Our last few days in Cebu, Philippines!

As our wonderful missions trip continues (from December 2011) we realize the days are counting down to returning home to the States. Continuing the journey...

Saturday, December 10. Today we had a 'down' day. By that I mean there was no schedule to consider! The place where we are staying has a pretty rigid schedule, though; if you want to eat breakfast you need to be downstairs, at the table by 7 am!!! It's worth getting up for. The cooks at the Baptist Mission's House are very good at what they do! We enjoyed every mouthful. An interesting side note: at breakfast we met and visited with some fellow believers from Korea. Wonderful how God directs our paths and we get to meet such interesting and dedicated people from all over the world. After breakfast we returned to our room to get organized, read, relax, and rest. Later, Joanne picked us up and we went out to eat. We then went to her house to watch a documentary/DVD on Jackie Pollenger (spelling is wrong I'm sure) a young missionary to Hong Kong. Had some dessert, checked emails on Joann'es computer, then back to the Missions house to sleep. It was a great day!

Sunday, December 11. We drove to a church south of Cebu City (Catamon) to minister there for the morning. It was wonderful. After a meal with the pastor we returned to Cebu City. We stopped at the Missions house to confirm our airline tickets, then went to the local mall to exchange dollars for peso's. We were going to need some extra peso's for fees at the airport. Had supper together with Joanne then back to the Missions house.

Monday, December 12. Today, Bill is speaking to some area ministers. We were up early to have one of those delicious breakfasts; Joanne joined us! This trip would bring us west over the mountains; the scenery was breath-taking. Kind of a twisty, switchback road; but we made it just fine. Pastor Rey (from the Bohol Bible school) joined us on this trip. Met with the Pastor's, had a great service and lunch. After some visiting we started our journey back to the city. Arrived at the Missions house and stayed in after the long day!

Tuesday, December 13. Today, Bill is speaking to the local ministers at their meeting/Christmas party. Had breakfast, did some reading, took a taxi to meet Joanne and Pastor Rey at the local fast food restaurant. Considering this was our last day in the Philippines it was great meeting the pastors and seeing Pastor Rey again. The message Bill preached (on the Second Coming of Christ) was well received and appreciated. After lunch with the pastors and their wives, we returned to Joanne's and contacted her missionary associates (Marcia & Mayda) hoping to see them before we leave. They were able to join us for a meal...great to see them again! Said goodbye to them and Joanne's other house guests. Joanne brought us to the Missions house where we settled our bill with the directors of the Missions house, and packed for our return trip home.

Wednesday, December 14. Our flight from Cebu to Manila was at 8 am; we were up by 4 am and on the way to the airport by 4:45 am. Joanne dropped us off; and after some heartfelt goodbyes we checked in and waited for our flight. Our flight path was Cebu to Manila to Shanghai, China, to Chicago. By the way if you ever fly through China know this: you will need to get your luggage and recheck it all back in...even if you are just flying through. We were told on our return trip home that would not be necessary...it was. We had about 30 mins to grab our bags, get back to check-in, go through security, and get to our plane. It was a heart pounding experience, but now we know what to do. Our flights all went smoothly and we arrived in Chicago about 5 pm local time. Flying over the international date line is mind-bending because of 'time-travel' as I call it! It seemed we left Cebu at 8 am and arrived in Chicago at 5 pm the same day! We boarded a commuter bus for our 2.5 drive to Janesville, WI where our car was parked. We were finally home by 10 pm. Contacted family members to let them know we were safely home; emailed Joanne, too!

Thursday, December 15. Todays was our day to unwind, get the mail, do laundry, and just recover. Both of us ended up with colds but we attribute that to the plane ride!!! We were fine in a couple of days!

Well folks, that was our exciting missions trip to the Philippines last December. How many times can someone say it was 'amazing'? I don't know, but it was amazing! We are so grateful to Joanne Oftedahl for inviting us and taking such good care of us; grateful to the pastors of Cebu and Bohol for welcoming us with open arms; to the students and faculties of each of the Bible schools where we ministered...you are truly wonderful and amazing people; and to the people of the Philippines who also made us feel welcome. We also appreciate each one of our supporters who helped make this missions trip possible.

August 2012 we'll be returning to the Philippines to ministry in Cebu and Legaspi...but that's another blog!

Our Wonderful Extra Trip to Bohol

Tuesday, Dec 6. We were up pretty early on this day. We had a boat to catch! We were going to a nearby island to teach at the local Bible college. Joanne Oftedahl (the missionary we were working with) decided to bring her vehicle to Bohol for our next few days of ministry. This would give us some independence to see the sights...and boy it was worth it. Joanne picked us up in town so she didn't have to travel through a lot of road construction and the ferry was on here side of town! It was a little hectic getting the ferry for the car and for us but eventually we were on board. The ferry took about 2 1/2 hrs. to travel to the nearby island of Bohol. Check out this link to see some of what we saw: http://bohol.gov.ph/  It's definitely a beautiful place and much more slower paced. Pastor Rey (local pastor in Cebu and the Bible school president)  met us at the ferry and came with us. We arrived on Bohol, purchased some food at a local outdoor market, and drove to the school. Unpacked the car, brought in the food, our luggage and settled in. Not exactly sure what the time was, but by 7 pm we were in the chapel service with the students. It was great meeting them. The service was wonderful and the students were truly amazing. We hit the sack about 10 pm.

Wedneday, Dec 7. Morning chapel was at 7 am...needless to say we were up early to get ready. The 'comfort room' as they call the bathroom was very comfortable! Enough said!!! Chapel was amazing again...the students were very attentive and appreciative. After chapel we had a quick breakfast, rested some, then did some sight seeing. Pastor Rey was a terrific tour guide. We saw the Chocolate Hills (mounds of coral that the ground had eroded away from...called chocolate because in the fall they are brown), the Tarsiers (small, local only monkeys no bigger than my fist with huge eyes)...very cute but cannot be handled. We had a meal on a local dinner river cruise. Very nice! We were back in time to freshen up and have another chapel with the students.

Thursday, Dec 8. Another busy morning. Chapel at 7 am, breakfast and some rest. Little bit later we did some more sight-seeing with Pastor Rey. Enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant. By 3 pm we were back at the Bible school for the seminar Bill was teaching. After a great supper meal, there was another seminar at 7 pm.

Friday, Dec 9. Today's schedule was adjusted just a little. We were suppose to have the local pastor's join us for the teaching seminar but Pastor Rey found out many of the them were not able to come as planned because of scheduling and it was really raining. We still had morning chapel, then after lunch there was another session for about 1 hr. Being with the students was so encouraging and inspiring. They were so focused on all God had for them...it was truly amazing to see. We packed our belongings, said our goodbyes and boarded the ferry; arriving in Cebu by 9:30 pm. We stopped for pizza and were 'home' by 11 pm.

Again, Bohol Island is a beautiful island to explore; scenery, ocean, animals, and people. Our time there is a wonderful memory that still brings smiles to our faces. The most important part of the trip, though, was interacting with the students, faculty, President/Pastor Rey, and others who impacted our lives with there committment to all God has for them.

Next blog? A quiet, restful Saturday Cebu!