A Philippine Thanksgiving

As our family and friends celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States it was just another ordinary day here in Asia. However, we weren't going to let that stop us from celebrating thanks ... after all, we have much to be thankful for.

• We see a lot of poverty here in Cebu and most of the time (not all the time) it is because some ancestor made a poor decision and it sadly set his descendants up for a rough life ... We are incredibly thankful for great families who made good decisions to ensure that we would have great lives. Thank you.  
• Technology. 
• Food on the table and roof over our head. 
• Old friends. 
• New friends. 
• All of our supports that make it possible to be able to do work in this place. Not just our financial supporters, but all of our cheerleaders as well :) 
• Grace. Love. Patience. 
• I am thankful that my first Thanksgiving away from home was a success! 

We had a great time sharing our heritage with some Filipino friends! Andrea and Gepher Lopina opened their home for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast! It was a good time of food, laughs, and new traditions (such as pilgrim and indian hats). 

Love and Peace. 

-Caidy 

Saul

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

   “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

   “Yes, Lord,” he answered.

 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.  And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

  Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,  and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

I would like to say that I am Ananias, who faithfully follows the Lord in all circumstances... But sometimes I am Saul, persecuting people around me. Thankfully we have an AMAZING God who uses all sorts of broken people to be His instruments! 

what is on my mind.

If this blog were written in a bunch of facebook status’s this is what it would say…

Caidy Quilaton …. Is feeling beyond thankful for the amount of blessings God has bestowed upon 818 ministry in the last seven months.

Caidy Quilaton … Cebu seems so familiar some days and other days I feel the deep reality of being a part of the minority.

Caidy Quilaton … is finally getting used to washing laundry by hand. But I pray that God doesn’t mistake my “used to” feelings for comfortable feelings. I would still love a washing machine.

Caidy Quilaton … Ronald Quilaton is my favorite human. 

Caidy Quilaton … poverty needs to end. Soon.

Caidy Quilaton … the ‘A’ says ahh, the ‘A’ says ahh, every letter makes a sound the ‘A’ says ahh.

Caidy Quilaton .. Thank God for awesome friends who spend lots of money to travel to the other side of the world for a fun visit!

Caidy Quilaton … God’s GRACE is enough. 

Caidy Quilaton ... all you need it LOVE 

Caidy Quilaton ... dear dogs, although I have gotten used to your constant barking during the waking hours, I would love it if you restrained from barking during the sleeping hours. sincerely, sleepy neighbor.   

Caidy Quilaton .. hello summer, why are you still here? oh thats right, you never leave that Philippines.

Caidy Quilaton ... it is possible to obtain peace in such a broken world? 

Bartimaeus

Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggarnamed Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus,Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!”And Jesus said to him, “Go;your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road. 

What is your first thought after reading this story from the book of Mark? 

Possibly it's the amount of compassion that Jesus showed on Bartimaeus. Maybe for some of you it's the beggars faith, and maybe like me it's the way the crowd treated the poor blind man; shushing him like he wasn't worth anything ... the crowd was anything but compassionate towards Bartimaeus.

I have lived in the Philippines for 4 months 3 weeks and 3 days. Out of this time I have walked past this one man at least 10 times. This man is crippled and sits on the stairs of a sky walk daily . He begs for money, holding a cup out to the people walking by. 

About a week ago I walked past this man paying him not a whole lot of attention.

Then the thought dawned on me. He probably can't get a job because he is disabled. He was most likely abandoned as a child because of his disability. He probably doesn't eat more than two meals a day. He probably doesn't know anything else.  Then I thought "wow, Caidy, you are just like the crowd in the Bartimaeus story". 

How many of us are like the crowd? Yes, we all wish we were like Jesus, but don't lie to yourself. 

My challenge for you all is compassion. Try, just for this week, to have more compassion on  the people you encounter on a daily basis. 

Street living and injustice

It is quite common here in the Philippines to walk down the street and see a child reach their hand towards you and say phrases like "money" or  "taga-i ko ug kwart" (give me money) or "ma'am, sir money".  It is also common to see children sleeping in stairwells, on sidewalks and on streets. However, it is even more common to see people pass those children like they don't even exist.

