Garden of Grace

Around Can-eo

2012-02-13T12:00:00.042+08:00

It was a full day hiking to Chapyosen and back, but that was not the end of the day. When we made it back to Can-eo Station Church where we were staying, Bridget had fish cooking. Together with some rice, seyote, and the Rice Krispies treats we had brought, it was a tasty supper. After supper was a Bible study at the church.

Pastor Rudy asked if one of the girls would like to lead the Bible study for the evening. Adriana and Alexie coordinated a message and a dance that would compliment each other. Alexie presented the dance and then Adriana taught about God's power and loving presence in our lives.

Adriana teaching during Bible study at Can-eo Station Church

Pastor Rudy translating Adriana's illustration

After Bible study, several of the young ladies wanted to practice with Alexie so together they could all encourage the rest of the church in the morning.

Alexie teaching dance steps to the girls after Bible study

In the morning, I showed Pastor Rudy how to make a rocket stove.

Making a rocket stove with Pastor Rudy before church

While we were upstairs making the stove, Adriana, Alexie, Alayna, and Annalise were downstairs teaching Children's Church. The children listened as the girls read the translations of the Read Aloud Bible Stories and sang songs with them.

Reading stories

Singing songs

Weaving is a talent that the girls of Can-eo learn at a young age. So it was with much interest and skill that the children learned how to weave bracelets from our daughters. Throughout the day on Sunday, our girls were seemingly always teaching someone how to weave a certain pattern. It began as soon as Children's Church ended.

Adriana teaching bracelet weaving

During the service that followed, Alexie, Alayna, and the young ladies who had practiced the night before presented their dance for the congregation. They all did a great job, especially considering they had just began learning it late the night before.

Above All

I took advantage of the opportunity to use the Proclaimer in my teaching on Matthew 25. I enjoyed the interaction with the congregation as we discussed the stories Jesus told and their applications.

Thomas and Pastor Rudy following along as the Proclaimer recites Matthew 25

At the conclusion of the service, we introduced the rocket stove and invited everyone interested to join us at Honnak's house after lunch where we would install a solar bottle-light.

Explaining the rocket stove

After lunch we headed to Honnak's house to install a bottle-light. While I worked on that, more weaving lessons took place.

Karin Joy and Alayna talking weaving

Looking down from Honnak's yard

Preparing the bottle-light and teaching how to do so

I was glad to have Pastor Rudy and another man join me on the roof (no scary ladder this time). This way, I could guide them through the installation so they will be able to repeat it in the future.

Installing the light in Honnak's roof

Honnak is a widow whose grown son, Romeo, lives with her. Unfortunately, tragedy has been a part of their home in many ways so she bears the burden of providing for them both. I have visited her home and prayed for her and Romeo before, so it was a joy to be able to bring a little light to the cooking area of her small home.

Thomas and Honnak outside her door

A look around Honnak's house and a walk down to the river

From Honnak's house, we walked across the river to visit Ochawan in the sitio of Fankeg. We wanted to visit with her, pray for her, and Alayna was excited to give Ochawan a pair of slippers she had crocheted. It was good to hear that she is feeling better and is no longer fearful.

Ochawan was happy to meet our daughters. She was especially taken with Annalise, encouraging her to eat more camote so she would get brown skin. She said, "Even when you're all grown up, continue to come see me."

Alayna giving Ochawan her new slippers

More weaving - Jane and Alexie

The scheduled jeepney was not running this weekend, so we rode with Pastor Rudy to Can-eo and were planning to squeeze into his little truck with his family for the trip back to Bontoc. It was a tighter squeeze than we expected since three students also needed a ride back, making a total of 13 people. But the kids all chose to ride on the back and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

A truckload

A Light for Chapyosen

2012-02-13T12:00:00.001+08:00

We spent much of Saturday in the village of Chapyosen. In order to get there, we rode through the mountains to Can-eo and then hiked a little over an hour along the river to Chapyosen.

This washout is under the road to Can-eo

After arriving in Can-eo, we needed to pass through two sitios (neighborhoods, of sorts) before beginning the hike along the river to Chapyosen.

A typical house in the sitio of Favfey

Along the way we passed people going about their work. This young man was returning from gathering firewood; over his shoulder was a bundle of wood and strapped to his side was a machete.

A workingman

My last attempt to hike to Chapyosen was foiled by the typhoon and the active landslide that had wiped out the trail. The old trail is still blocked, but now that the slide is no longer active, a new footpath is being created by people packing the soil as they hike over the slide.

We are so proud of our girls. The hike was over an hour long in the sun. In many places, steep grades and loose soil made for tricky trekking and a few slips. Yet, there was never a complaint.

Hiking over the landslide

It was a beautiful day for a hike and the breeze helped to reduce the heat of the sun. Still, when we reached Chapyosen, we were a bit tired and thirsty. We had underestimated the amount of water the six of us would need. We chose to be thirsty until we made it back to Can-eo where we had clean water rather than risk introducing any friends to our intestines.

A well deserved break

Weekends have little meaning for farmers so most of the adults had gone out into their fields for the day. But the arrival of visitors, plus the excitement of our girls twisting animal balloons, brought the children to the house where we were resting. After a while, Alexie and Karin Joy, one of our guides, read and taught from the Read Aloud Bible Stories to the children and mothers that had gathered. They all asked to hear stories again.

Balloons and Bible stories

Karin Joy and Alexie

Alayna and a new friend

Everything can be a toy

Seeing the boy with the firewood and the children caring for their younger siblings in Chapyosen while their parents worked in the fields, reminded me of the difficulties of living in mountain villages. Later, the boy below was chopping wood for the rocket stove with his sister on his back. Lisa and I both noticed that when we were giving out balloons, none of the children asked for another. Neither did any of them cry when their balloon popped; often they would re-inflate what remained of the balloon.

A brother's love

After resting for a while, I introduced the rocket stove. They will be able to use the one we left for them as a pattern to make more.

The rocket stove boiling the camote treat we had later

Making sure the fire is still burning

Then we prepared a solar bottle-light.

Thomas and Alayna preparing the bottle-light for Espirita's house

Annalise smiling because she got Daddy's hat

Lhany smiling from the porch

The ladder I used to get on the roof was about as sturdy as other homemade ladders I have been on, but this one was a little shorter than I preferred. Had it sunk into the ground at all as I climbed, it would no longer have reached the fascia of the roof it was resting against - not fun! But everything worked out and the dark room below now has light.

Installing the bottle-light

A highlight for the girls was when Karin Joy took them to a waterfall nearby. It is really tall and they enjoyed the cooling mist it provided. Each of them is looking forward to the next time we go and hoping to be able to get soaked by the falling water.

The 4-As at the waterfall in Chapyosen

After a snack of camote, a native sweet potato, we hiked back to Can-eo. But that is an adventure for another post.

Grace,
Thomas

3 Gifts for Anabel

2012-01-31T15:27:00.063+08:00

To explore the area, click here

This weekend we had the opportunity to visit the village of Anabel. This small village has a unique setting with a memorable bridge.

When we arrived at the village, we looked for Kindel who had arranged for our visit. Kindel is a former SSM student who then completed the Tribal DTS and just completed staffing the Family DTS in Baguio. We found her sorting through coffee beans.

Adriana and Kindel sorting through coffee beans

Coffee beans growing on the tree

When she was done with the coffee, Kindel took us for a walk around the village.

There is always a hill to climb

We did not play any basketball, but I thought the goal was worth a photo.

Basketball anyone?

As with every village in the region, Anabel is an agricultural community. You can not walk too far without passing pigs and chickens. In the photo below, the pig that had been standing with the rooster has matching coloring but was too shy for the photo.

Below is Agnes who has always been so kind to open her home to us when we stay in Anabel.

Agnes giving a lesson on weaving banana leaves into a packet to hold sticky rice

Going to the villages is always a great time to practice our Ilocano with new friends and old.

Paulina was threshing the rice she recently finished pounding in the mortar on which the basket is sitting

It was decided that we would install a solar bottle-light in Paulina's house. The room in which we were to install the light was completely dark if the window and door were closed, and there was no electrical lighting in the room.

Saturday evening, Pastor Marlon and others gathered to see how the solar bottle-light was prepared and to see the rocket stove I had brought.

Preparing the solar bottle-light which would be installed in Paulina's home the next day

I could see there were many people crowded into Agnes's house, but because I was busy, I did not notice how many people were also outside of the house.

I described the construction and use of the rocket stove, but most of my attention was given to preparing the bottle-light for installation. As the pastor and I worked on that, the ladies investigated the rocket stove. It was not long before they had it outside, boiling water in a tea pot.

Adriana, Kindel, and Jacqueline looking over the rocket stove

In the morning, Arthur came over from next door and asked if he could use the rocket stove.

I had expected the bottle-light to be of most interest to people, but it was obvious that people could see immediate benefits to the rocket stove. Behind Rudy, the man in the black shirt, you can see the dirty kitchen at Arthur's house. Most homes in Anabel use dirty kitchens (referred to as dirty because of the soot build-up from the open cooking fire) because LP for gas stoves is expensive and heavy to carry from the jeepney, across the bridge, through the rice fields, and up the hill to the village. The rocket stove is helpful because it creates less smoke and uses much less wood than an open fire.

When I went next door to talk with Arthur, his neighbor brought over a large can and asked if I could make her a rocket stove using the large can in the picture below. Rudy and I cut and fitted as people brought the cans we asked for.

I had not made one this size before, but it seemed to work well. Instead of using ash to insulate the chimney, we tried a 50/50 mix of clay and rice hulls. I hope to hear which works better so I can teach the best technique as I introduce the rocket stove to other communities.

The title of this post refers to 3 gifts for Anabel. The first two, the solar bottle-light and the rocket stove, will hopefully make things a little easier for their daily living. The last gift has a much more important and lasting goal. The Proclaimer the YWAM Salem CDTS team brought did not work, so when they returned to the US, they got a replacement and sent it to us. After presenting a teaching about God's story of redemption through an overview of the Bible, we used the Proclaimer to listen to the climax of the story, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. We then had the honor of presenting the Proclaimer to the people of Anabel. We pray the gift of God's word will transform lives for eternity.

