Grace Upon Grace
**The blog site is only allowing me to upload one picture, so if you'd like to see a little bit into my daily life and what I'm doing here in the Philippines, please follow me on Facebook**
When your love for oceans is greater than the fear of drowning; Darling, you will surely swim
Oh, how is it already the end of May? Quarantine continues, babies are still being born, and we are now into summer, which means sweltering temperatures.
We went from enhanced community quarantine to general community quarantine, and now are in modified general community quarantine, which means that there is some public transportation available, stores are starting to open, and more places are available for takeout...while practicing social distancing of course. Last week SarahBeth and I went to town...for the first time in over 60 days (that's a long time), as we had a few "essential" errands to run. I waited in the long line for the ATM/bank, while she went to the grocery store, and after 30 minutes, the ATM went offline. The ATM going offline happens regularly, but usually it comes back within 5-10 minutes. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and after waiting for another 20 minutes, we decided to try a different ATM. We walked down the road to another one, where an even longer line greeted us. After waiting for almost an hour at this new ATM, we finally were able to get our money out and complete the rest of our errands.
I've been working on our breastfeeding assignment, which helps me have a better understanding of helping the women in the clinic, especially the first time mothers, and it has been so interesting to continue learning how God created women and their babies so perfectly.
This season feels a bit harder, but I'm thankful that I'm able to continue living here and working alongside some of the best people and midwives. We found a new bakery within walking distance (which can be dangerous, as I thoroughly enjoy carbs), have been doing the Chloe Ting 25 day hourglass challenge (in 110 degree heat...I've never sweat so much in my entire life), and have been enjoying the relaxed days where we allow ourselves to rest and enjoy the little things...like the major rain storms we have been having every afternoon. Jesus continues to teach me grace and compassion for those around me, and I'm thankful for the sweet babies and their mamas who remind me that sunshine can come through the rain.
A few days ago we had a scheduled power outage from 7am-7pm...which means no charging our electronics, no using electric fans, no refrigerator, sometimes no water, and just trying to escape the humidity. During a normal power outage we would gather up our laptops and books and go to the nearest coffee shop or hotel lobby that has a generator, wifi, and AC, but unfortunately, since we are in quarantine, we are unable to do that. Sometimes the only productive thing you can do in a day is escape the humidity.
I'm thinking of doing a Facebook live soon to answer any questions that people have about my life here/what our clinic does/missionary life/etc., so if you have any questions, please feel free to message me or leave them in the comments!
Thank you for the continued support during this uncertain time. I'm so thankful for such a strong support team! Please continue joining me in the work that the Lord is doing here in Kalinga, and especially here at Abundant Grace of God Maternity Center.