Diabetes Education

Joyce Arce is not only a VBS teacher, but also a registered nurse. She is a diabetes educator at her work. She follows up on her patients to see if they are taking their insulin, checking their blood sugar frequently, and maintaining a healthy life style.

In 2006, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in the Philippines. Most of the public have misconceptions about this disease. Awareness is low in the rural areas such as areas of Negros Occidential. The common belief among Filipinos is that only adults can have diabetes and it's acceptable for children to be fat as it is considered a sign of good health. Educating the public is necessary to help promote a healthy lifestyle for longevity and good health.

Here's a couple snaps of Joyce Arce teaching about diabetes at Dancalan 1st Baptist Church in Dancalan, Negros Occidental:

The stern look on Joyce's face shows she's serious about the complications of diabetes.

Blood sugar check - how high/low are you?

[Philippine diabetes awareness low via diabetes.co.uk]

BROWN OUT! pt 2

Here are a couple more brown out night pics from Bacolod City, Philippines.

The emergency lights have lit up to provide enough light for people to get around.

We were eating at a local home in the Bacolod City area when the power went out. We ate dinner via camp florescent lights.

We also had the power go out for about 9 hours on our last VBS day in Tabao Elementary School. We were not able to use the project, DVD player, or any of our multimedia tools. The kids still remembered the songs and the motions with no problem.

Tabao Elementary School pt. 2

VBS is done! Tabao Elementary School's VBS came to a close on June 13, 2010 with a large festival day.

Thank God for everything he's done for us in our 3 VBS missions we've done (I have yet to post the first VBS on this blog). It's been a blessing getting to work with people who love the Lord and sharing the word of God to kids.

Here's our numbers at Tabao Elementary School

• Attendance: 230
• Those who accepted Christ: 200
• Those who were baptized: 60

Tabao Elementary School was a great place to hold a VBS. Under the leadership of Principal Raquel we were able to pull off 3 days of VBS learning and fun for the kids. Thanks to all of the staff who volunteered and helped out!

Here's a continued photo recap:

Tita Joyce teaching leading arts and crafts

"Dirty" kitchen

Plenty of laughs and smiles from everyone

Class presentations on graduation day

Baptism at the beach

Festival time!

Tita Fe manages the prizes

Silent auction

The VBS Staff

What's next for the mission's team? Diabetes education.

Outrigger theme song - Tabao Elementary School

Here's a short clip of the worship rally that I took with my iPhone.

Tabao Elementary School

Mabuhay from Tabao Elementary School, our next and last location of our VBS missions trip for 2010.

It's currently Day 2 of the VBS and has it been a blessing!

Here's our current numbers:

Attendance:

• 230 students

230!!! That's the most we've had yet this trip!

We have a lot of help with these 230 kids. We have many volunteer teachers from the school, surrounding schools, and community volunteers that have come out to help. This is a huge community event!

Here's a small teaser of some of the things we've been doing the last couple of days.

The kids at the worship rally

The guys hanging out after recreation time

mMm Arroz Caldo

Working diligently during class

Later this afternoon the kids will be practicing for their graduation tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the water baptism at the beach (yes the beach) and the big festival day!

We'll see what God has in store for us tomorrow.

BROWN OUT!

Brownout: A reduction or cutback in electric power, especially as a result of a shortage, a mechanical failure, or overuse by consumers.

This happens quite frequently in the Philippines, especially in the provinces due to inadequate power gridlines. In the middle of the day it's not so bad, but in the middle of the night it can be pretty freaky. It doesn't usually last too long, but sometimes it can go for several hours. Emergency lights pop on so people can continue their business.

This happened while I was looking for some anti-diarrheal medication at a local pharmacy.

Lesson: make sure to pack more anti-diarrheal meds prior for the trip.

Thank God I wasn't in the bathroom at the time...

[Brownout - Answers.com]

Dancing in the rain

It rains in the Philippines. A lot.

So when it rains it floods the streets due to inadequate drainage systems. The water levels go down after a couple of hours, but in the meantime it slows down productivity: people can't get to go where they need to go, outdoor vendors need to hide, and people tend to stay outside.

Except for the kids who play in the rain.

