Here is some updated news from the Philippines.
Typhoons:
This is old news now but the recovery and disaster assistance is still ongoing. Typhoon Glenda destroyed three churches and damaged others. There were some loss of life and an extended power outage in Manilla. We are thankful that there were not more fatalities. Since Glenda we have had another Typhoon, with only minimal damage. We are about to pass through typhoon season. There are a number of typhoons every year that hit the Philippines. Currently we are in the monsoon rainy season. We are having heavy rains almost daily. The Philippines is situated in an area where we experience a lot of natural disasters, in addition to typhoons, we have earthquakes, volcanic activity, etc. We are located on what is called the "Pacific Ring of Fire" just as we were in the Solomon Islands.
Daily Activities:
We are beginning to learn our way around a big city. Baguio/LaTrinidad area has as many people as Oklahoma City (nearly as many people as the entire country of Solomon Islands). The traffic can be very slow especially during the rush hours. The terrain is very mountainous. The houses are literally stacked one on top of the other up the mountain sides with each level being able to walk out at ground level. Many of these houses are five or six levels. Saturday we went to the large mall (SM which stand for Super Mall) in Baguio. It has everything!! There are computer stores, phone stores, toy stores, ACE Hardware, drug stores, shoe stores, jewelry stores, book stores, department stores, health food stores, food court, restaurants, and a grocery store. The grocery store is as big as or bigger than most WalMart Supercenter grocery stores I have been in. The flat we live in is one bedroom and is part of the ladies dorm here at the college. We are not responsible for the ladies we just occupy the flat at the end of the dorm. We have an automatic clothes washer and the same type of solar clothes dryer that we had in both the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. It just doesn't work too well in the rainy season. We are enjoying our new home and the people here.
Our apartment is next to the Basketball court. This court is used for the beginning flag ceremony and calisthenics for the LTNLC. The HS students gather after school for some basketball before going home. So we are located at the center of the school activities. Students begin arriving at around 7:00 am and they begin at 7:40 am and are in their classroom by 8 am.
Our campus is very beautiful to us. The beauty of it has attracted people to rent the facilities for weddings. The Saturday after we moved into our apartment there was a wedding reception on the basketball court just a few meters (yards) from our front door. So we had a ringside seat and I was outside taking photos. The attendants serving the food were dressed in cowboy attire and for a minute I thought we were back in Texas or Oklahoma. As I was taking pictures the campus housing manager came by and asked if I was going to go through the reception line. She then told me that in the Philippines everyone is invited and so I went and stood in the line. Nancy on-the-other-hand is shy and so she stayed at our house. I was standing in line when the MC of the program called for me to come and sit at the front. so here I was sitting right in front of the bridal party as an honored guest. They told me to go get my wife. I looked at her and she shook her head "No". He said, "It doesn't matter if she comes or not, the food is coming to her, this is the Philippines." The mother of the groom went to Nancy and escorted her to sit beside me. I learned something about the Philippine culture of hospitality. Speaking of hospitality every Sunday after church there is a lunch for all who attend, so we enjoy Filipino food and the hospitality.
The town of La Trinidad is located on the site of a dormant volcano and our campus is on the rim of that volcano. Looking into the depression or crater you can see the gardens, massive green houses, and farm land. It is a gorgeous site. La Trinidad is the breadbasket of the Philippines and grows many of the fruit and vegetables of the Philippines. We can eat all the fresh vegetables we want and the price is inexpensive. It is cool where we live and they say in the winter months it gets really cold. We might need to purchase a warmer jacket or coat. We came from the tropics, where we did did need clothes to keep warm.
We just concluded our Spiritual Deepening Week. God used our speaker Dr. Makabuhay in a special way. Many students are testifying to the impact of these messages and lessons. Our theme was "Faith in Action". Many of the students shared as to how God blessed during these sessions.
Recently, we had a group of students and sponsors from KNU (Korea Nazarene University) visit our campus. They painted and decorated our Special Education classroom as well as interacted with our college students in a cultural exchange.