Listening to the crucifixion and resurrection in Ilocano using the Proclaimer

Presenting the Proclaimer to Pastor Marlon

After I taught Pastor Marlon to use the Proclaimer's controls, he brought together some of the leaders within the congregation and taught them.

Pastor Marlon and church leaders

After church, we met Pastor Marlon at Paulina's house for the solar bottle-light installation.

Paulina's house

While we installed the bottle-light, Alayna read to the children from the translation of the Read Aloud Bible Stories we have been working on.

Alayna reading a translation of a children's Bible story book

The installation went well with the exception of the nails we used to anchor it in place, Pastor and I both bent a couple. The wood was hard as rock, having been baked beneath the galvanized roofing for so many years. Of course it was hot on the roof, but my biggest concern was making sure I was only putting my weight on the supported portion of the roof. A wrong step would have put a much larger hole that intended in Paulina's roof.

Paulina and Thomas with her new light

"Yesterday before that one was installed it was very dark." ~Paulina

Before we left to catch the jeepney, we were invited to pray with Manuela for her daughter in Baguio recovering from surgery.

Lisa, Manuela, and Adriana

We thought we would leave then, but were told there was a while before the jeepney would arrive and there was another request for a rocket stove. So Pastor Marlon and I made another, working until someone said it was time for us hike back to catch the jeepney.

However, our timing was a little off and the jeepney had already left. Plan B - hike up to the road and catch a ride with a passing jeepney, bus, or vegetable truck. From Anabel to the road is about 1.5 kilometers in length and about 400 feet up. We were all glad to have some sugar cane to snack on as we waited especially since our store of water for the weekend was basically depleted.

Alayna and Annalise enjoying sugar cane

After an hour, we began to doubt that Plan B was going to work out. A resident from Anabel who was also waiting for a ride suggested our best plan, Plan C, was to hike to the next village, Tocucan, another 5.5 kilometers. Fortunately, Jerry was gracious and offered to carry one of our large duffel bags with our bedding.

Jerry leading the pack on the hike to Tocucan

It was well after dark when we arrived in Tocucan. In the 2 hours it took us to hike to Tocucan, no large vehicles had passed us, only a few motorcycles. One of these motorcycles was driven by our friend Steve on his return from pastoring in the village of Saclit. He offered to take Annalise to Bontoc and wait for us there. In Tocucan, Jerry made arrangements for a trike to take the rest of us to Bontoc. It would take two trips. Not long after Lisa, Alexie, and Alayna left, another friend showed up. Steve and Annalise had arrived at Pastor Rudy's house in Bontoc and he took his truck to fetch us. Pastor Rudy had stopped the trike the girls were in and they were in the truck when he came to get Adriana and me.

Finally, we made it home. It was a good weekend which will be memorable for many reasons.

Grace,

Thomas

Health Clinic Helpers

2012-01-14T09:01:00.038+08:00

Due to the requirement for business owners to undergo drug testing to renew their business permit, the Bontoc Regional Health Unit has been busier than usual. This means that we have been holding our weekly health clinic in the ambulance garage. Although it is noisier being closer to the street, our elderly patients don't need to climb stairs to reach us.

The Bontoc Regional Health Unit

Whether upstairs or down, we appreciate the opportunity we have to talk with our patients. Most of them are regulars who come nearly every week. In 2011, our total attendance was 1,333.

Patient patients awaiting their turn

On each of the first two Fridays of January, we hosted a family from the YWAM Baguio Family Discipleship Training School. They are currently on outreach in Sagada, about an hour from Bontoc. They assisted us with our health clinic and then spent the day with us. These are the same two families we spent Christmas at the beach with.

Lisa showing Miriam how to test glucose, while two of our regular patients, Esther and Dunstan, wait for the results

Thomas and Oliver checking Ines's blood pressure with Oliver's children, Jana and Silas, in the background

After health clinic was over, we had the privilege of being hosts and tour guides around Bontoc. The first stop was always the Bontoc Museum. The Swedish family has three daughters and a son with ages close to our girls.

Annalise, Joshua, Elsalie, Hanna, Alayna, Alexie, and Miriam

After the museum we would enjoy lunch together. One week, the staff of YWAM Mountain Province and some of our SSM students were able to gather for a meal at our ministry center. Whether at our base or at a restaurant, we enjoyed sharing a meal together.

YWAM Mountain Province with Johan and Eva's family

After lunch we would show them around our neighborhood in Bontoc. With the rice fields near harvest, it is a beautiful walk along the walls dividing them.

Our girls showing Jana and Silas through the neighborhood

While the kids played at the plaza, we went to the Bontoc Starbucks (not really Starbucks but I am told the native coffee they brew is delicious). In keeping with local tradition, our merienda (snack) included pancakes. We had such a nice time visiting with our guests that both weeks we needed to make a dash to the jeepney so they could return to Sagada.

Johan, Miriam, and Hanna ready for the trip to Sagada

Oliver and Katja - See Ya Later!

One of the fun things about being with YWAM is getting to know people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Who would have expected an American family to share pancakes in the mountains of the Philippines with a Swedish and a German family?

Calvary Gospel School of Ministry

2012-01-13T12:05:00.050+08:00

January 10, Adriana and I headed to Talubin. I was going as a teacher and Adriana as a temporary student to Calvary Gospel School of Ministry.

Adriana on the bus to Talubin

Just before our Christmas travels, the pastor who heads the school saw me and invited me to come and teach for a few days.

A view of Talubin from the church

I began my lecture with a question and then sent the students into the community to ask the same question of people they met. The answers they found provided some of the discussion for our time together.

Janice asking questions for her assignment

In the 3 days, I taught about the church and teaching techniques. In talking about the church, we discussed what it is, its purpose, and why it exists. The teaching techniques focused on teaching oral learners, emphasizing the value of using the stories of the Bible. So often church becomes a place instead of people and teaching becomes more important than learning.

After classes each day we were able to spend casual time with the staff and the students. Adriana talked with the students as they went about their work and even lent a hand where she could.

Here I was teasing Adriana about watching as Geraldine was working.

Gina and Adriana

The students cook all of their meals in the dirty kitchen over an open fire. This task is as much about being together as it is about preparing a meal. With the cool days, sitting near the fire was a comfortable place to gather and talk.

A couple of the students were watching their little sister while we were there. Omeg and I became good friends. We could not talk too much, but since she is only 4 years old, language does not get in the way of play. One of her sisters said that she had not seen Omeg laugh and carry on the way she was with me.

Thomas and Omeg

While we were blessed to make new friends, we also enjoyed seeing a few familiar faces. Adriana was hoping that she would be able to see her friend Cassey while we were in Talubin. Cassey was part of our SSM program for a while, but now lives with her family in Talubin. One of the students took Adriana to Cassey's house for a surprise reunion.

Cassey and Adriana

We had a great time in Talubin. Classes went well and this time there was not as much of a language barrier so conversation was easier as well. Even though we had a great time, it was good to head home to be with the rest of our family.

Grace,
Tom

Solar Light in Kakabay

2012-01-02T13:00:00.003+08:00

Every time we have gone to Valley Cathedral, I have had the privilege of accompanying Greg on a trip to Kakabay. Greg is on staff at Valley Cathedral and has done a lot of ministry in Kakabay. In the course of our visits we have performed puppet shows, taught at the school, baptised a new believer, spoke at a funeral, played basketball, as well as spent time chatting.

This time I was excited to bring simple solar technology to help light a home. Recently I came across an article about solar lighting using inexpensive materials and common tools. (You can check it out by clicking the link at the end of the post.) Although it is not helpful after dark, a solar bottle-light can provide free lighting in dark rooms and houses during the day. Greg and I talked with the pastor in Kakabay, Pastor Robert, about whether this would be helpful there, especially since Kakabay has no electricity.

Pastor Robert suggested that we install a light in the home of Teresita, or Tess. She is a widow with about 10 children. Her husband is the one I baptized and at whose funeral I spoke. I was glad that he chose her home. Because installation is easily reproducible, he assured me that we did not need to worry about causing jealousy within the community.

Tess

The church on the left; Tess's house on the right

As we drove to Kakabay I was excited to see that the garbage dump has now been moved. In the past, you had to drive or hike through the garbage to get to the village. You still pass the dump on your way to Kakabay, but it is now off the road and in a fenced area. This is very good news, especially for the students who traverse this path every day.

Soon after we arrived, we got to work preparing the bottle for installation. We learned along the way that it is important to make sure you don't leave sharp points on the metal since they can easily poke a hole in the bottle, not good. As I showed Pastor Robert how to install the bottle-light, Greg worked with the many eager children to take pictures and video.

The tools and materials, chisel and bleach not shown

The process is simple. Prepare a piece of roofing metal with a hole that fits snugly around the midsection of a clear soda bottle filled with water and a little bleach. Apply sealant to ensure this will not leak. Cut a hole in the roof for the lower portion of the bottle to slide through. Secure and seal the flashing. Enjoy free lighting as light is gathered in the upper portion of the bottle above the roof surface and dispersed in the room below. If you watch the video in the post and the news video linked at the bottom of the post, you can see how it all works.

Preparing the bottle-light before making a hole in the roof

It was hot up there! I cannot imagine wearing a jacket.

Tess watching the progress from below

Curious relatives peering through the doorway

It works!

You can watch our progress in the video below...

After the installation was complete, we went for a walk through the village. A few things have changed since I last visited: the basketball hoop is in a new place, a friend's home is now completed, etc. But most remains the same.

Greg or one of his helpers caught this photo which I could not help but include.

Kakabay's only running water, besides the often stagnant stream

Click here to see the report I mentioned about solar bottle-lights.

Hugs and Games in the Valley

2012-01-02T12:00:00.033+08:00

Jayson and Thomas

Jayson, the boy in the picture above, sent me an email a while ago saying how much he hoped we would be able to visit him soon at Valley Cathedral Children's Home. Of all the places we have traveled, Valley Cathedral Children's Home is one of our favorites. As our family talked about it, we thought the Christmas vacation would be a great time. In fact, we were as excited about this portion of our holiday travel as we were about going to the beach. We were not disappointed!

