Blogging has not been going at all as planned this semester. In this post, I will attempt to catch everyone up on what God has been doing in my life and in this ministry over the past few months.
1. Christmas break included 3 weeks of adventures, homesickness, and new experiences. I was able to go on a couple of trips around the Philippines with my friends. First, 3 of my girlfriends and I headed up north to enjoy some cool weather and relaxation. After Christmas a group of us headed up north again to Sagada. This was an intense trip of caving, hiking, and marveling at the Lord's creation.
As Christmas day approached, homesickness became a little overwhelming. God's name Emmanuel had a new meaning to me... He provided so much comfort in letting me know that He was with me even when my family couldn't be. In the end, Christmas day was filled with friends and families from the Faith Academy community. The Lord provided, and it was a great day of celebrating Jesus' birth.
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| Kelsie, Jacque, Melissa and I in Bagio. |
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| We were so excited to wear jeans and use blankets! :) |
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| Christmas Eve with the roomies! |
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| Getting ready for an epic caving experience in Sagada. |
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| We couldn't believe some of the holes we had to go through! |
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| Kels and I loved staying in this little hut. :) |
2. Basketball season has come to a close. Coaching was a great experience for me. I loved getting to know some of the high school girls and I learned from their faith and genuine hearts. :)
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| Our JV team of freshmen and sophomores. :) |
3. My Kindergarten class grew to 15 in January. These 3 new little bodies came with adjustments and new challenges for me with our classroom dynamic changing. I love what Bella, Richie, and Pepijn bring to our classroom family and I'm so thankful God chose to bless me with them and my 12 other students. I have been able to watch their hearts grow for the nations and each other. I can get so touched by their questions about the Lord and their desires to serve him here in the Philippines and around the world. God is incredible! He is working in them and it's an honor to get to watch.
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| Celebrating the 100th day of school! |
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| My kiddos representing their home countries for International Week. |
4. I found out that I will be teaching 4th grade next year! I am excited for a new challenge, but also nervous about all of the change. Fourth graders and kindergarteners are extremely different. :)
5. My parents came to visit! It was a blessed 2 weeks. It meant the world to me to be able to share my life in the Philippines with people from home. They had so much fun with my kids, and we packed in quite a bit of sight-seeing and other Manila experiences.
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| Exploring Corregidor Island. |
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| Mrs. Wilbur, Miss Wilbur, and Mr. Wilbur with the Kinders. :) |
6. Throughout this year, God has been teaching me about Bible translation and His heart for different tribal groups. I have been able to hear some incredible stories through joining Wycliffe, meeting different missionaries, and reading some amazing stories about the way Bible translation can change lives and communities for eternity. With all of this, I have been praying about becoming a Bible translator. On my way home this summer I will be making a pit stop at Biola University in Las Angeles to learn more about their MA in Linguistics and Biblical Languages. This degree would equip me to translate for an unreached people group somewhere in the world. Direction is exciting and your prayers are coveted as I look into the next steps it will take to be a translator.
To God be the glory, forever and ever!
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