Gulliford's Travels

ankle update

2009-10-21T14:57:00.001-07:00

Hey all!! Here is a life update!

So when I thought that my ankle was sprained six months ago in the PI...

it was actually fractured!

AHH!! So its my talus bone that is fractured...pictured below

I go to the orthopedic surgeon on Friday..so I will let you know if I need to get surgery or what. As of now, I am in a boot. :-( It really sucks and I'm pretty upset, so I would really appreciate your prayers!

<3 Anna p.s. on the happy side, check out our wedding website:
http://www.mywedding.com/aaronandanna/

Our story made the paper!

2009-08-07T11:18:00.001-07:00

Overseas trip ends with a marriage proposal

News from Highland/Fulton

By Chuck Gait
chuckfg@gmail.com
301-854-0867

Posted 7/30/09

I got an e-mail from Highland resident Gina Gulliford. She and her husband, Jay, have lived in the Highland area for 21 years and have raised their five kids here.

Jay works as a manufacturers' representative in the area of electrical and industrial controls. Gina ran a family child care out of their home for more than 25 yrs. Now she works at Howard Community College's Children's Learning Center, a day care, a lab school for students in the education track and EMT students.

Gina also teaches continuing education for the Office of Children Services and in her spare time is a real estate agent.

Their oldest son Stephen, 27, graduated from River Hill High School in 2000 and then from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2008.

Adam, 24, is a 2003 graduate of River Hill High School and graduated from Towson University in 2008.

Jared, 18, is also a River Hill High School graduate, class of 2008 and a sophomore at Howard Community College. The youngest, Ben, 16, and a sophomore at River Hill High School.

I purposely left out their daughter, Anna. She also graduated from River Hill High School, class of 2004. She went on to Towson University and graduated in 2008 with a double major in elementary education and special education. After graduation, Anna left on a missions trip to Australia and the Philippines, departing in December 2008 and returning home again in June 2009. She went to work with Camp Sonshine/Australia and Camp Sonshine/Philippines, satellite camps of a well-known ministry, in Silver Spring. The camp in Australia was the first day camp offered in that country.

One day, Anna sent home a picture of herself surrounded by children from the Philippines. Her mother asked her what was the vegetation in the background. You won't believe the answer: it's trash.

The children surrounding her in the picture live next to the dump and use the dump as their playground. Anna stayed in Iloilo City on the island of Panay in Western Visayas, Philippines.

Gina and Jay were very glad when their daughter returned back home safely June 10. Shortly after her arrival, June 14 to be exact, her boyfriend, Aaron Arpasi, a police officer with the Baltimore County Police Department, popped the "big question," asking her to marry him and she accepted.

Before she left the country for her mission trip, Anna had a guaranteed contract with Baltimore County Public School system and will be working at Sandy Plains Elementary School, in Baltimore, in the fall.

Well, that's all I have for this week. Look after your neighbors. Say a prayer our troops who are serving in harm's way. And remember their families too. Pay it forward and commit a random act of kindness.

I'm engaged!!

2009-06-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

So I got back from Iloilo, Philippines Wednesday night! Things have been such a whirlwind since then. I was just getting over jet-lag when my wonderful boyfriend proposed!! Everyone wants to know the story, so here it is!

He told me that Sunday was going to be our day. We really hadn't had any alone time together since I had been back, so we were planning a fun day. We went to church, the food court, dropped my computer off at the Mac store and found out that there was a Filipino festival in town. We hung out with our friends Ashley and Dan at the festival, it was a lot of fun! Then, we went hiking at Loch Raven. We came back to my place and I changed real quick and we were off to go on a date! We ended up going to XS in Baltimore, our favorite little sushi place!

Once we ordered, Aaron had a bag and said that he had a present for me! He did this to throw me off and it definitely worked. If he was going to propose he wouldn't do it that way. The bag had a gift certificate in it. The gift certificate was to About Faces, a one hour body massage, mini facial, pedicure and manicure! That was the nicest gift ever! I was very happy and excited with the gift and he said that he had to get me something, so I totally fell for it!

After we ate, he stopped suddenly and said that he had to go to the bathroom. I thought that he may be sick or something and then I was starting to get worried once he took a while to come back. But when he eventually came back he had another present!

I was curious, but he told me that he had spent time making it when I was gone. So I opened it up and it was this awesome scrap book! He entitled it our story. It is seriously way better than anything I could have ever created. He matched our baby pictures (i.e. a picture of me on the beach and a picture of him on the beach, a picture of me taking a nap and a picture of him taking a nap). The next pages were our older years, still matching our pictures together. After that, he had pictures of our family and friends. Next was our life together. He put "who knew two people so different have so much in common." On this page he did things like matched a picture of me as a pirate and a picture of him as a pirate, with captions and everything. The next pages was "we always put our best face forward." It is two entire pages of all our goofy faces. We can never really be serious! haha. The next page is a play on words. He put "we wrestle through our issues" and there are pictures of us wrestling. It was jus so thought out and creative! The next pages show us having good memories, etc. After that, he put "We've been around the world." He put pictures of us in Australia and my in the Philippines when I was 14 and just recently. He put postcards I had sent him and mail I had sent him. The last full page says, "Lets start a new chapter."

By this time, the wheels are beginning to turn for me. hmmm...lets start a new chapter? So then, he tells me that the book is not finished. So I flip to the next page and it says, "Will you marry me?" He gets down on one knee right there. I freaked out and he had to ask me, "Is that a yes?" haha. And of course, I said Yes. He had asked the manager to take a picture, she had been waiting that whole time and so she took the photo.

After this Aaron said that he wanted to make some phone calls so we got in the car to do so. As we were driving home, I talked to his mom and his dad and they both were so excited. His dad even said how he wished he could celebrate with us. As we are driving, Aaron makes a wrong turn and then pulls up into Sara and Liz's house.

I was a little confused...but as we made it to the driveway there was a surprise party waiting! Now, here is the real surprise....our families were the only ones that knew he was going to propose. Everyone else thought that it was a "Coming Home" surprise party. So it was not only a surprise for me, it was a surprise for them too!

Aaron's family came from Florida and Philly just for the party!

This is Sara finding out that we were engaged about 5 minutes after we told everyone.
This face is priceless!

Me and the rents, they are really excited!

It looks like the wedding will either by March 27th or 28th....so mark your calendars!!

Some down time before I leave...

2009-06-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

So we had a chance to go to Guimaras and do one camp there. But before we did the camp we got to relax and hang out on the island. It was wonderful. Then, last weekend we went to Ahoy and went camping on a sandbar. There were some rough moments for sure but it was very cool.

