Reflections / Naomi's Tribal Birthday

Today was Naomi’s 8th Birthday in the tribe☺ What a blessed day to see the Agta gathering on the steps eating their candy and tasting cake, many of them for the first time! Naomi helped her mom make a delicious funfetti cake. Reflections: Its just crazy thinking about these people! How little they have – just sleeping in banana leaf houses – the number of people in those things, the bugs, germs and … what did they eat for dinner if they had anything? - a few hundred feet from our nice house (mind you, it is NOTHING like the house you are probably living in, in the States) with my own computer, a nice beds, clean clothes, running water, and lots to eat. Wow. Kinda makes me sad. And then to think of all those precious kids that played games with us in the yard tonight. They are just real kids like back in the states. Some are terrific at Bball, they have a cool way of playing volleyball and soccer that Naomi and I have not figured out yet. They were so happy when I payed them attention – gave them high – fives and especially when I played with them! They really do crave love and LOVE having an adult to play with them, but … they also crave the Father's love! My prayer is for an increased heart of love and compassion for these children. Is this not one of the reasons I am here in the PH? FACTS: The Agta are much darker skinned and have almost African hair. Illokano are lighter skinned and look very Filipino. The Agta are truly the poorest of the poor. And they are treated like it. Even with the children. I am asking the Father to show me how to show these people - especially the kids - that they are all equal and loved by the Savior? I’ve been reading through the book “Kisses for Katie” - about a missionary to Africa. This inspiring book is about a 21 year old girl who is "mother" - literally- to 14 orphan kids in Africa. She even started her own orphanage/ministry. Seeing her heart for the poorest children has been such a good thing and INSPIRING as I begin to live among these poor tribal people. Before you start feeling too terrible bad for these people, consider what one man told me a few days ago when we were visiting (he was working on his English): "We are poor people - we do not have much. But we are rich in love." :)

Day One in the Tribe

Today is moving day☺ I was so excited to fly in the helicopter, never having flown in one before and hearing about how amazingly beautiful it is☺ So flying in the Heli was amazing! Looking out at all the flora and fauna – rolling hills with small trees, led to huge mountains covered in jungle – looks like broccoli from above☺. Our pilot, zoomed out over the waterfall so I could get a better view. He kept asking how I was doing – he thought I was scared I think. I wasn’t really – just excited and exhilarated! Landing was so amazing! We flew over the tribe and then circled around the coves to come back in and land. The Majors videotaped the whole flight in, and some people were gathered round to help carry supplies (on the third flight) and greet us. Actually the people did not really greet us - just watched (the Agta are shy, but the Illokano are more friendly). We walked right to the house and got to look around and settle in! The rest of our first day was spent settling in, meeting people that came by to say hello to us. The 3 girls and I headed down to the beach to play for a bit. The trail to the beach went right through the Epps house. Their house is like a dream house! Nestled into foliage, with a boat rack under the house and located RIGHT on a private cove. The main landing pad for the helicopter is right off the 2nd cove which is much more rough. The people used to drink from that river; now they have a spring, thanks for the missionary team here. Now they use it to bathe in and wash clothes. Ate... took me down to her house to see my first pineapple (she is helping Bana at the house)! We saw the beach and waited until the girls came back from school. She wanted me to meet a girl who had been learning English with our co-workers wife, and might be interested in learning/practicing more with me. She is a beautiful, sweet 16 year old girl. I really enjoyed meeting her and her friends and discussing some Tagalog (national Filipino language) and English with them. Third Day: We visited the local integrated school today (K-highschool; they graduate at age 16)! Our new friends along with Ate... and her 2 children led the way to school. We had to walk way in on the beach because it was high tide. We crossed where the river and ocean connect – it was tricky and pretty deep with the tide coming in. Then we crossed a few more small rivers (nothing above my knees). It took us about 30 minutes to get to school and was beautiful! The path follows the ocean pretty closely. I took many pictures. The school is at the top of a hill, you can see the ocean in the distance. The girls were so sweet – and asked if they could call me Ate Mary, and made sure they were looking out for me the whole time. One of the girls stayed close to me at the school, answering questions and showing me around so I could take pictures. We gathered (slowly children and teens came) near a tree and this same girl taught me some phrases in Tagalog while I taught her some in English. The Parent/Teacher Conferences lasted almost 4 hours, beginning with the head teacher (who I had the pleasure of talking to: he has been there for 10 years, has a Major in Chemistry – but wants to pursue his Masters in Chemistry in Tuguegero) and following with every other teacher (from upper grades to lower). There was lots of laughter (not sure if there was meant to be jokes or the people like to make light of things). Sometimes a decision was made or questions called out (person would stand or speak out confidently). I heard money figures talked about near the end for the Christmas party. It costs the older students 250 pesos to go = 4.00. That is about or more than the average woman's daily salary. The head teacher invited everyone, with a special invitation to Bana and I, to the School Christmas Party in December. Part of the talk involved asking the parents to help discipline their children to not drink while attending school or be distracted by writing love notes. (Just Dreaming...) But all I could think about when at the school was coming back to teach there! The book Kisses for Katie rang in my head. What an awesome thought to consider moving to a 3rd world country to teach children where help is so desperately needed! Talking with the head teacher helped me to see that the need is great. He would often give pencils, pens and paper to his students as they have none. He said the students are very unruly in upper grades especially. I noticed they have lots of good conduct listed on the walls/posters. The school is very basic – chalkboards, chairs, in a cement room with metal roof. A few scholarly posters decorated the walls. I loved the visit to the school! I can’t wait to go back and see what the Lord has in mind while I am here.

