An Ode to a Friend

Oh music, how I've missed you so.
Remember when we used to sing real loud and dance and mo'?
Those were the days... The days when we hadn't a care,
The days when we'd whip our hair,
The days when the sounds of basses dropping filled the air...
Those were the days...
Oh music, when will there be an end to this difficult phase?
Soon dear friend and then once again my eardrums will rejoice,
I will have more options to raise my voice,
Then yet again there will be no other option but to dance.
Not long dear friend.
Hold tight dear friend, separation will soon come to an end.

Naps in the Rain

That's exactly what is going on right now; the five of us girls are napping in our room right now while it's softly drizzling outside. Perfect. For ministry today, we are going to a nursing home to share the Gospel, do some dancing, and maybe some singing and definitely some loving. Yesterday we got the opportunity to be a little ray of sunshine to the devastation victims of the Cagayan de Oro flooding. Rice + clothes + Bibles + toys + one green jeepney + grateful hearted people = God's light (Also thank you strong, able-bodied men who helped push-start the jeepney afterwards; we literally couldn't have done it without you.)  As I'm laying here listening to music (Skrillex if you were wondering) I am realizing how crazy fast my time in YWAM went by. Just this September I was flying over the Big Ol' Blue into an experience that would change my life forever. Now I am in another country living an awesome life for His glory. God AND traveling? Um, score? These people I got to live with have basically become my family. "I would kill for them!" (read in an angry, Russian-type, man accent) Anyways... so I can't believe that there is only a mere two weeks of outreach left and then only a week of reunition (Yes, I did just make that up.) in Hawaii! There will be lots of hugging on my part... even if they try and resist, they will be hugged. 
Watch out.
-Rachael the Hugger

Ps. I hope I get a giant mob of people when I get to the airport. I don't even really care if I know them or not, I just like when giant mobs scream in excitement at airports. I would like to one day experience that for myself.
February 8, 2012 

Food-Type Products

Some food that I have found pleasing to the senses since coming to the Philippines include: 

-green beans
-coffee ice cream with a banana and peanut butter
-fried chicken
-steamed cabbage and young papaya
-chicken adobo
-lots of rice
-cornflakes cereal with syrup, peanut butter and a banana
-instant coffee (3 in 1 "Brown and Creamy" is best)
-mangos
-fish (with the tiny little bones)
-banana ketchup
-"tree soup"
-fried eggs
-fish crackers
-jack fruit
-Coca Cola
-rambuton aka "lychee"
-fried pork chops
-mangang
I'm sure there is more but, this list is now making me hungry... I think I'll go eat a banana (straight from the tree, ha!)
Farewell, Rachael
February 7, 2012 

Jump with Arms Up

Apparently our bus driver enjoys the musical qualities of ABBA... Yes, we're on another bus on our way to Cagayen de Oro to help with relief work from the flooding and help at the Nehemiah House out there. We just finished our time at Nehemiah Malaybalay and I really don't believe it will be my last time there. I love those girls so much! How is it possible to fall in love with seven beautiful girls so fast?! Well, these past few weeks at the Nehemiah houses have been my favorite weeks of all outreach and these past few months have been my favorite of my life so, that's kind of saying a lot right there. I wrote this down the first week we were in the Philippines in December, "Beautiful people have beautiful hearts." I haven't seen that been more true than with the girls and the staff that I have had the pleasure to share a moment of our lives together. Wow. I love this so much. Currently living by faith and not by sight.
-Rachael Andersen

ps. I thought I would explain the title of this post in a few key descriptions: pool of water, you, edge, closed eyes, leap off the edge, scream a little, throw your arms up, enjoy living
February 1, 2012 

Lightning Bugs & Lovable Girls

I am pretty sure I've talked about how much I love the Nehemiah Houses already, but I'm going to talk about my love for them again... We are in Malaybalay and it's so rural and peaceful and beautiful and if you were to plop me here a few months ago, I would've probably gone completely mad but since my change of heart/attitude/ability to face my own thoughts, I have really been embracing this set apart time for God. What I really want to chat about is how much I love love love these girls! Seriously. I don't know if I have ever felt this much love in such a short amount of time. These girls are so beautiful and strong and so joyful and full of life despite their terrible circumstances. Matet, Roxan, Ivy Grace, Elvie, Sarah, Grace, Rhea Mae, and Rose are such a huge testament to God's healing power, His ability to fill us with so much, His undeserving love for us, and the freedom He can give. These girls are just like the little lightening bugs here; small and interesting, unique and beautiful, bright and awe-inspiring. I've never seen lightening bugs until coming here, and I've never seen such lighthearted joy until coming here...
Be joyful in the little things,
Rachael Andersen