One of my favorite desserts is Buko (aka Coconut). In Guimaras they climbed up the tree and we all enjoyed our snack! The best part is adding some sugar and milk and ice to the buko juice. It is an amazing refreshing treat!

Aimee and Sarah and I on the beach at Guimaras, just enjoying relaxing.

Sunset on the island.
Riding the jeep to tell the kids about Camp Sonshine! It was a day of fun for sure! I met Diadem when I did camp in Guimaras in 2001! I loved continuing the tradition with her!

Eating Indian Mangos on the beach! Good times...

We also celebrated Sarah's bday! Both my roomates had bdays while here in the PI!
We had massages and fancy dinners to celebrate!

We had banquet to celebrate the Ignite A Movement youth event.
We got a chance to remember what God has done, eat good food and say goodbye to the team!

The roomies and I at the banquet. Of course, we can't be too serious!

After the IAM team left we were off to Ahoy. We camped out on a gorgeous sandbar.

The weather did not always cooperate for us.

But despite the storms we got to see some beautiful sights.

We decided to be adventurous and climb up a moutain nearby. We first had to swim and then the climb turned out a lot more difficult than expected since it rained so badly. My fliflops broke, but we eventually made it up! Can you guess which feet are mine?
This is me looking down on what we had just climbed! You can't really tell how high it is!

This is at the very top. The natives helped us make it there. The one boy is holding a pineapple because they were growing wild all over the mountain! Very cool!

T-5 days until I come home! Keep me in your prayers please! I love you all!

Ignite A Movement

2009-05-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

May 18th-May 23rd was Ignite A Movement. It was an amazing youth event that took place every night from 6-9. We had games, break-dancing, worship, messages and prayer. God was really moving in us and through us. I was so honored to be able to be a part of the event. The thing that I enjoyed the most was praying for the youth. The cool thing was that I knew most of the kids that I was praying for. It was very powerful and God's presence was in that place. We placed hands on the sick and they were healed. We held those who needed love as they cried in our arms. God is doing big things here in the Philippines.

The first night they talked about "I Am." I don't think we will ever understand how omnipresent God is. But on this night we tried to give an idea about how big God is and how great He is,
how He spoke and created all things.

The second night, the theme was "I am here." It focused on how God is longing to be reunited with His creation. How he wants a personal relationship with you and
how you can come as you are. It was definitely powerful.

The third night was "I am healing." People came up to get prayed for if they had a physical need. By faith, people were healed. Personally, I prayed for a woman (my friend, Jane's mom) who had bad arthritis in her neck and knees. She could barely walk. God knocked her to the ground and completely and totally healed her. It was awesome.

The third night was "I am love." We learned about what true love is. These youth had a chance to come up and be healed from emotional hurt. At one point in the night I was just holding one of our Sonshine Center girls as she cried and cried. My shirt was drenched with her tears, but God healed her that night from all of the pain and hurt that she had experienced.

The last night was "I am with you." This night focused on how even after these nights are over that God is still here with you. He wants to be a part of your life and he empowers you by his spirit. These youth signed a "World Changer" banner,
making a declaration that they will live for God.

Here I am with some of the kids that attended the event. I really loved how God could just use this event to continue building relationships with the youth here in the Philippines. I'm just praying that God continues to work in their heart so that they can make a change for this community, city, country and world.

answered prayer

2009-05-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

I just love how God answers prayers...and how He is in control and just orchestrates everything. SO with this excitement of course comes a story...

Meet the most wonderful children in the world....Joylyn, Kaday and Charlie. These kids are often found right outside of my place digging through trash, looking for food and recyclables. My friend Linda first found them and gave them food. She started the tradition and so every time I saw them outside of my place I would run upstairs look for any sort of food and gave it to these kids. They were very shy. Nevertheless, each time I saw them I would invite them to our program at the Sonshine Center (which takes place on Saturday mornings), not really knowing if they understood anything that I said.

So last week something different happened. The boy was not with the 2 girls. Now I'm not sure how much English these kids understand, but I still asked where their brother was. The oldest sister said he was dead (come to find out later he was not thank God, but maybe he was sick or something and she just didn't know how to say it). She teared up and even though I didn't know if that was true I was just overwhelmed. I looked at their feet and they were not wearing shoes and their clothes were very dirty. I asked if they were hungry and they said yes.
So that was enough for me.

I took them to BlueJays (a coffee shop) and they ordered a huge double decker U.S cheeseburger. It was precious to see them there trying to eat it, a burger that was bigger than their face. They of course didn't even come close to finishing it. Afterwards, we walked back to find their Lola (Grandmother) and Kaday asked her if I could take them to get slippers (aka flip flops). She said yes and we were off. We went to the mall and I was able to get them new shirts, pants, underwear and flip flops. The people at the mall were so helpful and changed the youngest (Joylyn) right there in the mall.

In this picture Joylyn is wearing her new outfit. I don't think they ever got to pick out their own clothes but it was clear that they liked pink! Every shirt and pants were all pink. It was precious. I felt so blessed to be able to meet some of their physical needs. I walked them back to their Lola and invited them to our program on Saturday morning. Again, there is the language barrier so I wasn't even sure they were understanding anything that I was saying. But I prayed that they would come and we could get them some more help. There would be people that could speak their language and they could be fed (both spiritually and physically).

Well, here they are! They came to the center for our program. I found out that they lived very far away and they walked that entire way just so that they could come! In this picture their entire outfits are the new clothes that they got!

Their Lola also came and I learned a lot about them. Their father passed away when the youngest was 8 months old and their mother abandoned them. The grandparents are left to take care of them. Valerie and I decided that it would be nice to go to their house to see where they lived so after Kids club on Saturday that is what we did.

This is their house. It is on stilts in water and it is basically all things that they have from the trash. It was beyond heartbreaking to know that they lived there.

Valerie talked to the Lola and the boys. She invited them to the huge youth event that is to be held May 18th-23rd (Ignite A Movement). She also just listened and loved them.
She is so awesome!

While Valerie did the talking, I played with the girls. Mostly just taking pictures...

And being silly.

God has really opened some doors to getting them some more help, which is awesome! I am so excited to be able to be a part of it. Also, last night was the first night for the youth event and the Kaday, her Lola and three other boys came!!!! It is so awesome to know that God is moving. I am so excited to see what He is going to do next!

Last but not least

2009-05-12T01:14:00.001-07:00

Balabago!! Just try to say it....it is really fun, it just rolls off the tongue! Well anyways our last camp was in Balabago. It was actually the first time that we had ever done camp there and what a success it was! The kids were so excited and participated in everything that we did, which is really encouraging and makes camp a lot easier for us as counselors. Needless to say, it was a great way to end a great summer!

We definitly had some fun playing games with these kids.
They enjoyed every second of it!

