Seeking Guidance

As I mentioned in my last post, I have become interested in pursuing a more direct role within the Bible translation process. Here has been my journey so far...

While I went through Wycliffe's training last summer I was able to hear from many different translators about the projects they have worked on and the faithfulness the Lord showed them. I LOVED these stories and felt so energized by each of them. Once I moved to the Philippines, I was able to read a couple of books ("And the Word Came With Power" and "Peace Child" specifically) about pioneer missions and translation and the power of the Word of God. Thirdly, I was able to attend a Bible translation dedication this past October, celebrating the Scriptures being in the heart language of the people of Bolinao, Philippines. All of these experiences combined got me daydreaming about translation and the groups of people that could be impacted by God's Truth. I remember a moment when I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life.

I have learned that training to be a translator takes years. With this knowledge I decided to look into what it would take. I found a few programs that I could pursue and was overwhelmed with the excitement of it all! I couldn't believe that this was something God might be calling me to!

About a week later, my mind was flooded with doubt. Do I really think I can translate the Bible? Has God truly gifted me for translation? I've never been great at learning languages and my one linguistics class was hard for me in college. Why did God have me study education if I'm supposed to be a translator? I had so many questions! I believed that God could work through me in translation, but I wanted to be sure that this is the direction he was guiding me in and not just a crazy dream I had.

These doubts were discouraging to me and I felt like the guidance I was feeling from the Lord vanished. Thankfully, God promises that he will guide us all the days of our lives. He has been challenging me to spend extra time in prayer asking for this guidance. This past Tuesday night I was drawn to my knees before the Lord and asked him to guide me to someone who could help me with my questions.

On Wednesday I was testing my kiddos on their reading levels which required me to have a sub in my classroom. That morning I received a text from my friend, Becca, saying that there was a girl named Janel visiting the school who had taught there in the past, left and got her masters in linguistics, and is now in Indonesia as a translator. She suggested that we meet up that afternoon to chat. Luckily, I finished my testing that morning and just so happened to have the afternoon free. (That would have been a different story any other Wednesday!)

We met up after lunch and had such a fun conversation! Janel was so honest with me and I was able to ask her all of the questions that have been flooding my mind. Our stories are very similar, and she was able to relate to the way I have been feeling. She explained various roles in the translation process, including a few that involve TEACHING nationals about the Scriptures as they take the front lines in translating the Bible into their language. She assured me that grad school was hard work, but some of my fears played a very small part in schooling as a whole. I was left encouraged by her ministry, and it was so good for me to talk to someone that was passionate about God's work through translation again. (Also... she was just on a layover and felt prompted to stop by the school. I consider our conversation a divine appointment!)

I have a new energy for Bible translation and the ways God could use me. I will be visiting Biola University in LA on my way home in a few weeks to talk about their linguistics program. Another option is in Dallas. Please pray with me as I continue to seek guidance, following the Lord with each step I take. Thank you for journeying with me!

"Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths. 

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long."

Psalm 25:4-5

The Last 3 Months in a Nutshell...

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.

Kelsie, Jacque, Melissa and I in Bagio.

We were so excited to wear jeans and use blankets! :)

Christmas Eve with the roomies!

Getting ready for an epic caving experience in Sagada.

We couldn't believe some of the holes we had to go through!

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. :)

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.

Celebrating the 100th day of school!

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.

Exploring Corregidor Island.

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!

Gentle Hands

I have been awful at blogging lately. The past few weeks have been packed full of busyness! I do have an experience that I'd like to share with you all though.

Last night, I was able to visit a child welfare agency (orphanage) here called Gentle Hands. A few people that I know are very connected to Gentle Hands, and one of my students actually lived there for a month before her adoption process began. One of my friends and co-teachers, Kim, goes to Gentle Hands on Sunday evenings almost on a weekly basis. I was thankful to be able to join her this week! She is currently in the adoption process of Daniel, a 4 year old cutie!

I had never really been to an orphanage before, and it was not what I expected. The home currently has 3 levels. The bottom level has different rooms for the children based on age. We started in the nursery, and I was able to hold a precious baby girl named Raven. We then moved up to the toddlers. These 1-2 year olds were very timid and skeptical of their new visitor. It took them awhile to warm up to me, but after a few minutes I had a good game of "catch the monkey" going with a set of twin boys. Our next room had boys and girls around the ages of 3-5. These kiddos were so excited to have someone watch them! One little boy named CJ immediately grabbed my hand, pulled me down to sit on the edge of a bed, and hopped up on my lap. CJ and another little girl noticed my cross necklace, pointed to it and said "Jesus!" and then broke out into "Jesus Loves Me." It was pretty precious. :) The remainder of their words were mainly in Tagalog, so I just smiled and enjoyed their chattiness. The last couple of rooms were divided by gender. It was fun to talk to the older girls and boys. They are blessed with so many brothers and sisters in their home!