Alleen and Lisa

The children, ours and theirs, were on vacation from school so that allowed for plenty of time for reading stories, playing games, and just being together.

Alayna reading stories outside the girls' cottage.

Alexie and Jenny, still inseparable friends

One day, our girls thought it would be great fun to put on a carnival for the kids. We had brought a few small gifts for the children and they decided to use these as prizes for participating in the various games.

Annalise and April

We spent New Year's Eve watching a movie then went outside to watch the fireworks erupting as the new year came in.

On New Year's Day, Lisa put together a collection of Minute to Win It games. The children went from one station to another, testing their skills against the various challenges.

There are too many happy faces and great memories to put into a single post, but here are a few...

and here are some more...

I had to cut out a lot of photos, even for the video, but the memories of the time spent with the children and the staff, our friends, will stay with us for a long time.

Finally, it was time to head back up to the mountains.

Adriana giving a few early morning hugs before we left.

Sandy Christmas

2011-12-27T12:00:00.027+08:00

Although sledding, snowball fights, and cross-country skiing are all fun, since they are not available in Bontoc, we decided to come down from the mountains to enjoy the warmer temperatures and beauty of the beach. For the past few years Christmas has been spent at the beach in San Juan, La Union. Once again it was beautiful and relaxing.

Much of the time was spent playing in the pool.

Annalise even learned how to swim this year. She has been close to doing it for a while, but our life in the mountains does not provide many opportunities for her to practice and gain confidence.

The beach was lovely too. All of us had fun playing in the waves and digging in the sand.

And of course, the beach is always a great place to go for a walk. It is amazing how few people were on the beach. Whether playing in the South China Sea or strolling the shore, we almost felt as if we had it all to ourselves.

Every year we have been at the beach, we have enjoyed the company of new friends. This year, two of the families from the Family Discipleship Training School in Baguio joined us. We enjoyed the fellowship with the parents while our girls enjoyed having friends to play with.

Johan and Eva, from Sweden, suggested that our three families reenact the Christmas story on the beach. In the shade of the palms, I read from the Bible while others acted out the story. Our family's tradition here has been that we read the story on the beach, but this is the first time we acted it out. It is also the first time it has been accompanied by translations into German and Swedish.

Our angels announcing the birth of Jesus, (with sand in their toes).

As our time at the beach drew to a close, rather than being sad, we were filled with excitement because our travels were not over yet. We left the beach and traveled to meet with friends at Valley Cathedral Children's Home.

YWAM Christmas Party

2011-12-17T19:23:00.000+08:00

Thursday evening YWAM Mountain Province gathered to celebrate Christmas together before staff and students travel for the holidays. The evening began with a little karoke, worship, and plates of delicious food.

Two lovely ladies: Lisa and Bridget

Then the Christmas games Lisa gathered from the Minute to Win It game show website provided fun and laughter.

Rudy and Patrick playing Jingle in the Trunk

Two teams of students playing Christmas Ball Conveyor

After the games, the SSM students presented a dramatization of the Christmas story.

The holy family

Next, we exchanged, stole, traded gifts and then passed them right, left along with Lisa's narration of Right Left Christmas Game Nativity Story wondering which gift we would end up with and what surprise was inside.

The YWAM family - minus the photographer

Can-eo Anniversary

2011-12-17T16:05:00.000+08:00

Alayna, Jil, and Annalise bumping along to Can-eo

Sunday we traveled with the other YWAM Mountain Province staff and the SSM students to Can-eo to join the 7th anniversary celebration of Can-eo Station Church's building.

A light rain was falling intermittently as we traveled the rocky mountain road that ends in Can-eo. At one point we needed to stop and clear rocks that had fallen onto the road since the jeepney had last passed that way.

Clearing fallen rocks from the path so the jeepney could pass.

The night before, Bridget sent us a text telling us about a mudslide. The mud was about a foot deep and very squishy. Rocks and branches were put into the shallowest part along the edge of the mountain so that there was a path, albeit a tricky one requiring good balance.

Hiking past a recent mudslide as we transferred to a second jeepney.

If you missed a step or slid from one the rocks or branches, there was no way to avoid the slop.

Missing the stones placed in the mud could get you a little bit dirty.

Lisa managed to keep most of her nail polish clean.

We had to hike about 500 meters from the mudslide to the washout where a second jeepney could pick us up and take us the rest of the way to the village. Because only a meter remains of the road, no vehicles can pass. So until the road gets fixed, this jeepney will need to stay on that side of the washout.

This washout was the main reason we needed to transfer.

As our group approached the church, a group of tapis-clad girls sang a song of greeting.

On the other side of the church, the lunch meal was already being prepared. Several pigs had been butchered in anticipation of the whole village attending the festivities. Bridget, Pastor Rudy's wife, said she had not gotten to bed until 2 am and got up at 4 am to resume preparations for the day.

Adriana and Bridget

The church building was packed and at every window and the doorway people were outside looking in.

The church building overflowed.

Several groups sang songs or danced at the beginning of the service.

Harry Smith, YWAM staff during our CDTS and a long-time servant in the Philippines, stood in for the guest speakers as they could not make it due to the road conditions. After his sermon, he officiated the ordination ceremony of Pastor Rudy.

As offering was being collected several women brought baskets of rice palay (sheaves) to the altar. Others brought flowers and even bananas. Everybody laughed when a toddler gave into temptation and went up and grabbed a banana.

Bringing in their first fruits, literally.

After the service was over everyone was welcome to stay and enjoy lunch together. This transition gave my girls the opportunity to love on little ones - something they love to do.

As much as I would love to include photos of all the beautiful children from Can-eo, there just isn't room here. So I put together this collage to share a sampling.

Language is not a barrier to people who want to be friends. When we first visited Can-eo in 2007 during our CDTS, Lisa made friends with Susan (pronounced Oosan). Since that time, whenever the two ladies see each other, it is clear they are friends even though they don't share enough language to talk to each other.

Susan and Lisa

Lunch was served on sections of banana tree trunk - an Igorot paper plate. Fingers replace silverware.

Annalise was not sure she could eat all that was served to her: pancit, rice, and pork.

While some had begun eating outside, inside the church an assembly line was busily serving up "plates" of food and sending them out to those waiting. As each was filled, it was passed outside and down the stairs in a bucket brigade style line.

These are going to take some serious scrubbing

More plates ready for use during the evening meal

After lunch was over, Lisa and I went to visit Ochawan. Our newest staff member, Harry, accompanied us and served as translator and guide. She wept with joy as she told us how much she appreciated us coming. We were blessed to feel so welcomed. We gave her copies of the photos taken two months ago when she accepted Jesus as her Savior. She smiled as she remembered how when she prayed she was filled with joy. When she asked me to share something from the Bible, I read the passages from 1 John 4 about love that had been used as the text during the sermon.

As we talked, she shared that back pain has kept her from sleeping well. She longs to be strong enough to join the other believers at church services. After praying for her, she opened up to struggling with great fear. So much that she insists her niece leave the light on at night. I shared with her Psalm 139, reassuring her that God is always with her even amidst the darkest night. Lisa told her perfect love casts out fear and that the spirit of fear does not come from the Lord. Ochawan happily replied, "I believe it. I claim it. Fear must go away!"

Harry, Ochawan, and Lisa

Ochawan's great smile

Modeling the hats Harry Smith gave out

No Igorot party is complete without gongs and dancing

As much as we would have loved to stay longer, we needed to leave so we could catch the jeepney back to Bontoc.

Some crazy Americano who would prefer to hang off the back or ride on top of a jeepney than be inside of it

Science Experiments

2011-12-12T20:06:00.000+08:00

As a homeschooling parent, I have the privilege of repeating many lessons I have forgotten over the years. Generally, I get to help the girls with their science experiments so my scientific smarts are regularly dusted off and kept fit with regular exercise. It seems lately, we have been doing a lot of hands-on science - which is cool. All four of the girls have kept me busy.

Alayna has been doing physical science. Our most recent experiments had to do with fire.

Add a candle and some vinegar to a bowl...all is well.

Add baking soda to the mix and you get a cool way to snuff out a candle.

Alexie and Adriana have been busy with the microscope and the some dissections. I will spare our weak-stomached readers the most interesting photos.

I asked Alexie, "Have you ever read, How to Eat Fried Worms?"

Our girls don't get to defer to their lab partner; I may help, but they get their hands in the mix.

Adriana studying and drawing the heart she dissected.

Annalise is studying plants. I am no gardener, but these pots have been sitting empty on our porch for a while so we decided to give it a try. We now have a few peppers, tomatoes, and a pineapple planted. Who knows what will happen, but if all goes well, we will have a few veggies and a home-grown pineapple.

Grace,
Tom

Fantastic Fun Foods!

2011-12-12T17:11:00.000+08:00

My daughters are blessed to have a creative mommy! She understands that food tastes better with sprinkles. She also knows that girls think food that looks like something other than food is especially delicious.

Here are a few recent treats which Lisa has created for her girls.

Turkey pancakes started Thanksgiving day off just right.

A sushi Christmas tree was devoured with big smiles.

In the land of rice fields, these melting snowmen were a sweet treat.

FDTS Team Building

2011-12-05T17:03:00.000+08:00

Last week we were in Baguio. The leaders of the Family Discipleship Training School taking place at the YWAM Baguio Training Center invited me to present a few days of team building for their school.

I have had several opportunities to present team building, but this time I enlisted everyone in the family to help in facilitating the various activities. Each of us led at least one activity and everyone did a great job!

Getting loud and loosened up!

Playing hoop relay after a break.

A lot of blind ambition.

Lean waaayyy back!

When English is nobody's first language, the first problem to solve may be the definition of a hexagon.

What would team building be without ropes, blindfolds, and carrying someone?

In the evenings, we often gathered to play some games just for the fun of it.

Games are always more fun when accompanied by a popcorn snack!

I have 3 pictures of the next activity, not because we did it so many times, I just enjoyed the expressions Lisa caught on the people's faces.