Tonight Ronald and I were walking down the street and we saw a little boy, probably no older than 12, sleeping on the side walk. He was LITERALLY sleeping in the middle of the side walk. Does something seem wrong with that picture? YES! Something is defiantly wrong with that picture. People are not meant to live like that. God created good and I whole heartedly believe He wants us to live good lives. Is this child living a good life? I don't think he is; He doesn't have a bed, no consistent food source, and who knows if he has family. 

 So, not knowing anything else to do, we gave this poor little boy food. Now back when I lived in the states ... not that that was to long ago ... I would usually feel pretty darn good about feeding a homeless person. I never questioned where they would get their next meal because there are so many ways for a homeless person in the states to get fed. But not here, not in the Philippines. Tonight giving that child food and then walking away only made me feel worse; I am heart broken by the fact that he is left out in the world all alone with no one to provided for him. And here I sit in my nice house, with a comfortable bed and plenty of food in my fridge while this poor little boy is out on the streets sleeping on the sidewalk not knowing when he will eat again. HOW SAD. 

I am at a complete loss here, friends. As christians we are called to take care of each other. Quite honestly, I haven't seen enough of this. We are a selfish people and until we overcome ourselves we are going to continue to see starving children and homeless families. 

I don't know what to do. The only solutions I can come up with are short term solutions. I am looking for long term, heart of the matter solutions. I want to get to the root of this problem ... why are children living on the streets and how can we change that? 

Please pray with me as I look to God for the solution. 

1 John 3:17 

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Peace. 

-Caidy 

Ahh ... VBS

Vacation Bible School! 

I remember when I was a little girl I LOVED VBS at South County church of Christ. It was the next best thing to church camp. I would beg mom and dad to take me every night! Fortunately for me, I would usually be able to go 3 out of 5 nights. It was the best! The singing, the skits, the crafts, the snacks, the friends ... it was a blast! We had fun while learning about people God used in the Bible. It was a great experience and I never imagined that one day I would be able to create the same kind of fun for kids in the Philippines! 

These last few weeks I have been apart of the planning and executing of two VBS's. One for Lilia's Place and the other for the Consolacion church of Christ. Both have the same Joseph theme.

Lilia's Place was a great experience! We shared a different part of the Joseph story and did two crafts  each day. My personal favorite was the day the kids put J in jail. Each kid had a different way of arranging the jail bars and it was so adorable to see what their little minds came up with. 

 I saw, on a daily basis, how much these kids were soaking in every minute of the fun and learning more and more about our amazing God! It reminded me of my times as a child at VBS; I was more than happy that I could help these children make fun childhood memories!! 

Lilia's Place VBS was encouraging in many different ways, however, my favorite part of the week was when I taught the kids the Hippo song. Immediately after singing, sweet four year old Lilia said "Good job, Caidy!" She stole my heart in that moment. I thank God for precious, kind, encouraging children like her.

Consolacion VBS is every Saturday in May. Since the church meets at a school building it is not possible to have a one week long VBS because of summer classes. SO... that leaves Saturdays! We have two weeks down three more to go. It has also been a lot of fun! Getting to know these kids is a blast as most of them don't understand a word I say. I have learned that you don't need words to share a common love with children; you just need a smile and a warm heart.

 We have had about 45 kids attending the VBS and 8 mothers attending the parenting class. So far so good all around. We have many helpers and it has been encouraging to see everyone come out to help make this a great experience for these kids. I am excited to see what God has in-store for the next 3 weeks at Consolacion! 

Love and Peace to all. 

-Caidy 

Culture SHOCK is the WORST.

Culture shock. Ever been through it before? It really is the worst. One minute I could be happy and the next minute something triggers the Nile River to flow from my eye balls. 

I know that eventually I will adjust. But when will the 'eventually' happen? After 6 months? After a year? After 2 years?  Maybe I am the only one who can determine that. I am the only one who can give it all up and surrender to God, to allow him to aid me through this time. It is a daily struggle to give up all that I have known and completely surrender. 

I have been reading the book of Matthew over the last few weeks. I think how hard it must have been for the disciples to leave everything and follow Christ.  

The disciples, not just the 12, literally dropped everything to follow Jesus. They left their homes, their families, their comfort. They left it all for the sake of following Christ. 