Last Friday morning LTNLC celebrated National Nutrition Month. During the days leading up to this the students decorated and prepared for this Friday celebration. I was a judge of two events for the elementary school, the poster drawing contest, and the fruit carving contest. These were timed competition when students with the help of one adult family member drew their poster or carved and arranged their fruit. My! I witnessed before my eyes the creation of some beautiful fruit platters and presentations. The posters were nice too, but the fruit literally was breathtaking. I was invited to the HS for their competition. They decorated rooms as from another continent. Each room had decoration and traditional food from the place they represented. They did a lot of research. I went there a little early and they thought I was a judge, but I was just a guest. Anyway I sampled the food before it was judged. I was so sad that my camera battery went flat.
Not far from our campus is a Party Balloon store, so I purchased some pencil balloons and did some balloon art sculptures for the 2 pre-school classes. I am trying to do whatever to meet the students. We have 300+ students and it has been exciting meeting them.
Earthquake drill - It just doesn't seem right to be warned of an earthquake with an alarm, without the ground shaking. We had a fire drill last week and an earthquake drill today. These drills are a part of the emergency response system for the area. A lot of lives are saved just from people knowing what to do.
Activities we have going on that need prayers:
PNC (Philippine Nazarene College) Chapel Services:
Every Tuesday and Thursday Morning from 9-10:30 am is our PNC Chapel time. So far I've felt led to preach every message. The Chaplain is responsible for the Chapels but doesn't necessarily need to preach but just to make arrangements. My "Okie" accent was a little hard for the students to understand at first. They have an expression when they don't understand. They say they have a "nosebleed" which is an expression meaning they didn't understand. I'm trying to learn to speak slower and more distinct, so they will comprehend. I usually have someone sitting beside me in church to translate the Tagalog and more than once my translator says something like "I don't understand what he is saying", or "I didn't catch what was said", or "those words were from the local language that I don't know." I may be in trouble when the native speaker doesn't always understand. That's when I have a "nosebleed". I've starting to learn a little bit of Tagalog.
LTNLC (La Trinidad Nazarene Learning Center) Chapel Services: [LTNLC is our Elementary/HS entity and PNC the college]
Interestingly our High School students here can speak English better than many of the College Students. Our High School students are from this area [English is often their 2nd language and the Tagalog (or Filipino) is their 3rd language], have attended our school most or all of their life, have teachers that are good English speakers, and many are from wealthier families, those factors may account for the difference in their language aptitude. My chapel theme for both the College and High School is, "Following Christ's Example". The HS students have told me that they have no trouble with my English and those I have spoken too are excellent English speakers.
Elementary Class we have chapel the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month. We divide the elementary students into three age groups (Preschool, Primary 1st - 3rd grade, and Intermediate 4th - 6th Grade) for their chapel time. The High School has their chapel on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month. The elementary school holds their chapel on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. I have another lady assigned to organize their program but I attend and take part as requested. For the high school chapels I have been bringing their messages and the HS department leads their own worship [The music teacher helps them prepare the worship music and the Religious Education teacher organizes the program.
In addition to this there is the staff devotionals. Every Friday after school is the Staff devotional for LTNLC and the first Monday of Month is the HS teachers meeting where I bring a devotional.
Bible College Teaching:
Nancy teaches English Plus, which is a course geared to assist students that have a difficulty with English. Her class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 - 9:30. She has 10 students and one of her student's father passed away Sunday. So this student, Jeremiah, has gone home for this time. Be in prayer for him.
George teaches Old Testament Survey which meets on Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4 - 5:30 pm. He now has 14 students.
Other Items:
I have an assistant, Donna. She is on work study program and helps me for 10 hours per week.
I'm trying to figure out what to do for students who have birthdays. We have 90+ College Students but last Saturday I fixed cinnamon rolls for the 10 or so with birthdays in July. I also gave them a birthday letter with a coupon attached for a free meal at the dining hall.
Today as Nancy and I walked into the dining hall some 4th grade girls said, "Hi Pastor, will you eat with us?" How can someone turn down such an invitation.
When I first arrived and went around to meet the teachers and classes, I was in for a real culture shock when the students all stood up when I entered the room and said in unison, "Good Morning, Pastor George."
Prayer Requests:
- Pray for the ongoing relief effort from the Typhoon Glenda.
- Pray for us that as we minister to others and the school that we will keep our personal spiritual life nourished.
- Pray for the chapel messages, and that the gospel gets communicated.
- Pray for the students as we hear their stories many are separated from one of both parents who are working overseas.
- Pray for us as we teach and mentor these students.
- Pray for more and more opportunities to pray with and mentor students.