There was even a final exam in which the entire team had to work together to solve a problem. They all talked, plotted, planned, and schemed.

Then, they passed...

with flying colors!

It was a great week! Not only did my family get to work together to live and teach team building, we got to fellowship with a great group of people.

Grace,
Thomas

Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T15:08:00.000+08:00

We could not enjoy all of the best things of the Thanksgiving holiday in the usual ways. But with a few modifications, we still had a great day.

Although we have seen a few turkeys around, we could not find any for sale. We still had turkey though, turkey pancakes that is.

Alexie with a turkey pancake at breakfast.

The center-piece was roasted chicken we picked up in town where they make fantastic rotisserie chicken. In addition to that, we had some traditional favorites with a twist.

We all worked together to make a great meal. Adriana made stuffing - rice stuffing. It was delicious.

Adriana cutting onions for the rice stuffing.

Annalise and Lisa prepared green beans. I volunteered to make the corn. (We were able to find canned corn at a shop in town.)

Annalise and Lisa cutting beans.

Alayna made yeast rolls.

I was really wanting pumpkin pie, but pumpkins are not available. We found however, that when you substitute squash, it still tastes delicious!

Alexie took the lead in the pie making.

We also enjoyed mashed potatoes, wassail, and apple sauce. It was delicious!

I may not be in any of the pictures, but you can be sure who it was who enjoyed the feast made with lots of love by our whole family.

My beautiful ladies sitting down to enjoy the blessings of God's provision and a morning of labor.

I am not a big sports fan, but I do enjoy watching a football game sometimes. Because of the kindness of a friend, we were able to enjoy another Thanksgiving tradition - watching a game while the food settles enough for you to enjoy leftovers later. Even though I had to explain the game as we went along, the girls enjoyed cheering for their chosen team.

The last, and most important, aspect of the holiday is being with family. We were blessed to be together for the holiday. Beyond that, Lisa was able to talk with her family - including her grandfather - using Skype. Not as good as a hug, but a blessing nonetheless.

Adriana's a Godmother

2011-11-17T11:52:00.000+08:00

Stevonnie Bless

On October 20, we received a text from our friend Mindel saying her daughter, Stevonnie, was to be dedicated at Saclit Sunday, and they had chosen me to be her godparent!

Daddy and Alayna were already going to Anabel and someone had to take care of the team, so it was my first village trip without a family member. I was very excited. I left Saturday and returned Monday. I enjoyed seeing Stevonnie Bless’s smiles and talking with Steve and Mindel. For more details, visit our girls’ blog at dancingwithdaddy.blogspot.com

Love,

Adriana

Ministering in Bontoc

2011-11-10T20:14:00.000+08:00

Besides ministering in many of the area villages, here is a glimpse of some of the ways the visiting team ministered within the central barangays of Bontoc.

Making a presentation to the municipal government employees during the Monday morning flag ceremony

Moral Recovery Program with the Philippine National Police

Kids' Club in the plaza

Teaching students about discipleship

Visiting children at the hospital

Praying for patients and assisting us at Health Clinic

Teaching Values Education at Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School

Ministering to local congregations

Anabel - October 22-23

2011-11-08T20:36:00.001+08:00

On the way to Anabel is a sign which indicates the general religious outlook of the nation. This is a sign along the road, perhaps 12 feet high. It looks very familiar, but if you look closely, you may find something missing.

This road is the same as the one to Sadanga. We are thankful that the road is open, but when you look up, you often see large boulders suspended precariously above you. (Please don't break down here...)

Looking up from the top of the jeepney

From inside the jeepney, most people don't have view of what is above them. Even the people riding on the outside of the jeepney are usually looking the other way - at the often very narrow strip of soil between the wheels of the jeepney and the steep drop down the mountain. The video below gives you an idea of what that sometimes looks like.

Anabel has a very picturesque setting. The village sits on a hill in the middle of a bowl shaped valley. On one side, the Chico River runs down from Bontoc and continues winding through the valley and on to Kalinga Province. Wrapping around the other sides, are the many rice fields and terraces which are so familiar to anyone traveling in this region.

Anabel, a city on a hill

Once you arrive at the end of the road that leads to Anabel, you need to cross the bridge. This, like the road, prompts prayer in the hearts of many.

But Anabel is a beautiful place. From the bridge, there is a 15 minute hike through the fields.

I enjoyed getting to spend some time with Jerome and Agnes who have always been so kind as to be our hosts when I have come to Anabel. Their daughter, Hazel, is not shy and it was not long before we were playing together again.

On our walk through the village to Jerome and Agnes's house, we passed by a gathering of people as they were burning the hair off a pig and preparing to butcher it. When we arrived, we were told that a thanksgiving feast was being prepared because a family from Anabel had just acquired a tricycle. We were invited to join the community in celebration of this occasion and to bless the tricycle.

Pork, boiled and chopped

Sonny Boy was quick to try to befriend us.

Large meals in the village are not like going to Grandma's and eating off the good china. Rice is served generously on plates. They may be individual or shared by a few people. Some vegetables or a bowl of broth may accompany it. Then the meat is distributed. Some men carry around a winnowing basket and hand out (literally, as in with their hands) pieces of the cooked pig. I noticed that they were careful to try to distribute the meat and the fat fairly as they went around. According to local tastes, the chunks of fat are the prize pieces. Washing the silverware is as easy as licking your fingers.

After lunch, we hiked back to the road to pray for God's blessing on the tricycle. This is a great opportunity for the young family to have an income.

Dinner preparations were a little different than usual. Sister Agnes was so concerned because they had not had the opportunity to get their LP tank refilled so I had to cook in the "dirty kitchen". It was no problem at all, just different.

(On a side note, for lunch the next day I made macaroni and cheese. I obtained hero status with the team, even though it was Lisa's idea. Although it was tempting to take all the credit, I did fess-up and let them know that Lisa saved them from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.)

After dinner, we went to someone's home for the evening Bible study. We hoped to use the other Proclaimer the team brought and then present it to the church Sunday morning after service. Unfortunately, it failed. Fortunately, someone was able to read the passage from an Ilocano translation of the Bible and the study went well.

In the morning before church, Alayna and I led the team on a hike around the hill the village sits upon. It is a pretty hike and all of us wanted to stop and go swimming in the river - perhaps next time. But I did get a great photo of Alayna along the way.

During Sunday School, Alayna helped Amy and Trina with the children outside.

Anabel is an incredible place and we look forward to going there again. Maybe we will even be able to present them with a Proclaimer. But at the same time, we were looking forward to being home in Bontoc once again.

Alayna lovin' that Top Load ride

Quick Trip to Sadanga - October 19-20

2011-11-08T19:31:00.002+08:00

Well, it is not really a quick trip to Sadanga. But one team member's prayer life improved dramatically along the way and she seriously considered changing her permanent address to Sadanga rather than return to Bontoc along that same road.

As I said, it's not a quick trip, but once we were there, we were not able to stay long. Our weekend plans were thwarted by the typhoons so we had to reschedule. After the typhoons had passed, the road was reopened so traffic could pass instead of requiring several transfers across the landslides. Since all of the team's remaining weekends were full, it was decided to make a mid-week overnight trip.

It was a good opportunity for me to spend some time with Alexie and Annalise. Annalise was especially excited to spend the night at our friend Jonathan's house once again. He is the son of Pastor Farne, at whose house we have stayed before and would be staying during our visit.

We arrived in the evening and shared our dinner with the rice and chicken that Pastor Farne's family provided. The food was delicious.

Then it was time to hike to the ~~moon~~ church. (When you climb so many stairs to get to one place, it seems a lunar landing is not far beyond.) We sang worship songs as we awaited people gathering.

It was important for us to make sure we made it to Sadanga, because the team brought a Proclaimer for the village. As Krista guided the Bible study using the Proclaimer and asked many thought provoking questions, it was great to see the believers discuss what the Bible was saying and how it can be applied in their own lives.

After the message, Pastor Farne and a couple of the church leaders took time to learn how to use the Proclaimer for themselves so that they could continue to use it once we were gone.

Ayla seemed to think it was too late at night for all of this talking.

Claire, Alexie, and Marie

Our gathering went late and everyone was ready to go to sleep when bedtime came. Alexie and Annalise may look bright eyed in the picture below, but it was only a few minutes before the room was silent.

In the morning, we had breakfast and then packed up to leave on the first jeepney back to Bontoc.

Stairs are part of life in Sadanga - you don't go anywhere without them

UPDATE: I saw Pastor Farne in the market yesterday. He told me they are using the Proclaimer and finding it helpful in their ministry.

Grace,
Tom

Can-eo - October 8 & 9

2011-11-08T10:44:00.000+08:00

The original plan had been that everyone on the team, as well as our family would make the trip to Can-eo. But there were two problems with that: people were sick and the road was not doing so well either. Many members of the team were still recovering from abdominal issues that kept them from participating in too much physical activity. At the same time, typhoons Pedring, Quiel, and Ramon were wreaking havoc with the mountain sides. The road to Can-eo was impassable to vehicles and the shortcut over the mountain was too steep and slippery for safe passage. This meant that only those who were feeling well would be making the hike. Since none of the children on the team were going, Lisa and the girls stayed to accompany the rest of the group to Sabangan on Sunday.

The traveling team with Pastor Rudy, Bridget, Jesse, and Nigel

We were able to hitch a ride to where the road to Can-eo turns from the main road. From there, we had to hike through the mud in a steady rain. Fortunately, everyone expected this and spirits were high as walked around and sometimes over the many landslides. Finally, we came to the road washout that will keep vehicles from making it all of the way to Can-eo for a while.

The road washout is in the photo on the lower right.

After making it to Can-eo Station Church, we rested for a while and had lunch. The next hike would be even more challenging. Most of our group planned to make the hike to Chapyosen. This is always a long hike and it was sure to be an adventure in the rain. It was!

In fact, there were several places along the way where landslides and washouts made using the trail impossible.

You can see in the picture above where the trail continues. What is no longer in the picture is the portion of the trail and the resting shelter that used to be next to the trail in this place. The rain and the river have washed them away.

