So I have been home now for almost a month, how time has flied! I haven't done a whole lot since I have been home, just looking for a job and waiting for classes to start up again. I have also met with quite a few people to talk about my trip and life.
It has been interesting being home, and had quite a bit of culture shock the first week or so that I was home. My first hour back in the states in L.A. hit me hard and I cried in the terminal. I came home and instantly hated America and Americans, I just wanted to get back on a plane and fly 16 hours back to the Philippines. What I encountered in the states, I was not ready for. People were rude, I would smile at people and they would look away. I felt super awkward being home like people were staring at me like I was different. Driving was also very strange. Not having driven for 2 months will do something to you. I felt like a new student driver who had never driven before. It was weird! The thing that I have had the most difficulty with since I have been home though is being in church.
Being home and at church on a Sunday has been hard if not that, just pain depressing. I have cried all three Sundays I have been home. I had fallen in love with a culture, church, and people who were passionate about God. Their worship told it all and I came home to a stagnant church that lacked passion and energy. The Holy Spirit rocked us so many times in the Philippines and I long for that same encounter here at home but I do not feel that the church is ready to be rocked because there is so much lacking.
It has been great to be home and see everyone, but I miss the Philippines and a life that is so simple where we are not consumed by materialism. I know God is moving and working here and am ready to be apart of what He has while I am here. Still, I cannot wait to see how much more He will use me in what He has called me to!
Here I sit on a plane, headed back to the states. In just a few short hours I will ne home, thousands of miles from the Philippines. What an incredible two months God allowed me to experience. I lived in a different culture with different values and expectations for two months. Life over there is so different. I love it that God loves all of us despite the different cultures, that we are His creation. The people are so friendly and open, which is so different from American cultures. There people love God and they express it and are passionate about Him, which is evident from the way they worship and pray. It has been so encouraging to me and has made me pursue God on a deeper level, immersing myself into continual prayer and wanting to read the Bible over and over again. God has changed me and tested me in more ways than I ever imagine I could go through, but in the end, I am so much stronger because of all that I experienced! I will miss the Philippines, I may never return, but I know that God will continue is work in the hearts of the people there. I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to not only serve the people and missionaries on the field, but also, to serve Him!
Two nights ago, Thursday July 29th, I saw God move/work once again. We had a church service outside on the newly purchased property of the AG church that will be built in a few months. Pastor Manny is only 23 years old, but has a passion for God and has been connecting with the community while waiting for an actual building. I joined with some of the Texas XA team and Tom, our host missionary. For about 45 minutes we walked around and invited people to the service that we would be having at 7pm. Out of nine of us, four went and did children’s ministry while the rest of us did the service. We provided acoustic worship, testimonies, and the word all in the dirt under the starry heavens. There is currently only one lady who has given her life to Christ and she is in her 80’s, but that night about 30 people showed up to service and about 25 kid’s too.
Tom telling the kid's a story
Richard would be one of the young adult’s who showed up. He is 18 years old and when he first came, he was a distant bystander, not really sure if he was going to come and sit down. He was there, but not really there. We watched him before service, making reference to him and the story of the man who climbed up to the roof to hear Jesus speak. Richard was a punk/gangster kid we could see from his clothes. During the message, Richard got up and left his chair. Nick and I were both praying that he would come back. God fought with Richard and he eventually came back. We called people up for prayer or for those who needed healing. Richard would be one of them, but not till Tom pointed to him in the back row and called him out saying that God really wanted to move in his life. The crowd parted and Tom told him that he was just like Zacchaeus, just looking on, but Jesus wanted to meet him. You could see Richard physically wresting with this as he grabbed his head and hung on, removing his hat. He was fighting, but stepped forward for prayer and for a hole that he had in his lung. Nick would end up praying for him and being able to relate to Richard’s story!
Richard in the white shirt & hat
God also moved more that night and healed three women that came down for prayer. I prayed for a lady that had an ear infection and it was moving into her neck and causing great pain and burning. She was healed almost instantly! We also prayed for two others one with a kidney infection and buring in her lower back, and the other one with swollen glands in her neck that you could see her neck was enlarged. We laid hands on and prayed for both of them and the swelling in the lady’s neck disappeared, and the other one no longer had the intense burning in her lower back. It was awesome to see God move in such an incredible way that night. I am thankful for Manny and his heart for these people.