This is Mary...she was shy at first but she came out of her shell real fast.

Business up front...party in the back!!

During our lunch break the counselors had some dance parties!!
haha...clearly I was very into it, you just can't stop me
when a High School Musical song comes on!

The kids also challenged me to a flexibility contest...clearly Angelie there is winning.
I have to keep working on my yoga skills.

Here we are dancing to cotton eyed joe....yeeehaw!

My roomies (Aimee and Sarah) and I jus being goofy with the kids.

Angelie loved to hang out with us during our breaks, so I got to know her really well.

Praying for the kids on the last day is by far one of the best moments in all of the camps.
The kids are so real and have such a passion to know God more.
It is so truly beautiful.

Camp #7: Success!

Another day, another island...

2009-05-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

What a privilege it is to be used by God in the lives of this children. I feel like he takes what I am already good at and expands it. The children were absolutely amazing in Bacolod. We had to take a boat ride to get there (a little over an hour) but it was so worth it. I really felt a connection with these kids. This may be because I was not really involved in the last camp because of my ankle. So for this camp I did not want to take one moment for granted. During all of the freetimes I just craved spending time with these kids.

There were mixed audiences in Bacolod. There were many missionary’s kids there, adopted kids into a missionary families, street kids and children from an orphanage. I just love getting to know these children since a lot of them could speak more English than the children in the other camps. This kids blessed me so much.

There were three kids that I really grew close to from the orphanage. Marvy and I had the same birthday so we became best friends! Jacqulyn was cuter than ever and loved to jump rope and to take pictures. Benjamin is Marvy's brother. You can really tell that he takes a leadership role in the family even though he is younger. He was always looking out for Marvy and the other kids from the orphanage. They were the sweetest kids ever.

I had a little following of kids that always wanted to dance with me. We would all get into a line and one person would be across from us. They would call each person to come show their dance moves and then pick out the best one. The last day two of the girls, Sheenlee and Jenelyn came up to be bawling because they were leaving. We just sat there and hugged each other.
It was very hard to say goodbye to them.

That is Jenelyn to my left and Sheenlee to my right.
Rodrimar also hung out with those girls and he is the one sitting in my lap.

I got a text from Jenelyn that night it said
"Happy Thrf Thank U for Bast Frest for me super very much mesu ate anna"
Translation: Happy ? thank you for being best friends with me super very much,
I miss you Aunt Anna

And then another one that said
"I.ma carayign 2 ningt becoh u back 2 iloilo"
Translation: I'm crying tonight because you are back in Iloilo

I still had so much fun leading assemblies (singing and dancing) and being crazy with the kids. You may notice that my ankle is nice and wrapped up. It held up well, still not 100% but it is doing alot better. Thank you so much for all of the thoughts, concerns and prayers!

We also had a dance off to pup the kids up! They had some skills, Filipinos are great dancers!

One of the nights we were in Bacolod, the team got to go to Starbucks (it is the only one around)! Now, if you know me, you know I do not even like Starbucks, but I cannot describe how amazing that toffee brownie and decaf soy mocha latte was.

The last day we took the kids to the pool. It was so much fun, but very tiring. There were about 30 kids in the "baby" pool which was at least 5 feet deep. I felt like I was on permanent life guard duty. Most of the time I played with Mark and Jacqulyn. Mark showed off his English skills to me and I threw him water...over and over and over again.

The last day we pray for the kids. It is always a very powerful time. I just feel so blessed to be able to pray over this generation that God will rise them up to change their nation.

Camp #6, Bacolod: SUCCESS!

The good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful...

2009-04-23T00:23:00.001-07:00

What an eventful couple of days it has been! On Sunday morning we left for Antique. It is on the other side of the island. We traveled through mountains and hills and after about 2-3 hours finally arrived in our location.

So camp started on Monday it was such a great experience. The kids there were really amazing. They were more active and energetic than the other kids that we have been working with.

I started playing soccer with the boys and I danced with the girls during our free times. I have noticed that I feel that I do the most ministering through those times, just being with the kids and having fun with them. Through these experiences I saw that I was getting more emotionally attached to these beautiful Filipino children.

We had an amazing two days of ministering. We would play volleyball after camp and even got a chance to go to the beach! It ended up raining a lot when we were there, but we wouldn't let a little rain stop us (especially us Americans)!

So Wednesday morning, I was playing volleyball with the kids. One of the kids tried to go behind/under me to get a ball as I stepped back, the result=CRACK! I heard something crack and I was completely out. My ankle gave way and I couldn't walk or anything. So for the rest of the camp I just observed which is so hard for me because I am so active in leading the assemblies and doing the skits. But the kids were so caring and comforting which I have noticed is very cultural here. Filipinos in general are the most caring people I have ever met.

So as I came out limping, the kids all crowded around and said goodbye and it was very emotional for me. One because it was a great camp, two because I became very attached to the kids, three because this is the last camp for my good friend Natalie (she is leaving for the states).

There were some other complications getting back to Iloilo, but when I got back Miss Jude (thank God for retired nurses) checked out my ankle. It seems to just be badly sprained. So please just keep me in your prayers for healing in my ankle. It has proven to be very difficult not to be able to walk really while doing camp.

We are half way done our summer here in the Philippines! Time is flying by for sure, but it has been so much fun and I have really been learning a lot. I have 7 weeks until I come home. I just really want to be used fully in these next weeks. My desire is to touch the lives of the kids here.

Lambunao Camp

2009-04-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

So the first away camp is finished. It was very draining (my body is fighting some sicknesses at the moment) but it was so very rewarding. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Just to give you an idea of where we had camp. This is the view. It is on a farm in the mountanous (I'm pretty sure that isn't a word) part of the island.

This is John Evan and I. He would love to run away and be mischievous...
but became a perfect angel when the camera was out!

During down time (snacks and lunch) we had a lot of fun!

These boys challenged me to a little dance off to the High School Musical Soundtrack.
It was hilarious!!

Some storms came and put a little damper on our carnival plans.
But it was very beautiful and after profusely sweating all day felt quite refreshing!

We had some fun games that the counselors...uh I mean kids really got into!

The children really enjoyed their prizes.
It was so cute to see this girl concentrate so hard to blow a bubble!

There were lots of siblings.
It is really amazing to see how they care so deeply for eachother.

John Evan and Jiv Jiv...they were quite the characters.

My favorite part is just hanging out with the kids. They were wonderful.

The kids climbed up the coconut tree and got us some buko
(which is definitely becoming my favorite snack)!

