The time is roughly midnight, and the plane has touched down in Cebu City, Philippines. After 30 plus hours of travel, all 41 students and leaders made it safely. We were greeted by some of our Quest Fellowship friends at the airport and fresh welcome juice at Montebello. Most everyone was asleep by around 3:00 am. Fast forward a few short hours and doors were being knocked on at 7 am for our wakeup call! And then we were all back together around the breakfast table. Breakfast consisted of fettuccini alfredo with bacon pieces, FRESH watermelon juice, AND the greatest omlets in the world. A great combo, I know. The buses arrived around 7:30 so we could be on the road promptly by 8 am. To our advantage… the buses had air conditioning!!! Thank you Jesus! And we were on the final leg of our travels to Bantayan.
The bus ride was about 4 hours from Montebello to the ferry. We were in awe of the world and the life going on outside of our bus windows. We traveled to the outskirts of the city, and through the country. It was the best of both worlds. It was hard to take our eyes away from the beautiful scenery and the culture of this place. It was impossible to not just be in awe of what God has created here in the Philippines. It can be easy to miss what a wonderful maker He is in urbanized, developed places like Forsyth County, but it is so clear to see here.
We got SUPER lucky when we arrived at the ferry. It’s normal to have an hour or so wait to get on the boat, but today we got off the buses and got right onto the ferry to set sail to our final destination. Sweet Saralee made us all sack lunches for the boat ride that consisted of a sandwich, an apple, a bag of chips, and a water. She’s the best.
We arrived at Anika around 1 pm, which left us with much time to explore this resort and get some much needed rest & relaxation!!! We swam in the ocean, made friends with all the starfish and crabs, swam in the pool, drank the famous SMOOTHIES, we took showers, and took some real good naps. You should’ve seen us after the napping. Let’s just say, the dinner table was a little quiet tonight… We were served spaghetti for dinner. The night was concluded with cultural orientation and worship.
We are so thankful to be here! We are so so excited for tomorrow- our first work day at the school and getting to meet all of the kids!!! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Looking forward to sharing what tomorrow holds!
Thanks for tuning in! Much love, Emma and Jackson
P.S. It’s only been 3 days. But we already miss you guys.
Thanks so much for the update! So thankful you are all safe and it sounds like people are adjusting to their new body clocks:-) Have an amazing day!!
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Love the updates! Everything is described in such amazing detail that I feel like I can really envision what the team is seeing and feel what you are all experiencing!! What an amazing journey continues to lie ahead!! XOXOXO
Toni Baus
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What a wonderful update!! God is most definitely with you each step of the way. You were all missed at IO. Will be praying as you head to the school and love on those children. Hugs and love from Halle’s family.
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I know you guys are exhausted and writing to us at home is probably the last thing you want to do… so thank you for the update! So relieved to hear that you all are safe and getting some much needed rest! Can’t wait to hear all about your first day with the children! Love to all!
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Thank you so much for the updates! So glad you finally made it and got some rest and had some fun too! Praying for you all as you set your hearts on God’s work and meeting the wonderful Tarong Elementary students and families! Miss you and Love you Sarah!
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Thank you – Thank you – for the update. Love hearing all the details of your journey. Looking forward to more details of your first day..serving in this beautiful place you have all been chosen to share HIS love. Love and big HUGS to you all!!
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Thank you so much for the update. I have been restless to say the least. I can’t imagine how tired everyone is, but also what amazing things you are seeing and experiencing. Someone please give Morgan Nale a huge hug and tell her it’s from her mom!!! I miss her like crazy. Many prayers for a wonderful first day tomorrow. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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The updates are great! I know you are exhausted but God will give you strength to push through. I know you are ready to get to work. Love to each and every one of you but special hugs and kisses to Sarah Kate from Mom and Dad.
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Thank you so much for the updates!! I felt like I was there with the descriptive language! Prayers for all of you!! Know you are loved and we are all so proud of you and the work you are doing! Big thank you to all the leaders!! Special hugs to Chloe!!! Xoxoxo
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WOHOOO!! So glad you guys made it! Praying for you guys as you head to the school! Emma and Jackson you guys made me cry reading this btw! Miss yall so much but I am so excited to see how God will continue to show up and use everyone on this team to spread His light and love!! sending lots of hugs to all my people! ❤
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Now you’re all seasoned travellers. Be sure to have adequate rest so you can maximize your time. We can’t wait to hear more!
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And now the REAL fun starts! Those children will fill your hearts with so much joy and make you all living examples of the face with tears of joy emoji! We can’t wait to hear all about it. Hugs and high fives from us!
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Praying every day for you, Taylor Miller, and all that are on the trip. Thank you so much for the blog. It makes my heart feel good. Keep the pictures coming.
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An amazing update to hear! Glad y’all are starting to enjoy it already! Looking forward to hear more! 🇵🇭
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Wow! So exciting!! I can’t imagine the sensory overload. Great update:) We are missing our Karson Lea! Seems like something is really missing here at the Lake, but what an incredible experience you have been given. Hugs and prayers for y’all!
