PreWedding Festivities Memories

We made such wonderful memories as a family while celebrating our big day.  These are memories that will last us a lifetime!!

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The Wedding Festivities Continue - Bridesmaid Luncheon

Just because we got married in Cebu didn't stop us from enjoying some American wedding traditions.  Karen Nelson and Kathy Williams planned a very special Bridesmaid luncheon at Dove Street Cafe.

Even though two of my bridesmaids were not in Cebu, we had a wonderful lunch with Meredith, Phebe, Dolly, Mom, Kathy, and Karen.  Katherine and GeeElle were definitely missed.  The afternoon was filled with great food and lots of laughs. 

A bridesmaid luncheon would not be complete without some special gifts (or lingerie).  Luckily it was nothing too revealing or outrageous since Mom was there!!  The gitfts did bring some blushing and laughing as each gift was opened.

What special friends to not only travel half way around the world to celebrate our wedding but to also plan such a wonderful luncheon.  It was an afternoon filled with love, laughter, and memories.



The Wedding Festivities Continue - Island Hopping

Gepher and I had been counting down the days for the wedding and the festivities leading up to the big day.  Once Meredith, David, Aubrey, and John arrived we knew what we had been dreaming about and hoping for was almost here.  We wanted to spend as much time before the big day together as a family making memories and letting the family get to know its newest member!

David and Dad share the same birthday (three days before the wedding).  Island hopping was the perfect way to celebrate a double birthday.  The family along with some good family friends from the US and members of the wedding party loaded up on a banca boat to spend the day on the water!!

    

The excitement for the day began before the anchor was even raised on the banca boat.  Because the water was too shallow close to the shore for the boat to dock, we were "ferried" out in small banca boats.  Dad wanted to make sure everyone along with the stuff made it to the boat safely; therefore, he along with Melcho (our driver) decided to take the last boat.  Just about the time they reached the boat, Dad and Melchor were sitting just enough off balance to make the little boat flip!!  We heard a huge splash and saw Dad with his arm above the water holding the camera.  He may have gone under, but he saved the camera and his glasses from getting wet or lost.  We all teased Dad that he was so anxious to "swim withe fish" that he had to take a dive before getting on the boat!

    

The first stop on the day's adventure was to a marine sactuary for snorkeling.  The current was strong, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the fishes.  We swam with Nemo, Parrot fish, Tuna, and other georgous fish.  You definitely felt as if you were swimming in God's big aquarium with His beautiful creation.  Because the current was so strong, it took a lot more swimming to get back to the boat.  There were a few in the group that were definitely thankful for life jackets and the boat crew.  After a hard swim back to the boat, everyone was ready to sail on down the sea to the next stop...sandy beach and lunch!

     

Nothing will erase the diffcult swim back to the boat at the marine sanctuary than a beautiful sandy beach and a delicious lunch.  The water was calm and just the perfect temperature for floating, swiming, and just enjoying the beauty of the beach.  Everyone enjoyed the fun as we soaked in the sun and splashed in the crystal blue waters.

     

As all good things must come to an end, so did our day of Island Hopping.  The waves were rough coming back to Cebu.  It was as if we were riding the "White Water Canyon" at King's Island.  As we went up and down with every wave, the laughter and squeals could be heard all over the boat.  It was a perfect day to celebrate two birthdays and an upcoming big day!!

Let the Wedding Festvities Begin

When we set the date of August 6th for the wedding, it seemed so far away.  But what was once so far away is now so close!! 

The arrival of Meredith, David, Aubrey, and John marked the official beginning of the pre-wedding festivities!  The excitement was too high to wait and see them in Cebu so we all flew to Manila to meet them on Friday night.  I'm not sure who was more excited to see us...Meredith & David (so they had someone to play with jet-lagged Aubrey while they slept) or us!!

Before flying back to Cebu, we spent Saturday morning at the Mall of Asia.  The laughter and the conversation didn't stop as we explored and helped make some "firsts" memories with Aubrey.  Aubrey is definitely Papa's girl!!  Like all good Papa's she had her very own ice cream cone and enjoyed a ride on the carosel.  I'm not sure who had more fun...Aubrey or Papa!

     

The mission of the week before the wedding was to make as many memories as possible. Because Gepher has not had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my family (other than my parents), it was important he get to know them as his "soon to be" new family!  We could not think of a better first "memory" to make than a day at the beach!!

