Due to the cancellation of Dec 17 Legazpi-Manila flight owing to bad weather, we have managed to rebook our flights to Dec 18, both on Cebu Pacific. Here are the flight details for our Mission Trippers who are now spending an extra night in Legaspi:
Group 1
Legaspi-Manila 0730 - 0830 5J 326
Manila-Singapore 1325 - 1655 5J 805
Annemarie Teo, Christian Sih, Darrion Mohan, Edward Lo, Kevan Gan, Patrick Kok, Maria Chuah, Patricia Nichole, Rachel Ooi, Sharyl Quek, Jolene Tan, Vanessa Goh, Vanessa Chong, Beverley Kong, Nigel Leong, Teresa Leong, Lucy Goh, Anthony Tann
Group 2
Legaspi - Manila 0940 - 1040 5J 324
Manila - Singapore 2030 - 2355 5J 803
Cecilia Wang, Keefe Oei, Mariana Chong, Marianne Quek, Kirsten Ong, Stephanie Sukarti, Chadwyn Wong, Vanessa Tay, Benedict Tan, Grace Gonzales, Michael Leong
The split up was necessary due to the limited number of seats available on both flights.
The teenagers and the entire team are now accommodated at the Airport Hotel.
MISSION HQ, SINGAPORE
Saturday 17 December 2011
DAY 10: THE WRAP UP
POST#1: THE WRAP UP
While we await the return of the Mission Team, let's just have a retrospective look at what they have done in Bicol.
For these youths - and the adults who helped in their mission formation and provided enormous support during the mission trip itself - who took a leap of faith and heeded God's call, this mission trip has been a momentous time in their life that they will cherish for life.
What exactly did we bring to Bicol? Yes, we brought supplies, books, toys etc etc. But what really was important for the children there was our presence in the mission areas, our smiles, our energy, and our time spent with them. So, to our teens: never mind if you drew that line off centre. Never mind that you painted the wall a shade darker than required. Never mind if you forgot to bring extra Milos and biscuits. Never mind if you sang that song dissonantly. Never mind if you spoke so fast like the MRT that the local kids didn't understand you, or the local kids thought you were an idiot. Never mind if you woke up late, or clogged the toilets, or wore the wrong t-shirt. Or you came up late for prayers and meals. Or you made a nuisance of yourselves, whether at the dorm, at the mission areas, at the mall, or at the airports. Never mind if we were off-key a little bit during the Mass on Dec 11. Never mind.
For from the tattered classrooms of the town, to the little houses of Tagaytay, to the devastated landscape of Masarawag to the far-flung hills and vales of Dona Mercedes, you made the children smile and laugh and feel loved by a people from another part of the world. You brought joy to them, even for a moment. You saw how they welcomed you, and valued your company. And they saw the love and mercy and compassion of God in you. That rabies-stricken boy in Dona Mercedes will remember you forever as a people sent by God.
It was not easy. After all, Jesus, our mission leader didn't promise us an easy time - He promised us a blessed time, with lots of surprises. And surprise us He did. For example, the delayed arrival of the Main Body had several positive undertones. It caused the Advance Party to be one notch higher in terms of preparedness. It bonded the Main Body in the most trying circumstances. It bonded the whole group spiritually for the entire mission trip. Also, my early departure (and also of Celestine) made the youths take the mission trip with greater resolve. In my books, their collective action, guided by the Holy Spirit, to alleviate the suffering of that rabies-stricken boy in Dona Mercedes, and the time spent by our two choristers (Mariana Chong and Maria Chuah) with the children at GECS are the defining moments of this year's mission trip.
As mission leader, I would like to thank the following who joined us in this mission: Sr Grace Gonzales, our Spiritual Director for this journey; Sr Angeline Lim whose calming presence reassured the youth at all times; Lucy Goh, who brought a mother's love, care and concern for the youth; Michael Leong, who quietly provided support and was a pillar of strength during some of the more difficult moments; Anthony Tann, who eased into a liaison role and was transformed into an able whipmaster when I had to go home; Vanessa Tay, who was thrust into a logistics role she had never done before; and our facils Chadwyn Wong, Vanessa Chong, and Kirsten Ong, who were true role models for the younger teenagers.
I would also like to give this affirmation to all our youths who participated in this mission. You wholehearted participation was commendable, and your parents and our parish priest should be proud of you. I am tempted to mention a few names for their exemplary conduct and leadership qualities, their dedication to the tasks assigned to them, their ability to think on their feet, and their willingness to serve and not to be served. But I won't, as most likely I would mention all the members of the mission team anyway. But I would like to put on record my appreciation to the following who ran this blog since June 2011 until yesterday - Celestine Neo (blog architect and engineer) who practically designed the entire blog, and whatever feature you may find inside it; our bloggers Stephanie Sukarti, Teresa Leong, Marianne Quek and Keefe Oei, who kept at the job even in the most trying cicrcumstances during the mission trip.
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| Bloggers: Teresa, Marianne, Jane, Uncle Al, Keefe, Nigel |
I would also like to thank the parents and friends who kept our spirits up by posting positive messages and affirmations in this blog throughout the mission trip. Those meant a great deal to us while we were away, and we thank you for that.
To everyone in Bicol who helped us - the staff at the Bicol University Extension Office, our local volunteers - and everyone everywhere who prayed for our well-being and the success of our mission trip - thank you, and may God bless you abundantly.
We should not forget to thank those who helped us in our fund-raising campaign: Cocoa Tree, ACMA, the youths of L9, the Catechetical Office, our priests and parishioners.
Thanks everyone, for giving me the opportunity of leading you this year - from the MIP / MPT time, to fund-raising, team-building through organising of concerts and the Cantata. It has been a privilege serving you. And thanks Bicol for being there. It was a joy being there - being home - too.
This has been a post-confirmation mission trip that will be etched in our memories forever, not just because of what we have experienced, but also because of the circumstances that surrounded it, and the blessings that God has bestowed upon it.
I hope and pray that these teenagers won't stop here. I pray that the empowerment they received from their Confirmation, and the affirmation they earned during this mission trip, would make them bearers of the Good News, the light for others, and bread for others, throughout their lives.
It's still early morning in Guinobatan. Thick mist still envelope the hostel and its surroundings. The youth are still asleep. A cock crows. Soon, one by one, the blessed youths will be up - to prepare for that long journey home.
To God be the Glory, forever and ever. Amen.
-Al, from Mission HQ, Singapore
Friday 16 December 2011
DAY 9 MISSION TRIP: R&R
This is the final post from the mission team in Bicol.