Lambunao was beautiful, but the kids were even more beautiful. Hearing their stories was eye opening. I'm so glad that we got a chance to let them just be kids and have fun, but most importantly opening their eyes to the hope that they have through Jesus Christ. It was an amazing camp...but the hardest thing for me was to answer the "Will you be back next year?" question with a "no." It breaks my heart because I want to spend more time to make a greater impact. But I know that God can use what we did and He can bring people into their lives that can guide and mentor them. I pray that the seeds that were planted would reap a harvest.

How I Spent My Easter...

2009-04-13T02:05:00.000-07:00

Easter in the Philippines is very different than anything I have ever experienced. The whole city shuts down Thursday-Saturday. On Sunday everything opens back up and is pretty much back to normal. So what did I do for Easter?

On Thursday, the whole gang got strapped up in our life jackets and took a boat over to Guimaras (the island next door to us). These are my new roomies, Sarah and Aimee.

Once we got there, we went hiking.
This is Natalie and I at the top of the mountain, or kinda close to it.

This is the view at the top of the mountain!
It was so beautiful, the picture doesn't do it justice.

We then got to relax and go swimming. The water was so refreshing and clear!

I would have to say the best part was riding on top of the jeepney. It was like a roller coaster! This is Zyross and I on top of the jeepney! Of course it isn't moving in this picture, it was stopped at the market so that we could get some world famous mangos!! Needless to say, this was a great day for us to relax before camp started back up.

On Saturday everyone got together for Easter dinner. The Camp Sonshine staff along with some other missionaries all gathered at the Anascos place to eat some great food! We even had some homemade apple pie (it was definitely my favorite food at the dinner!)

On Sunday and Monday we headed out to St. Barbara. We were helping with church planting…taking care of the kids while the pastors met with the parents.

Aimee and I showed off our tae-bo skills to the kids. They were clearly skeptical at first...

But pretty soon we had them all doing some tae-bo!! Billy Blanks would be proud!

We went to 4 different barangays in 2 days. We played games, sang songs, had skits, and prayed with the kids. It was a lot of fun! I hope that your Easter was refreshing and fulfilling as mine!

One camp down...

2009-04-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

The very first camp of Camp Sonshine Philippines 2009 is over and it was wonderful! We had some last minute unexpected changes and therefore had camp at the Sonshien Center with our children. About 180 kids showed up Monday through Wednesday to have fun while growing closer to God.

I loved camp because we really just got to spend time with the kids there. I got to know some of the older girls and build relationships. It went by fast since it was only 2 and a half days but it was so good. I remembered how much I love camp and being able to just give everything to the kids there. My prayer is that the kids’ lives were touched in those times and that we helped to build memories that last a lifetime.

Just to give you an idea of how camp is for me, I have two jobs.
One is to help lead assemblies with Nomil...

and the other is to organize and lead the skit team
(here we are acting out Daniel and the Lion's Den).

Camp #1: Success!!!

Goodbye interns

2009-03-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say goodbye to the interns. It has been a great 8 weeks! I have basically spent all my time with 8 other wonderful men and women. Natalie, Josh, Nate, Abegail, Linda, Paulo, Rod and Lima. We have grown together, laughed together, even cried together on occasion. I have learned so much and I am so grateful to be able to participate in the Timothy Internship 2009.

April Rose

2009-03-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

This past week was the last week for the interns. Because of that, we paid one last visit to some places we had been over the past 10 weeks. One of the programs that we had the chance to participate in was the feeding program. The significance of this program to me is that we went there the first day that I was in the Philippines. Jet lagged and tired, I don’t remember much from that first day. However, when we went there this beautiful little girl ran up to me and gave me a huge hug! I have to admit that I did not remember her at first. We have been working with so many different kids and I had only met her once, over a month and half ago.

This gorgeous girl’s name is April. She did not only remember me…she remembered hand games that we played, she remembered my name and she even remembered my birthday! This child truly touched my heart. As we were talking she noticed something, told me to wait with a finger gesture, and ran away. I curiously sat there as I waited several minutes. She quickly ran back and began to put her brand new earrings into my ears.

These kids don’t have much, but give what little they do have. They are both an inspiration and a challenge to me. I pray that I can embrace life and give just like these children. After all, Jesus told us to become like them.

Videos from preschool graduation

2009-03-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

The first minute of the finale dance!!!

Some of the kid's speeches about what they want to do when they grow up.

pre-school graduation

2009-03-22T04:41:00.001-07:00

After much anticipation, preparation and practices the pre-school students
at Sonshine Learning Center had their moving-up ceremony.

Each child spoke in front of everybody. They told the world what they wanted to be when they grew up. Some wanted to be doctors, some nurses, others teachers. Now they will actually have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams, despite the situation that they were born into.

The students sang and danced to high school musical... they sang about “soaring” and “flying,” how “there’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach.” It was so moving because they could actually believe what they were singing.

I'm honestly speechless when I try to describe how I feel about these children. As I watched them, prayed with them, got nervous for them and congratulated them so much pride welled up in my spirit along with the tears.
Each and every one have so much potential. I was honored to play a part in this exciting time of their lives. Because people obeyed God's calling to start the Sonshine Center and to sponsor these children, anything is made possible to them. And that's a beautiful thing.

Medical Outreach

2009-03-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

On Feb 28th we had a medical outreach at the Sonshine Center.

This outreach consisted of providing the children that we work with medical exams (ages 3-13). All of the nurses and doctors were volunteers.

The families lined up to see the doctors as soon as the gates opened.

We were able to see 75 families consisting of 165 kids in 4 hours.

I had the opportunity to play with the kids while they waited for their turn to see the doctor.

The event was so successful we were recognized by the Iloilo news channel!
The vice mayor of Iloilo came out to support the event as well.

We were able to give the children medicines and vitamins to meet the
specific need that they had, all which were donated.

We also gave the families educational brochures.
This way they could learn how to change their lifestyle which may have been
a direct result of some of these diseases/sicknesses in which the children suffered.

Most importantly, we got the chance to pray with the families.

The event was very successful, but it gave me a chance to realize all the sicknesses that affect the children that we work with everyday. Only 16% of the children were considered to be well.
The 5 top sicknesses were issues involving
respiratory, parasites, nutrition, sinus and pneumonia
52% of the children were referred to the Health Center for further treatment.
It was amazing to be able to be a part of the outreach,
to show these kids love by meeting some of their physical needs.

teaching in the pre-k

2009-03-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I have been working in the pre-k. Just a recap…every afternoon from 130 until about 4, I am helping in the Kinder 2 class. Kinder 2 here consists of 6-7 year olds. Public education is not free here in the Philippines. Therefore, the students at Sonshine Learning Center are on scholarship. The scholarship provides them with their education, 1 meal and transportation to and from school. There are two classes. Ma'm Rose and Ma'm Diadem are the teachers.