I wonder if they went through culture shock. Did different smells bother them? How about the different food? Did they allow the little things in life to bother them? Or were they so focused on Jesus that those little details weren't a bother? 

I am encouraged by the disciples. Even in their weakest God used them. I can only pray that God will use me in my weakest also.

I know that this time will pass. Daily I make the decision to stay on this journey with God. Daily I trust in him. Daily I fail. And daily I live in his unfailing grace.

Please pray for me. That the Spirit will guide me and give me strength. 

Love and Peace.

-Caidy  

PS. Ronald is doing great! He is a wonderful, patient man. I am blessed to have such a great supporter. I love him. 

Small Stuff

Its the little things that help with the transition.

Like making really delicious homemade pizza! 

Seriously the highlight of my eating week! 

Finally found the PERFECT juice to take my vitamins with everyday!
I take a lot of vitamins on a daily basis, and finding the right orange juice has been a bit of a challenge.
Today we found Orange/Mango juice! It is yummy. 

Besides the small stuff... God is doing BIG stuff!!

Ronald and I just found out what we are going to be teaching in June! Ronald is going to be teaching 5 courses at CBC! WOW!!! He is already busy preparing and excited about the new challenge. I am possibly going to be co-teaching a children's ministry type of class, also at CBC. I'm excited about this opportunity, especially because the person that I would be teaching with has so much more experience teaching children's ministry than I do ... so I can learn a ton from her!

Besides working with CBC, I have something else in the works ... I am really excited about this new program that I might be starting and ask you all to pray with me as I do something I never imagined I would be doing; Although, I never thought that I would move to the other side of the world and I did ....  I ask that you pray that God would give me the wisdom and strength to make the right decisions through this process.

New Experiences for Caidy

Ronald and I have lived in Cebu for 5 weeks! CRAZY! 

I have had some new experiences that I would like to share with you via pictures and descriptions. 

Washing my own laundry is no fun. I am impressed with the people who do this weekly. 

Mango Smoothies are the best! Mangos in the States have nothing on the mangos here!

Pig head. Gross. 

CBC also has a little "Bieber Fever"

Meeting my mother-in-law for the first time was fun!

Also, meeting Ronald's grandmother was fun! She's a hot ticket! 

 

Fruit straight from the tree is yummy!!! This is star fruit. Kinda sticky, but so tasty! 

  

 This particular day, we were in Ronald's hometown and he was showing me all the places he and his cousins would hang out at.  It was a great experience to be apart of! I loved seeing Ronald's old stomping grounds.

Getting stuck at the port overnight was frustrating at first, but then it turned into a fun adventure!  

Although we got stuck at the port, the morning was beautiful! Thank you, God.

Ducks at the zoo! 

I have seen poverty on a whole new level here in Cebu. These precious little children literally live at a dump. 

  This lizard was hanging out with my while I was doing the dishes. "Thanks little lizard for keeping me company" :) 

I hope that was a good little overview of my new experiences. Obviously, these are not super detailed...but I'm sure you get the picture. 

Love and Peace. 

-Caidy

Visiting Titay

How long have you gone without seeing your mother? Probably only a few months, maybe a year, right?  And imagine what a sweet reunion it must be when you are once again together.

About two weeks ago I had the fantastic honor to witness my wonderful, hard working, amazing husband be reunited with his mom after eight long years of being separated by half a world.  Sure they talked on skype occasionally and texted  back and fourth; but nothing  could beat being in the same room with the people you love.  

We traveled to Zamboanga via boat from Cebu. It was a long 10 hour boat ride with a 4 hour “layover”. I think that I was more nervous to meet my mother-in- law for the first time than Ronald was to see her after 8 years.

We arrived at the port in the Zamboanga peninsula and Ronald immediately picked his mom out of a sea of people (hahahah …. get my pun? ).  He was so happy and giddy. I have really never seen my husband that happy before. His joy was incredibly contagious. I, however, showed my happy emotions in tears. It was just such an incredible moment in time. We got off the boat, after pushing our way through the porters, and made our way to the family. Not only was Momma Q. there but she had also brought, cousins, uncles and friends! It was so great! It was such a sweet reunion. I am thankful that God had given me the opportunity to be a part of that.