Hello :) so, today, we spent the whole day sight-seeing and shopping! Hahaha! First, we went to the Cagsawa ruins. An eruption by Mayon Volcano in 1814 buried an entire town in this area, and what remains is the belfry of the Cagsawa Church to remind people that once upon a time, this was a thriving community. We went in despite the rain. It is really an amazing place to be in :) After that, we went to the mall to shop and have our lunch. At 2pm, we departed and made our way to the St Gregory Cathedral. The place itself was breath-taking! And every single thing there was really significant and interesting. We had the chance to look around and have a time of prayer there too. We then departed for the Church of Guadalupe. We got the chance to see a huge statue of Mother Mary and the stations of the cross. it was a rather amazing to see the statues. It is a big and detailed and the view was simply fantastic! Hopefully you'll be able to see it in the pictures that will be posted. Ohoh, and the wind there is simply AWESOME! It was so so so strong and so so so shiok;) We were all really reluctant to leave, hahaha! And then, we went to walk by the sea. Personally, I enjoyed that experience. The constant strong winds and the sounds of the waves crashing, really calmed me down. And I sort of used that time to reflect on whatever that has happened in the mission trip and all of the new experiences that I've gained and the people I've met. I must say I am really grateful for all of this. For this opportunity that God has given me. After some time there, we then made our way to Elvi Amusement Center. It is a shopping mall/ arcade place. It is superr awesome! All of us tired ourselves with shopping, bumper cars, Zorb ball and the other various arcade games. I am pretty sure all of us had a good time here. [yeahh, here. I'm posting from some internet cafe on the ground floor ;) hahas ]
Well, time's up, got to go! :D
- Stephanie Jane Sukarti
Hello :) so, today, we spent the whole day sight-seeing and shopping! Hahaha! First, we went to the Cagsawa ruins. An eruption by Mayon Volcano in 1814 buried an entire town in this area, and what remains is the belfry of the Cagsawa Church to remind people that once upon a time, this was a thriving community. We went in despite the rain. It is really an amazing place to be in :) After that, we went to the mall to shop and have our lunch. At 2pm, we departed and made our way to the St Gregory Cathedral. The place itself was breath-taking! And every single thing there was really significant and interesting. We had the chance to look around and have a time of prayer there too. We then departed for the Church of Guadalupe. We got the chance to see a huge statue of Mother Mary and the stations of the cross. it was a rather amazing to see the statues. It is a big and detailed and the view was simply fantastic! Hopefully you'll be able to see it in the pictures that will be posted. Ohoh, and the wind there is simply AWESOME! It was so so so strong and so so so shiok;) We were all really reluctant to leave, hahaha! And then, we went to walk by the sea. Personally, I enjoyed that experience. The constant strong winds and the sounds of the waves crashing, really calmed me down. And I sort of used that time to reflect on whatever that has happened in the mission trip and all of the new experiences that I've gained and the people I've met. I must say I am really grateful for all of this. For this opportunity that God has given me. After some time there, we then made our way to Elvi Amusement Center. It is a shopping mall/ arcade place. It is superr awesome! All of us tired ourselves with shopping, bumper cars, Zorb ball and the other various arcade games. I am pretty sure all of us had a good time here. [yeahh, here. I'm posting from some internet cafe on the ground floor ;) hahas ]
Well, time's up, got to go! :D
- Stephanie Jane Sukarti
MISSION BULLETIN No 8: UPDATE AT 6AM
01) The mission team wound down its activities last night with a farewell dinner in honour of its volunteers and hosts. Today, they will make preparations for their departure for Singapore tomorrow.
02) Sr Angie leaves this afternoon for Singapore. She will arrive at 11.55pm via the Budget Terminal.
03) Two Bicol provinces have been placed under Storm Signal Number 1 - Sorsogon and Masbate provinces which are both adjacent to Albay (where our Mission is located) at 10pm last night due to typhoon Sendong. Signal Number 1 means winds of 45-60kph are expected within 36 hours. Majority of Mindanao island have been placed on Signal Number 2, meaning winds of 61-100kph are expected within 36 hours.
As at 4am today, tropical storm “Sendong” (international code: Washi) has slowed down from 30kph to 24 kph, but maintained its winds of 65kph near the centre and gustiness up to 80kph while remaining on its west-northwesterly course.
Thus far, Cebu Pacific Air has not announced any cancellation of its domestic flights within the affected regions of East Visayas and Northern Mindanao. We are now expecting that flights to Manila from Legazpi over the weekend will not be affected, and international flights out of Manila to the south and southeast (including Singapore) are not likely to be affected by the typhoon.
Sendong is expected to make landfall over Surigao del Sur this evening.
While flights out of Legaspi to Manila on Saturday are not expected to be affected by Sendong, there are concerns that flights out of Manila bound for the the southern regions, including Singapore, may be affected. We will continue to monitor the situation and inform you of developments.
But rest assured that given Sendong's path, the mission team is safe in Bicol. Let's continue to pray for the group's safety and well-being.
-Mission HQ, Singapore
02) Sr Angie leaves this afternoon for Singapore. She will arrive at 11.55pm via the Budget Terminal.
03) Two Bicol provinces have been placed under Storm Signal Number 1 - Sorsogon and Masbate provinces which are both adjacent to Albay (where our Mission is located) at 10pm last night due to typhoon Sendong. Signal Number 1 means winds of 45-60kph are expected within 36 hours. Majority of Mindanao island have been placed on Signal Number 2, meaning winds of 61-100kph are expected within 36 hours.
As at 4am today, tropical storm “Sendong” (international code: Washi) has slowed down from 30kph to 24 kph, but maintained its winds of 65kph near the centre and gustiness up to 80kph while remaining on its west-northwesterly course.
Thus far, Cebu Pacific Air has not announced any cancellation of its domestic flights within the affected regions of East Visayas and Northern Mindanao. We are now expecting that flights to Manila from Legazpi over the weekend will not be affected, and international flights out of Manila to the south and southeast (including Singapore) are not likely to be affected by the typhoon.
Sendong is expected to make landfall over Surigao del Sur this evening. While flights out of Legaspi to Manila on Saturday are not expected to be affected by Sendong, there are concerns that flights out of Manila bound for the the southern regions, including Singapore, may be affected. We will continue to monitor the situation and inform you of developments.
But rest assured that given Sendong's path, the mission team is safe in Bicol. Let's continue to pray for the group's safety and well-being.
-Mission HQ, Singapore
Thursday 15 December 2011
SPECIAL BULLETIN: UPDATE AT 11:45PM
The mission team winds down its activities by tonight, and will be preparing tomorrow for their return to Singapore on Saturday.
But as even as they begin their winding down, two Bicol provinces have been placed under Storm Signal Number 1 - Sorsogon and Masbate provinces which are both adjacent to Albay (where our Mission is located) at 10pm today. Signal Nmber 1 means winds of 45-60kph are expected with 36 hours. Majority of Mindanao island have been placed on Singal Number 2, meaning winds of 61-100kph are expected within 36 hours.
As of 4 p.m. today, Mission HQ was informed that Sendong was estimated at 610 km east southeast of Hinatuan in Surigao del Sur, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kph near the center and with gustiness of up to 80 kph. The immediate effect on Bicol is mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in parts of the peninsula.
Sendong was forecast to move west northwest at 30 kph and is expected to make landfall over Surigao del Sur sometime tomorrow afternoon. By Saturday afternoon it is expected to be 220 km east northeast of Puerto Princesa City on Palawan island. This forecast remains the same.
While flights out of Legaspi to Manila on Saturday are not expected to be affected by Sendong, there are concerns that flights out of Manila bound for the the southern regions, including Singapore, may be affected. We will continue to monitor the situation and inform you of developments.
But rest assured that given Sendong's path, the mission team is safe in Bicol. Let's continue to pray for the group's safety and well-being.
-Mission HQ, Singapore
But as even as they begin their winding down, two Bicol provinces have been placed under Storm Signal Number 1 - Sorsogon and Masbate provinces which are both adjacent to Albay (where our Mission is located) at 10pm today. Signal Nmber 1 means winds of 45-60kph are expected with 36 hours. Majority of Mindanao island have been placed on Singal Number 2, meaning winds of 61-100kph are expected within 36 hours.
As of 4 p.m. today, Mission HQ was informed that Sendong was estimated at 610 km east southeast of Hinatuan in Surigao del Sur, packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kph near the center and with gustiness of up to 80 kph. The immediate effect on Bicol is mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in parts of the peninsula.
Sendong was forecast to move west northwest at 30 kph and is expected to make landfall over Surigao del Sur sometime tomorrow afternoon. By Saturday afternoon it is expected to be 220 km east northeast of Puerto Princesa City on Palawan island. This forecast remains the same.While flights out of Legaspi to Manila on Saturday are not expected to be affected by Sendong, there are concerns that flights out of Manila bound for the the southern regions, including Singapore, may be affected. We will continue to monitor the situation and inform you of developments.
But rest assured that given Sendong's path, the mission team is safe in Bicol. Let's continue to pray for the group's safety and well-being.