Examples of such are below from the kids of Christian Baptist Church.

Just the start of the flood

Out on the street

Shower time!

When in rains here it POURS. But no sadness comes with the cloud, only joy on these kids faces.

Weather Check - Tabao, Bacolod

Thunder, thunder, thunder!

It's going to be wet the next couple of days, but it's not going to be cold. It's going to be beautiful.

I love the beach. =)

VBS Site: Christian Baptist Church - Cavite City

What a blessed opportunity for God to allow us to spread the word in Cavite City!

We held our VBS at Christian Baptist Church in Cavite City from June 4-6, 2010. We had children ranging from 5 years old to 14 years old. They were split in separate groups by age for teaching purposes.

Here are our numbers:
-Attendance average: 160
-New believers in Christ: 115
-New followers in baptism: 100

We had a lot of challenges, but we pulled through. One of them was space. We had so many kids but not a lot of space to work with. There just wasn't enough space for everyone to move around. However, this wasn't new to the church family of Christian Baptist Church. They were able to utilize the space for 4 classes, a worship rally, the kitchen crew, and the festival on the last day. Talk about being resourceful!

Here are a couple snaps from the 3 days of VBS with Christian Baptist Church.

Pledge allegiance to the Philippine Flag

Kuya Jeppi ate all the chocolate rice by himself. Tsk tsk.

Praise and worship

Dr. Roberto Arce, VBS director, passing out certificates of completion to a wave rider.

The baptisms were held in the courtyard of the church.

Thanks again to all the Christian Baptist Church volunteers, workers, and especially the kitchen staff for all their hard work and dedication. We couldn't have done it without you.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Enroute to Bacolod

Hiya from Cavite City!

This is a brief update on what the mission team has been doing. Not a lot of net access so I do have a lot of catching up to do.

In summary, the last 3 days of VBS was a great success! We didn't let the pouring rain and the hot sun keep us down. Praise God for the new brothers and sisters in Christ and the decisions for water baptisms. The age ranges were from 5-14.

Tomorrow the mission team is heading out to Bacolod for the week to continue the VBS mission trip.

I'll be able to pick up more wifi access in Bacolod than where I am in Cavite City.

Sorry that there is no photos with this post, but I promise that I'll make up for it!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we continue to minister to the children and families of Bacolod.

P.S. Oh how I love balot.

Leaving North Carolina

About to leave the airport here in North Carolina to Atlanta, GA. Weather not looking to great at the moment...

Lots of lightning and rain!

But as you can see I have my spirits up.

Better late than never!

I'm finally heading out to the Philippines! My flight leaves North Carolina in a couple of hours. All my bags are packed except my laptop that should be in my camera bag.

I've stayed up all night to clean my apartment and make sure I don't have any food that'll spoil in the next couple of weeks. Don't want to have a mess when I come back dontcha know!

Here's a sneak of some the stuff I'm bringing. Keep in mind that the team is all in the Philippines, I'm just the latecomer due to work.

Here's what I'm bringing in my check in bag:

• 1x REI large duffle
• 1x Pac-Safe locking system (idea from photographer Karl Grobl)
• 1x Flip Flops
• 1x Swimming trunks
• Weeks worth of underwear and shirts
• 2x Nike ACG Cairn tech shorts (light, durable, and easily to wash/dry)
• 1x Khaki polyester pants
• 2x Mosquito repellent
• 1x foot powder
• 1x tactical medical aid kit
• 1x travel perfect push-up
• 2x large brimmed hats (it's hot and sunny in the Philippines this time of the year)
• 1x Sunblock
• 1x Leatherman
• 1x Converter plugs
• 1x Steri-Pen (for sterilizing water on the go)
• Sets of batteries
• 1x Vibram KSO (for walking and light trekking)
• 1x Small overhead lamp
• Set of TSA approved locks
• 1x Waterproof laundry bag

If I need anything else I'll just pick it up at the local store. This packing list fits into the REI large duffle bag. This will be my check-in bag because of the size, weight, and supplies I'm bringing. Any of these things can be easily replaced if need be.

My carry on is another issue. This will have all my photo equipment and laptop supplies. These are going to be on my person via backpack. I'll have more details next blog.