Monday, everyone piled in the van and headed on a road trip bound Alegre.  Alegre is a beach resort on the north end of Cebu island.  It has beautiful sandy beaches lined with lounge chairs covered by the trees.  There are lots of corals and fishes to snorkel and see.  It is a perfect place to spend together as a family.

     

Dad and Gepher enjoyed some quality time with the fish while Aubrey experienced sand between her toes for the first time!!  There was lots of splashing, laughing, napping, and relaxing.  It was the perfect start to a week that is sure to be filled with celebration, laughter, and memories.

A Moment in Time Captured Forever

Gepher and I could not think of a better place to have our Engagement pictures made than "our little slice of Paradise" (Plantation Bay).

We had such a fun filled day of exploring the entire resort and capturing every moment along the way.  Here's just a few of the great shots from the day!

Stranded at Badian Island

Over the Easter holiday, Gepher and I met up with Mom and Dad at Badian Island for Gepher's first official weekend getaway with the family.  We knew it would be a memorable weekend; however, we weren't prepared for just how memorable this weekend would be!

     

Badian Island is off the coast of Cebu where the only thing on the island is a beautiful resort.  The sights were filled with white sand beaches, crystal clear blue water and flowers in bloom everywhere you turned.  This place made you feel as if you were on Paradise Island.

      

After we arrived on Friday morning, we had to go exploring.  The first stop on our exploration of the island was the "Coral Gardens".  The Coral Gardens is a small secluded beach where the water is wavy and the snorkeling is beautiful.  Dad and Gepher love to be one with the fish!  Give them a snorkel mask and a big ocean and both are very happy and relaxed men.  The afternoon was brought to an abrupt end after each of them were "kissed" by a jelly fish.  I've never seen two grown men swim so fast back to shore. 

   

Despite the Friday snorkeling adventure, Saturday is when the real memories were made.  Badian Island was full of free water sports.  Gepher is very athletic and always looking for something new (and he would say "manly") to try.  Since the moment he learned the resort offered Wind Surfing he was anxious to try it.  He suited up with life jacket and aqua socks and was ready to ride the wind!

    

Since the resort didn't offer lessons with the free Wind Surfing, it took Gepher a few tries to figure out how to both stand on the board and pull the sail up.  Once he got up he caught a gust of wind and began sailing off.  Mom, Dad, and I were watching from the shore as he sailed (and rode the current) farther and farther into the distance.  Suddenly we were no longer able to see him standing on the board with the sail, but instead we see him sitting on the board, with the sail in the water, trying to paddle back to shore.  Gepher is now stuck in the bay between Cebu Island and Badian Island and can't figure out how to sail back to shore against the current and wind.  Luckily a boat (which had been pulling the banana boat) was following Gepher pretty close and offered him a ride back to the shore!! 

     

Ridding back to shore, Gepher asked the boat driver if he could try the wind surf again.  The guy smiled and said, "you can have it all day."  To Gepher, he not only has access to the wind surf all day but the boat as well.  As Gepher gets ready to surf a second time, Dad decides he will help Gepher with some lessons.  (Keep in mind Dad has NEVER gotten on a wind surf board nor did he want to try it for himself.)  You would have thought we were in Geometry class listening to Dad give instructions.  Gepher took Dad's advice and got up on the board and took off surfing!!  He caught a gust of wind (which Dad figured what direction it was blowing by throwing water in the air) and began surfing with the wind and the current!  It seems the future father-in-law/son-in-law bonding paid off!!

    

As the three of us watched Gepher sailing off in the distance, we began having déjà vu.  Gepher was getting closer to Cebu and no longer "sufing".  Instead he was laying on the board trying to paddle back to shore.  Paddling to shore was hard work and definitely caused Gepher to need to rest.  With every rest he took the current would carry him right back to where he started.  I guess you can say he wasn't getting anywhere anytime soon.

As I begin to wade out, I realized Gepher was definitely stranded!!  At this point Dad has come to the same realization that unless we go out and try to help Gepher get back to the resort he's going to eventually float back to Cebu.  Dad comes to the rescue again!!  Since my idea of swimming out to get him wasn't the smartest, we go with Dad's plan for a rescue...the paddle boat!!  Dad and I begin to paddle while Mom rides on the front of the boat.  When we reach Gepher he is smiling from ear to ear thankful to be rescued!  The paddle boat ride back to shore was full of laughter and reminding Gepher that he was definitely going to become a sermon illustration for Dad in the near future!!