-Mission HQ, Singapore
DAY 8: DWELLS GOD, ETERNAL GOD
Day 8 Post No. 3
Today was a day for all of us to have Christmas parties at the various schools. The Samaritans + the guys from Kings went to Masarawag Elementary School (AGAIN! YAY!!! :D ) while The Maccabees + the girls from Kings went to Guinobatan West Central School.
In the afternoon, villagers from Malabnig came to our hostel to collect some goods. We welcomed them and personally handed them gifts. My group performed various songs for them, our closing performace (which we spent a lot of time planning and practicing. So proud of the Samaritans for putting in so much effort to come up with lyrics for the song.) We had a wonderful day with our CRAZY GROUP who loves to sing. :D Our mission trip is coming to an end and we will miss everyone, the children in the schools and our fellow team members :D
Now that the mission trip is nearing to an end, we are all starting to not want the mission trip end earlier! Thus, we all try to spent our days like it's our last!
Day 8 Post No. 2
From the time we began our mission preparations, we have always told the youth that there will be many surprises in store for them. And that God will manifest himself in many unexpected places, if only they would stop, look, and listen.
Dwells God! Eternal God! Self-giving God! All Powerful love!
The youth stopped, looked, and listened. These words rang true in the mission team as the teeners spontaneously reacted to the needs of a rabies-stricken boy the Kings encountered yesterday deep in the wilderness of Dona Mercedes. At a cell meeting last night, the L9 youths dug deep into their pockets and raised 13,800 pesos among themselves for the emaciated boy. Even as I write this, a team comprising spiritual director Sr Grace, Maccabees leader Stephanie Sukarti, logistics IC Vanessa Tay, and team nurse Gina Dizon are motoring back to Dona Mercedes to hand the money over to the boy and his family. We hope and pray this small amount, which came out of a spontaneous gesture of love from our L9 teens, would help alleviate the boy's suffering, and afford him and his family some joy of Christmas. Most importantly though, our teens' show of concern, their smiles and presence, will bring the light of Christ to the boy and his family. This is the essence of Mission.
These are the surprises that measure the rate of spritual growth of the teens involved in this mission trip. This singular act of mercy has made organising this mission trip really worth it. Boys and girls of this mission trip - indeed in you Dwells God.
Meanwhile, a team of mission trippers made their way to MORMS to present our gifts of spectaclest to selected reenagers from that school who needed spectacles but were too poor to buy. Our teens handed over 9 sets, with the rest being handed over to teh recipient by the school nurse on Tuesday next week.
- Mission HQ, Singapore
DAY 8 Post No. 1
This isn't going to be too heavy a day for the mission trippers as they wind down their activities. They will begin their final day of mission work with Christmas parties in Guinobatan East, Guinobatan West and Masarawag Elementary Schools in the morning. In the afternoon, they will host selected folk from Malabnig village who will come down to the hostel to collect their relief goods and be entertained by the teens. Simultaneously, a group of three teens will make their way to MORMS (secondary school) to present spectacles to selected students.
Later in the evening, the mission trippers will give a thank you dinner in honor of the volunteers, supporters and the hosts.
They will be on a rest and recreation program tomorrow, before making preparations for departure on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a tropical depression is scheduled to enter the Philippine area of responsibility from the general direction of Palau island sometime today, which will bring more rain to Bicol. The depression may or may not escalate into a typhoon; it all depends on the prevailing atmospheric conditions. While no weather advisory has been given by the authorities, all mission trippers are reminded to exercise caution in all they do.
We hope the bloggers can give us more updates on what they did on Day 7. And we hope they can give us more details on their Wednesday encounter with a youth who is stricken with rabies, fo whom they are now raising funds among themselves to help him get the required medication.
- Mission HQ, Singapore
Today was a day for all of us to have Christmas parties at the various schools. The Samaritans + the guys from Kings went to Masarawag Elementary School (AGAIN! YAY!!! :D ) while The Maccabees + the girls from Kings went to Guinobatan West Central School.
SAMARITANS REPORT:
We were all SUPER HAPPY to be back at Masarawag Elementary School! The children there were also extremely excited to see us again. We started off by playing a game which required them to pass the fruit loop cereal using a toothpick. (like what we played during church camp). The children were having a lot of fun as they tried to balance the fruit loop on their toothpick. WE WERE ALSO HAVING A LOT OF FUN PASSING THE FRUIT LOOPS TO EACH OTHER! (: This time, we started off pretty well and were not as shy as the first time, we didnt hesitate to talk to the children. Two girls even gave me a christmas present. (AWWW SO SWEET...) We also played Splat, Duck duck goose and Tangled. We ate some snacks and took some pictures. And then we headed back. WE REALLY DIDNT WANT TO LEAVE! We wanted to stay there the entire day!!! :( On the bus back, as usual, THE SAMARITANS, were singing AGAIN.In the afternoon, villagers from Malabnig came to our hostel to collect some goods. We welcomed them and personally handed them gifts. My group performed various songs for them, our closing performace (which we spent a lot of time planning and practicing. So proud of the Samaritans for putting in so much effort to come up with lyrics for the song.) We had a wonderful day with our CRAZY GROUP who loves to sing. :D Our mission trip is coming to an end and we will miss everyone, the children in the schools and our fellow team members :D
MACCABEES REPORT:
WE WENT BACK TO GUINOBATAN WEST CENTRAL SCHOOL AGAIN! Amazingly, the kids there still remembered us (ESPECIALLY VANESSA GOH'S FAN CLUB)! We had a Christmas party there and it was really fun! The kids sang Christmas songs (like O Holy Night) to us and put up a skit about how Jesus was born! There was also a group of 5 kids who danced to Jingle Bell Rock and it was really interesting!! At the end, the school principal invited us to dance to Jingle Bell Rock with the kids, even the principal and the teachers joined in!! Then, we went out of the hall for a break. After that, we went to one of the Grade 5's class and entertained them by singing to them What Makes you Beautiful (sang by One Direction) and dancing to Babra Stresein. Then, we went to the hall and went on the stage to dance for the kids. At first, we sang to the kids What Makes You Beautiful (this time without music) and there was this small boy who taught us how to dance to Teach Me How To Duckie!!! After this, we reluctantly left the school and went back to our hostel.. Then, the villagers came and collected the food and gifts that we had for them. We all welcomed them with a big smile on our face! When they settled down in the canteen, the Samaritans sang songs for them and the Kings and Maccabees did a skit (which was REALLY FUNNY even though it wasn't super good)! At the end, we all had our turn of being able to give the villagers food and gift and they were really happy when they all received it!Now that the mission trip is nearing to an end, we are all starting to not want the mission trip end earlier! Thus, we all try to spent our days like it's our last!
Day 8 Post No. 2
From the time we began our mission preparations, we have always told the youth that there will be many surprises in store for them. And that God will manifest himself in many unexpected places, if only they would stop, look, and listen.
Dwells God! Eternal God! Self-giving God! All Powerful love!
The youth stopped, looked, and listened. These words rang true in the mission team as the teeners spontaneously reacted to the needs of a rabies-stricken boy the Kings encountered yesterday deep in the wilderness of Dona Mercedes. At a cell meeting last night, the L9 youths dug deep into their pockets and raised 13,800 pesos among themselves for the emaciated boy. Even as I write this, a team comprising spiritual director Sr Grace, Maccabees leader Stephanie Sukarti, logistics IC Vanessa Tay, and team nurse Gina Dizon are motoring back to Dona Mercedes to hand the money over to the boy and his family. We hope and pray this small amount, which came out of a spontaneous gesture of love from our L9 teens, would help alleviate the boy's suffering, and afford him and his family some joy of Christmas. Most importantly though, our teens' show of concern, their smiles and presence, will bring the light of Christ to the boy and his family. This is the essence of Mission.