I am helping in Diadem’s class. I love this opportunity because I am learning so much. If you know me, you know that I really love to teach. There is just something about using the talents that God has given you as a form of worship to Him. Teaching here gives me energy and I am really having so much fun. I love being able to work with Diadem because she is so good with the kids and I am learning a lot from her. It is also great that I am able to bring new and different ideas to assist in teaching the kids.

Working here really helps me to realize how blessed we are in the school systems in the US, especially Howard County (where I have had most of my teaching experience). We have so many supplies and resources to use in our schools. I really think that I took all of that for granted when I was teaching. The essential things in every U.S. classroom i.e. dry erase boards, computers, a reading corner, etc. the students in the Philippines do not have. The supplies that the kids do have were donated (a large majority from Ilchester Elementary school!). Despite the limitations, the kids are grateful and so eager to learn!

Another thing that is different is that the students don’t learn how to read or write in their own language. 80% of the class is taught in English. Can you imagine being explained fractions in a language that you do not primarily use? This also makes things like explaining the proper use of “me,” “mine,” “my,” “you,” “your,” and “yours” a little more difficult. (Can you tell that I had especially fun lessons to teach this week?) What I have noticed is that the students are very fast learners and they continue to impress me.

Overall, I am loving my time back in the classroom and I just wanted to share that with you. Thank you again for all that you have done to help get me here!

photos from childrens week

2009-03-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

A kid praying at a house church meeting

I got to hang out with the kids at the house church

Singing and dancing with the kids at the dump

Abegail and I singing about Jesus being our super hero!

Just enjoying our time dancing and having fun with the kids at the dump

Having a tickle war with the kids at the dump

I feel the most alive when I am with kids

Demonstrating that God wants to know everyone through a skit at Kidz club

Leading assembly at Kidz club (Jumpin in the house!)

Singing high school musical with the kids (I was soaring, flying....)

Hanging out with the kids who are on scholarship during lunch

CHE

2009-02-24T22:30:00.001-08:00

CHE stands for Community Health Education/Evangelism. It is a program that the interns have been studying for the past two weeks. It is a really cool because it promotes education. The program sets up the community for success in a way that they are responsible for their own community. It does not involve "us" coming in and changing things for the people. It involves helping them so that they can change things for themselves and take ownership in that change. This way you promote a life time of success.

The first step in CHE is doing a survey to see what the needs of the community are. We do this so that we can really get to the know the people. We also want to learn what we can do so that we can meet their needs and get the most benefits from the program.
The village that we want to start CHE in is a relocation village. In June of 2008 Typhoon Frank hit the Philippines. There were many people that lived right on the water. These people lost everything that they had. The government has relocated these people in a random place. They have only been there 5 months.

Pictured above are some of the kids from the relocation site. Seeing these people and hearing their stories was really eye opening. They live in these hut sort of things that are all attached. Sometimes 9 people in one hut. They only have electricity in this pavilion area, where they plug in their stereo and dance. Every house has a garden that they take pride in. They all share bathrooms and do not have a good sewage system. These people were forced to restart their lives when they didn't have much to begin with. They are strong men and women.

Pictured above is part of a row of houses. There are 2 rows and different families on each side. We interviewed them about their health, community services, psychological needs and services (such as water etc). We learned so much and brainstormed as a group to find out what we could do to help them. Some of the things that we brainstormed were getting the people solar energy, a water filtration system, forms of garden education and different types of recreation for the youth. The next step in the process is sharing the information with the people that are on the council at the Barangay (or community) and seeing what we can do to help. From there, teams are formed and these teams train the village. Also, people are assigned to individual houses to make sure they are getting their needs met. Slowly, the entire village in educated in the areas needed and transformed.

I think that it is going to take a lot of time to start this program. It is cool because we are going to write up a report and get all the information needed. Then, the next team that comes in can start helping them in a more direct manner. I just don't think that we are going to be here long enough to see all of this happen, which again leaves you feeling overwhelmed. I want to do so much, but I have to start at the beginning. Change takes time. This is one of the families that I interviewed. The woman is 21 and has 5 kids. If you look to the right the dad is holding like a blanket. They tie the blanket in a knot hanging from the ceiling and place the kid in it! The grandfather also lives with them. As much as you see is basically what their house is. You can go there and see it, but when you sit down and hear their stories it really changes things. These are real people.

The kids at the relocation site were less shy than the other kids that I have been working with. They were craving to be loved. Many of them don't go to school because it is too far away and/or their family can't afford to send them there.

The kids were beautiful. They would run around calling me Dyosa (prounouced Josa). This means "Goddess" in Ilonggo! haha. Apparently it used to be a TV show and my hair reminds them of the main character! I had so much fun just being there and playing with the kids. They loved to be held and all of them wanted my attention. We even danced together.
I'm still trying to figure out how I can make a long term impact on the people here. I know I make a difference for those moments, but then I just go. It leaves you with a lot of emotions. I'm realizing that all I can do for now is love them.

Working in the Pre-K

2009-02-19T16:49:00.001-08:00

So there is a great opportunity here in the Philippines that I have had the privileged of being involved in. The Sonshine Center has a pre-k (kinder 1 and kinder 2 pictured above) that they provide for the street kids. All of these kids are on a scholarship program so that they would be able to go to the school. These kids are taught practical skills, such as brushing their teeth along with phonics, reading, writing, etc (IN ENGLISH!!). Every afternoon I am going to be working with the pre-k. I am so excited for this opportunity to be able to get back into education. I really love to teach and I want to be able to put all that I have learned from Towson into practice!

10 things to get used to in the Philippines

2009-02-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

10 things to get used to while in the Philippines

1. Black outs here are called brown outs. These brown outs occur at the most unusual times...at least twice a week. During the day the power may go out which means no fans! The usual is around 2 hours, but it can last days! Get used to those flashlights!

2. In most stores/laundry mats/restaurants etc there is no change! Every time I pay the cashier asks for smaller bills or exact change. You can imagine how difficult this is when we exchanged our money is large bills!

3. Here is something that has been difficult....there is no toilet paper in the bathrooms! You have to carry it with you or else you will be using your hand!

4. The water situation is also something new...there is no hot water, bucket showers are common and we can't drink the water from the faucet. We can't even brush our teeth with the water! Get used to carrying around those water bottles!

5. Language--It is hard enough to get used to not speaking Ilonggo. I tend to use a lot of sounds and gestures when trying to communicate with the children. However, their word for yes is "oo oo." Can you imagine?? If I say "uh-oh" they think that I am saying yes. Or if I say "oh!" they think I am saying yes. I tend to get confused looks very often.

6. Filipino goodbyes...they last forever! It kind of reminds me of leaving Camp Sonshine in the states. Filipinos tend to say goodbye multiple times, at least 5. Whenever we see them, they say goodbye again, hug, kiss and all! It makes you feel very loved!