We stayed in Titay (Ronald’s hometown, about a 4 hour drive from the port) for a week.  During that week, Ronald gave a 2-day seminar on “Participating in God’s  Story” for all the area wide elders, preachers, deacons, etc.  It went really well! The message of the weekend was very well received and I believe they are probably still discussing some of the topics Ronald brought up. The church there has such servant hearts and it was evident in the way we saw them all weekend. Everyday the ladies served us lunch and snacks and on Sunday they had a big “Thanksgiving and Welcome” feast/party for Ronald and me. We were thankful for their encouragement and kind words and, quite honestly, we’re blown away by the amount of honor we received; it was humbling.

Ronald wasn’t the only one who got to put their Lipscomb degree to good use …. I taught the kids for bible class. It was my very first time teaching children that don’t speak fluent English. The night before I had some help drawing pictures for each part of my lesson, and I was able to teach using lots of pictures (thanks, Brenda for the great idea).  After we had the bible lesson I taught them how to make crosses using coconut leaves. It was so much fun! I haven’t truly enjoyed teaching like that in months.

The trip as a whole was a good one. Terrorist did not kidnap me and I was able to communicate with Ronald’s family beautifully! I thank my Quilaton/Dar family for teaching me a few things during our visit:

•        Anything with more than two legs are still considered friends. These may include but are not limited to: spiders, mice, and roaches.
•        Bathing with a bucket instead of a showerhead with continuous flowing water is not really all the bad.
•        Rubber grows on trees.
•        My family is not the only one that is loud and opinionated. 

Leaving to go back to Cebu. This was at the port as the sun was rising. 

I have so much more to blog about, but I will have to save that for another night. Maybe tomorrow. But for a preview here are some pictures from the last weeks. 

First meal in our new home! 3 weeks after we moved in.

Stove and Fridge!

Trying new fruits. 

Watching Gods beautiful children.

Visiting the Cebu zoo.

Poverty

Poverty. 

pov.er.ty

noun

the state of being extremely poor. 

Growing up in the United States and living there all my life, I have never been exposed to much poverty. I have seen briefly what penury looks like in Mexico. I have seen what poverty looks like in Nashville, Atlanta, and Rhode Island; But never have I seen this ... 

-- Families living in a shack on the side of a busy road. The children not attending school because parents simply         can’t afford it, so the kids are left to play on the side of that busy road.

-- Frail old men and women begging for people to buy their stuff ... candy,fruit, cigarets.  

-- A CHILD sleeping on the steps of an overpass. A CHILD! 

 Homelessness in the USA don’t compare to the amount of impoverishment I have seen here in Cebu. 

For the last week Ronald and I walk to the Country Mall and get some bread to eat for breakfast, and everyday we see the same two children sleeping on the steps of that overpass. Hundreds of people must walk past these kids and yet NO ONE stops to give them even 1 peso (equivalent to 10 cents in the states). They say I will become numb to  seeing this, that I just simply have to turn away from it. But will I become numb? Will I be able to turn my head from this? Im not sure I have that capability. 

I have seen so much poverty. I am not used to this. 

However, the people here are STILL happy. They know nothing else. In whatever circumstance they find themselves, they are still genuine happy people. I have a lot to learn from them. 

Peace and Love. 

--Caidy  

Quick update

We arrived safely in Cebu, Philippines on Tuesday night at approximately 11:40 pm ... which in the States was Tuesday morning at about 10:40 am (EST). Our travel was uneventful, just how we like it! However, I did get a pretty intense case of motion-sickness, which didn’t subside until almost a full 36 hours after the fact!! Lesson learned, take a Dramamine before boarding the plane for the long 13 hour ride. 

The first few days have been a learning process, as I imagine most of the next few months will be. I have had a journal with me to take notes, here are a few ... 

• Beeping horns is a way of life around here. I am used to people beeping because they are upset, here its totally different ball game. Beeping could mean, “get out of my way, I’m coming through” or  “Hey, you want a ride?” . Its not a bad thing to beep. Everyone does it. 
• Music is so random here. We could hear Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Michael Buble, Usher and Casting Crowns all in the same place within 30 minutes of one another. 
• Look up when showering ... you may fall victim to a HUGE spider falling on your head. 
• Realizing that I am living here, that this isn’t just a short term mission trip, has been hard to swallow. Learning a new culture, a new way of life ... its going to be a challenge. 
• God has brought us this far, He will not abandon us.  