These are the surprises that measure the rate of spritual growth of the teens involved in this mission trip. This singular act of mercy has made organising this mission trip really worth it. Boys and girls of this mission trip - indeed in you Dwells God.
Meanwhile, a team of mission trippers made their way to MORMS to present our gifts of spectaclest to selected reenagers from that school who needed spectacles but were too poor to buy. Our teens handed over 9 sets, with the rest being handed over to teh recipient by the school nurse on Tuesday next week.
- Mission HQ, Singapore
DAY 8 Post No. 1
This isn't going to be too heavy a day for the mission trippers as they wind down their activities. They will begin their final day of mission work with Christmas parties in Guinobatan East, Guinobatan West and Masarawag Elementary Schools in the morning. In the afternoon, they will host selected folk from Malabnig village who will come down to the hostel to collect their relief goods and be entertained by the teens. Simultaneously, a group of three teens will make their way to MORMS (secondary school) to present spectacles to selected students.
Later in the evening, the mission trippers will give a thank you dinner in honor of the volunteers, supporters and the hosts.
They will be on a rest and recreation program tomorrow, before making preparations for departure on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a tropical depression is scheduled to enter the Philippine area of responsibility from the general direction of Palau island sometime today, which will bring more rain to Bicol. The depression may or may not escalate into a typhoon; it all depends on the prevailing atmospheric conditions. While no weather advisory has been given by the authorities, all mission trippers are reminded to exercise caution in all they do.
We hope the bloggers can give us more updates on what they did on Day 7. And we hope they can give us more details on their Wednesday encounter with a youth who is stricken with rabies, fo whom they are now raising funds among themselves to help him get the required medication.
- Mission HQ, Singapore
Wednesday 14 December 2011
DAY 7: JOY TO THE MOUNTAINS
Day 7 Post No 3:
KINGS REPORT:
Today, we set off early to Dona Mercedes, where we started by asking the preschool kids to draw what Christmas meant to them. For some of them, Christmas meant having Christmas trees everywhere they went, while for some of them, Christmas meant receiving presents. After that, we proceeded to the field to play games such as Duck, duck, goose and monkey. Although the games were only organised for the preschoolers, other students gradually came to join in. It was really interesting to see them have so much fun and it was a real pleasure for us too! After we had our lunch, we started on trekking. It was a really different experience for all of us, and much more adventurous as compared to teaching the children in the schools. Each of us had to carry a bag which contained some basic necessities to present to the villagers living in the forest. During the trek, some of us met with some accidents like Darrion falling into a swamp and Patricia slipping and falling into the mud. When we arrived at the different houses, we first presented the bags to them and then sang Christmas carols in hope of bringing the Christmas cheer to them. As we visited the different houses, we saw a 14 year old boy who had down syndrome and even a 15 year old boy who was bitten by a dog 3 years ago and was unable to seek medical treatment because of financial difficulties. The boy had forgotten his name, age and everything else and was even deaf. Immediately, we decided as a whole group that we would raise funds so that he could be cured. Overall, Kings really enjoyed the whole experience, and all of us felt that what we did was all worth it.
SAMARITANS REPORT:
We went to the Dona Mercedes Day Care Center. All of us were quite shocked to see the tiny children, as we were all so used to teaching Grade 5 students. So, we found it quite a challenge to play with the kids as we had to play simple games. We also found it very difficult to communicate with them as they could hardly speak English. We taught them simple action songs (Jesus loves me). After which, Darrion, Sharyl, Jolene and Marianne headed to Dona Mercedes Elementary School as they needed more help. After lunch, the entire mission team headed to the various houses to distribute supplies. The journey for us was very tiring, but indeed, we had loads of fun. (THE SAMARITANS ARE CRAZY! INSANE PEOPLE WHO LOVE SINGING!) We sang songs as we trekked through the area. We even sang some Christmas carols for the various households. And we could see that the villagers were all so happy to hear us sing as they smiled and thanked us. The long tiring trek was indeed SUPER MEANINGFUL, as we got to bond, have fun, EXCERCISE & bring joy to the people at Dona Mercedes.
MACCABEES + Girls from KINGS REPORT:
KINGS REPORT:
Today, we set off early to Dona Mercedes, where we started by asking the preschool kids to draw what Christmas meant to them. For some of them, Christmas meant having Christmas trees everywhere they went, while for some of them, Christmas meant receiving presents. After that, we proceeded to the field to play games such as Duck, duck, goose and monkey. Although the games were only organised for the preschoolers, other students gradually came to join in. It was really interesting to see them have so much fun and it was a real pleasure for us too! After we had our lunch, we started on trekking. It was a really different experience for all of us, and much more adventurous as compared to teaching the children in the schools. Each of us had to carry a bag which contained some basic necessities to present to the villagers living in the forest. During the trek, some of us met with some accidents like Darrion falling into a swamp and Patricia slipping and falling into the mud. When we arrived at the different houses, we first presented the bags to them and then sang Christmas carols in hope of bringing the Christmas cheer to them. As we visited the different houses, we saw a 14 year old boy who had down syndrome and even a 15 year old boy who was bitten by a dog 3 years ago and was unable to seek medical treatment because of financial difficulties. The boy had forgotten his name, age and everything else and was even deaf. Immediately, we decided as a whole group that we would raise funds so that he could be cured. Overall, Kings really enjoyed the whole experience, and all of us felt that what we did was all worth it.
SAMARITANS REPORT:
We went to the Dona Mercedes Day Care Center. All of us were quite shocked to see the tiny children, as we were all so used to teaching Grade 5 students. So, we found it quite a challenge to play with the kids as we had to play simple games. We also found it very difficult to communicate with them as they could hardly speak English. We taught them simple action songs (Jesus loves me). After which, Darrion, Sharyl, Jolene and Marianne headed to Dona Mercedes Elementary School as they needed more help. After lunch, the entire mission team headed to the various houses to distribute supplies. The journey for us was very tiring, but indeed, we had loads of fun. (THE SAMARITANS ARE CRAZY! INSANE PEOPLE WHO LOVE SINGING!) We sang songs as we trekked through the area. We even sang some Christmas carols for the various households. And we could see that the villagers were all so happy to hear us sing as they smiled and thanked us. The long tiring trek was indeed SUPER MEANINGFUL, as we got to bond, have fun, EXCERCISE & bring joy to the people at Dona Mercedes.
MACCABEES + Girls from KINGS REPORT:
At first, when we reached Dona Mercedes, we went to Dona Mercedes Elementary School and Pre-School. We were terrified, because we were only used to teaching Grade 5s. So we decided to play games with the kids (which was quite unsuccessful too). Eventually, due to the hot weather, we decided to go back to the class. We had a difficult time trying to teach because they didn't speak English. We decided to take the coloured papers we brought and fold paper cranes and paper airplanes for them. Somehow, we believed that God was with us when we were in the class and thus, we managed to pull through and accomplish our mission to Dona Mercedes Elementary School. After this, we had lunch. Then we went to trek to deliver bags of food to the houses in the forest. On a last minute decision, we decided to fold paper cranes for the families as a gift (AND KIRSTEN WAS SUPER HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD THAT DECISION). Even though they weren't very welcoming at first, they still welcomed us in the end and accepted our gifts with gratitude. The smiles that we saw on their faces were priceless and we felt a sense of accomplishment after completing our trek.
Day 7 Post No 2:
Day 7 Post No 1:
The teens are unable to post tonight due to fatigue, so we will just wait for their postings on another occasion. But the day passed without any incident, save for Christian Sih being confined at quarters for the day as he wasn't feeling well, and Patrick Kok who had a nosebleed of sorts in the morning and had to skip the trek. Nevertheless, both boys are fine.