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Now I’m hungry. 😁
It’s so incredible that all of you are getting to experience God’s creation in His people and places from a new perspective…I hope that you’ve been able to see something new and beautiful even if the Philippines already has a piece of your heart!
I love your gratefulness for naps, Bus AC and the ferry ride without the wait! God is with you in the moments of celebration and in those times when the fatigue and stepping out of your comfort zone take over. Just look around & see Him in each other, in the beauty of the landscape, in sandwiches made with love, and in the faces of the Filipino people that you’ve been sent to serve! Big hugs & love!!
(Grayson- drink more water and USE THE SUNSCREEN!) 😇
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YAYYY!! All this omelet and smoothie talk is making me jealous. Have the BEST time at the school and do what you are called to do! Work, play with kids, all of it leaves an amazing impact on your life. Emma and Jackson, you two made me cry with this update, I can’t wait to hear more. I love you guys soo much!!!
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Love these updates- sounds awesome so far! Keeping the whole group in our prayers. Someone give Aislin a big hug and tell her that Camryn especially misses her:)
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Thank you so much for the updates. My husband and I get so excited when another one comes through. Praying for everyone’s health while you are over their making such a huge impact. So proud of each and every one of you. Please tell Ashley Allen that her mom and dad miss her so much! Big hugs to you all!!!
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Wow! It sounds like you all have been go, go, go but so glad that you are able to experience and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. So happy that your bus had air! I was a little worried about that!🤣 And the fact that there’s spaghetti makes me feel better too….. my girl is a little picky🤪 Thank you for the awesome posts and pics. I almost feel like I am there.
So proud of Illie and the entire group for traveling so far to spread God’s love. You All are Amazing!!!! Can’t wait to hear about how you touch the lives of so many children. Enjoy every moment of this wonderful journey and know that we are thinking about you, missing you and praying for success in all that you do. We know that God has great things in store for each of you.
Please stay hydrated!!!!!!!!
XO,
Cathy Egan
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So glad you made it to the final destination! I check in all day to find the post and love the details of ya’lls day. God bless all of you and can not wait to see all of the sweet kids faces tomorrow when you get to the school! Love you Taylor ❤️
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I’m literally checking my phone every minute waiting for the next update!!! I keep envisioning each of you as tiny children – wide eyes – ready to see what’s next! I certainly keep seeing my EC with pig tails and a big grin on her face like she was when she was a little girl. You guys are having such an amazing experience- something you will each remember for the rest of your lives. Please know that I have a small village praying for each of you and we are all on the edge of our seats waiting for your next move. Love y’all!! Miss Lisa
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Missing my Caro! So proud of all of you. You’re work is invaluable and what God is gonna do in you through this trip will last a lifetime. Love you Caroline!!
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Thank you sooo much for telling us so much detail about your experiences! Everything sounds amazing, and there is not doubt that God is taking care of everything. I can’t wait to see some more pictures. Martín te amamos mucho. ❤️💙💜
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Thanks for the update! Have a great work day. We miss Morgan Nale so much, but her super positive attitude and kind personality is a good thing for her team there and those you are serving. Love her Dad.
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So glad you all finally got some rest! Stay hydrated, reapply your sunscreen and use Chapstick!! Hug my Gurr boys!! Love and miss you!
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The colorful updates are awesome and helps us to visualize your journey. The travel alone would push most people to the edge. I know the work will be hard, the weather…it’s hot and HUMID, the food will be an adventure, and not to mention the culture shock. I am so proud of each of you for taking on this mission to serve others. What an incredible example of Jesus’s command of us to love one another!
Haley, it took painting many mailboxes on some very hot days to get to this point. We are so proud of you and your fellow missionaries! Take it all in and see God at work in so many ways!
ps – Bug, your Papaw is doing great now and sends his love! We are all good here and cannot wait to hear about this incredible life-changing journey you guys have embarked. Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay amazing. We love you!!
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Thanks for the update! God is great! Stay safe & take it all in! Tell TJ we love & miss him and that we are proud of him. ❤️
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Aw man my heart aches with the memories of this trip. I’m so happy that everyone is there and able to appreciate what I came to love last year. I wish I could be there with everyone but it’s so great to be able to follow along. You better love on all of those kids because they’re already loving y’all and you don’t even know it. Make the most of this trip!
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!!!!!!!!! This makes me so happy seeing so many sweet friends making incredible memories already! Prayers for the ability to speak, feel, and see the words and work of the Lord through this trip and the many many hours of traveling! 🧡🧡🧡🧡
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Thank you for the detailed update! It’s so comforting to hear that you are all safe and healthy, eating great food, and taking in the beautiful scenery. We are so very proud of all of you for having the courage and taking the initiative to do God’s work in the Philippines. We pray that your first day was successful, and that you’re enjoying the work, hard as it may be. We think and pray for all of you often, and can’t wait for more pictures and tales of your journey. Gabby, we definitely feel like something is missing this year in Michigan! We miss you and love you. And-you’re going to love your new car! Mom, Dad, and Will.
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