It’s so strange,  I can still remember the exciting feeling of expectation for all the unknows that were going to take place...and now here we are packing our bags on the last day of this journey. We have all, Matt, Alex, Ashah and I been richly blessed by this experience. We first had the privilege of spending time with Janice and meeting her beautiful family. Hong Kong was a place we always said we wanted to visit, and it was well worth it...we visited islands, went on cable cars and had delicious Honganese cuisine. 

Vietnam was amazing, the culture and buzz is all around you, in every corner that you look your eyes are filled with so many new and interesting sights...Matt finished his course which I'm sure will be an added advantage for his future and the kids and I had lots of fun roaming around...then to see my parents and travel with them was a great experience too. As far as seeing the sights Ha Long Bay would have to be our highlight and we would recommend you make plans to visit there one day, we were filled with awe seeing God's creation. But to experience the rich culture, people and diversity between Saigon and Ha Noi has made a big impression on us.

Arriving in the Philippines we were excited to meet friends we knew that shared in our love for God, we were with family, we thought it might have been difficult for the kids but I can say that the kids had the most fun in the slum than anywhere else. Alex met some life friends and Ashah got so much attention and had so much fun!! The people in the Philippines were the most genuine, humble and loving people we have met...each group that we were with in Baseco, Talim and Cebu welcomed us and blessed us and showed us so much about what life is all about. I think we learnt so much from them all and we have gone away changed. We saw so much and were encouraged by their lives and how they live, they love God so much and were faithful in the small things and grateful for all that God does for them.

We didn't actually think we were going to get to Korea, after a 10 hour delay the first day and a  3 hour delay the following day but we managed to land safely in the country where our children were born, which still forms a big part of their life today. We love this place. and today we are sad to leave, but we hope we will be back very soon. We have definitely realised that living abroad is not that difficult and that it could be a real option for us in the future, although there would have to be a purpose in living overseas, especially as we want to serve God in all we do. We really have been enriched by everything we have done and especially by the people we have met. I think meeting people is the best part.  If you get a chance to travel go for it you will never regret it....now the new chapter begins as we return back!!

We may continue to use this blog for the ongoing work we are part of in Asia or start a new blog particularly for the work we believe Christ has called us to fulfil with living out our faith everyday!! Thank you and God bless YOU our faithful viewers. 

Southern Korea

We've been travelling for the last ten day around the southern parts of Korea, including Busan, Gyeongju and Geoje Island. We have taken over 500 photos, so we have posted a few more than usual and allow the photos to speak for themselves. Starting to miss home and look forward to arriving home very soon.

Ashah meets her foster mum

We had a very special day the other day, Ashah got to meet with her foster mother, although she was shy, she did end up giving her a cuddle and sat on her lap which was beautiful to see. We exchanged gifts, Ash got some hello kitty sock, and then she also did some writing in her book for her foster mum. Alex will hopefully see his foster mother as well. Just being here this time has been really special, both times we've come to pick our beautiful children up it has been around 0 degree, very cold and snowy, so its so so nice to be here enjoying the sun, today was 21 degrees, so easy to get around and do things.

We seem to leave our room around 11am and not come back till 5 or 6 o'clock. we've been catching the train a lot which is easy, it goes to anywhere you want. We've visited market (which are so overwhelming- too much stuff), seen palaces, bridges, parks and eaten a lot of food (still)...we've actually found this really cheap eat out across the road from where we are staying, the lady is getting used to us so much so that the other day when we went in, she was making sushi, it was fresh, she shoved it in Matt's and my mouth, I got images of nonna Lina...she just wanted to make sure we had something in our bellies while we waited for our food...and tonight she gave us 2 fried eggs on the house, a really sweet lady.

Tomorrow we are going to try and go to the Korean Folk Village similar to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat in Victoria, people dressed in traditional clothes, korean drumming, dance and little homes from different eras. We are here in Seoul till Monday when we will travel by fast train to Busan...so the days are rolling on, we are having lots of fun, but also looking forward to returning home.