The day passed without incident, with our teenagers interacting the pre-school and kindergarten kids at Dona Mercedes and going out on a trek to the interior. Details are pretty sketchy at this point, support group leader Anthony Tann, who was in the 2008 mission trip taht visited Dona Mercedes, was recognised by several villagers. A former volunteer from 2008, Jhonel who was a recipient of our scholarship and a guitar while a student at the Republic College, also recognised the group and was present at Dona Mercedes. He is now a freshman at BUCAF.
These are the updates we can provide at this point.
-From Mission HQ, Singapore
Day 7 Post No 1:
01) Weather in Bicol is expected to be fair to cloudy, with scattered rainshowers in the afternoon. But our mission will be blessed with clear skies in the morning and shletered by the clouds in the afternoon. Temperature range during teh day is between 24-28 Celsius.
02) Edward Lo and Teresa Leong are up and about and will be in the travelling party to Guinobatan's uplands in the morning and participate in the outreach activities there. But Christian Sih felt a little bit out of sorts and so was confined to hostel for the day. First time ever that the Mission Team is near its full strength (minus Uncle Al and Celestine) ever.
03) It's Dona Mercedes today up in the mountains of Guinobatan, where the teens will be encountering pre-school and kindergarten kids in the morning. In the afternoon, they will also do a trekking outreach into the interior and surrounding remote areas to distribute relief supplies and spread Christmas cheer to the villagers.
04) More updates from the bloggers tonight.
- From Mission HQ, Singapore
Tuesday 13 December 2011
DAY 6: O HAPPY DAY
Day 6 Post No. 4: A Choir Session, A Huge Campus, And Autographs
Choir Session
Today Mariana and I went to teach Guinobatan East Elementary School's choir. We started off the session doing various warmups. Although it was difficult to teach the warmups, Mariana thought of an idea. She asked them to sing after we sang once. Thereafter, we taught them two songs; Song of Mary and We Will Rise Again. The children were fast learners! They were also really cooperative and willing to learn :) When we had difficult notes to sing, they tried their best to hit them and learnt from their mistakes and improved upon them. When they had finished learning the songs, we all sang the songs together and it touched our hearts. It sounded like a choir of angels. We will remember this experience forever. God truly inspired and reminded us that children are a gift from him. - Maria Chuah
Samaritans + Guys in Kings:
Today we went to Camalig North. The campus was super duper huge! Like yesterday, we taught the Grade Fives and started off with Captain's Ball, Soccer and Sock Thief. After that, due to the hot sun, we decided to return them to their respective classes and have lessons with them, playing games like hangman, charades, origami, action songs and trying but failing at teaching them Math. The children were all extremely enthusiastic and were rushing to answer the questions. We found it quite interesting that when we asked if they understood what we had just taught they would smile, nod and chorus yes when they in fact had no idea what we just said. At 2 o'clock, we met outdoors to play games again. We played Jacob's Ladder, Splat, Dog and Bone, and LAO YING ZHUA XIAO JI (REFUSE TO TRANSLATE). When it was time to leave, we took pictures with all of us saying "ah ah siol", complete with hand and head actions. Then the children rushed to get their notebooks and pens to get our autographs (we each signed at least 50) and some of us were even asked to sign shirts, hands and cheeks! We were all really sad to leave (even though we were dead tired) and we crashed out in the bus. - MaryAnne Quek
Maccabees + Girls in Kings:
Today we went to Quirangay Elementary School :D When we reached the area, we had to walk to the school as There was no way to drive into the mission area. It was a little tiring as we had to carry boxes of water for our consumption. Fortunately we had help to carry our cans of paint that we bought this morning. We were split into 2 groups: 1 group had to do painting while the other group had to teach a class of 45 Grade 5 kids. Keefe, Jane and Kirsten were in charge of taking care of the young kids, while the rest, including Patrick, Vanessa Goh, Rachel, Patricia, Ann-Marie, Beverly and Chadwyn were in charge of painting. Teresa and Edward from Maccabees were down with fever and unfortunately were not able to join us. :(
Teaching group:
We started the day by playing some games with the kids including Duck Duck Goose, and Monkey. Then we had a short break, after which we taught the kids how to make their own bookmarks. We told the kids to write a simple message to their best friend or anybody close to them. However, the kids were so in love with Jane, many of them gave their bookmarks to her!!! They wrote things that touched her so deeply, and it was a wonderful experience for her. After lunch, we told them to draw what Jesus means to them. We had very interesting responses. Some said that Jesus was like their house, keeping them safe and protected. Some also said that God was like a volcano, almighty and powerful!We then taught them a little bit of math and sang some songs, before calling it a day. It was an amazing experience for us. We were really surprised at how hospitable the kids were. They kept writing "Thank you visitors" on the blackboard for us and we thought they were really sweet. Even though they were really shy, they showed their appreciation by listening to what we have to share and taking part whole-heartedly in our activities. The smiles on their faces gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling that we will never forget. We were really happy that we were able to bring joy and smiles to the little kids of Quiranay Elementary School. :D - Keefe Oei
Painting group:
We started by coating the walls with the base white paint, we had to scrape things off the wall to make it smooth enough to be painted on. Our lead artist, VANESSA GOH, found that the windows were bigger than she expected so we had to change some of the plans. Once we had settled the designs the real painting began as we mixed the toners with the white base to get a sky blue. I felt full of energy as it was my first day of mission work as I was sick since Friday. We then painted in shifts so that some of us could go and enjoy lunch while Jane and Keefe kept the children busy. Lunch was a home cooked 3 dish meal that replenished our energy and made us ready for the rest of the day. After lunch we continued to paint and there was not much problems. The children were really helpful as they used their break to help us paint. I was touched as we were supposed to be helping them but we still needed some help from them. As the final brush was swept across our well painted wall, the children were dismissed from their daily lessons and they performed a dance to welcome us for all our trouble. I felt that all the effort was worth while as we watched them dance happily. At the end of the day we received souvenirs from them as we sadly climbed back onto the bus, our tiredness catching up to us as we drove home. - Patrick Kok
Day 6 Post No. 3: Some Advance Party Pictures from Day 1-3
Departure formalities, 7 Dec 2011. Family and friends sent us off at the Budget Terminal. The 15 man advance party was on their way.
We set foot on Bicol via Legaspi airport's tarmac, after deplaning from the Cebu Pacific plane. Travel time from Singapore to Manila was about 3 hrs 05 minutes, while our the delayed Manila-Legazpi leg took just about 55 minutes.
After collecting our luggage, we had a quick photo op just outside the arrival hall where our 17-seater coaster was waiting to take us to Guinobatan.
Shopping for materials we're going to use for our sessions during the mission trip.
The following picture shows that the Advance Party has full of untapped talents.
Walking to breakfast every morning was always something to look forward to.
On the bus during our trip to Tagaytay on Saturday.
Early steps at Tagaytay.
More pictures next time!
Day 6 Post No. 2: Arising from too much waiting
If you stop hoping you will stop waiting. If you stop being patient you will stop waiting. If you stop waiting because of impatience and hopelessness, you then forfeit your future. (Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.)
Day 6 Post No. 1: General Reports
Fair weather forecast for Bicol today, with cloudy skies in the afternoon with scattered showers but clearing up at night at most areas, allowing the youths a view of the full moon against the background of a million stars.
03) Maria Chuah and Mariana Chong will be detached from their SAMARITAN group today to begin their music ministry at Guinobatan East. They will teach the school choir to sing "We will Rise Again"- a powerful song of hope and faith, and "Hail Mary". The choir will sing the songs during their school Christmas concert sometime this week.
From Mission HQ, Al signing off.
