Look guys--one hand! :)

Hi guys,

Here is a picture of a gecko that died doing a spectacular stunt. He was hanging on this bar by one hand! Isn't that amazing? haha! I don't know how it really died, but we came to the church one Sunday, and found this dead gecko in the window barely hanging on. So, of course I had to take a picture! I was laughing so hard. How in the world could it die hanging like that? It really intrigued me. Anyway, I hope you don't mind me putting this up; I just had to do it. I think everyone needs a little laugh once in a while. :)

--Jeriann (enjoying the geckos more and more... haha)

A great week! :)

Hey Everyone,

Well, we've had a busy week!
Last Thursday, we visited people that have visited the church before. We went to a twenty-three year old girl's home who has recently had a stroke. We told her that we would love to have her come back to church anytime; we wanted her to know that she is more than welcome and that Esther and I would like to develop a friendship with her. She is very weak on one side of her body, but she is actually building a lot of her strength back. So, before we left, we prayed for her. We prayed that God would continue to grant her strength in her body and that He would heal her completely. There was a beautiful touch of God in that little house. Please pray that God will continue to work in her life. Remember: God can do ANYthing!


On Saturday, we rode the bus (we only had to wait half an hour, thank God!!!) to Bogo. We had Sunday School with the children in the park. We sang songs, there was a lesson taught, and they had a little snack. It was great! The children are just SO darling... I love them! Then, a couple of hours later, we had youth service for the teenagers. It was a great service! We also sang, had teaching, prayer, and fellowship afterwards. We always have a really nice time! :)


On Sunday, we had our weekly church service. We had a wonderful move of God. There is no doubt that the presence of God was in the place; it was so strong! The choir sang and they did a great job! Of course, that could be a little biased, coming from the choir director! :) haha...

Bro. Vacca taught a great lesson about the eagle and how the Mama Eagle will disturb her eaglet's nest and actually push it off of the nest in order for the baby to learn how to fly. The Mama watches the eaglet fall as it tries to flap its wings really fast to keep from falling, however it continues to fall. Right before the eaglet hits the ground, the Mama swoops down and catches it on her wing. This happens over and over again until the eaglet learns to fly! Of course, the eaglet can be very comfortable in the nest and not want to leave, but the Mama messes up the nest in order for the baby to grow and learn how to soar. She sees the future for the baby and cannot allow him or her to stay in the nest forever.

Then, Bro. Vacca related this to us and our Christian walk with Jesus. God might disturb our "nest" sometimes, but it's only because He loves us and He is teaching us to fly! He wants us to grow to full maturity and “fly like the eagle”. He wants us to reach our potential and do His perfect will. Isn't that an awesome lesson? You're not always going to be comfortable, but look to the future. You don't want to sit around in the "nest" when you can soar high up above the trees! God always knows where we are, and when it looks like we are about to hit the ground, he reaches down and picks us up. Thank you, Jesus! It was an awesome lesson. It relates to all of us no matter where we are in our walk with God. But, it is especially meaningful to the new converts because they are babies right now, and they are learning to fly. God knows right where you are ALL the time! I think we could all learn something from this. Thank you Bro. Vacca for this wonderful message.


Well, I am having a great time! I'm hoping to come back with a tan. If I come back from the Philippines white as ever, that would be pretty sad! haha... But, hopefully, I'll be nice and dark. :)

I pray everyone is doing well. Thank you so much for prayers and support! God bless you.

--Jeriann


*The first picture is of one of the Sunday School girls posing for the camera. The second picture is of me and Esther with Bro. and Sis. Vacca (our host missionaries).

Here's a pic...

