I arrived in E.G. Montilla, a sprawling village of around 200 households about a 2-hours drive south of Butuan. The team here is Mark, Kaylee, Tess, Jonna (Team Leader) with their Filipino team mates, April and Ezra. It is the only healthcare team with two translators and they've used their strength in numbers- in only two days they surveyed around 177 houses concerning household size, income, and health issues.
They are focusing on sharing the gospel and having Bible studies with the people. Many are open to talking about faith and religion, but be praying God would prepare the hearts of people the teams talk with. They also request you pray that they would stay focused on God and the work He has for them, as the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray also that they would be strong in the Lord against opposition they may face.
They are thankful for the wonderful facilities of the village, including running water with in-home filter, a comfort room (bathroom) with porcelain bowl, and electricity (they even have a fan, which they all sit in front of like they are watching T.V.). They have 30 circumcisions planned in the coming weeks. They enjoy 'experimenting' with food every day, the worst one was the mac and cheese with chocolate syrup and jelly.
The first few weeks have been a great experience, and the team really works together well, and they share a lot of laughs. Ask them about their food experiments, how the villagers slaughtered four pigs outside their front door, or how they planned to catch the house lizards and use them to eat bugs next to their hammocks.... they will tell you lots of stories filled with laughter.
They are focusing on sharing the gospel and having Bible studies with the people. Many are open to talking about faith and religion, but be praying God would prepare the hearts of people the teams talk with. They also request you pray that they would stay focused on God and the work He has for them, as the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray also that they would be strong in the Lord against opposition they may face.
They are thankful for the wonderful facilities of the village, including running water with in-home filter, a comfort room (bathroom) with porcelain bowl, and electricity (they even have a fan, which they all sit in front of like they are watching T.V.). They have 30 circumcisions planned in the coming weeks. They enjoy 'experimenting' with food every day, the worst one was the mac and cheese with chocolate syrup and jelly.
The first few weeks have been a great experience, and the team really works together well, and they share a lot of laughs. Ask them about their food experiments, how the villagers slaughtered four pigs outside their front door, or how they planned to catch the house lizards and use them to eat bugs next to their hammocks.... they will tell you lots of stories filled with laughter.
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| The neighbor's pet monkey |
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| Rice, a huge crop |
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| The health center where the team stays |
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| treating a dog bite |
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| Lots of visitors! |
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| Sometimes the best way to travel is through rice paddy |
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| Corn is the other big crop here; if you look closely you'll see a little tree house in the midst of the field. |
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| Walking to the next house |
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| McDonalds on our trip to the city for supplies |
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| Home sweet home! |
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| Atop the neighboring water tower. |
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| Ezra and the monkey |