The video above shows how we were forced off of the path by an active landslide which had completely covered it. At this point, we are walking on the slippery rocks between the rice fields. We could actually see Chapyosen in the distance, but did not feel it was safe to continue the journey. Instead, we prayed for the people there before beginning the hike back to the church, where we were staying.

On our return to the church, we stopped at a few houses to pray with people. At one house, we prayed for a young man Pastor Rudy and I have prayed for before, Romeo. He does not talk and often physically shuts himself away from others. When we visited, he lay on the floor with a blanket over his head and would not respond to anyone. His family has experienced several tragedies which have left his elderly mother alone to meet their needs.

Once we arrived at the church, everyone was ready for some rest and a chance to dry out. My waterproof hiking shoes did a good job for the first 40% of the trip. The gore-tex probably never failed, but after a while, the water running down my legs had soaked my socks such that every step was a squishy event. It felt good to take them off.

Leigh presented a teaching about Jonah that evening during the Saturday night Bible study. The rain made it so attendance was lower than usual. But it went well.

In the morning, Amy and Marie taught Children's Church. As you can see in the picture below, the kids had a great time.

Then of course, the team presented skits, testimonies, and the sermon during the morning service.

Can-eo Station Church with some of the YWAM Salem CDTS team

After lunch on Sunday, we were invited to visit Ochawan. None of us had met Ochawan before, not even Pastor Rudy or Bridget. We were told of her age and failing health. She was not known to be a Christian.

This bridge spans the river to the sitio in which Ochawan lives.

When we arrived, several ladies were already there waiting for us. Ochawan expressed how happy she was to have us visit her home as she sat on her porch covered with a blanket. The home was simple, like the rest of the homes in the village, but the porch had an incredible view of the valley and the mountains.

When we got there, Pastor Rudy began talking with her. She spoke no English, so besides his position as pastor in the community, it was only natural that he would be the one to talk to her. The rest of us lined up against the wall and listened and prayed as they talked. Pastor would give us a synopsis of the conversation as they went along.

Pastor Rudy and Ochawan

Nobody was sure how old Ochawan was, not even she knew when she was born. She did tell us that she remembered hiding in caves with her grandfather when Japanese planes made bombing runs in the area during World War II. She was a little girl then.

I was blessed to be a part of Ochawan's story of grace. One disappointment I have is that I never got a picture of her incredible smile.

Ochawan - a new child of the King

When we left Ochawan's home, we stopped by to pray again for Romeo. He was still curled up on the floor holding a blanket over himself. His mother wept as we prayed. Please continue to pray for them.

Then it was time to begin the hike back up the road to return to Bontoc. We were past the time that it would be easy to catch a jeepney when we got back to the main road. But the delay of meeting with Ochawan and praying for Romeo were definitely worthwhile. What a blessing it was to find that the landslides were cleared and within 100 meters of passing the washout, we saw a jeepney heading toward us. Of course, riding in any vehicle here comes with the high probability of needing to perform some sort of maintenance along the way. In this instance, a tire change.

10 minutes from Bontoc

Here's another blog post about our weekend in Can-eo, written by Amy, one of the team members. (http://amyrenee78.blogspot.com/2011/10/can-eo.html)

Maligcong - September 18

2011-11-06T11:00:00.000+08:00

Now that the team has returned to the USA and we have a little more time, I hope to be able to do some catch-up of what has been happening.

One of our first adventures was to take the team to Maligcong. This gave most of the members their first opportunity to have a truly Filipino experience - riding a jeepney. Some even enjoyed the natural beauty of the area by riding on top of the jeepney.

Brothers Zack and Breck taking a moment for a photo-op

Because the team is large they were able to divide, with part of the team staying in the sitio of Favuyan and the other hiking through the wonders of the rice terraces to the sitio of Fang-orao.

In Favuyan...

Michelle and Reuben leading worship

Eric giving testimony of how God saved his life

Ariana reciting Scripture during Michelle's message

Children's church

Taden making friends - people loved to play with the team's youngest member

In Fang-orao...

Photo-op while hiking through the terraced mountains to Fang-orao

The team shared "cardboard testimonies" like Eli is showing here: one side showing a struggle the person faced and the other side showing how God brought them through it.

Marie expanding on her testimony

Darren and Krista presenting the sermon together

The sermon was followed by a time of prayer.

As the sermon was presented and prayers were offered, Leigh sat on the stairs outside and colored with the children who were too active to sit through the service.

After service, both teams enjoyed sharing a meal with the congregation they spent the morning with. It was a good day.

Typhoon Quiel Approaches

2011-10-01T12:20:00.000+08:00

Typhoon Quiel on its westward track

Last weekend we cancelled plans to take the visiting team to the village of Can-eo due to sickness and landslides caused by heavy rains. Fortunately, the sickness has passed. Unfortunately, landslides take a bit longer to clear.

Tuesday the fury of Typhoon Pedring bore down on Bontoc. Pedring added to the landslides and the 3 roads that connect Bontoc with anywhere else were all closed due to landslides and the more treacherous road washouts. The road to Baguio has been made passable and taking buses or jeepneys to other places is possible if you are willing to hike past the slide/washout and transfer to another bus.

You would think a 2nd story apartment would not experience flooding, but Pedring's winds drove the rain through the windows and I spent several hours moving from one room to another mopping up water with our travel towels (aka imitation auto chamois). Before the wind died down, with Alayna's help I had mopped up 8 or 9 buckets of water. My thighs are still a little sore from all of the squatting.

We are thankful that we were only without electricity for 28 hours instead of the 8 days we have experienced due to typhoons in the past. Phone service was also out for more than a day. After 4 days, internet was restored. The bigger problem is that the municipal water supply is now out. As I understand it, nobody throughout Bontoc has municipal water.

We are facing the passage of two typhoons: Quiel today (right now) and Ramon tomorrow. This double punch following the already soil-saturating rains of the past week caused the team to cancel their plans for ministering in Sadanga this weekend. So far this morning, there has been moderate to heavy rain but minimal wind.

This morning I tucked plastic shopping bags into the widest gaps of our windows hoping to avoid the flooding we had due to Typhoon Pedring. Hopefully the bags will reduce how much water comes through - but we are keeping the cardboard boxes and such sitting on chairs until this is over. Hooray for tile floors!

As for water, yesterday we paid to have our tank filled and every available bucket is currently full. Rain collection is on my mind, but there is not an easy way of doing that currently.

Grace,
Tom

Am-Among Festival, 2011

2011-09-22T11:52:00.000+08:00

The 2011 Am-Among Festival was once again a colorful visual and cultural experience for all who participated in and observed the activities.

Lisa snapped these photos as the street dancers were queing up for the parade.

In years past, these young ladies may have been comparing actual tattoos covering their arms.

The dances and cultural represented aspects of traditional life among the Bontoc people. All of these presentations were made through the medium of traditional gong music and dancing. Many depicted the agricultural background of the people here.

The girl on the left is Casey, a friend who used to be part of our SSM program.

Other Igorot historical practices such as courtship were highlighted as well. But perhaps the most exciting was a presentation of a war dance where two combatants struggled against each other using traditional weapons. The dancers showed intensity as the gongs played and they alternately danced for position and charged, clashing shields as they leaped through the air.

The festival was a great opportunity for our visiting team to experience the sights and sounds of the culture of Bontoc. While enjoying the festival, the team distributed water bottles, as we have done in the past, to spectators in an effort to share the love of God with others.

Arielle sharing a drink with a new friend.

Popcorn Birthday Cake

2011-09-22T10:56:00.000+08:00

Although I am trying to work my way through a backlog of post possibilities for this blog, I wanted to take the opportunity to brag on my beloved and creative wife. Lisa loves to honor birthdays and with the team here, there are more opportunities than usual.

In our last post, we mentioned that a cake was shared to celebrate the birthdays of 3 team members. That would have been fine, but one member of the team has gluten allergies so she could not have any. Seeking to include the team member in the birthday celebrations of her teammates, Lisa did some research and came up with a solution: a popcorn cake. (Think Rice Crispies Treats using popcorn and m&m's.)

Everybody was able to enjoy a slice of the cake as we (re)celebrated Amy's birthday on her actual birthday.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful wife! It is great how she works so hard to make others feel special.

Grace,
Tom

Official Welcome

2011-09-17T11:05:00.000+08:00

2011 YWAM Salem Crossroads Discipleship Training School

Monday we escorted the team to the Bontoc Museum. They especially enjoyed the outdoor exhibits where they could touch and climb and explore.

In the evening YWAM Mountain Province hosted a welcome dinner. All of our staff and their families gathered together with the team for an evening of fellowship, eating, worship, and dancing.

Thea and Katie modeling some traditional Bontoc attire.

Shane, Rufina, and Patrick

Rudy and Eric

Taden is such a happy little guy, everybody loves to get their hands on him.

Jazlynn, Annalise, and Ariana

A good time got even better when the gongs were brought out. The Filipinos performed a few dances then everybody got involved. The team was adventurous and soon joined in the dancing and even playing the gongs.

After the gongs, the Salem team presented a few of the songs and a drama they have prepared to share as they minister over the next couple months.

We also celebrated a few birthdays. Michelle celebrated her birthday while traveling here. Arielle's birthday was Monday so she had quite a memorable celebration. Amy's birthday was later in the week.

Michelle, Arielle, and Amy

It was a full day of learning about the Igorot culture. Later in the week Bontoc celebrated the Am-Among Festival; but that's another post.

Fetchin' the YWAM Salem CDTS

2011-09-11T09:37:00.072+08:00

Last week I made the journey to Manila to meet a YWAM team from Salem, Oregon. God blessed me with an uneventful journey and I arrived in Manila with a little bit of time to spare. I used the opportunity to hunt down a Subway restaurant for dinner - my favorite.

This photo I took on the way to Baguio has nothing to do with the team, but I love looking down on the clouds. This was particularly impressive as the clouds completely covered the valley and only the mountain tops were visible.

