Day 9
Today was a much needed day of rest. We spent time with our individual host families. Most families went to mass and then had activities with families and friends. The Diocese of Daet has many different parishes. In the Philippines, each shopping mall also holds a mass on Sundays; some of our group attended mass in the mall.
The activities within our group varied from shopping to spending time on the beach, from riding a carabao (water buffalo) to cliff diving. Some learned to surf, and some sang karaoke on the beach. The Filippino people seem to really enjoy their karaoke, as do the Canadians! - One group of guys even went to see the cock fighting...there seem to be several sports arenas throughout the countryside - I was quite surprised to hear that the only 'sport' to be held in the arenas was cockfighting. One of our host families raises the birds to be used in cockfighting; Tita (auntie) was very proud that one of her birds should fetch 1000 Philippine Pisos.
Tomorrow will be our last day of work. We approach the day with mixed emotions. We are excited about the progress on the houses, but we are saddened that we will bid farewell to the fast friends we have made. Since this will be our last opportunity for work, we are determined to finish strong. Carson, Chris, Mariz, and several others have been working hard on that 12' deep hole that will be the septic service of the second home; they overcame the coconut tree-stump named Tim; they have taken out many large rocks; and countless shovels full of reddish clay have been removed. Scott, Father Dan, and their crew have been working on the construction of the additions to the houses. Joe, Mel, Jeff, Kaylee, and their crew have been building walls and roof structures. Carmen has mastered the art of the hand-saw, and Lorraine has a new calling with a hammer and nails. Jackie, Randi, Tina, Alexis, and so many others have continued to haul bricks, cement powder, and rocks from the highway to the worksite; no one has escaped with clean, dry shoes as we traipse over the creek/slough. When Tina is not manning the comfort station, she has been hauling cement. Joanne looks like one of the locals while carrying bags of cement on her head. I cannot possibly name everyone in this post, but everyone has been pulling more than their weight. It is nice to have so many different jobs happening at once; many of our group have been rotating through each activity, helping where needed. - It will be an exciting day of strength and comraderie (and heat and sweat).


Prayer Request: We ask for prayers of strength emotionally, physically, and spiritually as we finish our work here in the Diocese of Daet.
Quote of the day: The question was posed: How many times do you think we have said it's so beautiful since we got here? The answer: "Not enough!" Randi