joanna in the philippines

Hey my friends! Well, I am trying to put some pictures up on here as I write, but as of right now it is still not working... SO i type. :) It is a rainy Saturday, and I am still fighting a cold... so it is kind of relaxing I must say. But anyways... I thought I would maybe explain a little bit about why I am even here. Why DID Joanna go all the way over to the other side of the world? Was it because of the beach? Was it because she LOVES plane rides? Or was it because of the food. Well... let me see. I do like the food here, and I live close to a beach. So, no. Thats not it. Actually, the reason I came here has little to do with the fact that I love traveling and seeing new places, although that is a plus. But the reason I came over here was because there was a need. The biggest need is that there are people who are dying every day all over the world that have NEVER even heard of God, His Word, or the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross so that all of us sinners could be forgiven. It is the most important thing in the world, and there are so many people who have never even had a chance to say "Yes" or even "No" to God. Well, thats where people like Don and Char and John and all the other missionaries come into play. Those are people who have left their homes and moved their families to another country and put into a remote location where there are no other "white" people. They throw themselves into the new culture and learn the language by pointing to things and and slowly learning words and phrases. They build relationships and it is all in the hopes to one day be able to speak the language well enough that they can teach them what God's Word says... the message that God had for the missionaries, as well as the Agta and every other people group on this planet. Well, that's just the gist of it, and right now Don, John and Char are all busy with language, and they have a lot of it already, it just takes time to be able to speak it enough to teach clearly so that the Agta will understand, and then also to be able to one day translate the Bible into their own tongue!!

So, this is where my part comes in. Char is about to have her third kid, and they will be out of the tribe for 2 months, so she is really wanting and needing to have as much time with the language as she can. Don is busy with language as well, so you can imagine it might be a little tough trying to concentrate on studying a language while keeping an eye on 2 little kids. SO... I have come over here to help out just a little. I do that by watching the kids and keeping them busy and happy so that Char and Don have the time to meet with Agta men and women and learn/study more. So... a typical day would look like this: We wake up early, and eat breakfast. Don sometimes goes into the village to see what the men are up to that day, and Char goes down to the office to study and prepare for the ladies to arrive. I watch the kids and do whatever. Usually the ladies come around 8-ish in the morning, if they come, so if they do then Char goes under the house to do language with them, and I bring the kids either to the front porch to color and play with the kids of the language helpers, or we go to the beach, or the river, or play house, read books... you get the point! Around 10:30 or so it is Marianda, which is something for snack time, and we bring coffee down to the ladies, and just visit. I usually smile and nod occasionally, I enjoy it a lot! Then the ladies go home, and we get lunch ready/play some more. The afternoons are nice... the kids have quiet time, and on Mon, Wedn, and Fri. John comes and they have either a team meeting, prayer time, or Bible study. On Tues and Thurs we just relax! :) Then in the afternoon we go visiting in the Agta villages. Char might check up on some people with medical stuff, and Don will go and get more language done just by visiting. It is always a fun time to go out... the people are so fun! I also wish I could speak to them! :) Well, by the time we come home, it is dinner/bath/book/then bed time... depending on the night. So... the days come and go and they are seeming to fly by... and Don and Char are busy trying to cram as much Agta into their brains as they can before our flight comes to get us in 3 weeks!

So, I am here to help out and to hopefully be a blessing, so that one day the Agta can hear about Jesus Christ and what He did for THEM! And I am having a fun time helping out... especially with Char being pregnant. Its fun to be able to help around the house and all, since each day she gets closer and closer to "popping the baby out" (as the Epps say ;)). So there you have it. I am here to help further the gospel (even if the role I am playing is super small). But be praying for the Agta team here... Don, Char and John... they have lots of work to do.. Also with relationships and stuff with the people here. The Agta and Ilokano here are people just like Americans and Canadians. We are all sinners and we are all human. So, relationships with people can many times be a tough thing... as it is anywhere! Alright, I should get going... the pictures didnt work again. I apologize, but when I get home to Florida we can all have a Big party and I will show whoever wants to any picture they want to see. Okay, take care! God Bless!