Apology for No Pictures

I do apologize for the slow posting of pictures! Somehow it takes longer to post on blogger, and I may not be able to post in the tribe... we shall see! :)

Flying on a Helicopter / The Agta Tribe

We will soon be in the tribe! I'm very excited to fly on a helicopter and meet these people I have prayed for and been told so much about. Its been quite a process to shop for supplies, pack everything, weight and record weights for the flight, and organize it all to fit on 3 flights. It hasn't been that much work for me - more like going along for an adventure. But its been work for Bana (as Jared has been in the tribe the past few weeks). I think it is a headache enough to move a family, let alone, move on a helicopter! Thank you so much for your constant prayers. OUR TRIBE: I have been asked questions about the Agta/Illokano tribes we will be ministering to. I would like to direct you, first of all, to the Major's blog at: http://majortribe.com/ I am looking forward to telling you more detail about the tribe after living there. But just some quick info for now: the Agta people do have the New Testament translated into their language, and there are a few believers. Most of the people are Anamists, worshipping and fearing Spirits (that is actually how they keep their children disciplined - by living in fear of what the spirits will do). However, most of the people there (and people in this country in general) do not have a problem worshipping a god, gods or spirits. When they hear of Jesus and God, they tend to "add Him on" to the gods they already believe in: called syncretism. That's what has happened with "our tribe" and many others. This is the reason missionaries take a long time in learning the local tribal language; so that they can teach the Word of God accurately and clearly, in order for the people to understand. These people need to know that the one true God is not a god to be worshipped in addition to other spirits. It is all Him or nothing. Its also vital for these people to see their total need and helplessness before God instead of doing good deeds to earn salvation/His favor. Praise God that the Major's co-workers have made it through language learning and are now ready for Bible teaching in the tribe (when they come back from furlough). The Majors are at the beginning phase of language learning.

