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Hello all! I'm still in the Philippines but guest blogging on my sisters blog. Please check it out!

Today's the Day

So I was thinking...what am I going to do for 14+ hours on a plane. Well, today's the day that I find out.

I left for Seoul at 12:30 am this morning and am now in flight for 14 hours. Once arriving we will have a 4 hour layover before we fly 4 more to the PHILIPPINES!

When I started this process of going to the Philippines, it probably would have taken me a minute or two to find it on the map. Now I know that it is between Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand in the Pacific Ocean.

This is where I am going to spend the next two weeks! As I have mentioned before I signed up to go...well anywhere, about a year ago and today's the day. Thanks to Google images you can see what the Philippines look like. The red dot on the North island is where we will be staying. Kids International Ministries is just outside of Manila. I cannot wait to get there and see what the Lord has in store.

So you see it doesn't really matter what I do for 14 hours on the plane (hopefully sleep some), it matters what happens on the other side of the world from my home state in the South.

We at Kids International seek to: Prepare children to honor God in their everyday lives in an environment that cares for their spiritual, educational, physical and emotional needs. kidsim.org

I ask that you pray for our team, the people we meet, and that the Lord's glory will shine through in all that we see and do here.

See you in two weeks
~Rachel

Beach Time Fun

So I was thinking...that people normally think I am crazy when I tell them about our family beach trip.

For the past 15 years, my dad's side of the family all piles into their cars and head for the NC beaches. Half of the family lives in the Carolina's so it is a short 3-4 hour trip for them; but for our group from AL to NC is 9 hours! Makes for some good family bonding time.

What makes most people give the "are you crazy" look though is not the drive, it is the fact that all 27 of us pile into one house to spend the week together. However, it is not that crazy to us, because after 15 years we have it  down to a science. We know who brings what, and who cooks when, and what day we go out, etc.

It is always a fun time and a great time to catch up with Grandmomma and the aunts, uncles, and cousins that live further north than us. Here is a recap of our fun adventure.

So from top to bottom: 

1. The whole crew after an exciting night of putt putt.

2. the parentals

3. the siblings with Momma (-III, we missed you)

4. The 3rd & 4th generation preparing for tye-dye

5. The volcano at the putt putt place

On the night that my parents cooked, they decided to make breakfast, so off to the grocery store my mom, grandmomma, and aunt went. When they returned we had two surprises.

1. Anderson's syrup ( Well grandmomma, the matriarch of our crew, just had to buy this,

I mean it's two of our favorite things (the family name and sugar))

2. ICEEs- our favorite! The man at the local Walgreens knew us well

however, the machine was broken when we left : (

Finally, no Anderson vacation is complete without a little bit of craftiness. This year we all decided to experiment with tye-dye. You will have to wait for the reveal of my shirt when I post about the Philippines, sorry, but its in preparation of being packed!

I have a fabulous family and could not be any more blessed with all the people that I get to squeeze into a beach house with every summer. I hope your summer vacation is as great as mine was!

~Rachel 

Happy Birthday Momma!

So I was thinking... that I'm blessed with an amazing mom. I'm also blessed that today is her birthday and I get to spend another great year with her.

Moms are an amazing blessings; I've been reading 'Kisses from Katie' and how she became a mother to 14 precious girls from Uganda and their stories touch my heart and help me realize even more how blessed I am that I've had my mom for 23 years. I love her quote that says

"Mommy says 'I'll trust you' Mommy means 'you'll protect me' Mommy is for shouting when you need someone dependable and for laughing with when you are excited. Mommy is for crying on and cuddling with when you are sad or giggling and hiding behind when you are embarrassed...mender of broken hearts...a comfort place, a safe place" -Katie Davis

My momma is and has been the one that protects me and I trust to help lead me. The one that first showed me true love so I could understand even more God's love. The one I shared my exciting firsts from this past school year with and the one who comforts my tears and broken hearts. I KNOW that I could have not made it through these past couple of years without her and I'm beyond blessed that God allowed me to be her daughter.

Happy Birthday Momma! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the Philippines.
~Rachel

Countdown till takeoff

So I was thinking... that in 15 days I will be leaving for the Philippines! Almost a year ago my church from home started discussing a mission trip abroad, in 15 days we will be taking a group of 18 to Manila to work with KIM(kids international ministries). My countdown has turned from 300ish days to 15: ) and I am over the moon about this trip!! So since we are 15 days away from our departure, here are 15 things I'm excited about!

1. I've never been abroad before, so I am excited that this will be my first trip over seas.

2. My dad, mom, and brother will be joining me! I can't wait to see how this trip will be a blessing to all of us.

3. As most of you know I have a heart for kids, so I'm excited to be able to work with the children at the orphanage and the school.

4. I am excited to get to help children learn to read all the way across the world.

5. I'm ready to get to play basketball and jump rope and act like a first grader again! (I've already been told that the kids are basketball pros so prepare to lose, ha)

6. I'm ready to leave our fast paced culture for a while and hoping to truly live each moment at a time.

7. I'm so ready to see all of the children and love on as many as I can, and tell them how much God loves them.

8. I'm excited to build relationships with the kids and team members.

9. I'm praying for strength as I know these precious children of God will tug on my heart.

10. I'm praying for guidance on how to best share the light of His Word with the people I meet.

11. I know God will meet us there and I'm excited to see His mighty Hand at work.

12. I'm ready to smile until my cheeks hurt at how amazing these children are.

13. I'm excited about proclaiming the Gospel through action and word.

14. I'm excited about seeing a new culture and God's children in action.

15. I'm ready to give all I have to make sure these children know they are loved.

I cannot wait till I can get on that airplane and fly across the world. I ask that you pray for hearts to be opened and God's love shown.I know that I will gain more from these precious children than I can ever give but I pray for God's love to shine through where my abilities fail. I pray that everything is for God's glory and praise. I'm ready for my life to be changed;I'm ready to see these precious faces that I've only seen online.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15

~rachel