Marvin and Josie Whitt drove us all over Cebu looking at homes, apartments and townhouses. The last one we looked at was the winner!!! We saw the townhouse on Thursday and moved in on Saturday. We were surely blessed to get it so fast and at a good price. God has awesome plans for us and this apartment! We are excited to see what He is going to do here. 

Over the next few months we will be getting settled into the new culture, our house, and preparing for work at CBC. We will update as much as we can, but we don't have regular internet yet ... so the post may be few and far between for a little while. 

 Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for us as we transition into life on the other side of the world. 

Love and peace.

--Caidy 

At the Chicago airport -- before getting on the plane headed for Korea 

Literally carrying our bed to the house ... the only piece of "furniture" we have so far. 

Our house number in Banilad Greens

After a long hot day we headed to Yellow Cab pizza and shared an AWESOME pizza and ice cream 

About to wash laundry by hand for the first time. 

Ronald was showing me the ropes. He is a pro at washing by hand. 

Success! -- It only took us a little over an hour to wash almost 2 weeks worth of clothing. 

Jesus Calling

Come to be for rest and refreshment. The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary. Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life.

Remember that I can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different. Start with where you are at this point in time and space, accepting that this is where I intend you to be. You will get through today one step, one moment at a time. Your main responsibility is to remain attentive to Me, letting Me guide you through the many choices along your pathway.

This sounds like an east assignment, but it is not. Your desire to live in My Presence goes against the grain of “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” Much of your weariness results from your constant battle against these opponents. However, you are on the path of My choosing, so do not give up! Hope in Me, for you will again praise Me for the help of My Presence. 

[Jesus Calling -- Feb 7 -- Romans 8:28, Psalm 42:11] 

I read this a few hours before boarding the plane to Seoul. I have read it every day since. Thank you, Debbie Oldach, for getting this book for us. 

KY trip. Philippines bound.

It is all happening so fast!

Lets start from the beginning.

After nearly seven long months of searching, God has blessed us with a GREAT church to partner with as we do work in the Pill-a-peens (as Roe would call it). Two days after we returned from Rhode Island we got back on a plane and headed for Lexington, KY, where we spent five days meeting with numerous people at our sponsoring church! We were welcomed with open arms; praying for us and giving enough encouragement to last a lifetime were among some of the many ways these strangers reached out to support us.

Side note: Epiphany-- Even as strangers, we share the common bond of Christ. Christ is what brought  us together.

The second night we were in KY we met with the missions committee.We had an exceptional night of mission focused conversation. Sharing our love for God's people and missions, we talked about our work in the Philippines, as they also shared with us their involvement in international missions.

It's reassuring to know just how mission-minded this congregation is.

Group picture outside of the restaurant. The nice man
 who took the picture decided not to steal the camera. I am forever grateful..

Ronald and I met the ministers and had a delicious meal with them. We loved getting to know these four, as they shared with us a little bit about themselves and the work they do at the church. They were eager to hear our plans for the Philippines, just as we were equally eager and excited to hear of the work going on in their community. We hope to meet with them again when we come for visits.                         

Home Fellowship! I promise that next time I take a
self-timer group picture that I will get EVERYONE in it! 

On Sunday we joined a home fellowship. We had a great time meeting this bunch! We were welcomed as if they had known us for 20 years. We also hope to visit with them again! 

Some bullets from our trip:

• Selfless/kind people took us in and cared of us the entire week. 
• Successful and productive in preparing for our move.
• Surprise of having to leave 30 days EARLIER than originally thought because of Ronald's visa. 
• Four awesome new books. One awesome new movie. 
• New friends that we already love. 

So after a VERY successful week, we are pleased to announce that we are Philippines bound in t-minus 8 days!!!! 

We are leaving February 7th .... at 5:50am. Watch out Philippines, here we come! 

We ask that you all would continue to pray for us. For safe travels and for the relationships we leave behind in the USA. We also ask for your prayers for our financial situation. God is the continual provider, submitting to that fact, we chug forward! We are extremely grateful for the way God has blessed us over these last seven months, providing for us every step of the way. 

If God has used you to bless us, THANK YOU! This work could not be possible without your help.

See you in the Philippines. 

Love and Peace. 

-Caidy