Outreach

We're now done with our 12th week of lecture phase and ready for outreach! Last week we learned about how to communicate our faith and this week we've learned dramas for an evangelism tool. Now we're all busy with packing and the last preparations. And tomorrow night we're heading to the Philipphines... (We're flying...sailing would have taken us about 2-3 weeks each way, so then we wouldn't have had much time left... The crew is also working on fixing the ship now...)

We're going to stay in the Philippines for 7 weeks - all the time in the area around the capital called Manila. The first week we're staying at the Olongapo-base (YWAM) in Subic Bay, working with a ministry to prostitutes, street kids and prisons. Then we're going to spend to weeks working with Ruel Foundation and Mercy Link in Calapan. There we will likely be helping with clean up projects and medical aid. Then we will spend two weeks with the Balut base, which is in Manila. While there we have ministry opportunities at Smokey Mountain. The last two weeks we'll stay at the Olongapo-base (the first place we're staying).

For those of you that are praying, please pray for God's protection for the team members and our leaders; and that we'll stay healthy and strong during outreach. And pray for all the Filipinos that we're going to meet and that they'll be open to hear the good news.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to update my blog next time, but maybe there will be some news at the Marine Reach webpage about how things are going.
Also, check out the links to the right about Ruel Foundation, Mercy Link and YWAM bases in Balut and Olongapo.

The life on board a ship...

"I'm living on a ship..."

"A ship?!?"

Jepp! Et skip... Faar ein del overraska blikk av folk ein mote naar me fortel me bur paa eit skip... Nettopp det eg like best med aa bu paa ein skip - at det e ein genial samtaleaapner...

"Once upon a time there was a girl named Astrid

She lived on board a ship with extended family

They are people from all over this whole world of our you see

But they came here all together on the floating Pacific Link...Ship that is..;

made of steel and freezing cold."

A song to the tune of "Beverly Hillbillys"

Masse kan bli sagt om livet paa ein baat - tett innpaa folk fra andre land og kulturar... Max 2 minutters dusj, "Your mum doesn't work here, please clean up your mess" og "quiet time" (skipet er super lytt) er nokon av reglane me maa folge for aa ta hensyn til kvarandre. Me har ogsaa "a sign out board" for aa holde oversikten over kven som er ombord til eikvar tid.

Over er nokon bilder fraa girls accomodation. Godt utnytta areal, med "bunks" (koysenger), kvar sin redningsvest og hylle over senga, kvart sitt lite klesskap, og ellers minimalt med gulvplass. Eg deler "rom" med Diana og Hannah.

"The mess hall"(over) og "The galley" (under).

"The Launch" (over), der me blant anna har undervisnig.

Ein gong i veka (mandag morgon) leverer me inn Journal. (Key verse og sammandrag fra vekas undervisnig, samt "Application" (korleis me kan bruke det me har laert) og ein Relationships-del). Saa sondag kveld gaar ofte med til journalskriving, for meg og andre som er ute i siste liten...

Jepp, dette var et lite innblikk i the life on board a ship... Oppsummert av Megan:

"Life on the ship is pretty much the sweetest thing in the world!"

Kids Club

Kvar onsdag har eg, Josie, Lauren og Diana vaert med og hjulpe til paa BBC (Betlehem Baptist Church) Kids Club. Ungar fra 1.-6.klasse har komt der etter skuletid, og faatt vere der aa leika og hoyrt om Jesus. Flesteparten av ungane som kjem dit, er Maori-ungar, og er ikkje vokst opp i kristne familiar. Veldig skjonne ungar, men med til tider litt vel hogt energinivaa...
Her er nokon bilder fra Kids Club:

Hike to the Pinnacles

"When you get to the parklot,
don't ask which mountain it is -
it's like starting to count your
periods when your thirteen..."

Dette var oppmuntringa me fekk av Patty, vaar kjaere (amrikanske*) dts-director, sist fredag kveld, klar til fjelltur dagen etter. Formen min har ikkje akkurat vert 100 % all the time mens eg har vert her, og fredag, dagen for "the big hike", var eg heller daarlig... Men etter ei god natts sovn natt til lordag var eg klar for tur (vertfall psykisk..), dog litt spent paa korleis den fysiske formen var etter saa mange maander fysisk inaktiv... Men det gjekk faktisk veldig bra! Gud gjer fortsatt smaa og store under!! Hadde ei veldig fin tur! Kjekt aa vere paa tur igjen, og New Zealand er et veldig fint land (men slaar ikkje Norge...:)

* Dei som har levd rundt amerikanerar ei stund, veit at dei ikkje er redde for aa ta litt eksta i...