7. There are no distinct traffic patterns. Using a horn is almost like saying "excuse me, coming through" and lanes don't really mean anything here. They have traffic lights, but they don't work.

8. I am starting to get surprised when I see a white person....I ask to myself, "What are they doing here?"

9. There is a distinct Filipino smell everywhere you go

10. Roosters don’t just crow in the morning (like you see on all the cartoons), they crow all day long.

childrens ministry week

2009-02-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

some kids and I at the dump

the entrance to the dump

praying for teens at a ministry event

the streets of the philippines

kids at the dump

a house at the dump

a girl workin at the dump

sunset

josh (one of the interns) playin with the kids

girls at the center

playing at the center

Wow…I cant believe it when I look at the last couple of posts! I have done so much since then it is going to be hard to fill you all in on everything! So after the feeding ministry we did various ministries with college kids, young professionals, and kids. However, then I got really sick! For two whole days, I couldn’t even get out of bed. I don’t think that it was from any food or water here because Aaron was sick too with very similar symptoms. So, I’m guessing I got something while in Australia and it took a while to manifest itself.

So anyways that was a hard, being here, in a third world country, not knowing anyone and away from home. My fellow interns and the other staff are so caring and helped me out so much! They were such a blessing. It has been great getting to know them and to see their passion for what they do.

This week we focused on Childrens Ministry. One of the outreaches we did was going to a dump called Calajunan. It was such an eye opening experience. When I went, I felt so many different emotions that I just needed time to process it. People live there, a lot of people. Children dig through the garbage for cans or things that they can sell. They run around in the trash dump with bare feet. Their houses are on top of the dump and all around it. I was just so overwhelmed because I want to help them, but I don’t know what I can do.

These people at the dump are part of a sub-culture in Iloilo. Some of the kids have piercings, not with metal but out of plants and its through their lip. The young girls look for love and affirmation in sex and have children at very young ages. There are girls that are 17 and 18 years old and already have 3 kids. A 16-year-old girl went missing on Saturday and her body was found on Tuesday. She had been gang-raped. There is a darkness that covers that place.
We went back on Saturday and had Camp with the kids and just got a chance to hang out with them. It is amazing how they recognize you and just run up and hug you even after only visiting one other time. The kids loved the songs and the skit. Even the parents were watching. I had so much fun just being silly with them and loving them.
I really want to fix their problems but I know that I can’t.

If you help a person one day, that is all that you did, but if you teach them to help themselves you are helping them for the rest of their lives. When you go into the dump, you just want to fix all of the problems there. But these people need to learn that a new way of life is possible. For example, the people there have equipment for the dump, but it just sits there and rusts because they were never taught to use it. I want to help but I am still learning how and what I can do.
This week we are learning about Community and health development. It will be so good to learn ways that we can help the different communities in Iloilo. We are going to partner with a barangay (what they call their communities) and put what we learn this week into practice. Please just continue to pray with me as I am learning, growing and experiencing many new things.

addresses!

2009-02-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

I finally have an address for all that have asked!

1. If you would like to give financially you can mail checks to

Horizon Church of Towson, Inc.
P.O. Box 36302
Towson, MD 21286

Make sure you make the check out to Horizon and put my name in the memo! From there, the money will be put in my bank account and I can access it here in the Philippines.

2. If you would like to send me something when I am here in the Philippines...Just an FYI mail is very slow and it could take up to a month for me to just a get letter. If you are sending a package it could take longer because often packages sit in Manila for a while. But hopefully I will get it, just give me a heads up if you are sending a package of some sort! Here is the address:

Camp Sonshine Center Foundation
C/o Anna Gulliford
PO Box 39
Iloilo city, Philippines 5000

pics etc

2009-02-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

being prayed for at the feeding ministry
praying for those at the feeding ministry
a kid playing at the feeding ministry

So here is a blog you can go to where you can look at more photos!

http://anascomissions.blogspot.com/

Dave takes the pictures at the events we go to...

and by the way I was quite sick for a couple of days but now I am much better thanks for all the prayers!

I'm in the Philippines!!

2009-02-05T23:39:00.001-08:00

I havent really gotten a chance to take many pics
but here are some of the view from the Sonshine Center

Wow! So after much anticipation I am finally here! I made it to Iloilo Tuesday night (Feb 3rd), I even had a little welcome party at the airport, which was nice! I got to my dorms and met my roomates for the next 2 months or so. The dorms are actually not bad at all. We have electricity, a window unit for AC and a bathroom in our room! We also have a kitchen downstairs. Only catch is we can’t drink the water and the shower is like a hose in the bathroom (and it doesn't really get warm either). It is still nice and definitely exceeded my expectations!
Well upon coming to the Philippines I dove right in! Wednesday morning I was up at 6 am and we were at the Sonshine Center at 715. We started off with prayer and devos and then headed across town to help Full Gospel church with their feeding ministry. We basically had church service and then fed the mothers and the children. It was cool but I def was having some culture shock! I didnt remember any of the language so it was hard to communicate with the mothers. I did get to hang out with the kids though and that was nice! After that we came back to the center and had a meeting with the Sonshine Center staff. We prayed and then I crashed and took a nap ate some food and went to bed! That was day number 1!
Filipinos are really great. They are not afraid to show their emotions. They laugh alot and really listen to you when you talk. There is however alot of things going on culturally that I need to learn. How people interact here is much different than the states. There is also alot of poverty You would be shocked to see the houses that many people live in here. I am still getting used to everything being so different that the states and Australia.

I understand my role here better now. Camp doesnt start until April I believe. Meanwhile there is a program through Calvery International to train people who want to do missionary work full time. I sit in on their lectures and go out and do ministry with them. However, I also help to work out some admin issues with the people running the program.
It is really cool because I get the chance to learn alot and to go out there and help people who really need it. Each week focuses on a different type of ministry. This week is partnering with a church and next week is Children's ministry which I am really excited about.
This weekend we will have kids club. That is where a jeepney goes around and picks up the street kids. Then we have a mini Camp Sonshine with the kids. I am so excited about this!
There is so much going on I am trying to organize it all in my mind. The interns have already been here for 3 weeks so they are more in sync than I am. But I am learning. I thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers! Please continue to pray for the people here! I love a miss you all!
-Anna

p.s. pictures to come soon, I honestly have been so busy I haven't even taken any!

10 days off!

