Longest I have been out of country

I have now been in the Philippines for a little over 4 months (the longest I have ever been out of the US). The past two have gone by pretty fast. Christmas here is their biggest holiday. They’ve been celebrating it since September when I got here and count down for it like the New Year. We now have 14 students are the tutorial center; one of our new students is autistic and one may have dyslexia. Unlike in American, where there is the No Child Left Behind Law, these children do not get extra support in the school and fall far behind the rest. They are very sweet though and we are hoping that with extra support they will be able to continue in school.

Two main highlights from the past two months: 1) I helped my friends’ feeding ministry for street kids throw a Christmas party. We bought them dinner from their favorite restaurant, Jollibee, gave away gifts for everyone, and passed out prizes for children who show up every week. 2) Was going on a mini mission trip to Bicol for a few days and to feed families who cannot provide for their family during the Christmas season and also others whose crops had been destroyed by the typhoons. We gave over 200 families’ groceries, gave children school supplies, over 150 pairs of sandals, and Christmas presents for all kids.

We hope to do many more outreaches just like this and go even further out to other islands in the Philippines.

Now for the big news! I am going back to Nepal in a little over a month!! I will meet a team from of doctors and nurses from Global Infusion to help bring medicine and the Gospel to people in the Himalaya Mountains. We will not be going to Base Camp this time but nearby villages. They have no access to doctors since they are far away in the mountains, and also no church. I am very excited about this opportunity, even though I may freeze in the snow, and cannot wait to see what the Lord will do.

If you can, or would like to donate to my missions in the Philippines or Nepal, you can do so through a check or online. I still need a little over $1000 for Nepal; I know it is a short amount of time to raise the money but I believe it can happen. I have recently accepted an online tutoring job for students in China to help.

To donate you can send a check (just put my name in the memo) to the address below, or donate online at the following link https://globalinfusion.org/melanie/support-melanie/. All donations are tax deductible.

Last news!  Pristine Destiny Joy Nillo is now the 4^th child of Global Infusion’s contact in the Philippines. She is tiny, but healthy. Just over 4 pounds!

Thank you so much for your prayers, texts, messages, and support since I have been here. I couldn’t do this without you all!