I arrived at the airport early because their arrival was not scheduled until 11 pm and I had nowhere else to go. I heard their arrival announced on-time. However, it was not until after 1 am that they arrived in the passenger pick-up area. Everybody was tired, but people and bags were all accounted for.

The pictures are a bit blurry, but I think that reflects the mental status of all of us at that time.

Leigh had the right plan as we waited for the bus to arrive.

We had made arrangements for a bus to pick us up at the airport and drive us through the night to the YWAM Baguio Training Center - a trip of about 7 hours.

The next day - actually, later the same day (Friday) - we went into Baguio and looked around while trying to get the team through some of the struggles of jet lag.

Saturday morning the bus that would take us from Baguio to Bontoc arrived a bit early and got everybody flying around trying to get things repacked and loaded onto the bus. Once baggage, people, and motion sickness medicine was all on-board we were off - to wait in traffic due to the construction before leaving Baguio.

Everyone bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the beginning of the trip - before the sleepiness of the motion sickness medicine set in.

Jazlynn enjoying a snack along the way.

While I traveled to get the team, Lisa and the girls made preparations to welcome the team to Bontoc.

Gathering for a meal Saturday evening

Alayna and a very exhausted Taden.

It was a couple of long days and everyone was ready to go to sleep by the end of the meal - most made it to their beds before falling asleep, but not everyone.

We are so excited to have the team here ministering with us for the next two months. We look forward to seeing what God will do in them and through them as they serve Him in Mountain Province.

Grace,
Tom

More Candles than Expected

2011-08-29T17:01:00.010+08:00

Alayna is 12 years old!

Since Alayna's birthday occurred on Monday, we planned to celebrate her special day on Saturday. Lisa had some great ideas in mind which were disrupted almost immediately after breakfast. The power went out. So we adjusted and did those things we could, postponing the rest.

Saturday afternoon, the birthday girl helped make S'more cookies.

The cookies were finished by candlelight and although the power outage delayed some of our plans, the loss of power necessitated eating the ice cream which was beginning to melt in the freezer. The cookies were delicious!

Fortunately, the power came back on later that evening.

Sunday afternoon, the original plan was put into action. One gift Alayna received for her birthday was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Lisa transformed our apartment into a movie theater; there were even exit signs and a female silhouette to indicate the ladies' room.

Before the showing, the girls each used the 12 dollars of Monopoly money they had been given earlier to purchase tickets and snacks at the concession stand.

Everybody enjoyed a fun afternoon watching a favorite movie, eating yummy snacks, and finishing it off with pizza and of course, S'more cookies (with a little bit of ice cream saved for the birthday girl).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

SUGARPLUM!

Fang-orao, Finally!

2011-08-20T10:24:00.101+08:00

As we mentioned a few posts ago, we had been prevented from making our way to the church in Fang-orao. At that time, we made plans with Pastor Frederick to visit Fang-orao last weekend. Even then, we had challenges in order to make it there and minister. First, we got behind and missed the first jeepney to Maligcong, only to find that on Sunday, there is only one jeepney to Maligcong. When I contacted Pastor Frederick, even though he was already hiking through the fields for Fang-orao, he said he would drive to Bontoc to get us.

Everywhere in Maligcong were signs of the harvest. Just outside the church this lady was drying sheaves of rice called palay.

By the time we finally arrived at the end of the road in Maligcong where we could begin the hike to Fang-orao, we were already late. We kept a good pace hiking through the magnificence of the Maligcong rice terraces and once we were on the branch of the mountain with Fang-orao, Pastor Frederick asked if we were up to taking the shortcut. In Ilocano, as in many cultures, you pronounce the word "shortcut" as "adventure". At first it seemed pretty simple, the path went from an 18" wide concrete path on the top of a rice terrace wall to a 10" dirt path on the top of a rice terrace wall. Soon it became a 4-6" muddy, wet, and slippery concrete path on the top of a rice terrace wall. Good practice for balance. We only had one person slip so much that their foot found its way into the squishy mud of the rice field. Fortunately it was in a place where both sides were near the height of the path and not a 5' drop. Then we came to the place where we needed to climb the "stairs" up toward the church. In this case, the translation of "stairs" is "steep, moist, red clay embankment with precarious footholds". No injuries, no ruined clothes (brown pants are key), and no words of complaint. I am not sure which is the greatest of these.

Stairs?

When we arrived, Sunday School was nearly completed and soon the worship service began. A guitar, a bass guitar, a few tambourines, and a set of drums accompanied the upbeat mix of English and native worship songs.

A final obstacle that needed to be overcome was that I had been feeling sick. During much of the worship, I sat bent over praying for strength. When I began teaching, I asked the congregation to uphold me in prayer because I felt weak. As I began teaching, my discomfort faded to the background and God gave me the strength I needed to continue.

I presented an overview of the Bible's redemption story and we listened to the crucifixion and resurrection story using the Proclaimer Wendy donated to the church. This is the teaching that had been planned before when the t-er prevented our coming.

Rita is the name of the lady on the right. She was apparently listening with her heart, as well as her ears.

I love this picture. Before closing, I asked if anyone had any questions, observations, or thoughts to share. This dear lady was more bold than most and willingly shared some great insights.

For a number of reasons, I decided not to have an "altar call". Instead I encouraged people to talk with Pastor, Pastora, me, or another believer afterward if they wanted to follow Jesus. Before proceeding much further though, I was interrupted when Rita raised her hand to say that she wanted to make Jesus her Lord.

Praying with Rita, Dominga tanslating

Rita proclaiming her new faith to the congregation, accompanied by a friend for encouragement.

The Fang-orao branch of Maligcong Christian Fellowship - with a few Americanos thrown in for the fun of it.

Then it was time to leave. This time we did not use the shortcut. There were more stairs, but these were much easier to climb.

A handful of miscellaneous photos of our day in
Fang-orao, Maligcong

Drying palay

Alayna loves going to villages because she gets to hold babies.

Reviewing the stories that Adriana, Alexie, Alayna, and Annalise taught to the children.

Peeking through the pew

6 Plus 3

2011-08-10T20:01:00.001+08:00

Our Butterfly is 9!

Although she prefers to refer to her age as "6 plus 3".

This weekend we celebrated her birthday. Since we couldn't find the bib and the high chair, we decided that we needed a different approach than her first birthday party.

Of course, Lisa made sure it was a very special day. She is so good at making birthday's special.

A few days before, all four girls received an invitation which said,

Recipe for a Super Culinary Birthday Party
1 part beautiful birthday girl
3 parts special sisters
1 cup laughter
Large bag of laughter
Pinch of imagination
Blend well on Saturday, August 16, 2011
Annalise's Cafe, Bontoc, Mountain Province
Please come and make it a delicious day full of sprinkles and memories.

First everyone had to prepare for the day by making hats and aprons. They sewed their own aprons using dish towels. Annalise chose to wear the special apron she was given with butterflies on it.

While her sisters were finishing their aprons, Annalise began preparing for the Deliciously Decorated Dainty Cakes which would be desert later.

Once the cupcakes were baking, it was time to knead the dough for the Passionately Perfect Personal Pizzas.

Adding the cheese brought all the way from Baguio.

After dinner, we added the final touches to the Deliciously Decorated Dainty Cakes before enjoying the last bit of sparkle that was baked into everything this Super Culinary Birthday had to offer.

Happy 6 plus 3!

Remembering Lazaro

2011-08-09T17:59:00.000+08:00

Pastor Steve, our friend who I have sometimes accompanied to Saclit, contacted me yesterday. Sadly, he shared the news that Lazaro, passed away. Lazaro was a baby I was honored to have met and prayed for on my first visit to Saclit.

I don't know all of Lazaro's story, but the news reminded Lisa and I of the struggle poverty creates in the most basic issues of life, such as health care.

Continue to pray for the physical and spiritual health of the Igorot people.

See Ya Later

2011-08-04T16:05:00.000+08:00

Finally the time for Wendy's visit was drawing to an end. We had to make the trip back towards Manila for her flight home. We left early because we wanted to show her a little of Baguio and you can never be sure of travel conditions.

Within an hour of leaving Bontoc, we were stopped by a landslide, along with many others. Fortunately it had occurred the previous day and crews were already working on it. We were only delayed about 30 minutes by the time it was cleared enough for vehicles to pass through.

Waiting for the road to be cleared

Wendy was a blessing in many ways, but one that Lisa and I especially enjoyed was her watching the girls overnight while we took advantage of a rainy day special at Baguio's Camp John Hay. It was a refreshing time at a beautiful place, despite the rain.

My Beloved and I celebrating a belated 20th anniversary

View of the gardens from the restaurant

We are so thankful for the blessing of Wendy's physical partnership in our ministry for the past few weeks. The courage she showed in even making the trip by herself and the smile she wore through the challenges were a great encouragement.

Wendy and the 4A's

"See ya later!" at the airport in Manila

Maligcong T-er

2011-07-25T11:56:00.013+08:00

One place we were looking forward to taking Wendy for both ministry and beauty aspects was Maligcong. The views are breathtaking and the terraces cut into the mountainsides are a marvel to behold. Our plan was to arrive early Saturday and hike through the fields to the sitio (neighborhood) of Fang-orao. There we would visit and pray with people until evening when a special service would be held.

A view of the Maligcong rice terraces from the jeepney turn-around point.

The hike to Fang-orao is about 30 minutes or so on the narrow pathway through the fields. The views along the way are beautiful, especially on clear days.

Unfortunately, while attending the ordination of a Bontoc pastor, we found out that we would not be able to take this path during the weekend due to a pagan holy day called "T-er". The village elders declared this holy day in preparation of the impending rice harvest. As part of the ceremony, a few men gather a cup of rice and hike through the fields and over the mountain into Bontoc with the intention of symbolically leading the rats and birds away from the village in a manner similar to the pied piper of Hamlin. Following this ceremony, nobody is allowed to pass near the fields for 3 days. The people of Fang-orao and Favarey which is another 30 minutes hike beyond are cut off during this time.