Random Jottings... Oct 4, 2012

This past Monday as the kids sang our "Days of the Week" song and chanted the date together, I could hardly believe it is already the month of October! Thank you all of you who have been patient with blog entries. I’ll be honest. Besides the fact that it has been hard to keep a journal with each day’s happenings (and my lack of diligence), and trying to get used to a new way of life, I have been discouraged because of inconsistent Internet. However, a few days ago I was able to skype with my friend who teaches in the Middle East. She is very diligent at keeping a daily journal while in the midst of teaching numerous math and art classes! I was reminded that if she can do it, I most definitely can keep a journal while teaching 3 students! ☺ Some things the Lord has been reminding me in the few short weeks that I have been here: What a pure joy and great fit for me to be in a missional setting while teaching. I love both of those aspects – they are my calling and gifting! I have had a blast listening to and discussing not only spiritual topics with the Majors, but also their future life and ministry …in the tribe. Missions is very different in a third world country, although the goal is the same – to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples. Having been raised in a missionary family, being involved in missions as a teen and through college, and then going on to lead in a ministry setting after college, I know what missions is like – first hand. I know the amazing joys of sharing God’s truths with people – specifically kiddos, seeing Him change the lives of kids and families, raise up workers with a passion to serve, see Him provide in ways that are otherwise impossible, and experience the deep friendships that come from serving Jesus together. But I also know the difficult challenges of ministry – the challenges of getting things done that I have no desire to accomplish (feels more like forcing things to get accomplished - speaking in churches, or calling every church in town to set up pastoral appointments, all by myself), working with conflicting personalities, loneliness, … and the list goes on and on. However, seeing missions in a third-world country, I have already given these missionaries my extreme respect. Some of the extra challenges of specifically living and working in the Philippines involves delays, delays and more delays. Nothing happens on time, partly due to the fact that it is considered impolite to answer “no” when someone asks for something and they don’t have it. Other times people are randomly not available, other times it’s the weather. When flying out to our tribe, we fly by helicopter. Although there are different routes to travel to the tribe, one part of the journey involves flying through a mountain pass. With the weather constantly changing, especially during rainy season, it is important to have a clear day to fly! Just a few days ago, our pilot and another missionary flew out to the tribe for a few days to help Jared with the house. One of the projects they completed was putting a sink and toilet in my bathroom downstairs! We have had quite a bit of rain since they flew in and heard from the neighbor that 2 more small typhoons were moving in. Our pilot had to be in Manila for flight training in just a few days. The missionaries were praying! Thankfully they made it out, just as scheduled. I can’t help but know God answered out prayers! Another challenge of ministry in a different country is the time it takes to learn language and culture. Add kids to that mix and it takes even more time! While the parents are learning language and culture, kids are needing an education, Visa renewals, and medical care (shots, etc.). One of the fun pastime activities the LORD has brought my way is going to the gym a few nights a week with Christina and Katherine. I am SO thankful for this activity which lets me get out of the house, get some exercise (which promotes a happy attitude), enables me to get to know these ladies better, and meet some Filipino people! On Monday, I met 2 sweet girls that work at the airport, Anne and Shirley. I couldn’t help but think of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables when they told me their names. I had to laugh when they asked me why I was coming to the gym when I’m already skinny. Haha! Then they asked if I could teach them to be skinny (Even though most Filipinos are tiny and thin, those coming to the gym aren’t!). Well, I told them it runs in the family! Please pray for more opportunities to get to know these girls and be a light to them, for Christ! I have been impressed with the missionaries fluency in speaking Tagalog. Many national Filipinos have commented on their fluency as well. The 2 years that NTM requires missionaries to learn Tagalog while living in Manila pays off! Me on the other hand: well, lets just say I have expanded my vocabulary from 1 word to 3. Actually I have been a bit discouraged about this topic: not knowing the language/limited communication. I am concerned while anticipating the difficulty of limited communication in the tribe especially. Please pray that I will be able to pick up some of the language while here, and have opportunities to interact with the locals. Jared and Bana will be focusing on learning the local tribal language: Illocano. They have already learned Tagalog, but in order to effectively communicate with the tribal people and eventually teach them the Word of God, they need to learn the main tribal language. Although there are a handful of languages spoken in their tribe, Illocano is known by most and will be most effective to learn (both time-wise and for effective communication). Some days I look around at this place the Lord has brought me to and think, “I can’t believe I’m in the Philippines.” And the truth is, I can’t! When I look at the mountains of Tug while on the rooftop, it looks strangly familiar. Only by looking down at brown men riding their caribou to work in the cornfields am I reminded that I am in the PH. Oh yes, and the neighbors blaring radio (It’s the same songs all day, every day), from 5am to 10+pm. I am slowly getting used to this life here. Yet at the same time, everything in new and different. As time goes on, I know I will miss more of those familiar things from home. Don't get me wrong, I do miss my family! That is part of the process of that thing I’ve heard called Culture Shock. Where am I at with this whole culture thing? Yesterday, I told Bana, “I like it here!” There is just something … is the word comforting?... About tricies, pony carriages, palankas (shopping markets), smiling brown faces, and drinking fun drinks at Bridgestone market (grocery store in the mall). I must close for now. I hope you have enjoyed my random jottings! Thank you for your continued prayers. Please continue to pray for: * Grace, discipline, patience, and humility - personally and while teaching * Ability to balance school preparation and develop curriculum/classes well * No stress Praise the Lord that over half of my support has been raised! Please pray with me that God will continually provide for all of my needs while here including the remaining amount left to raise (approx 40%).