this and that

Ahhh! I've gotten remiss in my blogging! Oh wait, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've been traveling and then sick for the last month. But persist I will! (Wow, that sounds like Yoda...no, I'm not a Star Wars fan, honest)
Less than 24 hours after getting back from Davao, I got on another plane with fellow missionary, Ruth Ortiz and her son. We were on our way to Boracay, a gorgeous island in Central Philippines. Manila is such a huge smoggy city. It's really not that pretty. Poverty, crowds, trash, smells, humidity, pollution, traffic, stress are everywhere. It's hard to get away from it. These first few months of being here have been unusual in that I've gotten to travel outside of Manila quite a bit and see the beauty of the Philippines. Boracay is such a place. The water is the most beautiful of any I've seen. Most water in the Manila is NOT like this. It's usually dirty, cloudy, and with a slight film of oil on the surface. Boracay is stunning. Here's a picture of Kai suffering as an missionary kid.
I was in Boracay to speak to wives at a pastor's family conference. I focused on basic health concepts such as hand hygiene, good and bad body responses to illness, how to make oral rehydration solution, basic prenatal care and much more. The ladies seemed to really appreciate and learn from what was shared. Most of them come from provincial areas and this was new information for them.
After the conference ended on Friday, the rest of Ruth's family and a team from The Master's College in SoCal came out in preparation for a children's outreach program they are running through today on a very remote island. What a fun bunch of kids!
May has been super busy with lots of travels and meeting some great people. Definitely helped satisfy my travel bug for a time. :)
Enjoy the pics!