During discussion with Pastor Augustin who was helping to coordinate our visit and pastors the church in Fabuyan, at the jeepney turn-around, another pathway was mentioned. It is a difficult and rarely used trail that goes around the fields by going down one mountain and up the other into Fang-orao. Not being sure that everyone in our group could handle the hike or the return hike in the dark, it was decided that Alexie and I would go on Saturday and the rest would take the early jeep Sunday morning to join us for the service in Fabuyan.

Once Alexie and I arrived however, we were told that the other pathway came near a rice field also so nobody could walk that way either. Pastor Frederick who pastors the church in Fang-orao took us to talk with one of the village elders, Edward, to see if we could work something out.

We met with Edward at his daughter's home and over coffee discussed our desire to find a way to go to Fang-orao. Most of the discussion was in the Igorot dialect between Edward, Pastor, and Edward's son-in-law. But I did get to talk a little with Edward about his role as a messenger for the US troops during WWII. The end of the discussion was that he would talk with the chief elder about our dilemma when the other returned from checking on his animals in the mountain. For the meantime, we could plan on using the path through the terraces on Sunday afternoon to go as far as Fang-orao, but no further.

Thomas and Edward

When Pastor Augustin arrived after completing his route as a jeepney driver, it was decided that we would hold a service at his church Saturday evening. Alexie performed an interpretive dance and I shared about how God hears when people call out to Him. (Once again, the Read Aloud Bible Stories that have been translated were helpful.)

During the service there were a number of young men from Favarey, the farthest sitio. They had taken the jeepney from Bontoc only to find that they could not proceed to their homes. Since they had nothing else to do, they showed up for the service even though they are not believers. Maybe God had a plan amidst the frustrations of the t-er after all.

Alexie during her dance to "Above All"

In the morning, even before the 1st jeep had arrived from Bontoc with Wendy, Lisa, and the girls, we were told that we would not be able to pass by either pathway to Fang-orao. So we continued with the service planned at Fabuyan with Pastor Augustin's congregation. Alexie performed another dance to The Power Of Your Love. Wendy shared some songs using sign language.

Alexie dancing to "The Power of Your Love"

The 4A's presenting Sunday School to the children in the newly finished classroom.

Best of all Wendy was able to present the pastors of both communities, Fabuyan and Fang-orao, with Proclaimers. The pictures below were taken while the congregation listened to the story of the crucifixion and resurrection in the Ilocano language.

This dear lady shared great insights and had thoughtful questions in our discussion after listening.

Pastor Augustin listening to the Proclaimer recite Matthew 27 & 28

Having heard that we held our health clinic for the people of Can-eo, Pastor Augustin asked if we would do the same in Maligcong. It went well, but because of the t-er, only the people of Fabuyan could attend.

While Lisa and I squeezed arms and poked fingers, Wendy made friends with the ladies who were there.

Wendy and Pastora Evelyn talking on the porch

At the same time, our girls had fun with babies and balloons. They twisted animal balloons for the children nearby and passed the babies from one to another.

The little guy in the picture below seems to have figured out how to turn a balloon animal into a wind instrument.

Now he is giving lessons to a friend.

And he's back to playing a solo.

Lunch at the pastor's house

Time to head home to Bontoc

Grace,
Tom

Sunday in Can-eo

2011-07-17T18:08:00.026+08:00

Sunday morning at Can-eo Station Church began with Adriana, Alexie, Alayna, and Annalise leading children's church. Again they used the translations of the Read Aloud Bible Stories.

Most of the time they used the recordings we have made of a native speaker reading the story. Sometimes though, the girls read the translation themselves.

Alexie reading "Ti Bassi-Bassit Nga Tao" or "The Man Who Was Too Little".

After reading the story, the girls led the children in a song and taught them the motions that go along with the song. At first there were only a few children who came.

As time passed, more came. Some were too shy to enter and stood by the door.

As we have seen everywhere else, even adults enjoy hearing the stories.

Others that were too shy to come in stood at the windows.

After going through the stories once, the girls invited others to hold the book as the stories were played. This helped other children to be less shy.

"Let me see!"

Wendy again signed a song for the congregation. This time though, a couple of the ladies who worked so hard to learn the signs last night joined her in the presentation.

And again, our girls found babies to hold and to love on.

With Pastor Rudy's translation I presented an overview of the Bible then we listened to Matthew 27 & 28 using the Proclaimer. The Proclaimers have been very helpful in both Can-eo and Chapyosen as people gather to study God's Word.

After service, we held our health clinic, testing blood pressure and blood sugar for all who were interested.

As we squeezed arms and poked fingers, Wendy gave lessons in sign language, and the girls twisted animal balloons for the children.

Concentration and expectation!

Grace,
Thomas

A Long Hike and a Late Night

2011-07-17T06:57:00.007+08:00

We spent last weekend in Can-eo and Chapyosen. First we had to take a jeepney to Can-eo. It is about an hour through the mountains.

Are we there yet?

Lisa took some time to talk with Rosita, a teacher and mother in Can-eo. Rosita was busy separating camote greens. When Lisa asked Rosita to show her how to help, Rosita was concerned that Lisa would get her hands dirty. As you can see, Lisa was able to convince her that it was okay to get her white hands dirty.

Lisa and Rosita chatting and chopping.

Saturday morning we began the hike to Chapyosen. It is a beautiful hike along the river, but it was a long hike under the hot sun. (Annalise stayed behind with Bridget in Can-eo.)

Wendy and my lovely ladies on the way to Chapyosen.

Crossing the hanging bridge to enter the sitio of Chapyosen.

When we finally made it to Chapyosen, we were hot, tired, and surrounded - by children. The kids especially liked it when Wendy photographed them then reviewed the photos on her camera. In this place without electricity and isolated by mountains, they don't see many foreigners or photos of themselves, so she garnered a lot of attention.

Let me see!

Adriana, Alexie, and Alayna all enjoyed holding the little ones of the village.

Espirita, one of the believers in the village, invited us to have lunch at her house. We shared our peanut butter sandwiches and she shared her rice and potatoes.

Lunch at Espirita's

While we took a break, we set the Proclaimer in the sun to charge. Espirita's sons sneaked over to investigate.

Investigating the Proclaimer through the curious eyes of a pair of boys.

Above our heads as we ate, we noticed this spear. I understand that most spears and shields have been sold to antique collectors over the years. It is the first time I saw one outside of a store or museum.

A not-so-fierce warrior!

When we returned to the house where the church meets, the girls played the Read Aloud Bible Stories for the people as they gathered. People of all ages listened intently as the Ilocano translations of the stories were read.

When we were preparing for the trip and talking with Pastor Rudy, pastor of the Can-eo Station Church and fellow YWAMer, we found that several of the mothers in Chapyosen had expressed a desire to have a Bible. So before going, we obtained Ilocano translations. Before beginning our Bible study, Lisa wrote their names in the Bibles and presented them with their own Bible. The first passages they asked about were the stories they had just been listening to.

It was exciting to see them intently follow along in their own Bibles when we listened to the Proclaimer later in the teaching.

With Pastor Rudy's translation, I taught an overview of the Bible. Afterward, Pastor Rudy talked about how helpful this type of teaching is for this group of people.

Thomas and Pastor Rudy teaching an overview of the Bible.

The "Bridge Illustration" in Ilocano

The roof was too low to stand up all the way.

We made it back to Can-eo in time to make supper and lead the evening Bible study at the church. Wendy presented We are Going to See the King using sign language. The congregation requested her to teach them the motions. After service was over, many stayed to have Wendy work with them until they could do the signs on their own.

In our preparations for the weekend, Pastor Rudy did not tell us about the Bible study. But Saturday he asked who would be teaching. Lisa volunteered and taught from Colossians.

Some of those attending Saturday night Bible study.

It was a full day and when everything was over, I believe everyone slept well.

Grace,

Thomas

Weaving

2011-07-16T18:00:00.006+08:00

People and Places

2011-07-15T18:00:00.015+08:00

Since Wendy has come we have been enjoying introducing her to the people, places, and culture of Bontoc.

The Bontoc Museum was a first-stop destination.

The museum has a native village exhibit. Here Adriana, Annalise, Alayna, and Alexie are sitting outside of the building that served as the girls' dorm.

One of the joys of having a visitor is that you look at your place again through new eyes. Wendy has enjoyed exploring the unique varieties of plants that grow here. This variety of ground orchid caught all of our attention at the museum. Annalise insists that she will always call it a bee-hive plant.

Friday morning, Wendy had her first trike ride when she joined us for health clinic. The Regional Health Unit was closed for Cordillera Day but the doctor made sure someone would be there to open the door for us and our patients.

Later on Friday, Wendy got to experience her first jeepney ride. It was also the first time she got to travel through the mountains while it was light and the views were not lost in clouds and fog. But more on that trip later.

Grace,

Thomas

Special Delivery

2011-07-13T22:26:00.005+08:00

The other day I was assigned to travel to Manila to collect a special delivery - Wendy. Wendy is a friend from church in the US who traveled to the Philippines to physically partner with us in life and ministry for a few weeks.

The plan was to meet her at the airport in Manila and escort her back to Bontoc. As we have mentioned before, Manila is not nearby and travel is sometimes less than reliable here. So I took an early bus to Baguio where I got on a more comfortable bus for the trip to Manila. Both legs of the journey went just fine. This left me with some time to kill. So I headed to the Mall of Asia so I could get something to eat and have a safe place to wander around until it was time to head to the airport.

There probably are not many malls where you can watch ice hockey practice. I seriously doubt there are any others in the tropics, anyway.

I was expecting to be as bleary eyed as this picture is blurry by the time I got to the airport. Her flight was not scheduled to arrive until 11 pm. But I was not as tired as I expected; plus her flight came in a little early.

I knew where to look for her, but it didn't hurt that her height, hair, and skin color made it a little easier to sneak up behind her.

Amazingly, we were able to get a taxi to the bus terminal by 11:40 pm and catch the 11:45 bus to Baguio. I thought I might be tired but really expected Wendy to be exhausted. By the time this picture was taken when we sat down in the bus, she had been traveling for nearly 25 hours. I felt a little bad shuffling her to a bus for another 6 hours of traveling bliss. But she had a great attitude.