In our family we have a saying "making a memory".  Gepher definitely made his first memory in the family.  Its one none of us will ever forget!!

Hope for Tomorrow

 Gepher and I are very excited about the newest ministry and dream God has laid on our hearts for the church in Naga, "Hope for Tomorrow".  Hope for Tomorrow is an opportunity to provide a better future one child at a time.  Hope for Tomorrow is a opportunity to show the love of Jesus to a child and their family by meeting the educational needs of a child.  Hope for Tomorrow is a gift...a gift for a brighter tomorrow, a gift of encouragement, a gift of love for a child and their family, and a gift we hope you will want to become involved in.



Dear Friends and Family,

For the past seven years, the Philippines and its people has held a special place in my heart.  Their smiles and spirit have left a lasting impression that has forever changed my life.  God took my love for the people of the Philippines to a whole new level when He brought Gepher into my life.  We each found the one God had been preparing for us; as both a life partner and someone to serve side by side growing the kingdom of God in the Philippines.

Every day I am in the Philippines I am reminded of what true happiness means and just how much we as Americans take for granted.  One of the biggest things we take for granted is a public school system that allows every child the opportunity to go to school despite their family’s income.  The school system will not allow a child to enroll in school if they cannot afford to provide their uniform, school supplies, transportation, lunch, and supplies for various school projects.  Even though the school system is supported by the government, the funding they receive is very minimal and therefore requires the student’s family to shoulder most of the expense. 

The Filipino family today has 4.61 children on an average yearly income of $4,700.  Sending an entire family of children to school would require 25% of a family’s yearly income.  Unfortunately many families are put in situations where they must choose which children they can financially afford to send to school.  These decisions are part of the reason why the country’s literacy rate is 86.4% and their enrollment rate is 85% for elementary and 62% for high school.  Gepher and I cannot imagine how tough these decisions must be for a parent as they decide the future of their children.

Gepher grew up in a family where education was a priority.  He is from a family of educators that value education and believe it is the key to a better future.  It’s for these reasons we are establishing “Hope for Tomorrow”.  “Hope for Tomorrow” will give one child a chance at a better future through the gift of education.  It is through education the cycle of poverty begins to break in the Philippines one person at a time.  “Hope for Tomorrow” will also provide the emotional support a child needs to be successful in school and in life.  A child can only succeed if they have a community to encourage and support.  “Hope for Tomorrow” is an outreach ministry of the church to the community.  It’s a chance to show the love of Jesus, to not only the student but also their family.  It is our prayer that God will use “Hope for Tomorrow” as an avenue to share the love of Jesus with both the students and their families.

There are two ways you can help be a part of “Hope for Tomorrow”.  The first is through financially supporting a child.  The Filipino school year runs from June to March.  For $250 a year (or $25 a month) you can send one child to school.  This will cover the costs of their uniforms, school supplies, books, food, transportation as well as supplies for school projects.  Gepher and I want you to be a part of the child’s life (if you wish); therefore, we will send you information on the child as well as pictures and progress updates.  The investment you can make in a child’s life is priceless when you consider how little it financially costs us.

There is a fund set up at Southside Church of Christ where your support can be sent either monthly or in a one lump sum.  Please be sure to indicate on the checks the funds should go to “Philippine Ministry – Hope for Tomorrow”.

Southside Church of Christ
Philippine Ministry Fund – Hope for Tomorrow Scholarship
1521 Nicholasville Rd
Lexington, KY  40503

The second way you can help is by becoming a prayer warrior for a child.  We will pair you up with a child giving you details about them, their family, and their school situation.  Having an army of prayer warriors praying for both the spiritual and academic needs of the “Hope for Tomorrow” children will open doors for God to work in ways we cannot imagine.

Gepher and I would love to talk with you more about the work in Naga and Hope for Tomorrow.  We both can be reached via Facebook or email (vandykead@aol.com or freekingl@yahoo.com).   I’m currently in Cebu but will be returning to the states in May.  We can be reached in Cebu on the VOIP 859-559-4099.  We would love to talk with you more about this and the other ways God is working in Naga.

Gepher and I are excited about the ways God is working in Cebu and specifically Naga.  We are eager to see how He will use “Hope for Tomorrow” to touch hearts and change lives.  Follow our journey at http://andrea-gepher.blogspot.com to see how God is working in the community of Naga.  We hope that you will join us either financially or prayerfully as we work to change the future of the Philippines one child at a time.