Choir Session
Today Mariana and I went to teach Guinobatan East Elementary School's choir. We started off the session doing various warmups. Although it was difficult to teach the warmups, Mariana thought of an idea. She asked them to sing after we sang once. Thereafter, we taught them two songs; Song of Mary and We Will Rise Again. The children were fast learners! They were also really cooperative and willing to learn :) When we had difficult notes to sing, they tried their best to hit them and learnt from their mistakes and improved upon them. When they had finished learning the songs, we all sang the songs together and it touched our hearts. It sounded like a choir of angels. We will remember this experience forever. God truly inspired and reminded us that children are a gift from him. - Maria Chuah
Samaritans + Guys in Kings:
Today we went to Camalig North. The campus was super duper huge! Like yesterday, we taught the Grade Fives and started off with Captain's Ball, Soccer and Sock Thief. After that, due to the hot sun, we decided to return them to their respective classes and have lessons with them, playing games like hangman, charades, origami, action songs and trying but failing at teaching them Math. The children were all extremely enthusiastic and were rushing to answer the questions. We found it quite interesting that when we asked if they understood what we had just taught they would smile, nod and chorus yes when they in fact had no idea what we just said. At 2 o'clock, we met outdoors to play games again. We played Jacob's Ladder, Splat, Dog and Bone, and LAO YING ZHUA XIAO JI (REFUSE TO TRANSLATE). When it was time to leave, we took pictures with all of us saying "ah ah siol", complete with hand and head actions. Then the children rushed to get their notebooks and pens to get our autographs (we each signed at least 50) and some of us were even asked to sign shirts, hands and cheeks! We were all really sad to leave (even though we were dead tired) and we crashed out in the bus. - MaryAnne Quek
Maccabees + Girls in Kings:
Today we went to Quirangay Elementary School :D When we reached the area, we had to walk to the school as There was no way to drive into the mission area. It was a little tiring as we had to carry boxes of water for our consumption. Fortunately we had help to carry our cans of paint that we bought this morning. We were split into 2 groups: 1 group had to do painting while the other group had to teach a class of 45 Grade 5 kids. Keefe, Jane and Kirsten were in charge of taking care of the young kids, while the rest, including Patrick, Vanessa Goh, Rachel, Patricia, Ann-Marie, Beverly and Chadwyn were in charge of painting. Teresa and Edward from Maccabees were down with fever and unfortunately were not able to join us. :(
Teaching group:
We started the day by playing some games with the kids including Duck Duck Goose, and Monkey. Then we had a short break, after which we taught the kids how to make their own bookmarks. We told the kids to write a simple message to their best friend or anybody close to them. However, the kids were so in love with Jane, many of them gave their bookmarks to her!!! They wrote things that touched her so deeply, and it was a wonderful experience for her. After lunch, we told them to draw what Jesus means to them. We had very interesting responses. Some said that Jesus was like their house, keeping them safe and protected. Some also said that God was like a volcano, almighty and powerful!We then taught them a little bit of math and sang some songs, before calling it a day. It was an amazing experience for us. We were really surprised at how hospitable the kids were. They kept writing "Thank you visitors" on the blackboard for us and we thought they were really sweet. Even though they were really shy, they showed their appreciation by listening to what we have to share and taking part whole-heartedly in our activities. The smiles on their faces gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling that we will never forget. We were really happy that we were able to bring joy and smiles to the little kids of Quiranay Elementary School. :D - Keefe Oei
Painting group:
We started by coating the walls with the base white paint, we had to scrape things off the wall to make it smooth enough to be painted on. Our lead artist, VANESSA GOH, found that the windows were bigger than she expected so we had to change some of the plans. Once we had settled the designs the real painting began as we mixed the toners with the white base to get a sky blue. I felt full of energy as it was my first day of mission work as I was sick since Friday. We then painted in shifts so that some of us could go and enjoy lunch while Jane and Keefe kept the children busy. Lunch was a home cooked 3 dish meal that replenished our energy and made us ready for the rest of the day. After lunch we continued to paint and there was not much problems. The children were really helpful as they used their break to help us paint. I was touched as we were supposed to be helping them but we still needed some help from them. As the final brush was swept across our well painted wall, the children were dismissed from their daily lessons and they performed a dance to welcome us for all our trouble. I felt that all the effort was worth while as we watched them dance happily. At the end of the day we received souvenirs from them as we sadly climbed back onto the bus, our tiredness catching up to us as we drove home. - Patrick Kok
Day 6 Post No. 3: Some Advance Party Pictures from Day 1-3
After collecting our luggage, we had a quick photo op just outside the arrival hall where our 17-seater coaster was waiting to take us to Guinobatan.
The following picture shows that the Advance Party has full of untapped talents.
On the bus during our trip to Tagaytay on Saturday.
More pictures next time!
Day 6 Post No. 2: Arising from too much waiting
Everyday during the mission trip, a fair amount of time is spent on waiting. Advance Party waited ror Main Body on Day 2. Main Body waited it out in Manila on Day 2 before catching a flight to Legazpi on Day 3. Transport arrangements had been characterised by extensive waiting, Waiting for the bus, waiting for everyone to come down for breakfast, waiting for the food to arrive, etc etc.
Today I heard you all waited for the bus again.
Indeed, waiting has been given a bad rap. No one likes to wait and it appears to be an annoyance. This is why very few people understand it. In the Bible the word most often translated “wait” in the sense of waiting on the Lord is the Hebrew qavah. Qavah means (1) “to bind together like a twisted rope” (2) “look patiently,” and (3) “hope, expect, look eagerly.”
According to the Hebrew definition, waiting is like wound up strands of rope. Those strands are patience and hope. Waiting must have the elements of patience and hope otherwise the integrity of it's meaning is compromised and the experience is invalidated.
Patience is the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. It is the willingness to suppress restlessness when confronted with delay.
Galatians 5:22 says that one of the nine fruits of the Spirit is "long suffering" and the Greek translation defines it as patience. Ever wonder why God takes so long to come through for you? It is because patience can only be developed during long and excruciating periods of delay. (James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work...)
I realize that this is easier said than done and for most of us it is outright impossible. But don't worry, patience cries out for resting in him so that he may help carry the load. (Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him; Mat 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.)
In summary, patience must be coupled with hope for the waiting experience to be valid and qualified. Waiting brings us full circle into the arms of God because it means that we must rest in him to obtain patience to wait and we must trust in him to obtain the hope to wait.
Be patient and don't quit. Have hope and don't doubt. The wait will eventually get you out.
Missing you all,
Uncle Al
Fair weather forecast for Bicol today, with cloudy skies in the afternoon with scattered showers but clearing up at night at most areas, allowing the youths a view of the full moon against the background of a million stars.
- Today: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
- Tonight: Scattered thunderstorms. Low 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
03) Maria Chuah and Mariana Chong will be detached from their SAMARITAN group today to begin their music ministry at Guinobatan East. They will teach the school choir to sing "We will Rise Again"- a powerful song of hope and faith, and "Hail Mary". The choir will sing the songs during their school Christmas concert sometime this week.
(04) Cecilia Wang, Patrick Kok and Kevan Mark Gan have recovered from their medical condition and will participate in today's activities. All are rejoining their respective groups today. While Cecilia will join the Quirangay trek, Patrick and Kevan will have indoor duties - teaching. Theresa Leong and Edward Lo are having slight fever (37.6 celsius). Both will be well-looked after by the tender hands of Auntie Lucy Goh.
From Mission HQ, Al signing off.
Monday 12 December 2011
5th DAY IN BICOL
Its officially the half way mark of our mission. So far, we've accomplished many things. Today, we were split into our different groups, Samaritans, Kings, Maccabees. We were assigned to our different schools.
UPDATE FROM THE SAMARITANS:
Masarawag is actually just about 10 minute's commute from our hostel, but the route we took was a circuitous one, avoiding the areas that were inundated by heavy flooding. It was where Uncle Al and Celestine said their goodbyes to us before they made their way to Legaspi airport. Butt not before presenting teh officer in charge with a bass drum and a quadruple drum set for their drum and lyre corps. The OIC of the school, Mrs Bosque, was in tears when she received the gifts - tears of joy and gratitude that were a priceless affirmation to our mission. She said: "On behalf of the children of Masarawag, I thank you for this beautiful gift of music and yourserlves. May God bless all of you!"
