We arrived safely in Ozamis a few days ago. We took the overnight ferry here which was fun/crazy. It was very crowded and hot. It was definitely one of those nights that you never let go of your luggage. We woke up around 5:00am and watched the sunrise over the ocean as tons of little fishing boats made their way out for a day's work. It is a beautiful island and it is much quieter and calmer than Cebu.
We have been helping lead this conference here for teenagers. One of the most enjoyable things for me is to spend time with the pastors that work with these kids each and every day. They are full of the Spirit and serve, love and encourage relentlessly. Bishop Bendoy and his sons are such blessings to their church, community and city. It has been an honor to serve with them.
I was teaching earlier today and had to grab a different microphone. The one I was using kept shocking me. Other than that, the conference couldn't be going more smoothly. We have been teaching them a bunch of fun games from back home. In one game, as part of the relay, we had them do jumping-jacks. Watching kids who have never done jumping-jacks try to for the first time is hilarious!
I was sitting with one kid, Elbert, and showing him pictures of Andrea. I said, "Here is my wife in Africa. Here is my wife in Italy. Here is my wife in India..." He looked up at me with a really confused look and said, "How many wives do you have?" I nearly fell over in laughter, but it was a precious moment with a very precious kid. He was brought off of the street a few months ago and gave his life to Christ. He is still learning the difference between right and wrong, but I see a ton of good in his heart. When we talk, sometimes I don't hear what he is saying because I am secretly praying over his life and his future. He is a wonderful boy and I love him very much!
We found a hotel here that is nice. It has very cold AC and I woke up this morning with a sore throat and have been sneezing all day. I don't think that my body is prepared to handle the 90 degree heat (and 90% humidity) and then lay in freezing air all night. Everything is short here (because the people are short)... and fragile. To explain, I barely touched the sink in my bathroom and it fell off of the wall and broke. I thought I was going to die - it scared me that bad. What scared me more was the Philippino Hotel Management. We still haven't reconciled and decided the verdict. The pastors here keep calling me, "Paul," because they say I'm going to jail for breaking the sink. I later tried to visit the roof of the hotel to get a good view of the city and almost knocked myself unconscious on the metal door frame. I hit my head so hard that my ears were ringing. Ticked me off, but a typical move on my part.
We have another full day here tomorrow and then take a small plane ride back to Cebu on Thursday afternoon. We will wrap things up Thursday night and fly home Friday morning, bright and early. I can't tell you how much I love these people - it has been a great trip to see this country and scout it for future trips. The only down-side is that we've missed the Final Four - I'm headed to espn.com right now to see who won!!!
All is well - please keep praying for us here. I look forward to updating you upon our arrival home and fill you in on our last few days here. God bless you!!!