Sincerely,

Andrea VanDyke & Gepher Lopina

From Trash to Treasure

This past weekend God reminded me of valuable lessons while looking into the eyes and listening to the laughter of the sweet children of Hidden Island.

   

The children of Hidden Island live in a part of Naga, Cebu that is very poor.  It is a community that sits along the river that can only be gotten to by foot on a narrow trail that has been carved out by the trampling of feet.  Most of the children do not go to school due to the financial cost.  But the thing Gepher told me about these kids that struck me the most was roughly half of these children did not have a pair of shoes.  When he told me this, it immediately brought tears to my eyes as I thought about the numerous pairs of shoes I had in my closet.  A child should not go without a pair of shoes.  That night I began asking God to open doors to allow us to minister to these children and not only meet their spiritual needs but their physical needs as well.

     

For the past three months, Gepher and Fred (the other minister at Naga) have been having a Saturday Bible School with the children at Hidden Island.  They have been studying the stories of Jesus with the kids.  More importantly they have not been doing this alone. The young people of Naga have been going every week serving these children as well.  This Saturday was the last  of the series. and called for a special celebration.

     

Last year we had so much fun with children in other parts of Naga at the 1st Annual Bible Land Carnival (click the link to relive that special chapter in our adventure), that Hidden Island seemed like the perfect location for our 2nd Annual Bible Land Carnival.  This year's Carnival was extra special as we had the members and young people of Naga there to help us work the booths and play with the kids.  We could not have pulled this off without their help.  They were great at helping get everything set up as well as making sure every child got to play the games and had fun.  There is nothing better than seeing new Christians and the members of a church actively participating in the ministries.  This is truely a sign of God working in the church and lives of its members.

   

From the oldest to the youngest, every child had so much fun playing the games.  The older kids were quick to help the workers with the games.  They were the perfect cheerleaders as the younger children played the different games. 

         

The kids could not wait to show us the prizes they won after every game.  This year the whistles were the coveted prize.  After Fred taught them how they made noise, we heard the sounds of whistles and laughter all over the area.  The rain and gloomy skies did not "rain" on our party, as everyone had a day filled with fun and laughter.

        

As if the Carnival wasn't celebration enough, God opened doors for us to be able to meet the  physical needs of these children as well.   Through conversations about the work in Naga before I left for Cebu, my sister and David heard the story of the Hidden Island children and offered to buy shoes for these children.  I couldn't believe it!  I was so excited knowing these children would not have to go barefoot any longer.  More importantly, I was so excited they wanted to show their support and be apart of our journey and ministry.  God was answering our prayer for these children in ways I couldn't imagine.

   

But God wasn't finished with our prayer.  Lilia's Place is a ministry in Cebu that ministers to street children and their families.  It is run by a wonderful Christian family from Texas, Doug and Lisa Simpson.  They believe God's family should work as a family and support one another as we minister.  I could not agree with them more.  Gepher and I were so touched when we received an email from Lisa, offering to provide clothing if we had a need for it in Naga.  We immediately shared the story of the Hidden Island children and they graciously shared the donations they had received from their home congregation.

   

Everyone has clothes in their closet we no longer like or that no longer fits.  These clothes get pushed to the back or thrown on the floor or crammed in a box and forgotten about.  These clothes to us are trash and have no more life or use; however, Saturday I witnessed these clothes actually becoming a TREASURE.  Each child was so proud to receive the gift of a "new" outfit and pair of shoes as they graduated the Saturday Bible School program.  The look of pride on these kids faces was priceless.  The children didn't speak much English (as many are not in school); however, the one word they did speak was "THANK YOU".  And they wanted to make sure we heard it loud and clear.

       

Sunday morning when Gepher and I arrived a church there was a precious little girl sitting waiting for me and Gepher with a huge smile on her face.  I whispered to Gepher that she was wearing the outfit we had given her on Saturday.  The shirt, pants, and shoes fit her perfectly.  It was as if we picked it out just for her.  In typical male fashion, he responded "are you sure?"  I quickly said, "I couldn't be more sure!"  As he spoke to her in Visayan complimenting how cute she looked and I gave her the thumbs up sign, she smiled.  I realized this was the same smile of pride and positive self esteem I have when wearing a new outfit I bought at the mall.  In that moment, God reminded the blessings we often take forgranted and consider "trash" are actually "treasures" when shared with others.  The next time you get ready to clean that closet out and get rid of the "trash" think about who you could share it with so that it can be turned into a "treasure".