After hanging out with the kids, we moved up a couple of floors to where the family that runs Gentle Hands lives. This floor was also very busy, as some of the kids live up with this family based on their special needs. We were able to have dinner with the workers and I learned more about the extensive and slow adoption process of the Philippines. It takes years and so much patience for these families!

I learned one huge lesson on this night. Charity, the woman who runs Gentle Hands, explained that there is a misperception of orphanages. Many people, myself included, have this instinct to feel sorry for orphans and the living situation they are in. We have this view that we must rescue these children from orphanages. I understand that this may be true for some orphanages, but Gentle Hands doesn't fall into that category. The children there are so loved and cared for. They are fed spiritually and mentally, and they are loved by so many workers that dedicate their lives to this ministry. I have a lot of respect for those that God calls to orphan ministry.

If you would like to learn more about Gentle Hands visit their page at http://gentlehandsinc.org/ . What a beautiful ministry! Praise the Lord for taking care of His children.

Turning 23 in the Tropics

Although it was a couple of weeks ago, I'd love to share what my first birthday in the Philippines looked like. I'm used to attending class on this day while wearing warm clothing. This year proved to be very different!

Faith Academy has a week long October break each year. This allows students to spend time with their families, and is especially beneficial for the boarding students. Since we had this week off, 8 of my friends and I jumped on the opportunity to take a trip. We decided to visit another Filipino island down south called Palawan.

This island was absolutely beautiful! It is known for its beaches and scuba diving opportunities. We really enjoyed getting out of the busy city of Manila to enjoy the more quiet and peaceful city of Puerto Princesa. 

The Friday before break, my vice principal walked into our classroom with a platter of cupcakes and a birthday hat. It was a fun surprise for all of us and I really enjoyed getting to celebrate my birthday a little early with my kiddos! (Along with Crazy Hat Day!)

My birthday happened to fall on the Wednesday of our trip. The day started off with a Skype call to my wonderful mother. Let me tell you... it was definitely weird and a little saddening to not get to talk to all of my family on my birthday. But I am so thankful that I got to connect with my mom and tell her a little bit about what we had been doing on our trip! 

I then went back to our hotel room, where my roommates had decorated with balloons and a nice little pile of presents on our bed. They did an awesome job of making the day special! 

After getting ready, our group loaded up and we headed to Palawan's Underground River. This is known as Wonder of Nature. We were able to get in a little boat and travel down the river with our tour guide. Meg and I sat close to him in the back of the boat and really enjoyed his commentary on the cave's formations. :)

After the river, we ate at a nice little Filipino buffet and were offered the treat of eating woodworm. Five of us decided to take advantage of the opportunity... and the boys ended up enjoying the slimy creatures. 

We were able to go back to our hotel for a relaxing afternoon spent by the ocean shore. The Lord reminded me that He is a God worth enjoying! I had such a good time admiring His creation while on this trip. I loved enjoying the Lord. 

That night, we were able to go out on the town for dinner at a nice seafood restaurant and I was surprised with some blueberry cheesecake. Once we got back to our hotel, we partook in a dance party at my request. :) I LOVE to dance, and we had a great time in our little room with our beds pushed to the sides. 

Overall, it was an awesome birthday. Completely different than anything before... but awesome. Thank you for your continued prayers! 

Faithful, Faithful, Faithful

I would love to share an awesome God-moment with you all. :)

Being a new teacher can be a struggle. There is so much knowledge that comes with experience, and I often feel the effects of lacking said knowledge. A couple of weeks ago, one of these areas was my reading groups. This probably sounds silly, but a huge portion of Kindergarten is dedicated to reading and writing. I was feeling super lost on how to conduct my small groups in class and how to help my kids learn these life-skills best. I wasn't confident in what I was doing, and this uncertainty would just throw off the rest of my day.

One night I was on the internet, trying to find ideas and talking to my roommate about how I was having a hard time. As I'm talking to her about this, a friend named Rebecca, who I met at training back in the States, messaged me and asked how things were going.  Rebecca is also teaching overseas and was in Mali, Africa at the time. She reminded me that she had taught Kindergarten for 7 years and encouraged me to ask her for help on anything. I told her about my dilemma, and she ended up emailing me lots of pictures and ideas on things that she did with her kids. I felt incredibly blessed and I was so thankful for her help!

