Day 4 - First Day at Redemptio

Dear family and friends,

I promise you that even if you don't like kids, you will fall in love with the children at Redemptio. They are so precious and so adorable and so funny and so cheerful, and they keep talking to me in Tagalog and I have no idea what they're saying but it's the sweetest thing ever. The little girls have cute little plaid skirts to go with their white blouses, and the boys have shorts and a white shirt, and they are so so cute.

Redemptio has three sessions, two pre-k classes and one kindergarten class in the afternoon that Teacher Lisa and Teacher Olive teach throughout the day. There are 40 kids in total. They start class with a pledge of allegiance to the flag of the Philippines, the Christian flag, and the Bible, and the kindergarteners also recite Scripture before singing two songs. It is the most adorable thing ever to hear twenty little four and five-year-olds shouting "Jesus You're my number one!" They also are learning phonetics and vowel sounds and simple English words. Afterwards, they also have a small snack/meal provided by the parents of the children that go to Redemptio.

In the States I had bought little gummy candies that look like hamburgers, and we gave them out to all the kids and the teachers today and the kids LOVED them. Tomorrow we are planning to use some of the money provided by Living Hope and other generous supporters to buy Happy Meals for all the kids and the teachers as a special treat for their snack time. These are kids who have probably never been to McDonald's in their lifetime, imagine that. Ellie and I also are planning a craft (basically a moon cut out of a paper plate that the kids can hang up) to go along with the children's story "Goodnight Moon."

The children at Redemptio are literally so sweet, I can go on and on about them. They'll listen  to me read books, even though I'm pretty sure they have no idea what I'm reading, but they'll be super engaged and point out things like "bird," "dog," or "flower" in the pictures.

Other than that, I had a wonderful time meeting and getting to spend time with various other missionaries and Christians, hearing from one young lady who taught inner city kindergarteners back in the States and getting to spend Fourth of July with other believers. I had a great time as well as great food. Even though how we celebrate Fourth of July at home is different, I'm thankful I got to be here and spend today with really hospitable families.

Please continue to pray for Redemptio and the teachers who work there each day, as well as each individual child, that they might one day come to know the Lord. These children come from the poorest of the poor in the Floodway community in Taytay, which is basically a squatter community where people live in shacks built from tin. Many don't have running water or electricity. Pray for the families the children live in, as some families are battling health issues or th loss of parents. And please pray for the Nichols family as they are in the process of expanding Redemptio into a new building in Floodway and for the lengthy and complex battle of trying to work around the red tape.

So far I've barely had much jetlag (praise God) and am doing well health-wise. I think being here really confirms my passion for working with kids and my desire to go into missions someday. Continue to pray for me as I continue to venture out of my comfort zone, whether it's by meeting new people or by trying to interact with kids despite a language barrier. God is really drawing me closer to Him, and for that I am thankful! Being here is such a privilege and I am constantly reminded of that.

Goodnight,
Amanda