We went to Apayao in Northern Luzon for a week with the Chi Alpha team from Texas. We all stayed at HISOM, a small AG Bible College in the jungle. I was so impressed by these students. For a week we lived, ate, slept, and ministered in the same conditions that did; mosquito nets, whatever food we could get, and extreme heat with no aircon. These ten students literally gave up everything to go to school for three years, work in the rice fields to pay for their schooling, all because they want to seek God more and see what He has for their lives. It was an incredible thing to see.
The bathroom and shower
God showed us that we can be stretched way beyond what we think we can handle. The living conditions were not in any way comfortable or convenient, nor were they sanitary, however, in a week, God showed me how many people live and they have no other choice. We can live so simply but do not know what it means to live like this until we truly experience it.
So, the following post is just a few things I've learned since being here. To the best of my knowledge, it is accurate. Anyway, I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what I'm experiencing here!
Language
Although Tagalog and English are the official languages, there are many dialects. For most of the last weeks I’ve been here, most people we encounter speak Visayan, or Cebuano. Some things/words are the same, but many are different. Many people still understand the other two to some degree, but they are not their main languages. Then, in certain cities, there are other sub-dialects so to speak. This means that most people speak multiple languages. Many people around the Surigao area, for instance, speak Visayan, Waray, Tagalog, English, and the local city dialect (the name escapes me). Of course, they are not completely fluent in all of them, but it’s still amazing that they grow up speaking so many languages. Even though English is technically an official language of the Philippines, most people speak Filipino, also known as Tagalog. Also, depending on which area one is in, there are different dialects spoken. But, I can communicate here in English if I want to. However, if I say too much, many Filipinos will claim nosebleed. It's a joke here. Filipinos say that if they speak too much English, they will get nosebleeds. It's actually really funny, because sometimes I realize I'm talking too fast or too much in English and then I say something like, "Sorry, nosebleed?" And then the people I'm talking to just laugh and nod.
Banana as big as our thumb
Food
Well, the food here is soooo good. In many ways, it's not that foreign from food we have in the U.S. There is a lot of chicken, pork, and fish. However, it's just combined with different sauces than we're used to, like adobo and champorado. There is also rice, just way more than we eat it in America usually. Let’s just say, it is not a meal if there is not rice on the table. Spring rolls here are common, but they are called lumpia. A special kind of lumpia filled with banana is called turon. A special glaze covers the fried banana lumpia to make it especially tasty (and unhealthy, haha). Fruit is very common here, but they are different fruits from what we are used to.
BUKO for everyone
Santol
Buko (coconut), mango, papaya, santol, dalandan, and many more are grown here, including 11 different types of bananas. Can’t get anything better than fresh fruit all of the time. Ice cream flavors are interesting as well; common flavors are mango, melon, ube, avacado, and chocolate.
Transportation
Transportation can get pretty crazy here. We mostly travel by a bus from different missionaries and churches, but many times we take forms of public transportation as well. We've ridden coach bus, public bus, jeepney, taxi, tricycles, and LRT (train). We will also ride boat and plane in the next week or two. Most of these are relatively inexpensive compared to the states, but they are waaaayyy more crowded. Manilia has 19 million people, so what does that tell you. I suppose it could compare to a big city in the U.S., but it seems way more crowded even than that. The driving is definitely more crazy here. People cut people off on a multi-daily basis. It's just expected. But drivers don't generally get road rage; it's simply expected to have aggressive driving. The honking is a normal occurrence, more to say, "I'm coming through." than to say, "I'm ticked off." It's definitely interesting, but I feel surprisingly safe. Oh, and no seatbelts!
Gestures
The gestures here are interesting, and it did take a bit getting used to. It's fun now, though, to sort of be on the inside a little bit on recognizing them and even doing them myself. I will definitely have to train myself not to do them when I'm back in the States. There is a thing here called a silent greeting, it is just a lifting of the eyebrows. People use it all the time to say hello silently or even to answer a question yes without speaking. It seemed weird to me at first, but now it's almost automatic. Also, if you ask someone where something is, you're likely to get a lip answer. This just means that people with point with their lips where something is rather than their finger or arm to point. It looks funny, but it's just part of how things are here.