PS. Read 1 Peter 1:6,7 (well, just go ahead and read the whole chapter then)
January 27, 2012 

A Girl Named April

You know those little moments that make you really appreciate and recognize why you are doing what you are doing? Ya, I had one of those today and it was literally the best feeling. At our first official 'open air' ministry, we danced, we did a skit, Mahea gave her testimony, and Becca gave the Gospel Message but the best part of the night was totally the prayer afterwards. Let me tell you, when you step out of your comfort zone and walk in faith, amazing things happen. I prayed for a man's knee and it was healed and Sarah prayed for a 90 year old man's eyesight and it was restored, there were other miraculous healings but what I really wanted to talk about was a girl named, April. Now there was this group of girls who wanted to take pictures with me so we were taking pictures and I randomly started talking to one girl in particular and she told me she was 16 and in her fourth year of high school, we immediately bonded and we were chatting and as the conversation was winding down, I asked if I could pray for her. She said that she had been a Christian for one year now and she would love some prayer. As I'm praying for more love to come into her heart and a fire of passion to be ignited in her, she starts weeping! Now I didn't think this was going to happen but I kept praying and she kept crying, man, the Holy Spirit was moving in her heart and I got to be apart of it! The hug I got after might have been the best hug I've gotten in quite a while... As we stood there in the street holding hands, I felt like we had become close friends in just a few minutes. It then became time to say our goodbyes as we hugged again and parted ways. I don't exactly know why this effected me so much like it did but, I know this was an event that probably just shaped who I am and who I am going to be. Crazy how God works and moves in unexpected ways at unexpected times in unexpected places with unexpected people.  I will never forget you, April.
Love, Rachael
January 18, 2012

April & I (the only photo)

The Beach!

Guess who went to the beach today?! I did! That's like one thing I really wanted to be able to do while I was in the Philippines (besides spread the Gospel, duh) and today we were blessed to go to a be-a-u-tiful beach for Uli's birthday (she and her mother are here for her internship from Germany). When we were told that the beach was close to where we were living, Sarah and I literally screamed/high-fived/jumped up and down, basically everything a child does when they are given the rights to unlimited sweets... We like our ocean, what can we say? So we traveled there today in the van with all 15 or so of us crammed in through some oh-so-beautiful tropical forestry. Holy cow, this is a beautiful place. When you think of "tropical", this is what pops into your mind, seriously. Of course there was lots of swimming and a little exploring and some climbing of trees and shell collecting and eating of good food and cake and fruit and singing of birthday songs; basically your perfect day. Thank you God for this lovely and peaceful day of rest because the rest of this week is cra-zay busy with ministry; I'm stoked. 
-Rachael 

Note to self: Check out Lion's Club online later
January 17, 2012

Time flies and so do I...

I seriously cannot believe that my team has arrived to Mindanoa in Cagayan de Oro to travel to the Nehemiah Houses! At first when I found out I was going to the Philippines, I started praying quite frequently for a heart for the Philippines and God totally gave me one for the girls in the Nehemiah Houses. The only problem with that was the fact that that part of our outreach was the very last part...but now it's here and it all seems so fast and I loved much much more than I had originally thought and I have allowed myself to be stretched in so many ways and man, I just can't believe that it is half done already. I had better squeeze every drop of what I can out of every experience left. Live life like an adventure, ya know?
As I write this tucked away in my mosquito net, officially tonight is our second night here but our third night since we left Baguio. Now let me tell you about our travels... We began on Sunday night at 8:30 pm to ride a taxi to catch the bus at 9:00 pm that drove us 6.5 hours to Manila so we could rent two red taxi-vans to take us to the airport where we then slept camped-out in the airport (sleeping bags and all) until 9 am, then woke up and bought ourselves some breakfast (hello iced coffee and cheese croissant) then were finally able to check in to catch our flight scheduled for 12:30 (but didn't actually take off until 1:30) then we landed in Cagayan de Oro ("The City of Golden Friendship") where we were then picked up by our contact Mike, then headed out for our hour drive to McD's for our welcome party, ate that fast so we could head home before we needed to use the headlights (as they kill the battery), well the battery didn't die but the tires popped but a quick change on the side of the coast (nearly peed myself at the sight of the ocean) and we were on our way again, 3ish hours later of sitting out a car "window" singing and looking at the stars with Sarah and Becca and we were pulling into our street, where we got stuck in mud and quickly pushed it out (the plus side of having 12 people in one car) and pulled in front of their beautiful house at 8:30 pm. How many hours was that again? Oh yes, 24 hours exactly, perfect. I love traveling so much.
Who knows when this will get on the Internet,
Rachael Andersen
January 17, 2012