Our entire time at Masarawag Elementary School has been an AWESOME one. (: We spent the whole day with the students there, teaching them and playing games with them. The children there were all very friendly and welcoming. As we toured the school, all the children were so excited and happy to see us and were frantically waving at us. There were 3 Grade 5 classes that we were in charge of, so we split our groups into pairs. This was quite a challenge for us as we were not prepared to conduct our lessons with ONLY 2 PEOPLE. We started off with ice breakers, playing captain's ball & sock thief. After which, we proceeded to the classrooms and conducted our lessons. For my class, we taught them how to fold origami hearts, made them form sentences, create stories and played hangman. My partner, Christian, and I were REALLY IMPRESSED by their English. We thought that communicating with them might be a little difficult as English was not their first subject. However, the children at Masarawag were VERY GOOD in English and could easily guess the words of our hangman game. After all these activities were carried out, it was already quite late and thus we ended off with a mass game of JACOB'S LADDER (: all the students were super excited and energetic (it seemed like they have an endless supply of energy!!!). We summed up everything with a little praise and worship (action songs) as we said our final goodbyes (we finally gave them our gifts, the rosaries, which we had painstakingly tied with our hands and sweat). We were all reluctant to leave Masarawag Elementary School. This was an AMAZING experience for all of us. Being able to make friends with the students, bond with our group members and were also able to experience a little of what their life was like. We saw how the children there were not afraid of the usual worms and insects. While all of us were freaking out over a giant millipede, the boys in the school bravely picked it up with their BARE HANDS and threw it at the girls!!! EEEKKK!!! (SO EVIL!!!) All in all, it was a VERY FUN DAY at Masarawag Elementary School, and we can't wait to return to the school for the upcoming Christmas Party (:
MACCABEES: heyy :) so, today, we went to Guinobatan West Central School to spend time with the primary 5 kids. Lucky for us, the school was just a 5 min walk away XD YAY! We were greeted by the school's friendly principal and were told by him that there was about 200 students(?!). So, we decided to split them into two sections, one before and one after lunch. We were at the school early, so we went into Grade 1 and grade 2 classrooms, just to say HI, sing songs and give them delicious SWEETS!! When the kids saw us, they were SOOOOOOOOOO FRIENDLY AND HIGH! :) For the first section, we got them to write them to write them a story about Christmas. They then have to perform their story using sock puppets or acting it out. The kids were REALLY AWESOME! They did everything in like 2 hours! :DDD Some of the groups had really interesting stories and AWESOME (& FUNNY) costumes. One chubby, adorable kid took one of our scrap cloth (which was actually a LONG SKIRT) and wore it as a dress! He also took a strip of purple scrap cloth and wore it like a headband! Apparently, he was supposed to be Joseph in his group's skit. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :DDD Then, after the sock puppets session ended, we sang songs with them to end off such a wonderful session with such ENERGETIC kids! After this session ended, we were all swarmed by MOST OF THE KIDS, asking us for our autographs! They even asked us for our contact numbers and Facebook accounts! :O HAHAs! Furthermore, our dear Vanessa Goh just got a new little boyfriend during this session!! Their convo:
Kim: (very happy) Oh I'm Grade 6 next year. -wiggle eyebrows-
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It was soooooo hilarious! CUTE MUCH! XD
After lunch, we had our second session. We taught them how to fold paper cranes :) but before they folded it, we got them to write a message inside to whoever they want. It was quite tough to teach them as this batch was weaker in English and were rather distracted and stuff. Despite that obstacle, we still managed to teach them and they managed to complete their awesome cranes. After that, we asked them to do a skit based on the title 'Christmas'. However, there were quite a few who could not speak or write in English, so they sang instead. They sang Christmas and Tagalog songs. (Most of the Tagalog songs were about love... wow...) Some were really brave and got up on stage to do a solo. Among them was this boy, he was super cute and sang with so much power, so much emotion (with the that facial expression and body language). It was so cool :D Like with the previous session, we ended off with some singing and action songs ;)
On behalf of the people who are not feeling well and stayed behind:
UPDATE FROM THE SAMARITANS:
Masarawag is actually just about 10 minute's commute from our hostel, but the route we took was a circuitous one, avoiding the areas that were inundated by heavy flooding. It was where Uncle Al and Celestine said their goodbyes to us before they made their way to Legaspi airport. Butt not before presenting teh officer in charge with a bass drum and a quadruple drum set for their drum and lyre corps. The OIC of the school, Mrs Bosque, was in tears when she received the gifts - tears of joy and gratitude that were a priceless affirmation to our mission. She said: "On behalf of the children of Masarawag, I thank you for this beautiful gift of music and yourserlves. May God bless all of you!"
Our entire time at Masarawag Elementary School has been an AWESOME one. (: We spent the whole day with the students there, teaching them and playing games with them. The children there were all very friendly and welcoming. As we toured the school, all the children were so excited and happy to see us and were frantically waving at us. There were 3 Grade 5 classes that we were in charge of, so we split our groups into pairs. This was quite a challenge for us as we were not prepared to conduct our lessons with ONLY 2 PEOPLE. We started off with ice breakers, playing captain's ball & sock thief. After which, we proceeded to the classrooms and conducted our lessons. For my class, we taught them how to fold origami hearts, made them form sentences, create stories and played hangman. My partner, Christian, and I were REALLY IMPRESSED by their English. We thought that communicating with them might be a little difficult as English was not their first subject. However, the children at Masarawag were VERY GOOD in English and could easily guess the words of our hangman game. After all these activities were carried out, it was already quite late and thus we ended off with a mass game of JACOB'S LADDER (: all the students were super excited and energetic (it seemed like they have an endless supply of energy!!!). We summed up everything with a little praise and worship (action songs) as we said our final goodbyes (we finally gave them our gifts, the rosaries, which we had painstakingly tied with our hands and sweat). We were all reluctant to leave Masarawag Elementary School. This was an AMAZING experience for all of us. Being able to make friends with the students, bond with our group members and were also able to experience a little of what their life was like. We saw how the children there were not afraid of the usual worms and insects. While all of us were freaking out over a giant millipede, the boys in the school bravely picked it up with their BARE HANDS and threw it at the girls!!! EEEKKK!!! (SO EVIL!!!) All in all, it was a VERY FUN DAY at Masarawag Elementary School, and we can't wait to return to the school for the upcoming Christmas Party (:
MACCABEES: heyy :) so, today, we went to Guinobatan West Central School to spend time with the primary 5 kids. Lucky for us, the school was just a 5 min walk away XD YAY! We were greeted by the school's friendly principal and were told by him that there was about 200 students(?!). So, we decided to split them into two sections, one before and one after lunch. We were at the school early, so we went into Grade 1 and grade 2 classrooms, just to say HI, sing songs and give them delicious SWEETS!! When the kids saw us, they were SOOOOOOOOOO FRIENDLY AND HIGH! :) For the first section, we got them to write them to write them a story about Christmas. They then have to perform their story using sock puppets or acting it out. The kids were REALLY AWESOME! They did everything in like 2 hours! :DDD Some of the groups had really interesting stories and AWESOME (& FUNNY) costumes. One chubby, adorable kid took one of our scrap cloth (which was actually a LONG SKIRT) and wore it as a dress! He also took a strip of purple scrap cloth and wore it like a headband! Apparently, he was supposed to be Joseph in his group's skit. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :DDD Then, after the sock puppets session ended, we sang songs with them to end off such a wonderful session with such ENERGETIC kids! After this session ended, we were all swarmed by MOST OF THE KIDS, asking us for our autographs! They even asked us for our contact numbers and Facebook accounts! :O HAHAs! Furthermore, our dear Vanessa Goh just got a new little boyfriend during this session!! Their convo:
Kim (the little boy): How old are you?