Which way, that way
Also, people are very hands-on touchy. It has a lot to do with crowded quarters, but also to do with how close families and communities are. When people are talking to you, it's not uncommon for them to put their hand on your shoulder, or hit you lightly randomly. Also, you very frequently see people walking down the streets and in the malls with interlocking arms, even girls with girls and guys with guys. Another thing that's common is the "psst" sounds. Mostly moms use it to get their kids' attention, and the reaction is immediate.
Behavior
The people here are very welcoming. At the churches we've been to and just different places, the hospitality is always something to be noted. It's not uncommon for us to get the best food, even though it feels awkward when those you are with don't have it. But the people here are very giving that way. Also, family is super important here. Families almost always live together, even extended. Even after children get married, it's not uncommon for them to stay living with the family. People also call non-relatives names that are considered part of the family. It's a sign of respect. Ate means big sister, and kuya, big brother. When I get introduced, especially to children, I get introduced as Ate Jinnae. It's a respect thing. Also, as a sign of respect, when talking to someone older, the word "po" is added to speaking. So if you're saying good morning to an older person, you would say, "Magandang umaga po". I actually really like these concepts. The culture is just so respectful. Also, everything is Yes Ma’am, Yes Sir, sometimes you even get a Yes Ma’am Sir.
Entertainment
Basketball is HUGE here, and I mean huge, it is all they watch or play. I don't think I've seen any other sport played. We had a chance to go to one of the PBA games which was a lot of fun. Another thing that's popular is singing and dancing. Filipinos love their music. American music is popular, especially among the younger crowd, but any music is enjoyed. There are also dances, such as the ocho ocho, that are popular. It's been fun watching and even learning a little of some.Here are some of the things that children do for fun. Really, they seem entertained by almost anything, but there are a few things I’ve seen quite often. Of course, there is basketball and dancing and singing. But I’ve often seen a kid playing with tires and sticks, just like I was taught was a pioneer activity (except with wheels). Another thing that is extremely popular is spider fighting. Kids can buy matchboxes filled with spiders. Then, they put two of them on a stick and watch them fight. It’s funny because people are not generally afraid of spiders here. I’ve even seen spiders as big as my hand fought here. It’s fun to watch and some of the boys on our team have even gotten into it.
Some of the spiders we caught
Another thing among adults that is popular is cock fighting. It’s legal here, so there are arenas for it.. One of the things I find entertaining is the amount of people they fit on motorcycles. It's usually at least four, but I've seen up to six. While being here, even I have ridden on a motorcycle with three other people. It's fun but also scary. Religion
The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic, but there are a number of Protestants here as well. Religion is another big part of life here. Religious sayings are everywhere airbrushed onto Jeepneys and such. People are very open here, even the government and schools. Sometimes when we're presenting in schools I forget that I don't have to be careful about what I say. In some areas here, though, Protestants are known as born-again, and it's seen almost like a cult. But mostly it's open. There are also a number of Muslims scattered throughout, but there is a large number in the southern part of the PI, known as Mindanao. Phrases
To start off, I will list a few common terms here.
CR- comfort room, the word for bathroom here
Aircon-what AC is called here
Chanelles or slippers-the word for flip flops
Tissue- what we would call a napkin at the dinner table, you never say napkin here.
Jobs
Education is very important here. People need a college degree to even be a janitor in some department stores. Nursing is very extremely common here as a major. However, there just aren’t enough jobs for the amount of people graduating. Because of this, you commonly see someone with a nursing degree working as a maid or cashier or something. Many dream of getting nursing jobs in the States, but it’s a long process and also very hard to get there financially. It’s sad seeing so many people jobless, especially when most have college degrees.
Communication
Cell phones are very important here. Almost everyone has one, and they are very valued. Many times, people will buy load for their phone over food. I mean, not everyone does that, but it’s not uncommon. Also, phones aren’t really on plans, they are by load. Load is simply what allows a phone to text or call. A text takes so much load and load costs so many pesos. One of the phrases I learned first because of its abundance was “Load na dito”, which means load here now. Of course, Facebook is also popular, especially among younger generations. I have so many friend requests from all the people I’ve met that it’s ridiculous.
