Sunday Dec. 19th

November 19. I'm sitting in a Chow King eating my bowl of noodles very content with my world. Manila is very warm this evening, muggy after the rain today. There are a thousand smells in the air. All kinds of fried foods I don't even recognize, blended with thick diesel exhaust from the Jeepnies and urine from the vagrants sleeping on the sidewalks. Sounds of motorcycles, police whistles, hawkers selling their wares, Christmas carols from neighborhood Karaoke machines and a hundred loud voices competing to be heard.

My day has been tiring but fulfilling--the alarm woke me at 5 am to get myself ready for the taxi at 5:30. The driver and I tried to find Capital City Foursquare Church. After one stop for a donut and cup of bitter instant coffee, and a lost hour we arrived at the church still early for the 7 am service

The music was exhilarating and worshipful. My problem is holding back my volume in the enthusiastic praise to save my voice for a 75 minute sermon, which was expected. The service was over at 9 then to Starbucks Coffee in the lobby, to be fueled up for service #2. The 10 am service was also full with several hundred attentive worshipers. By 12 after greeting the members then lunch with my congenial hosts, Val and. Sally Chavez (president of the 1800 Foursquare Churches in the Philippines.) I taxied back to my hotel. I called Susan at about 3, which was 11 pm Saturday evening to her, and lay down for a nap.

Then I went for a long sightseeing walk and ended up here at Chow King. I'll go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow is the day I prepare for Day 1 in Davao when I am on from 8 am through the evening. It's going to be a very fulfilling week. Blessings to all