from the concentrated population of Manila.
The orphanage we visited was an interesting learning experience in some of the difficulties missionaries have with sustaining ministries. The ministry had beautiful new buildings for medical clinics and for more housing but they were currently hardly being used. The issue with many of the ministries is that people will donate money for buildings but when it comes to long term supporters to help with the daily running of these buildings including salaries for staff members it is hard to get the support. As a result these building are sitting unused. We also got to see the part of the orphanage that is currently running. There were so many gorgeous wee kids there that would run up to you and grab your hand or hug your leg or want to show you the pictures in their books. It can be hard to see a room full of children who have been left by parents but at the same time it is great to know that there are people who are caring for these children and sharing Jesus' love with them.
Prayer/ praise points:
- Praise that Chris has had a full recovery and that i have had good health
- Prayer for continuing good health for the rest of our time here.
- Praise that this time has really been a time of rest in The Lord.
- Prayer that in our final weeks here we would really be living and trying to serve in the present, not just thinking about going home.
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