Family
I know I mentioned that family was very important here. But I thought I’d talk about that some more. Even when separated by thousands of miles or much time, families are very close. A couple of girls on our team are Filipina by blood, but American by citizenship. Both have visited family here, even though they have seen them for ten years or more. And they are still super close. Some of their family they didn’t even meet until they came here, but they are still arranging to spend time with them before leaving next week. They are just so much closer than families in the States. Families would do anything for each other here. Families that seem close in the States seem to fail in comparison to families here. It’s just part of the culture, but it’s so rare in the States that it stands out so much to me.
Time
This culture is much more event based than time based. This just means that people care more about the event than about the time in which it happens. If something is supposed to start at 6, it probably won’t until at least 7 if not after. This makes it really hard for Americans to adjust to the culture since we are time based. Filipinos don’t understand why the person gets frustrated if they don’t show up on time because, to them, they at least showed up. We call it “Filipino Time”, and even Filipinos know and joke about it.
Largest worm EVER!
Bugs Okay, so this isn’t really part of the culture as much as it’s just a part of nature. I’ve gotten much more used to bugs since I’ve been here. I have many mosquito bites, no matter how much repellent I seem to use. But there are just random flying and crawling bugs around everywhere. It is something that you can’t really be bothered by here or you’re going to be constantly annoyed. I’ve encountered red ants on more than one occasion, which leave a nasty bite. I’ve also knowingly drank my coffee even though a bug was floating in it. None of us on the team care enough to pick them out anymore; we consider them extra protein. Ha. But we encounter more than just bugs.
Baby Gecko
Frogs, lizards, and geckos crawl and hop around everywhere, especially when we’re not in the city. Many geckos live in our rooms, fall off the walls and ceiling onto the table while eating dinner, or crawl right up your leg. We hear them making noise at all hours of the night. It’s been interesting. It will be nice sleeping without bugs all around me, but it’s kind of fun just being used to it.
Anyways, this is just a little bit of insight into Filipino culture!
On Saturday, July 10 we flew to Bohol from Manila. It's an island on the east part of the Philippines, and it's known for its tourist attractions, from the beautiful beaches to the "chocolate" hills. But even though it is very beautiful, there is still a lot of poverty. Many are still struggling to survive and provide for their families. We saw all of this during our week of ministry there.
Upon arrival, we went immediately to our first ministry site, located in Calape. We worked with New Life Assembly of God until Tuesday. The pastor there is Pastor Rowen, a graduate from the Bible School in Bohol. He's in his twenties, like many of the pastors in the church plants in Bohol.
There at New Life, we did a lot of evangelism in the community. We would go from house to house, handing out tracts and praying with people. We also did a lot of children's ministry. We would split the team up into groups and go to different villages to play and minister to the children. On Sunday, we were in charge of the service, from the worship to the preaching to the children's service. It went really well, and I definitely enjoyed getting to know the people of the churches. Overall, it was a really great experience, and I really enjoyed our time in Calape.
Fish and the drop off
Beautiful fish and coral
After Calape, we had a two day break at Alona Beach. There, we met up again with Tom Bohnert, the missionary in charge of the internship. We talked about the time we had spent in PI already and talked about what was ahead of us. It was great being all-together again to talk about what God has been doing and what goals we still wanted to fulfill for our remaining time. We also took a little time to see some sights in those couple of days. We got to see some of the beautiful coral in the ocean and also got to see the Chocolate Hills. We also got to see the world's smallest primate, the tarsier, on the way to our next ministry point, Loboc.
Alona Beach
Team at the Chocolate Hills
In Loboc, we did similar things as in Calape. We evangelized, prayed for people, held Bible studies in homes, and worked with children. We also worked with a recent church plant, only three months old, and their pastor, Ephraim. We also worked with Pastor Rowen more there and other ministry members, Nathan and Lala. It was really great getting to know them, and I really enjoyed the night we had a fellowship time with them and some other members of the church. We sang and had coffee together. It was a really great time. All of our time in Loboc was. We met some great people in the community and got to encourage many in their walks with the Lord. We did the service at the church on Sunday and had lunch with the people we were ministering with one last time before leaving.