2009-02-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

in sydney
me and the boy in Sydney...we went out for a nice dinner right on the harbor
mel, jodee and I hangin out in the parks in Sydney
bree me and pip in melbourne getting coffee and dessert
me in fava in sydney, we were only there for 5 hours at the same time so we had to meet up!
i met up with Anne in Sydney, hadnt seen her in years and she spotted me right away!
in melbourne!

me and aaron at the docks
me and aaron in front of the bridge and the opera house

So I ended up having about 10 extra days in Australia that I did not realize would have been just chill time….so Aaron flew halfway around the world to visit me! We had 4 days in Sydney and 5 in Melbourne. Of course it was during the heat wave where temperatures reached to about 110 degrees F in Mel!! Ahh….but we were okay we had a fan and we only got there in time for the last day or two where it began to cool off at night. It was really nice to just see the sights and to relax after a busy camp season. We also met up with some friends: Anne (who was a foreign exchange student at RH when I was a sophomore there), Pat Fava (a great friend of mine), and girls I had worked with at Camp (Mel, Jody, Pip and Bree). It was really nice to get to see everyone! Here are some pics from our little vacation!

Camp Sushine AU is over!

2009-02-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

nancy could not even fake a smile, she was so upset that camp was ending...
um we were really lost in the hedge maze...notice the boys not really smiling too much
hard to describe what is going on here, the bay we went to had a bunch of jelly fish things in the water so we had a war!
Hattie at the petting zoo that we hired to come to the park

me and some kids on the last day!

the boys being silly on our last day/long bus ride to the waterpark

the team at the camp dinner!

Sorry it has taken me so long to update! The last week of camp went by so quickly! It was really really good though! Just to give you some perspective...in our meeting Bree and Clayton told us that in December the numbers for camp were very low. How low you ask? There was a day that we had no kids signed up at all! Ahh! In a month they had people coming from all over the world and maybe there would be no kids to work with! On some days we had 7 kids signed up, but with 12 leaders...that is a little too much supervision! haha...anyways on the last day of camp we had 40 kids! From the first day to the last our numbers went from 17 to 40! How awesome.

Some of my highlights from the last week:
-one girl was signed up for one day and begged her mom to let her come back for another. She did come back, but when it was time to leave she was really upset...her mom looked straight at me and said "You are really making an impact on her." Which as simple as it sounds, really make an impact on me! I didnt even feel like I was close to the girl or that we connected but I guess God used me in her life
-one kid that I had the entire three weeks (3 times a week tho) really started opening up. Like he just came out of his shell. We would joke and kid with eachother and stuff but he never really showed that we were close. When he was leaving on the last day...he just looked straight at me and gave me the biggest hug! See....for some people that is not a big deal but I he had never hugged me before and I hadnt seen him hug anyone else there. It just meant alot.
-A 3rd and final highlight (believe me i could go on forever but I dont want to bore you):

To Clayton and all the staff at Camp Sunshine

This is just a short note to express a grateful mothers thankfulness to you all for giving my boys Braden and Ali such a happy 3 weeks holidays (with always such a warm welcome each morning when they arrive) We have family circumstances where Braden and Ali's brother is severely diabled with Spina bifida and a mother heavily pregnant with identical twins. My husband and I cant take the boys out to entertain them to places that they would like to go. And so I have tried other holiday programmes where they were absolutely miserable and crying not to go. You guys got the thumbs up from day 1. You give my children a happy memorable time, the chance to be real boys and something to look forward to each holidays. From here on it is their own right to have a happy childhood which is so important to me that they get and you help me with that. Thank you!

With lots of warm thanks to you all.

Okay so basically words cant describe my experience it was so good and I got so close to the other staff members. Thank you all who donated so that I would be able to not only get over here but work for free so that camp could raise funds and flourish in the future!

great ocean road

2009-01-18T22:49:00.001-08:00

lookin at the view
heather, me, casey, mary
an apostle
the view
me jumping!
the girls
awesome view from the road
wow...the curvation of the earth!
us in front of the fire/camping spot
me and casey skipping about
the view from the road!
me in front of the 12 apostles...or the 7 apostles

We took a weekend trip on the Great Ocean road. It was such a good time, more to come later!

Week 2

2009-01-18T22:41:00.001-08:00

Our team in capture the flag with Heather!
my group at the zoo!
playing a huge game of capture the flag (Mel and I)
me and tristyn in the moonbounce or "jumping castle" as they call it

I wasn't ready for that, Sebastian laid one on me!

Week 2 at camp sunshine

So this week opened my eyes to new things. I began to feel like it was more of a routine…but in doing this I was not stressed and it allowed for my time to really be focused on the kids. We also did a lot more as a group. I could just hang out and be with my kids, learn more about their life and situations.

A lot of the kids at camp go for free through social work agencies or through government support. We have kids whose parents are in jail, who come in and haven’t eaten, whose mom died last week, children with cerebral palsy, autism, aspersers, and learning disabilities. The kids here come from all different religion and backgrounds, but they all understand love. It has been great just getting to love these kids. Its been hot, we’ve been tired, but we have pushed through and this is the last week!

the first hot day/cricket pics

2009-01-13T03:37:00.000-08:00

at the cricket game, look at the skyline!
I was decked out in Aussie gear! and they won!

THE FIRST HOT DAY!

Ahh today was 37 degrees C which is HOT! I think its like 99F or so. It is a different 99 though. The wind is very hot which makes it harder to stand. There is no humidy though. If there was, you wouldnt be able to go outside I'm sure. We had to change our plans and do a mall scavenger hunt. People really think that we are crazy...even more so than in the states!

So a cool story from today...there is this kid's mom and she is so funny! I love talking to her just becuase she is not like any other mom that I have met. Anyways...we have some cool things at Camp Sunshine AU. To name a few, we have the Flying High Award and the camp sunshine post box. This woman's son won the Flying high award. When you win, you get to help pick out other people that deserve the award. She told me that in school this kid is bad and gets in alot of trouble. She said that he does not respect others around him....but that is not how he is at camp! She told me that he said he is good at camp becuase everyone follows the rules and are nice to eachother. She was shocked when he explained why others deserved the award. This mom didn't think her son was capable of noticing things that other people did that deserved recognition. She asked me if she could take her kid out of school and enroll him in camp all the time! She loves who her son is when he is at camp!

Ah, stories like that are so amazing. They just make me smile. :-)

So, did I tell everyone that I am leading asseblies? haha. It is pretty ridiculous. I like it becuase I am totally in my element. If you don't know what that means, it means that I lead songs and dances and basically just act really excited to get the kids pumped for camp. Clayton has set up a disco ball and lights and a full sound system. It is so much fun, but def requires alot of energy. I never led them at camp...but it has been great leading them here!

K, well its late here and its time to go to bed for me.

love you all!

p.s. Cricket was fun!!

one week down...

