Week 4 people...WEEK 4!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we meet once again, eh? It's week 4 already!!! That means only 12 more weeks left!! I was thinking this past week about the week before I left for Mexico with Youth With A Mission Metro New York to finish outreach, and how I was keeping a count down for the number of days before left for Mexico, and another count down for the number of days till I left for the Philippines, and at the time it had been 90 days!! That's three months!! and here, i'm writing this after being here for almost one month! Time flies when one is having fun, no?

To say that this week was better then last week, was better then last, would be a major understatement. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me this week! I definitely felt them, and I ask that you continue to keep me prayer while i'm here in the Philippines. Before coming here, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what the children were going to be like, I didn't know what the living conditions were going to be like. I didn't even know what I was going to be doing while here. I had an idea of what I was going to be doing, but that's about it. Well now that i've been here almost a month, it'll be a month on Thursday, things are starting to become a little more routine, and some-what comfortable. The children are amazing. They are starting to warm up to me a little bit more daily. I can see a difference in behavior even in the little amount of time that i've been here. They are starting to listen to staff better, and follow the rules better. They still slip-up, but they are definitely getting better.

On Monday we implementing a daily schedule that will keep the children occupied from 7:00 in the morning to about 7:30 in the evening. I am in charge of outdoor games and activities from 3- 6 in the afternoon, and for a nightly devotion. We started the devotions on Friday, and so far it's been pretty good. But please pray for me, as this is my first time doing this kind of thing.

Another quick prayer request, Angela Taylor, one of the co-founders of New Beginnings Children's Ministry is in the process of trying to adopt Ru, one of the girls in the home who is autistic, to bring her back to the States for medical treatment since it's better there then here in the Philippians. Filipino's don't really care for Autistic, or any disabilities for lack of a better word. She needs about $12,000 USD to make the adoption possible. But it's a slow and tedious process. If you feel led to give, please let me know, and i can found out what the easiest way to do that is. My email address is mdvaccaro@msn.com, or you can just facebook message me if we are friends on Facebook. Thanks.

That's all I have for now, but as always, if anything interesting happens in the middle of the week, i'll post a mini update.

With the wind,

Mark

I thought a thought, but the thought i thought i thought, really wasn't the thought i thought i thought

Soooo....here we are again...week 3 is over and done with. This week has not gone by as fast as the previous two weeks, and I’d be lying if I said that it was an easy week. In fact it was the furthest thing from an easy week. I am beginning to get tired, and ready to go home. It has been a very up and down kind of week emotionally. But I just have to keep telling myself that I will get stronger through this, and I have to look at it as a growing experience. It's the first time i've been on a trip like this by myself. Every trip i've been on, I've always had a group of people from the same culture that I can always talk to, that's not the case here, and I think that's what i'm having the toughest time with. I know that this all part of the process, but still. It's still frustrating while it lasts.

This past week the boys began working with Arte, and Earl, the son of one of the staff here, with a music program. I didn't really get to see them or do anything with them until late afternoon very often. This past week, I also found out two things they really enjoy doing. Basketball, and playing cards. So when they are done with practice, we “play” basketball, the hoop isn't up yet, so we end up just standing in a circle passing the ball back and forth. When it gets to dark to see, and everyone get's tired, we move inside and play cards, more specifically, Egyptian Ratrace, Egyptian Ratscrew, also known among other names. We taught them the game on Monday morning, and they play just about every chance they get. I also figured out that the boys really really REALLY like tongue twisters. Specifically, I thought a thought, but the thought i thought i thought, really wasn't the thought i thought i thought.

I would deeply appreciate it if you would keep me in prayer in the coming weeks. That I would be rejuvenated, and given peace.That's all for now, but I might give a brief update in the middle of week or something if anything exciting, or interesting happens.

With the wind,

Mark

Adventure called Life

So I can't believe i'm already saying this...but week 2 is just about done!!! This week has been pretty uneventful. We were able to move all the children into the home, which I think I mentioned last week, and I was able to move in to my room that i'll be sharing with one other guy yesterday (Saturday). I'm slowly getting more and more involved with kids, pretty soon I think i'll be spending most of my free time with them.

I was finally able to sit in on the Sunday service, last week I was helping out with Sunday school. The service was interesting. The worship songs were in English, but the announcements, and the sermon were in Filipino. They mostly sang songs that I was familiar with. They only sang one song that I didn't recognize, but it was still a really really good song! While sitting in the service, I had the realization that I am beyond fortunate to be able to do what I do. I travel for Jesus!! If you were to ask me 5 years ago what I thought I would be doing now, I probably would have said going to college for Psychology. Little did I know that I would be a soon-to-be 20 year old traveling for God!