VG: 15...?
Kim: (very happy) Oh I'm Grade 6 next year. -wiggle eyebrows-
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It was soooooo hilarious! CUTE MUCH! XD
After lunch, we had our second session. We taught them how to fold paper cranes :) but before they folded it, we got them to write a message inside to whoever they want. It was quite tough to teach them as this batch was weaker in English and were rather distracted and stuff. Despite that obstacle, we still managed to teach them and they managed to complete their awesome cranes. After that, we asked them to do a skit based on the title 'Christmas'. However, there were quite a few who could not speak or write in English, so they sang instead. They sang Christmas and Tagalog songs. (Most of the Tagalog songs were about love... wow...) Some were really brave and got up on stage to do a solo. Among them was this boy, he was super cute and sang with so much power, so much emotion (with the that facial expression and body language). It was so cool :D Like with the previous session, we ended off with some singing and action songs ;)
All of us really enjoyed ourselves, just by spending time with the kids and looking at them enjoying themselves give us a sense of satisfaction. Like all the preparation and planning we did before really paid off. :) Ohyeah! Vanessa Goh was like a total SUPERSTAR in the school. Some girls, who were from the first session, came in after the second session to look for her and interviewed her for like a good half hour! :D hahaha!
On behalf of the people who are not feeling well and stayed behind:
We are really sad that we missed out on all the fun everyone had with the kids :( For any parents reading this, please don't worry about us! All of us got a lot better today! :) Hopefully we will recover soon to be able to contribute and play our part for the mission team. We pray that the rest of the team remain healthy and strong and HAPPY :)
Thank you all for your prayers for us!
In Guinobatan East, other than the sessions they did (I am sure leader Darrion will give updates in the coming days), the KINGS actually donated a bass drum for the use of their drum and lyre corps. The teacher in charge was so happy and practically hugged Uncle Al when she was told of the bass drum donation.
Updates from Kings...
We had a good start to our day. In the morning, we played captain's ball and Duck Duck Goose with the students. we then proceeded with lessons after lunch, where we taught them how they would hurt Jesus whenever they commited a sin. After that, we taught them how to speak Chinese and even gave them Chinese names. The students then came together for praise and worship. Lastly, to end it off we sang the children's favourite song- Lazy Song by Bruno Mars.
UNCLE AL WRITES... Just arrived from Bicol together with Celestine a few hours ago, and I feel I have to add to this blog. We had a chance to chat while seated at the transit lounge of the Legaspi airport, while seated side by side in the plane, and while waiting out the five hour transit in manila airport. The night before I told her in jest: We were in the same boat yesterday; today we are in the same flight. Really funny. And to think that I am the Mission leader and she was the leader of the youths. But we concluded that God has a special plan for us here in Singapore while supporting the mission.
Already I am missing my beloved group - the Samaritans. At least I managed to be with them this morning all teh way to Masarwag. That was a precious moment for me hugging you all and blessing you all with a God-filled and spirit filled time in Masarawag. That said, I am already missing the entire group; after all the preparations I had with you - be it fund raising, spiritual formation, mission formation, camps etc - it is really sad to be going back. But God dwells in you, and you will be his witnesses in Bicol.
And Vanessa Tay - keep up the good work with the logistics.
And for the rest of the people there - Lucy, Anthony, Sr Grace, Sr Angie, Michael: As I leave stewardship to you, my prayers are with you. We will support the mission trip from here. God bless you all.
In Guinobatan East, other than the sessions they did (I am sure leader Darrion will give updates in the coming days), the KINGS actually donated a bass drum for the use of their drum and lyre corps. The teacher in charge was so happy and practically hugged Uncle Al when she was told of the bass drum donation.
Updates from Kings...
We had a good start to our day. In the morning, we played captain's ball and Duck Duck Goose with the students. we then proceeded with lessons after lunch, where we taught them how they would hurt Jesus whenever they commited a sin. After that, we taught them how to speak Chinese and even gave them Chinese names. The students then came together for praise and worship. Lastly, to end it off we sang the children's favourite song- Lazy Song by Bruno Mars.
UNCLE AL WRITES... Just arrived from Bicol together with Celestine a few hours ago, and I feel I have to add to this blog. We had a chance to chat while seated at the transit lounge of the Legaspi airport, while seated side by side in the plane, and while waiting out the five hour transit in manila airport. The night before I told her in jest: We were in the same boat yesterday; today we are in the same flight. Really funny. And to think that I am the Mission leader and she was the leader of the youths. But we concluded that God has a special plan for us here in Singapore while supporting the mission.
Already I am missing my beloved group - the Samaritans. At least I managed to be with them this morning all teh way to Masarwag. That was a precious moment for me hugging you all and blessing you all with a God-filled and spirit filled time in Masarawag. That said, I am already missing the entire group; after all the preparations I had with you - be it fund raising, spiritual formation, mission formation, camps etc - it is really sad to be going back. But God dwells in you, and you will be his witnesses in Bicol.
And Vanessa Tay - keep up the good work with the logistics.
And for the rest of the people there - Lucy, Anthony, Sr Grace, Sr Angie, Michael: As I leave stewardship to you, my prayers are with you. We will support the mission trip from here. God bless you all.
Sunday 11 December 2011
4th Day: Mass and trekking :)
We had the luxury of waking up late at 7.20 and went for the 9.30 mass (the only English mass). Some of us joined the choir while the rest went to sit with the rest of the congregation. It was an interesting experience for us, as serving mass in the Philippines was a little different from serving mass in Singapore. After mass, we went shopping nearby for foodstuffs and unfortunately Kevan, Darrion and Patrick had to go back to the hostel as they were sick. Before we knew it, Cecilia, and Celestine were also down, so we had to go to Kawakawa with 4 men down (Darrion insisted on going, kudos!).
We went to Kawakawa for a short hour-long hike (with about half of it spent at the obstacle course fooling around midway). Kawakawa is famous for its 14 life-sized stations of the cross, where Jesus's life leadng up to his resurrection were clearly depicted. The "peace and quiet" really helped close off the day's distractions and allowed us to focus on prayer and communicating with God. The breathtaking scenery was also an eye opener since we will never be able to see such landscape in Singapore
Upon going back to the hostel, Patricia soon realised she was sick too. So leaving our dear patients in the care of Aunty Lucy and Sisters Grace and Angie, the rest of us went to play basketball/ monkey/ captains' ball/ random picture-taking. We had loads of fun and got to bond much better as a team :)
Dinner was status quo and we came here to blog as usual.
Even though we had a few people fallng sick today, we managed to learn more about God and became more bonded as a team. To the parents of those in our team that are sick, rest assured that they will be well taken care of by the adults. We as for your prayers so that everyone cn have a speedy recovery and continue on this mission trip.
Cheers,
Mission Team Reporters/ Bloggers
We went to Kawakawa for a short hour-long hike (with about half of it spent at the obstacle course fooling around midway). Kawakawa is famous for its 14 life-sized stations of the cross, where Jesus's life leadng up to his resurrection were clearly depicted. The "peace and quiet" really helped close off the day's distractions and allowed us to focus on prayer and communicating with God. The breathtaking scenery was also an eye opener since we will never be able to see such landscape in Singapore
Upon going back to the hostel, Patricia soon realised she was sick too. So leaving our dear patients in the care of Aunty Lucy and Sisters Grace and Angie, the rest of us went to play basketball/ monkey/ captains' ball/ random picture-taking. We had loads of fun and got to bond much better as a team :)
Dinner was status quo and we came here to blog as usual.
Even though we had a few people fallng sick today, we managed to learn more about God and became more bonded as a team. To the parents of those in our team that are sick, rest assured that they will be well taken care of by the adults. We as for your prayers so that everyone cn have a speedy recovery and continue on this mission trip.
Cheers,
Mission Team Reporters/ Bloggers
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