I know it's a mission trip but sometimes it sure looks like a slumber party

Hello everyone!

This weekend I am writing you from Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro! As a part of the Nehemiah Team program we are given a 3 day vacation to spend some relaxing and refocusing on God. Our vacation started yesterday with a 2 hour van ride, 1 hour boat ride, and 2 hour jeepney ride. That's a lot of traveling but when we saw the beauty of Mindoro and the South China sea it was worth it! Last night we had the opportunity to met the founder of threads for hope, a ministry that employs 250 women here in Puerto Galera. These women are at high risk of falling into poverty and dangerous lifestyles. They make bracelets that are sold in the Philippines and in the United States. God has truly blessed this ministry and it was cool to see how God is working in other parts of the Philippines.

This week at Open Door we have spent a lot of time with the older girls ministering to them and just having a good time. Last weekend we had a tea party with them on the roof of the Orphanage and Church. The girls spent all day preparing and set a really nice table on the roof. We sipped tea as Chelsea shared with the girls how beautiful God thinks they are. Many of them have not been treated good in the past and it is so important that they see important and beautiful they are to God and us. A few nights this week, the girls decided to attack us before bedtime. One night they did our makeup and another night they did Chelseas hair like cindy lou hoo!

These girls are so special to us! Please pray that God would continue to give us opportunities to minister to them. This week we helped the college aged adults at the church start a discipleship biblestudy so they can minister to these orphans when we are gone. We really feel like this is something God wants us to do. Please pray for the bible study. We will hold it on Tuesday night this week.

It has truly been a great week as God has brought us closer and closer to the kids. One night I was playing with a little girl named Nicole. She is not an orphan, but her Lola works at Open Door and she stays here to attend school. I think she is 7 years old. She was riding on my back and we were spinning around in circles on the basketball court and she was just having a lot of fun and laughing. When I put her down we hugged me around the waist and looked up and said I Love You! I think it was one of the happiest moments of my life. She was so sincere and it just gave me strengh to make it through the rest of the week. I really do love the kids here. We have only been away from them for one day but I already miss them. Leaving yesterday made us realize that in 20 days we will leave Open Door and the Philippines and fly home, and most likely we will never see the kids, the youth, or the Philippines again. July 30th will a sad day. But, luckily we still have 19 more days with them, to love them, to take care of them, and show them God. With this trip I hope that we can show the kids that even though we have to leave, that God will stay with them and never leave them.

God has brought us to San Pablo city for a purpose! Please pray for us and the kids this week! We have monthly tests on thursday and friday. Also feel free to read the Nehemiah team blog as well. This week we will have Malloree from the media team with us and she will update the team blog throughout the week. The address is www.nehemiahteams.blogspot.com, then look for the tab on the left that says Open Door.

I will update you more night week! Thank you everyone for the prayers and support!

Brittany