Life in Bontoc...

Bontoc is an amazing place that is full of new things to experience!  

It has taken me a little while to become familiar with my surroundings and the different way of doing many ordinary tasks.  I am now proficient at bucket baths, doing laundry by hand and taking trikes to and from town.  Trikes are motorcycle taxis that zip back and forth from the city center and where I live.  I will try and post some pictures of one sometime, they tend to be highly decorated... :0)  

My humble home

The home where I am living is built right on the rice terraces and is currently under construction.  It is a cute little place where part of our team lives and where we cook and eat all of our meals.  It is seriously like a game of sardines at every meal with 24+ people spread between 3 small rooms.  One big surprise to me is that I actually have my own room... it is small with a twin size bed and a cabinet for me to store my clothes in.  My first impression reminded me of a jail cell, but it has actually become quite cozy.  

A warrior dance

One of my first activities here in Bontoc was to watch cultural dancing at the Among Festival.  It was really neat to see the different cultural dances and the traditional dress.  The festival was fun and gave me a chance to see a bit of the Filipino culture.  One of the other activities was a welcome dinner from the Bontoc YWAM family where we had a delicious meal and actually got to participate in some of the dances.  It was a fun experience to try some dancing and meet a lot of new people!

Rice terraces on our hike to church

 Last Sunday I rode on the top of a jeepney (a jeep/bus) to a place called Maligcong.  The view was amazign while we wound up the mountain!  From Maligcong half of our team hiked through the rice terraces to a small village called Fang-oreo.  In the village we did a church service in a tiny church.  I shared my testimony and a couple of my team mates shared the sermon.  It was amazing how welcoming and receptive the people were.  I got a lot of amens and praise the Lords as I shared and I wasn't even nervous because God was totally with me!  After the service we had a time of prayer for some people and that was a powerful time!  Our team was totally blessed when the church served us lunch before we took the hike back to the jeepney.  The food was great, even though I didn't know what some of it was... ;0)

For now this is a little bit of what I've been up to... it has been an amazing time experiencing God's faithfulness and love!  I look forward to sharing more soon.

Love and blessing to you all!
~Marie

September Update!

Hello family and friends,

I am so amazed at how time flies by! The last three months have been a whirlwind of learning and growing where I have been challenged to really seek out the truths I believe. This time has helped me in discovering who I am and God's plan for my life. I still don't know exactly what His plan looks like, but I do know that God's plans are GOOD and that He will not disappoint me.

The next step of my journey will be a looong trip to the Philippines with my DTS team. For the next two months we are going to be ministering in a small mountain city called Bontoc. At this point we are planning to teach Sunday school, do a vacation Bible school, and minister in the streets. I am really excited to share the songs and dramas that our team has been working and also to share my testimony and try some preaching. I'm a little nervous about the preaching, but I know that God will be with me to help me. I'm really excited for the upcoming outreach, to put into practice so many of the things I have been learning. I think that going out and using this new knowledge will really cement these new concepts in my life.

I look forward to many fun and powerful stories to share with you about my experience in the Philippines. The area we are going to may not have the best access to computers or phones, but I will try my best to keep updates coming. If you would like to receive updates while I'm in the Philippines please e-mail me at marieevensen@msn.com and I will add you to my contact list.

Prayer Requests:

• Safe and happy travels (3 flights and 2 bus rides totaling 40+ hours of travel with 10 children!)
• Quick adjustment to the culture of the Philippines
• Great opportunities for ministry
• Unity for our team
• Anointing to share testimonies and preach the Word of God
• Continued good health

Praises:

• Having great health for the last 3 months
• Meeting many great friends here that are a great support
• I will be fully funded with the monthly support coming in October. Yay God!
• The Lord has given me much joy and peace through my experience

Thank you all for your support and prayers as you have walked with me on this journey. I am truly blessed!

Much love,

Marie

Philippines or Bust!

Hello there folks...

It has finally come time for my outreach to the Philippines and I'm so very excited!  My journey will begin in less that 48 hours and I feel ready to roll.  The past few days I've been working on packing and it has been interesting to fit all I will need for two months into a hiking backpack.  Needless to say I am packing light for this trip :0)  

Just a few of my favorite things!

I guess all one really needs is a few changes of clothes, a bedroll, and some snacks.  Good thing I love camping!

Here I am sporting my new look :0)

I think big backpacks are coming back in style.  Everyone around here is wearing them these days!