My 1st 42 hours

Yes, I'm finally here and writing to you from the Philippines (I can't believe I've only been here 42 hours; it seems like so much longer!) Right now, I'm laying on the top bunk of a dorm room with 7 bunk beds. Next to me is an open window that overlooks a beautiful courtyard with a gazebo (I can't wait to spend time with Jesus in that gazebo!). Beyond that, beautiful trees cover the surface of the mountain which eventually appears to blend in with the clouds. God's creation has not ceased to amaze me!
Friday night, I arrived in Manilla at 10:30pm and made it out of the airport in an hour. Tom, picked me up at the airport and drove me to a house in the city where 5 of the other girls were already sleeping. As soon as we arrived, I crashed only to wake up less than 3 hours later. Gotta love jet lag. The girl I was sharing a bed with, Tanya, woke up an hour later and after officially meeting each other for the first time, we talked until breakfast where we met 4 of the other girls - Olivia, Joi, Lilian, and Maeve. After eating breakfast, Tom drove us to the seminary in Baguio (pronounced bog-E-O) where we're staying now. It was a 5 hour drive and not only did we get to see the beauty of this country, but we also got to see the different forms of transportation. The car ride was great because we all got to share our stories with one another. I already feel as if these girls are my sisters and I can't wait to really work alongside them. Once we arrived at Baguio, we met the 7th intern, Jordan and ate dinner at Tom and his wife Connie's house with several others. This morning, we were all up by 5am (still jet lagged). At breakfast, we met a seminary student from Malaysia who shared several mind-blowing testimonies with us. Hearing her experience was such a blessing! After breakfast, the 7 of us did a small devotional and had an awesome prayer time together. God's presence invaded our dorm room this morning; I know He has so much in store for us! We attended a church in Baguio this morning. The worship was just like ours and I knew all of the songs. After worship, all the visitors introduced themselves and Connie introduced the interns. I gave a 5-minute testimony and Lillian gave a 15-minute sermonette. Tom closed the service with a sermon. It was amazing how all of our topics flowed together even though we hadn't planned together. I love God's involvement! After church, Connie took us out to lunch and forbid us from napping since we're all still jet lagged. Some of the girls went shopping for things they forgot (everything is so cheap here!) and I spent some good time with Jesus processing everything. Tomorrow we start training so please pray for our jet lag to be gone. Also, the airlines lost Olivia's bag so please pray for it to arrive intact soon.
A few weeks ago, I compared waiting for this trip to waiting for a roller coaster; now, we're inching our way up that first gigantic hill. Soon we'll be flying down it full speed. We no doubt need your prayers! Thanks so much for partnering with us.