Hey Everybody,

Here's a picture of me and some young people. The three young people on the right are from the church, and we met the others while out and about meeting and talking to people. They are so sweet, and of course, always willing to take a picture! :)

--J

Waiting for the Bus

Well, today I had quite an experience! We needed to go to Bogo (*pronounced Boo go') for the children’s 10 a.m. Sunday School Service in the park. We were outside waiting to catch the bus at 7:20 a.m. We wanted to catch an Air conditioned bus (AirCon) since it's pretty hot and the non-AirCon bus allows smoking. We figured the wait wouldn't be longer than one hour. After an hour or so of waiting we started to wonder, “What in the world is going on?" We had seen at least 5 or 6 other buses go by, but not one AirCon. After an hour and a half we said, “Forget trying to catch an AirCon, let's just get on the next bus we can". The next few that came by just waved and motioned to us that they were full as they passed us by. Finally I saw an AirCon bus, I was so excited. “Thank you, Jesus!" After standing and waiting in this heat for an hour and a half there is finally an air conditioned bus! Well, this driver also waved as he drove on passed us. The bus was full and there wasn't room for anyone else. Haha... not cool. Within 15 minutes, another AirCon bus comes along (which is a miracle coming so close behind the other one), so Esther and I are jumping up and down and waving for the bus to stop. Guess what? He keeps on driving too. He also waves as he goes by! I was like, “Oh my, this is crazy! How long are we going to have to wait for a bus?” It's coming up on two hours now. "I hope there is a ride that has room for us!" We're pretty desperate by now; we are hot, sweaty, and tired of standing up! But, we were still praising the Lord in spite of it all. Really! :)Finally, a bus comes along and actually stops when we wave. "Thank you, Lord!" So we got on it and had a crazy ride all the way to Bogo. But we were thankful just to be on our way and sitting down. It was very crowded and not one of us had a full seat to ourselves. It is one experience I will not forget. I'm sure someday Esther will say to me, "Hey Jeriann, remember that day we waited more than 2 and a half hours for a bus in the Philippines?" and my reply will be, "OOOOOOOOH yeah!!!" :)

*The first picture is of me finally on a bus. The second picture is of the Sunday School children after their service in the park. They are worth everything we went through to get to them. They are SO precious-- to me and to Jesus.* *But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14*

Here's a picture for you... :)

Here is a picture of two little ones out on the beach at low tide. Darling, aren't they? :)

Hey Everyone!

Hello!

I hope everyone is well! I'm doing real well here in the Philippines. I'm having a great time! God is moving in a mighty way. We had another wonderful service Sunday. There was a beautiful touch of God on the service; many were blessed. There were 37 people there, which is the record number of people so far! The church is small, and so if there is 40 people there, we are totally packed out. There is no way we would be able to squeeze in another person. So, another building is going to be rented for the church soon; it will seat around 100 people. This way, there will be lots of room for growth. Thank you, Jesus!
Also, I started a choir, and they sang for the first time on Sunday. I know this is going to be quite an experience for me, but it will be fun for sure. Everyone involved is so excited, especially about learning all the new songs!

We will also be starting a youth service on Saturdays. There will be singing, teaching for the young people, and fellowship afterwards. Esther and I will be in charge of this; we will even be teaching. So, please pray for us, and this endeavor! We need it!

I'm sure you can see that I am staying very busy, and I am having a great time! I think I'm starting to get used to the heat, but, thankfully, we're not out in it too much. I am also getting used to the geckos, they really are harmless. Esther and I name them now! :) But, the spiders, I am NOT getting used to. I just freak out; I hate spiders! The house we are staying in is very nice, and we are doing our best to keep it clean, so the bugs will stay out. haha

Thank you everyone for your support, love, and prayers. They mean so much to me! I'm excited to be here in Cebu, to see what God is going to do. God bless you all.

--Jeriann

*The picture is of all the young people in the choir. Don't they look happy? :)*

Hello, hello!!! :)

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know how things are going here in the Philippines.
I am having a great time and I am staying real busy!

The weather here is hot and humid, so you sweat just about instantly when you're outside. haha... but, I'm makin' it. I mean, I AM on the mission field!

Well, God is really doing great things. Our first Sunday here (last Sunday) was great! There was a beautiful touch of God on the service, and one young man was baptized. Thank you, Jesus!

I am learning a lot about the people here, their lifestyle, and their culture. The culture here is very different from what I know. But, they are beautiful people! They are so sweet and friendly. You just fall in love with them automatically!

Well, that's my update for today. God bless you all.

--Jeriann

**The pic is of the young people in a Jeepney on our way to the ocean for the baptism on Sunday. It was a fun ride; we were all crammed in there together! :)**