Good evening everyone. Ms Kelly (Andrea) and Mrs O’Hara
(Joanne) here.
You may be wondering why we are writing the blog tonight and not
your children. Well, the boys have gone off for a sleepover at iRC with the
orphanage boys and your girls are upstairs having massages. With all the
giggling going on upstairs it sounds like the girls are having way too much
fun! We are hoping the boys are having fun too.
After our very late night we were allowed to sleep in till
7am with breakfast at 8am and then off to church.
Our year 12 leaders went in
one direction to the mountains for a service and food distribution (packs we
made up earlier in the week with rice, sardines and noodles) and then mingled
with the locals making balloon animals and an assortment of jewellery made from
pipe cleaners and the other group went to the local church and then arrived
back at the white house for lunch. For the leaders this was an amazing place to
have a church as it was a 20 minute walk on top of the clay walls of rice terraces
to get there. This required allot of balance and poise and surprisingly it was
Nic Dawson who decided to test the depth of the water in the fields.
After lunch, most of us took a little ‘nanna nap’ to rest
our weary bodies and then off to the iRC Community this afternoon. The girls
joined the Sunday School class and kept the children entertained with a few
songs and games and then once again, food distribution, balloon animals and
pipe cleaners. It is so humbling watching the faces of families holding their
food packages like it is a treasure and the children with their balloons. Their
smiles melt your heart.
We were treated to a garden dinner this evening and then as
it is the 1st December (start of the Christmas Season) we received a
large group of young ladies singing Christmas carols and dancing for us. Keegan
and Rachel were quick to jump up and join in with Drew, Stephen and Abi quickly
following. We all laughed and enjoyed some interesting dance moves from the
boys.
For church this evening the girls were given a presentation
by the local Barangay captain (The town Mayor) who presented us with a
wonderful plaque and a beautiful speech thanking us for our hard work and encouragement
to his town. Although our stay has been
short he was impressed by the amount of work we were able to complete.
We are off to Bacolod tomorrow and it will be very sad to
leave this wonderful community. We are certainly going to miss the glorious
view that greets us every morning too.
We would also like to say that your children have been
delightful (most of the time J)
and we have gotten to know them better and are privileged to have been able to
share this amazing journey with them. They have shown their strength and
courage to undertake many challenging events and we have watched their
characters develop. You should all be very proud of them.
Joanne & Andrea
Ps: To Kaitlin
and Alex I miss you very much. To Hanna and Liv, thank you for being with Kait
and Alex! Hi to everyone at school too. Jo xxxx
Hi everyone. It's been so wonderful reading about your adventures and looking at all the fantastic photos. You've done so much in such a short time. Thank you for sharing your highs, lows, victories and disappointments with us. We will continue to pray for your safety and health. Keep sanitizing even with the lime burns and scrapes. :-) God Bless.
ReplyDeleteA Big Hello with Hugs and Kisses to you all. WOW - you people are truly amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteYou have achieved a huge amount in a short time. God will continue to nurture the seeds you have planted in the lives of that community!!! As you reflect on your time at IRC and say your goodbyes tuck those precious memories into your hearts. Remember that you can always return one day - maybe even next year!!!
Hi Naomi - hope you are well, looking forward to seeing you once you return.
xoxoxo SHCC staff - you guys have done an awesome job with our kids etc. Be blessed as you go through the next few days and start preparations to return to OZ.
Kerrie J
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteWe look forward to reading your blog every day and are very impressed with all your hard work. We loved seeing the photos of the construction work on the orphanage and you have all done an amazing job. Keep it up you are doing so well! Out of all the food you have tried, what has been your favourite? We think you are very brave for trying all the different foods, especially the Balut!
We all have been praying for you and hope that you have a safe trip back to school.
From year one at Southern Hills :)
Hi all.
ReplyDeleteI waited wondering what the break in the blog meant. Power challenges, loss of internet, forgotten password.......Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it meant you were busy mixing concrete by hand until 1am. What a task!! What an achievement.!!
Nothing of worth in life comes esily and this is a project of worth. Not only have you shaped the future of this community but you have been shaped. How many times in the future will you look back and say...remember when...... I pray these experiences will stay with you for life and help you to bloom into all you were made to be.
May God bless yu and keep you safe as you start the next phase of your program. We are all so proud of you.
Love to you all. Hey Miss kelly and Aunty Jo Jo will you give the tall blond one a squeeze and hug from all back here at home.
Scott, Kerry and Sarah Puzey