The Lost Plates of Jack and Leiana

 About every 6 weeks, we say good-bye to a group of amazing young people. They have been here for 18 months to 2 years working hard. They receive no pay for what they do. They deal with heat, rain, rejection, dogs, beggers and just about anything you can imagine. They give their heart and souls to their efforts. As a result, they grow and mature. They learn to love others. They learn to take care of themselves. They learn to rely on God for help and direction.  One of the best parts of our job is to spend time getting to know these people. They have different personalities and opinions. They come from all kinds of living situations and home lives. Some have only 1 parent. Some are the only members in their families. Some are rich. Some are poor. All of them are amazing in my eyes. They are the future and the future looks pretty bright.

 With less light polution, we get some beautiful evening phenomenoms in natue. The beauty is breathtaking. Here's a few pictures we didn't do justice to.

 We got to visit the island of Limasawa, made famous by being one of the stops Magellan made on his round the world tour over 500 years ago. The island is named after the king at that time who had 5 wives (lima means 5 and asawa means wife).  We hiked up the hill that Magellan planted his cross on. It was about 450 steps. Even though we were some of the oldest people in the group, we were the first to make it to the top. We got to get a selfie before it started pouring rain again. 

 We have had the opportunity to visit in some of the native homes. These are usually small structures featuring one or two rooms, maybe a few more. They are made out of concrete, or wood, or corrugated metal. I have managed to get a few pictures of things that are very different. In more rural areas, they still cook over a flame. This is often coconut husks or small limbs.  They light a bottle cap as a fire starter. You can just see it under the wood. The sink is often a small basin which you add water to. They have this super cool soap paste that you get a little on a wet sponge and wash the dishes with it. You then rinse them. In rural areas, the water then gets tossed out. The sisters insisted on washing the dishes and we snapped this picture of them. You can see the wooden slats for the walls. The lower green basin is the sink. The green bowl with handle has the water used to rinse the dishes. The closer sister has the sponge with the soap on it.

 The Saturday before Palm Sunday, we did a game and movie night in Monterico, a small mountain village that several members of our church live in.  The barangay captain was excited to let us use the basketball court. he youth playing basketball not as much. We had games for the kids before it started. We introduced them to the three legged race which they loved. We had to do it at least 3 times. Team sack races was also very popular. I introduced them to Mingle, a game were you walk around until a number is called out. You then have to get into a group of that number. If you aren't in the proper size group, you are eliminated. We played a few other games until it grew dark. We then started some Easter movies and passed out snacks- rice flour cupcakes and juice boxes. We probably had 70 kids there and a few adults. We were there for several hours. As we were cleaning up, Jack snapped a picture of this kid helping us with his permission. It was just so adorable. The community as...

 Several times outside of Polompon we have seen monkies on the side of the road. The first time, the monkey just sat on the road and watched us pass. We didn't grab our cameras and regretted it ever since. The next time we saw a whole family of monkies. However, when we stopped to take the picture, they all hurried into the brush. We did manage to get one picture of the monkey hiding from us. Driving back from Monterico one Saturday morning, we saw a monkey as a pet. Jack had to snap a picture. I guess they are more common than I thought.

 Since our first precarious trip down this little mountain road, it has become Jack's favorite road to travel if he gets a chance. On the bright side, they are trying to improve it. They have been adding cement roads. Our last trip down the road brought these pictures:  Some of the areas we drove through were so deep with mud we weren't sure we would make it through. The white van became a brown van when we were done. after our trip through, the van looked like it needed a good wash.

 Transportation is a premium here. Most people use public transportation, such as this jeepney. You will sometimes see people riding on top or hanging off the end. If a family has a vehicle, it is most often a motorcycle that everyone fits on, plus supplies you are carrying. This picture managed to capture both of these phenomenoms. A few wealthier people will have their own car, but that is definitely not the norm.

 When we got to Ormoc, one of our favorite restaurants is Rib Shack. It's a grilled meat place with unlimited rice. The missionaries love it. It used to be very inexpensive, like 99 pesos for a meal. We have watched the prices rise. The cheap dishes are now 129 pesos, still a good deal. Here is our $5 meal. My lunch was about $2 and Jack's was about $3. We were so hungry we started eating before I remembered to take the picture. Jack loves the Korean BBQ with kimche. This time he got the chicken instead of pork. I had the pork strips. 

 At times I get to spend quality time in the hospital waiting to see a doctor. Most doctors have offices in one or more hospitals. Days and hours of the clinic are posted on the door. There's a receptionist at the desk and the doctor's office is behind the door. On this particular day, the doctor had office hours from 9 am to 11 am. I had gotten a text that morning about 7 am saying that they were already in. I picked up the missionariesgoing to the appointment about 8:30 am and we got there about 9 am. There was already a long line of people waiting, probably who arrived around 7 am.  Just before 10, I asked the receptionist if she knew when the doctor would arrive and more importantly if she would be seeing patients after the office hours ended at 11 am. Soon and yes, she would see everyone on the list. We were about #10. The doctor arrived a little after 10 am. We got in to see the doctor a little before noon. Did I mention it was hot with no fans blowing in the hallway? I ...