Jesus Won.

"Your soul's business is in the hand of a High Priest who can be touched with the feeling of your infirmities...He well knows that world through which you are struggling, for He dwelt in the midst of it thirty-three years. He well knows 'the contradiction of sinners', which so often discourages you, for He endured it Himself (Heb. 12:3). He well knows the art and cunning of your spiritual enemy, the devil, for He wrestled with him in the wilderness. Surely with such an advocate you may well feel bold.

Are you alone in the world, and neglected by those who ought to love you?

So also was Jesus.

Are you misunderstood, misrepresented, slandered and persecuted?

So also was Jesus.

Do you ever feel great agony and conflict of mind? Do you feel in darkness as if God has left you?

So did Jesus.

It is impossible to conceive a Savior more suited to the wants of man's heart than our Lord Jesus Christ--suited not only by His power, but by His sympathy--suited not only by His divinity, but His humanity...[He] is the most loving and sympathizing of friends, as well as the mightiest and most powerful of Saviors....you want no comfort...so long as you can repose your weary soul on the Man Christ Jesus." ~J.C. Ryle, Holiness, pp.240-242

[taken from Girltalk Blog]

May you rest in the fact that Jesus knows. He can relate. Everything is going to be OK. Jesus won.

-Mads

My favorite Filipino Fruits!

Everyone knows that tropical countries have the best fruit. The Philippines has held true to this statement and exceeded my expectations. I have enjoyed some of the best fruits since arriving in January and I want to share with you some of my favorites!

1. Ube: a purple root crop that grows on the ground. My favorite is Ube ice cream!

2. Langka: also known as Jack Fruit that grows on a tree; I like Langka yogurt!

3. Coconut: Most Americans know what a coconut is, but most have not had one fresh off of a tree, cut open and a straw stuck in to drink the juice!

4. Pomelo: From the outside it looks like a melon, from the inside it looks like a pink grape fruit; however, it’s not bitter like a grapefruit at all!

5. Calamansi: Its about 1/3 the size of a golf ball; mandarin orange meets a lime; Sometimes Filipinos mix it with soy sauce and put it on fish! Calamansi juice is so refreshing and tasty!

6. Mango: You haven’t had a good mango until you’ve had a mango from the Philippines! I arrived just in time for mango season and I can’t get enough of them. Note: You don’t eat the skin!

7. Dalandan: They are about the size of a lime, but look like a tangerine on the inside! We passed these out on Outdoor Education at the elementary school! The kids loved them!

8. Banana: Who knew that anyone loved bananas more than me? Filipinos have so many ways to eat bananas! They eat Banana Lumpia (wrapped in a tortilla and fried), Banana-Que (like BBQ but a banana), Banana chips and just plain ol’ bananas. They are much smaller than the bananas in the states and have much more flavor!

9. Durian: Also known as “stinky fruit”; I haven’t worked up enough courage to try this fruit yet, but I thought I would share. This fruit gets is affectionately named because of the putrid smell it gives off. People say it tastes better than it smells, but why would you eat a fruit that you have to hold your nose to even get close?

10. Lychee: I had this fruit cut up in a juice. It is a white-ish pulp with a “perfume” fragrance.

So there you have it, ten fruits that I have encountered in the Philippines. I am going to go through fruit-withdrawals when I come back to the states! I better eat as much of it as I can now while it is readily available! Thanks for reading.

-Mads

Relax.

This weekend I went away to Puerto Galera- Big La Laguna for March break. This was a great break away from the hustle and bustle of a busy city with so many people to a calm and relaxing beach with a few people here and there. On Monday, Kim (my roomie), Daniel (her son), Becca (another friend and teacher at Faith) and I set off for the Batangas Port to catch a boat to Big La Laguna. We arrived there in plenty of time to catch the 10:50 boat. The ride over was not too rough and seemed to go by quickly; however, Daniel was definitely not a fan of riding on the boat. After arriving we checked into the resort and had lunch before heading out to the water. It was awesome to walk out on your porch, go down a few steps and be right on the ocean front in the sand! The next few days were spent on the beach, snorkeling in the ocean and reading. (Three of my favorite things!)

One night at dinner, Becca and I were talking and all of a sudden I felt a slight shaking. I quickly caught her gaze and realize that she wasn’t pushing on my chair. After checking the news, we realized that there was a 5.4 earthquake on Mindoro Island. (I had just experienced my first earthquake.) It was very brief and nothing like what the people in Japan experienced; however, it was a great reminder to pray for these people who experienced far worse and are still recovering from the devastation.

One afternoon, we were playing in the sand and hanging out on the beach when a young boy, about 7 years old, came up and started to play with Daniel. We soon found out that this precious boy’s name was Glenn. Glenn stuck around for the rest of the week. He entertained Daniel at meals, on the beach and at snack time! It was fun to see Glenn speak in Tagalog to Daniel and to hear Daniel make up his own version of Tagalog in response!

The last day we took a boat out to snorkel at the Coral Gardens and another site that was full of giant clams. This was my first snorkeling experience (and boy was I in for a treat!). I have never seen such awesome things under the water. We saw clown fish (Nemo), a blue tang (Dory), and Moorish Idol (Scar)! We also saw some beautiful star fish and box fish. I was also able to see the biggest clam that I have ever seen in my whole life! After we snorkeled, we headed back to the port at Sabang to take a boat back over to Batangas. I was a little curious why there was only one boat in the afternoon, but I was soon to find out. We hopped on the boat and started out over the water. Much to my dismay, the boat encountered pretty big waves and splashes. I was a little nervous and gripped the side rail until my knuckles turned white. I was reminded of the song that says, “Sometimes He calms the storm, and sometimes He calms His child.” (Although this was not an actual big storm…) I began to pray that I would be calmed or that somehow these waves would steady. Soon, I was able to see the other port and noticed that I was not holding quite as tightly and the ways were not quite as high.

The Lord has been so faithful to remind me of His faithfulness in the little things. The small things that I once would pass by now stand out! Thanks for reading.

-Mads

Welcome to Second Grade! Today was my first day in Ms. Wendy Lock’s second grade classroom. It was a bittersweet moment switching from middle school and high school to second grade; however, after arriving to such a lovely welcoming sign, I was certain this would be a great experience! My first day was rather different than the last 8 weeks of student teaching. I forgot how touchy elementary students were compared to the older kids. I was given many hugs and handshakes today! The kids were very excited to have a new teacher in the classroom. Each child introduced themselves to me and told me where they were born, their nationality and their favorite food. (Who knew that second graders knew what nationality meant-only at an international school for missionary children!) We had a great morning reading and writing and I learned a lot about each of the students. The day went by very quickly and I was surprisingly more this afternoon.

This last picture is very unique to me because the books that my students are holding are in memory of one of the most Godly women I know-Dr. Jill A. Jones. These books were donated to Faith Academy by Liberty University in memory of a professor whose heartbeat was literacy and Jesus. I was able to be a part of this by bringing these books to Faith Academy in Manila, Philippines all the way from Lynchburg, Virginia. The students were so excited to have new books and were very grateful for the gift! Thanks Liberty University! Thank you Dr. Jones for making such an impact on my life and the lives of children to come!

More stories to come from the life of a second grade teacher! Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Monday! May Jesus be more precious to you each day.

-Madison

Prayer Request:

-Patience and understanding in the classroom

-Opportunities to share the gospel

-Wisdom and Discernment for the future

-Contentment in my heart