Seoul- South Korea- the birth place of our children

For a while there we thought we weren’t going to get to Korea…the first day a 10 hour delay, we had to reschedule and get a hotel for the night then the next day 3 hour delay…we were glad to get here. If we hadn’t had the delays we wouldn’t have met some of the nicest people, so sometimes you can see God is at work for the bigger picture!

Seoul is such a nice place, very clean and organised, with beautiful trees and plants decorating the streets. We are currently staying in the guesthouse where we met our children for the first time. There are about 6 floors, and two of those are used as guest houses. On the 3^rd floor is the little hospital where the babies stay before they are placed with foster families…I took Ashah there the other afternoon, so many cute babies, Matt also took Alex he loved it.

Seoul is a very easy place to live, and very much up with the times…there is a 4 level underground subway system that takes you everywhere and the whole city is wifi (internet that is). The food has been great and we have found a very cheap and fresh quality eat just across the road, the lady there was so nice she had a beautiful scripture up on the wall and there was an older gentleman eating there that looked as if he may have been homeless or poor and she didn’t make him pay for his meal…she even gave the kids extra food, I think we’ll be back there.

The kids are doing really well and we are all adjusting well to the welcomed change in temperature, its been cool but good weather to go around to do things. We plan to stay in Seoul for about 2 weeks and then make our way down to Busan by fast train (it takes over 7 hours by car but only 2.5 hours by train, it goes fast approx. 300km an hour!). Busan is a harbour city and some people that we met at the airport suggested some other destinations close by, so we will probably hire a car and drive along where the mountains meet the ocean and surrounding islands.

Cebu

We arrived in Cebu on Saturday and have had a great time meeting up with people from the church here. The last time I had seen them was 5 years ago, we came to stay here for 2 months, Alexander was only 2 years old... Matthew has been back 3 times with out me but it was really great to now be here all together again. During our time I made friends with many of the young girls that were 9 and 10, and now its been a pleasure to see them grown up into teenagers. It has been a real encouragement to meet up with all the people in the church that we know, they are so hospitable and serve their community with passion...but their love for Jesus shines out bright, you can see their trust and hope in God for their lives, its wonderful.

I went with some of the ladies in the church to the local hospital, they've been doing this for 8 years now, every 3 months. The hospital is less than the standard we are used to, so for me to go in it was hard, but then realised that at least they have somewhere to come to be cared for. We went around praying for people, many shed tears as we would pray for them or their loved ones. It was a very moving experience for me.

Yesterday we were excited to be able to visit Armie and her family... 4 years ago Matt and Rob met her family and saw that her son Jason was ill with a leaky heart valve. Through the help of Children's First Foundation we were able to get the help for Jason (he was nine at that time)...so he came to Melbourne with his mum and was operated at the Children's Hospital. Many of our family and friends contributed to supporting them while they were here. Jason was very sick and was actually close to death...but yesterday it was hard to imagine that it was the same boy, now 13 running around and playing with his cousins. While we were in the same area, Matt shared at a local church, the one that Armie attends, again we were encouraged by the leaders there, we know their difficult circumstances and love the way they talk about God being by their side.

We are now looking forward to our next adventure, we leave for South Korea on Sunday. We are very excited to be visiting the birth place of our children, we will try to travel around the country, as in the past we have only seen Seoul the capital, but now we will try to go south to a place called Busan.

Thank you every one for the response to the pig project on Talim, please keep this in mind, please email us if you would like any more information...or if you would like to know about any other ways you can help.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we travel, we really feel them.

Talim Island - Lake Laguna

Greetings to all our family and friends!!

We find ourself back within Baseco Compound in Metro Manila, one of many large squatter communities within Philippines, back with what we would consider family.

The past week we have spent our time with Pastor Joey, a man who has very little and pours his life out daily within the lives of many with needs. His wife is paralysed and he has a family of 5 children and yet still helps families on the island. His unconditional life has impacted us and changed our lives, we have supported his work on Talim island, Lake Laguna for the past 7 years. 