July 28, 2010
What an incredible service we are having. A thunderstorm has come in over the rice fields. It thunders and lightnings and brings rain with a fresh cool breeze. Here we sit in almost darkness in a little tiny church service with only six members, our team out numbers the people here. There are two candles lit up front, no power. We sing worship songs and praises to God with only our voices, the room is filled with the presence of God. The atmosphere is so different from anything I have ever experienced, but God is here in our midst!
. . . Kevin is speaking on spiritual hunger and tying it into the testimonies Ashley and I gave. This message is so powerful.
. . . After Kevin spoke; we had everyone come up to the front so that we could pray for them, and for the church. The pastor wanted us to pray for a revival in the church. All six members plus the pastor and his wife stood across the front and we laid hands on them and earnestly began to seek God. Something so incredible took place tonight there are no words. The presence of God and the Holy Spirit were so strong, the strongest most evident presence that any of us had ever experienced in a room/setting before. We had stopped by the church earlier that day and I remember joking and saying that we were going to the upper room to have service, but looking back on what I said, we had a crazy encounter with the Holy Spirit. We were all praying out loud and I remember praying, “Holy Spirit come and sweep across this place and these hearts right now” and as soon as I had spoke that, a young many down on the end started speaking loudly in tongues, the whole room erupted into tongues and the whole room was boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus. It sounded like there were hundreds of people in the room when there were only a few less than twenty people. Our team has been praying for boldness and I definitely had received boldness. I stepped back from the lady I was praying for and the words would not stop coming out of my mouth. I was almost yelling the words and praying with such a passion and boldness. I have never had an experience where the Holy Spirit overwhelms and overtakes in such a way as what happened tonight.
The absolute passion and hunger for God has filled this place. God has brought a fresh anointing on all of our hearts, The Holy Spirit was in our presence as we all cried out as people of different nationalities, but as a people hungry and thirsty of God. I love seeing the face and the heart of God because when He shows up, you know it and you cannot hide what He is doing in your heart. He swept across this place like a wild fire, everyone was touched and filled! What an incredible night. God’s presence is amazing, we were all broken, undone vessels seeking all that God had, we bowed down before Him and He met us right where we all were. What an amazing heavenly Father we serve. If we seek, pray, and run hard after the heart of God, He will not disappoint, but comes with fervency. He overwhelms, brings abundant joy, and love more passionate than I have ever known. The peace and presence of God is the secret place, My Father’s love is deep, His arms strong, He is what we should always desire to seek day after day!
Wednesday July 28, 2010 We were made to be in a love relationship not with another human being, but with our heavenly Father. He pursues us with a passionate love, unlike any other. This love is so deep, it is the only thing we need. His love is jealous, desiring for us to love Him first, and Him only. We were not made to live in sin or be bound to the world. We were made to have a love encounter with God. The love of God changes us, we are not the same when we have this encounter. I have had the most incredible love encounter with God while on this trip. I cannot remember a time in my life where I felt freer, where God has completely changed my life, and where love abounds and overflows in my life. I fought God’s love, grace, and mercy for years. The freedom I have found has changed me. I allowed anger and bitterness to take control of my life and ruin relationships, but God has changed me! I couldn’t have ever changed any of this myself, but only through God and His love are we made whole again. True joy in its purest form, love like I have never experienced has filled me and I am able to show that and express it to others. God has truly encountered me and everything in my life like never before. God wants to have a love encounter with all of us. I thank God that I am not the same that His love met me in such an incredible and tangible way!
It has been interesting being home, and had quite a bit of culture shock the first week or so that I was home. My first hour back in the states in L.A. hit me hard and I cried in the terminal. I came home and instantly hated America and Americans, I just wanted to get back on a plane and fly 16 hours back to the Philippines. What I encountered in the states, I was not ready for. People were rude, I would smile at people and they would look away. I felt super awkward being home like people were staring at me like I was different. Driving was also very strange. Not having driven for 2 months will do something to you. I felt like a new student driver who had never driven before. It was weird! The thing that I have had the most difficulty with since I have been home though is being in church.