Well, a couple of weeks have gone by. I have been implementing Rebecca's ideas and our reading groups have been going great. But my favorite part of this story comes from 2 nights ago, when she emailed me to share her side of the story...

"You are welcome. I am glad that the ideas helped. Yes, it was totally God! That day...I was feeling a little low...(transitoning to the new culture, missing home,not working yet, bored, other missionaries were busy, I was on my own with not much to do, etc). I prayed that God would allow me to help someone and make an impact/difference that day. I asked Him to show me my purpose for that day. About 30 mins later I saw you were on FB and I felt God telling me to talk to you on FB. After I got done talking with you on FB, I realized that God was using me to help you. I was so thankful after that. It helped me to feel that I had a purpose that day. So, it was as much of a blessing for me as it was for you! That is how awesome our God is!!!!"

I just love the way our God works. I knew that I had been blessed, but I never would have guessed that there was a whole other side to this story where the Lord was proving His faithfulness. God is constantly working, and I pray that you see His faithfulness... even in the little things. :)

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Market Day!

My roommate, Kelsie, and I have been eager to learn more about the Filipino lifestyle and culture. So far we had only gone to grocery stores for food shopping each week, but had heard about the busy markets that many Filipinos frequent. We knew that our Ate, Nimfa, went each week and so we asked if we could tag along on a Saturday morning. She was excited that we wanted to join her!

One thing that we hadn't experienced yet was the public transportation of Manila. We took 4 jeepney rides total on our trip. The jeepney is lined with a bench on both sides where people sit closely together. You pay by passing money up to the driver (about 20 cents a ride). To get off, you either pull on a little cord or give two hard knocks on the roof. We had fun jumping on the jeepneys, and the other passengers found it interesting to see white girls as fellow passengers. :)

Nimfa leading us to the 2nd jeepney

Kelsie, Jacque and I enjoying the ride

Once we arrived, we went to a part of the market that sold clothes ranging in price from less than $1 to $5. It was fun to look at all they had! Some things were very similar to what you would see in America while other things were very Filipino. After venturing this market, we headed to the wet market, where meat, fruit, and veggies were sold. It was extremely crowded and had a strong, distinct smell. Nimfa told us that you don't see a lot of white people at the wet market and this resulted in a lot of stares from the nationals.

Jacque, Kelsie and I at the clothing market

Fruit sales

The meat at the wet market was extremely fresh. We would see freshly killed chickens being brought in, the butchering table, and then the vast assortment of chicken parts to buy. This was also true with the pigs. When the Filipinos noticed us taking pictures, they were eager to have us turn our camera their way and snap a picture of them with their merchandise. :) After browsing the chicken, pork, and fish sections, we moved on to the veggies and fruit. We entered an area with a very muddy floor that you couldn't help sliding in. Their was a stench in this area as well, and that was when I got to the point of being ready to head home. :)

Poor Wilbur!

A butcher posing with his pig head

All types of vegetables and spices

Kelsie and the pasta selection

I am so thankful for the morning I had with Kelsie, our friend Jacque, and Ate Nimfa. It was a fun adventure and I enjoyed being immersed in the Filipino culture. The Lord has blessed me with a lot of joy and happiness throughout the past few weeks and each day I feel so thankful to be serving Him here in the Philippines. Thank you for your continued prayers and for being a part of this ministry!

And this gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:14

Special People

Life in the Philippines has started to slow down a little and a routine is being established. I am so grateful for this!

In my Kindergarten class, my students and I have been learning about God's creation. The past couple of weeks put the focus on how God has made each of us special. My student's parents wrote letters to their children about what made them special and why they were loved, and yesterday I had the privilege of surprising my kiddos and reading them their letters. It was so fun to see my boys blush and hide their faces and my girls giggle and get embarrassed with their parents' compliments. :)

Another person who really benefited from this was myself. I have truly enjoyed getting to know my 13 little ones in the classroom. They are each different... different personalities, different struggles, different strengths, different hearts. The letters reminded me that each of these children are so precious and so loved by the ones who pick them up from school each day.

I gained a new appreciation for my kids and the role I get to play in their lives. I also gained a new respect for the parents who love them so much and raise them in Christ-centered homes. It was fun to hear about my students from the people who know them best!

So here we are, finishing up our 6th week of school with so much of the year still to come. I can't wait to see the ways the Lord is going to use these special 5 and 6 year olds to further his Kingdom! Praise the Lord, for he is good.