This island is a dormant volcano and homes 33 barangay’s (villages) that are close to the water’s edge around the island. The water is pumped out of the ground from hot water springs...you could almost boil an egg!! We lived within the community amongst some old friends and met many new friends, we had the pleasure to experience their community life. The island is located 6 hours from Metro Manila, our journey consists of motorbike tricycles, jeepneys, bus and boat.

By no means is this a tropical tourist island, many of the families struggle from day to day to provide for their basic essential needs. To live with them and not be messed by the abundance I possess in contrast from their life to mine would be an understatement. The opportunities for work and financial provision are limited, the fresh water lake (Lake Laguna) provides a range of fish and many families have fish pens and work through the night with large nets on their small bancas (boats) to sell for the next day at markets on the main land. Sadly typhoons are a regular event during their cooler months and most fish pens are destroyed yearly and their fish escape. The poorer families walk to the top of the mountains to burn wood and make charcoal (uling) to sell for charcoal fires for cooking or grow sweet potato. We started pig farming as a micro business a few years ago which has been relatively successful. We target poorer families and offer them a no-interest loan which they pay back after 4-5 months when the sell the pig. We purchase piglets of approx 5kg and sell them 4-5 months later around 45-55kg. The family keep all the profits and the initial loan repayed back to us to buy another piglet for another family to start a small business. We really want to begin to grow this opportunity for the families on Talim island as this is a profitable small business for poorer families to provide fresh food and education for their children. If you are interested in purchasing a (few) pig(s) for a family please reply to my email on mattpin@hotmail.com or comment on this post. They are currently costing $60 (2500 peso) for a 5kg piglet. You donation just continues to bless many families because it never ends, it keeps being reused to purchase another piglet.

We were very blessed with all the people and their generosity they have shown us on the island. They might not have much but every night we were always given some food that someone had cooked for us. The children on the island also took Alex and Ashah under their wing, often Alex would be off and I wouldn’t see him for a few hours, and the girls just loved Ashah, holding hands and roaming around playing games.

We really love this place it does hold a special place in our hearts, its very peaceful, no noise of cars, no fumes, but there is a few smells of animals, mostly those that raise the pigs to sell. One of the women that we stayed at on the island came to us while we were out visiting, she was holding a chicken (it was alive!), and told us that this was going to be our lunch the next day, I must say it was quite delicious. Wish we could say more...love you all. Matt, Lisa and kids

Baseco

We have been in Baseco already one week and so much has happened. The people here have been such an encouragement to us, they put up with so much in their day to day, things we would find extremely difficult…but you can see God gives them the strength to do what they need to do with joy!

On Friday we visited another area called Fairview the Baseco church visit their church and preach there, and this time they had planned a big kids crusade. More that 400 kids  came to the crusade, it went for 2 hours, it was really hot but the kids leaders were active and engaging the kids. It was amazing!

Sunday we met most of the people that attend the church, we met many of the mothers whose children are sponsored by many of you. Sponsoring a child here goes such a long way, $90/year provides for all their school fees and needs, but more so it gives then the opportunity that they might not usually get. I have met some of the children and they are all top 5 in their class, classes here have 70 kids, so its amazing to see some of the kids we are sponsoring they are so interested in learning and sit at the front of the class so they can hear and learn. If they can finish their schooling and manage to go to university they can really change the lives of not only themselves but of their family and communities.

The other night, there was a fire in a area close by near the port 5 homes were burnt to the ground, we took some photos. If any one would like to make a donation so that some of these houses can be rebuilt email Matt

mattpin@hotmail.com

We can give you the details on how to go about donating.

We are all well and having a very interesting experience here, the kids are learning and seeing so much. God is teaching us so much, we need to be thankful and grateful for what we have but we also need to do as much as we can for each other, especially those in need. The work that the Christian community here is doing is inspiring. If your interested in finding out more about whats going on in Baseco go to

markpedder.wordpress.com 

(Mark & Christine Pedder are Australian missionaries that live and spend their days in Baseco sharing the love of Christ in spiritual and practical ways).