2009-01-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

our team in the city!!
Sunset at our place
this is what we see driving in to work in the morning
The kids one day at camp
Bailey and Tristyn
Rosie and I
me and ali

My group bowling

1 week down, 2 to go...

Camp Sunshine AU is heaps different than Camp Sonshine Silver Spring... (do you like my Aussie lingo?) I reckon you should haha...

Anyways, whats so different? First, the parents here are not used to people playing with their kids or getting to know them period. They just expect to drop off their kids and pick them up. They weren't expecting the relationships that we build. We seriously have the best team ever. Each person is here for a reason and make such a difference. We had about 20 kids everyday last week...which is nothing compared to America but it was great because we could really talk to the kids like all the time and invest in their lives.

Even though the kids get attached to you easily it is still hard to feel like you are making an impact because the kids can sign up for only one day. In the states you have to sign up for a 2 week period. Here the kids may sign up for two random days and that is all!

It is easy to feel like you dont make a difference for kids that are only at camp for a short time. But God works through us and affects the kids around us. I met a girl named Rosie who was much older than most campers. She had only been in Au for 3 months and she moved from England. We clicked right away and now her mother is talking about sending her to Camp Sonshine US when she is 15! She was lovely and made me a friendship braclet on the last day she was there (which was the third day of camp!).

It is also so much more laid back here than in the states. We go with the flow. If the kids like an activity we stay there longer...oh and thats another thing. They never seemed to get bored like the kids in the states do. They are satisfied playing a game of tag or tiggy as they call it here. It is such an overall different attitude.

The weather here has been really cool. They said that it has been unusually cool for this time of year. We have to wear sweatshirts in the morning and night. But the days are beautiful not humid at all.

Yesterday we went into the city. It was really cool to explore Melbourne and get out because where we are seems so far away from civilization. haha. Tonight we are going to a cricket game, which should be fun!

Allright, I dont have internet for that long so that is my quick update. I love and miss you all. My favorite thing ever is to have messages and emails when I get to check it so keep me updated!! Sorry for the scattered thoughts!

Here and settled

2009-01-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

Me and the girls at sunset!
VIEW FROM MY HOUSE!

So I am here and settled in where I will be for the next 3 ½ weeks. It is absolutely beautiful (as you can see from the picture, that is the view from my house!). I am in a house that is very remote and run on solar power! This means that I will not have internet access very often so my updates may be scarce. The house is full of windows so when you are upstairs and falling asleep at night it looks like you are directly under the stars. The stars are completely different here. I knew they would, but when you actually look in the sky it is amazing! The lingo here is funny as well. Did you know that they call a sandwich a zinger and a moon bounce a jumping castle and cotton candy, fairy floss? And bad words here are not bad words in the US and vice versa. Haha.

Camp starts tomorrow! I can already tell that it is going to be so different. Camp is about 30 minutes from where we are staying. Training here has been fun too. We had to go across a lake as a team to retrieve an “Eskee” (a cooler). We used a bathtub, two mini pools, floating devices and a blow up mattress. After about 1.5 hrs we made it! On the way back we were singing the star spangled banner.
Afterwards I overheard 2 people talking. Person A: “Those people were singing the star spangled banner.” Person B: “But how did they know it?” Person A (In surprise): “I DON’T KNOW! But they knew all the words!!” It made me laugh!

Anyways I love you all. Thank you for all of the emails and encouragment!

Bula

2009-01-03T21:32:00.001-08:00

Bula! (thats what they say in Fiji for hello!)

So I finally made it to Melbourne after many days of traveling. I
left Dec 29th at 4pm flew to LA. At 10pm left LA flew to Fiji. I had
a 12 hour layover in Fiji...where I got sunburnt, even though I stayed
in the shade. At 6pm I left Fiji and made it to Melbourne! It was
New Years eve when I arrived, and by the time I got to my hotel it was
midnight! I was welcomed by fireworks and cheers (I would like to
think that they were directly for me). As of now, I am waiting for my
friends to come pick me up. It is about 8:40 am here! Once I get a
chance, I will update my blog with pictures from my travels. Thanks
everyone again for everything, I wouldn't have been able to make it
here if it wasn't for all of your support! God bless.

Anna <3

p.s. Did you know that they have two buttons to flush the toilet here
(one has a half filled circle and the other a filled circle)? I never
know which one to press!

pics from Chick-Fil-A

2008-12-12T05:15:00.001-08:00

The Crowds came to Chick-Fil-A to support me!!

I got some sweet souvenirs.

A table of Horizon folks.

Even the babies came out to support me/play with the stuffed animals.

Look at that long table--thats how Horizon rolls.

Adam and Nicole were advertisement for me!

No joke...I walked around the mall like this telling people
to come to Chick-Fil-A...Aaron was slightly embarrassed.

A successful night!

2008-12-04T04:09:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that the Chick-Fil-A night was a huge success! With the support of my friends, we were able to raise $375!!! There has also been some large donations come in recently. After I recalculate my numbers, I will be able to update everyone on how much is left to raise! Thanks for everything!!!

Chick-Fil-A night

2008-11-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! As promised, I am having a Chick-Fil-A night at the one in Towson Town Center. It is going to be December 2nd from 5-8. Chick-Fil-A will be donating a percentage of the sales to my trip! I'm really excited and hope to see everyone there!!

39 days

2008-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

39 days left.

ONLY $1,355 left to raise!

Pretty crazy. This very wonderful person made a rather large donation!

So what have I been doing? Random sub jobs where I can either get a ton done or be extremely bored. I have also been subbing at high schools which means I gotta be at school at 6:55! But today I sent in my applications to get hired next year, so hopefully it works out and I can do the majority of prep work before I leave.

I miss my kids at Bellows!

But looking forward to a new day.

Good news!

2008-11-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

Only 2,020 dollars left to raise and a Chick-Fil-A night is in the works.

One of my kids wrote this on a goodbye card for me and it was very encouraging:

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." -Hebrews 11:8

Preparation for the road ahead...

2008-11-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

So I figured that I might as well start blogging. This way everyone can be updated on everything going on in my life! I know, its pretty great. People will probably know more about my life now that I'm going overseas than when I was chillin in the states. So...what should you know? Well so far I only have $2,625 left to raise, which is actually a really big deal! My total number was around 7,000 so if you do the math, my family/friends who have supported me have helped me to raise quite a bit of mula. It is really so awesome. I have my plane ticket and it looks like I am actually going! AHH!! I wasn't sure this day would come, but...timmmeee is ticking away! I am going to leave Dec 29th, get to Australia Dec 31st and leave for the Philippines February 3rd. I will come back to the states June 10th. So those were the quick facts. Next week is my last week teaching at Bellows Spring and I am just going to be working random odd and end jobs until I leave. So that is the updated life of Anna, hope you enjoyed.