While i've been on this adventure called life, I have seen God do some unbelievable things. He has provided for me in ways I can't begin to describe. Not to mention I've been to places I didn't think I would go. I honestly thought that I would never leave the States. That just goes to show how amazingly faithful God is!!

Right before I left, I started listening to a band called Red. One of there songs has been one that I have listened to A LOT while being here, the lyrics are:

Slowly fading away
You're lost and so afraid
Where is the hope In a world so cold?
Looking for a distant light
Someone who can save a life
Living in fear that no one will hear your cries

(Come and save me now)
I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won't leave you
I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
'Cause you're not
You're not alone

Your heart is full of broken dreams
Just a fading memory
And everything's gone
But the pain carries on
Lost in the rain again
When will it ever end?
The arms of relief
Seem so out of reach

But I
(I am here)
I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won't leave you
I will catch you

When you feel like letting go
'Cause you're not
You're not alone

And I will be your hope
When you feel like it's over
And i will pick you up
When your whole world shatters
When you're finally in my arms
Look up and see love as a face

I am with you
I will carry you through it all
I won't leave you
I will catch you
When you feel like letting go
'Cause you're not
You're not alone

And I will be your hope
You're not alone
And I will pick you up
And i will be your hope

Slowly fading away
Lost and so afraid
Where is the hope in a world so cold?

This song has brought me comfort in knowing that, no matter what happens, God is always there to catch me, and be there to be my friend when it feels like I don't have any.

In any case...this has been an amazing trip and I've been here less then 2 weeks!! Can't wait to see what else happens!

With the wind,

Mark

1 Week down...15 more to go

So I can't believe i'm saying this already, but one week has already passed...or soon will pass. So far so good. The time has been flying by here, I guess that has something to do with the fact that i've been going to bed around 8:30 or so, and waking up at 6...i know, it sounds weird coming from me. But the heat has been taking so much out of me...even the people that have lived here their entire lives say the same thing, so it's just not me. Summer officially started the day I arrived here, on Tuesday, April 5^th. So because summer has officially started, the kids are out of school, so that means that the streets are just crawling with people, let alone kids now.

This past week, I haven't had much interaction with the kids from the home, they've been in the process of moving to a different home, much closer, only about a 30 second walk away, instead of a 10-15 minute car ride away. Hopefully either this week or next week i'll be able to move into the home with the other kids. I'll be sharing a room with a son of the family that runs the home.

I am getting more and more involved with the kids, i am spending a lot more time at the house, and with the kids just hanging out and talking with them. I can't wait until i'm moved in with them and spending the majority of my time with them at the house. From what i can tell, they are a bunch of awesome dudes and dudettes. They vary in age from 4-18. As of right now, only 9 kids are at the house. 6 guys and 3 girls. The rest are home for the summer, just trying it out to see if it's a stable enough situation for them to go home permanently, that's the goal of the family that runs the home. They want the kids to be able to go back home with their family. Well, that's pretty much it for now, i'm sure i'll post again sometime this week.

With the wind,

Mark

"I can't believe i'm still speaking spanish, after 5 weeks being home!!"

So...the day has finally come. I am in Cebu, Philippines at the New Beginnings Children's Ministry compound. The flight from JFK airport in New York to the Hong Kong airport was amazing. I slept for most of it, but i can honestly say, that it had by far the most space under the seat in front of me then any other flight i've been on, so it made the 16 hour flight seem like a breeze. Once at the Hong Kong airport, i had 3 or so hours to kill before my flight for Cebu. I had the opportunity to Skype with mom and dad for while when i first got to the gate and again right before i boarded the plane, which was good for both of us. The flight from Hong Kong to Cebu was only about 2 hours, 2 hours and 3 minutes to be exact, so it was a puddle jumper compared to the 16 hour flight i had earlier.

Now that i'm here in the Philippines, it still feels surreal that i'm actually here for 4 months!! When i said that I would do this i knew what i was getting myself into, but at the same time, i kinda didn't. But that's what usually happens with major trips like this, no? I went through something similar when i went to Mexico, and the same thing happened while i was in Belize, in fact when i was in Belize, it was so bad that i almost left after 3 days. And everytime, God has brought me through it while at the same time, showing me something about myself AND about Him that i didn't know before. So while i'm nervous, and slightly scared, i also know that something AMAZING will come out of this, and i'm excited to see what it is!

Now i know what you're thinking... "what's the deal with the title?" Well this morning...er...Sunday night, it's Tuesday afternoon right now as i'm writing this, the clerk at the check in counter had asked me a question, and without thinking, i answered "Si". I'm not sure why my brain is still in Spanish mode, but i suppose that's good that it is, given the fact that some of the words in Tagali are Spanish words.

As i said in my first post, I will do my best to update you guys weekly, and if it's not every week, definitely every 2 weeks, so stay tuned!!!

With the wind,
Mark