We spent a few hours in the morning resting at a friend's house. (Thanks Noel!) Then we got some groceries, had lunch, and hopped on another bus for the 6 hour ride to Bontoc. Wendy was so gracious every step of the way and God blessed us with an uneventful journey.

Grace,

Thomas

A Little Twisted

2011-07-10T19:12:00.001+08:00

It is easy sometimes to fall into certain routines as a family and forget the fun of being together. In order to break out of the rut, we decided to do something together with a little bit of a twist - make soft pretzels.

Concentration is the key to good pretzels, as you can see on Annalise's face.

First, you roll 'em.

Then you twist 'em.

Then you dip and season 'em.

EAT 'EM!

We all extend a special thanks to Mom who served as seasoning expert, oven manager, and ace photographer so we can remember the event and as well as the taste!

Celebrating Freedom!

2011-07-04T20:56:00.000+08:00

A flag waving,

treat eating,

toe tapping,

FOURTH OF JULY!

A Weekend in Saclit

2011-06-28T11:08:00.000+08:00

In the jeepney awaiting our departure

This weekend, Adriana and I accompanied our friend Pastor Steve to the village of Saclit. Although a tropical storm had brought a lot of rain over the previous days, we were fortunate that the road was not blocked by landslides.

But travel is always an adventure. Not long after leaving Bontoc, we had our first tire change - both front tires. One tire was flat. The tread was peeling off of the other. But honestly, I was not so sure its replacement was much better.

The first tire

The replacement

Ooops

Tire change in the mountains

It was not long before we had to stop again and put the first tire back on.

You may have noticed the rocks on the right of the picture. That is from a landslide. All along the way, the road varies from 1 to 2 lanes due to interferences from rocks above or collapse of the road below.

Adriana of the Cordillera Mountains

The rest of the way, there was the additional noise from the tire as the tread peeled off. But we made it - well mostly. Bald tires work okay on flat, paved roads. But the rain had made the road up the mountain to Saclit muddy. Bald tires and a full load of people made it impossible for the jeepney to complete the trip to the top of the mountain.

She go no mo'

Adriana and I were both glad to walk the rest of the way. The driver tried hard to make it, but a few times we slipped and slid to the edge of the road. It's very steep and a long way down. Besides, we had been riding for a couple of hours already.

Enough about travel. Our purpose for the weekend was not to write about getting there, but about being there.

Entering the "City Gate"

Saclit is at the top of a mountain. Once the road ends you still need to hike up the trail. Some of it has stairs like you see above. I found out this weekend that its location was chosen in large part due to the history of tribal wars. The latest incident related to these wars was as recent as 2004. The location of Saclit provides clear view of anyone who might be trying to attack. This provided a very defensible location to farm and raise your family.

We stayed at the home of Alex and Megela and their family. In the evening, people gathered at at their home for a Bible study. Together we talked about what we can learn about people, about God, and about the relationship between the two from the story of Bartimaeus. The discussion was good, but once again I was wishing I knew enough Ilocano to understand the conversation without a translator. About 10:00 pm the conversation died down and we went to bed.

In the morning, as we prepared for church, the family went about their chores. One of which is feeding the pigs. In the picture below, 8 year old Amy is pounding the pig food in the corner of the house. Behind her you can see the banana tree stalks which are chopped and added to the food garbage before being pounded in the wooden mortar and pestle.

Preparing pig food

After the pigs were fed, I had the opportunity to sit with the many children who had gathered at the house. We listened to the recordings of the Read Aloud Bible Stories as we sat on the back porch. Many people of all ages stopped to listen to a story or two as they were either on their way somewhere or came out of curiosity to see what was happening. You can see in the picture that the houses are very close together, so all of the neighbors could hear what was going on.

When we finished the stories that were recorded in Ilocano, I read the remaining stories in English. Some understood more than others, but we had to go through all of the stories a couple of times before they would let me leave to go to the church building.

Read Aloud Bible Stories

While Saturday was a hike UP, Sunday was a hike DOWN. The home we stayed in is near the top of the village and the church is further down. As we walked, Adriana and I drew a lot of attention since not many foreigners make it to Saclit.

Walking to church

The church service in Saclit does not have a specific starting time. As people gather, Pastor Steve leads worship. As people hear the the singing, they come to the church. Eventually, it is decided that it is time to study God's Word. Pastor Steve had some things on his heart that he wanted to share before inviting me to share.

Much like the Bible study the evening before, we read from the Bible and talked about what we can learn from the story. This time we talked about Zaccheus. In both settings, we also listened to the Read Aloud Bible Stories. This was helpful to more than just the children who were there. Many of the people in Saclit are illiterate and as such are oral learners. Hearing the story as it is written in the Bible and hearing it repeated with the illustrations from the book makes it easier for them to retain. When Pastor Steve and I were talking about it later, he expressed how much he appreciated the teachings and felt the way we presented these Bible stories will make it so that people will think about them when they are alone - working in the fields or lying in their beds at night. Isn't that what we should all be doing with God's Word?

After the service ended, many people stayed at the church to talk. Adriana and I were warmly welcomed and asked to come again. The people emphasized how much they appreciated our coming and would like very much for our whole family to come. People brought food for us to eat for lunch, although they were too shy to sit and eat with us.

We enjoyed their company so much that we were too late to catch the bus. Since there is no vehicle that leaves from the top of the mountain in the afternoon, we needed to hike down to the highway to catch a ride. Adriana was not feeling well much of the weekend and the rain made the shortcut too slippery and dangerous - it is shorter, but much steeper than the road. Together, these made our trip down take longer - besides the fact that we left late.

We were able to catch a ride with an overloaded jeepney for part of the trip. It was full of people from a nearby village who had been at the river all night. A person from that place had drown when he was crossing the river and the storm surge swept him away. All along the river there were people taking turns watching to recover the body. We crowded in with them until they turned off the main road to return to their village.

After waiting a while along the road, another vehicle came along. If you have never ridden in the mountains in the bed of a dump truck, the picture below gives you an idea of what it looks like. It was a blessing that there was room for Adriana to ride in the front and that he took us all the way to Bontoc.

Hitchin' a ride

Pastor Steve and I rode in the back and were glad it was just a light rain.

Pastor Steve

Grace,
Tom

Lovely Lady

2011-06-28T09:47:00.000+08:00

To the woman who stands by me as we walk this journey together, Happy Birthday!

I am blessed to have you at my side wherever in the world that may be. You are a blessing to me and all who have the opportunity to know you.

May God grant you a year of blessings and joy.

I love you,
Thomas

Answered Prayer

2011-06-22T11:17:00.000+08:00

Our desire is to share the truth
of the Gospel with people of all ages. One challenge is that many children do not learn English until they attend school and their English skills are not strong until they are in their upper grades. One project we have undertaken to resolve this is working with high school and college students to translate the Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella Lindvall into Ilocano.

As a family we have enjoyed the Read Aloud Bible Stories series since our girls were very young. The rhythm of the text and the simplicity of the illustrations make an inviting combination. We brought two copies of the entire set of four volumes so that we could use them in our work here. Good books are not readily available and quality children's books are even more difficult to obtain.

So far, we have three of the twenty stories completed. The students, including Adriana and Alexie, have worked hard to translate the meaning and maintain the essence and rhythm of the stories.

As we have completed the stories, we have recorded a native speaker reading the stories. Now we have the means to read the stories personally or play a recording - complete with chimes to signal
when to turn the page.

The final step in the process is to combine the illustrations with the audio to make a video that can be presented to larger groups than holding up the book would allow. I am no expert, but this seems to fall into copyright territory. So yesterday I emailed Moody Publishing asking for permission to use the images.

As I was journaling my prayer this morning, I had just finished asking God to grant me favor with Moody Press. Without exaggeration - I was writing the first word of the next sentence when Lisa said there was an email from Moody. They granted copyright permission. God is so good!

Now we just need to complete the project. Please pray with us that we can get these stories translated and that they will help people to better know the truths of God's Word and His love for us.

Grace,
Tom

Balut DTS

2011-06-16T21:16:00.001+08:00

One of the responsibilities Lisa and I enjoy is facilitating the ministry of outreach teams that visit YWAM Mountain Province. For the past several weeks we have been doing just that; a YWAM DTS team has been here joining us in our ministry to the people of Mountain Province.

They served as helping hands to the church as congregations throughout the region met for a multi-day seminar.

Jane and Kolja - Camp Cooks

Taking a few hours off from their duties at the seminar, several team members joined us at our weekly health clinic. They practiced taking blood pressure readings and blood glucose measurements as we served the 29 patients who attended that day.

I also taught them to twist animal balloons - a useful skill to help our younger patients while they wait.

While we were enjoying our short summer vacation, the team went to Can-eo and Chapyosen with Pastor Rudy and Bridget.

Bible study in Chapyosen

Interpretive dance at Can-eo Station Church

The YWAM Balut DTS team with Pastor Rudy, Bridget, two of their sons.

One morning, they joined me at the Bontoc Municipal Government flag ceremony where they performed a light-hearted but meaningful skit and presented the teaching for the Moral Recovery Program.

Afterwards, we joined Mayor Sacgaca in his office. Before leaving, we prayed for him and his leadership for the community.

Mayor Pascual Sacgaca

Our family was blessed to enjoy several potlucks with the team while they were in town. There was plenty of silliness when all of those ladies gathered!

A sala full of silliness!

We weren't able to travel with the team to all of the villages, but I did manage to spend a weekend in Maligcong with them. I enjoyed visiting a sitio of the village I had never been to before. I also made a new friend - no balloon-bribery involved.

They left yesterday to get some rest in Baguio before continuing on to another YWAM location for 8 more days of ministry.

Worn out after several weeks of ministry!

It is difficult to say, "See you later," sometimes. Yet we are blessed to have made new friends and to have been encouraged as others come along side of us in our work here in Mountain Province.

Grace,
Tom

Bamboo Saxophone

2011-06-09T07:20:00.002+08:00

While we were in Baguio, we met a fellow YWAMer with an amazing talent for music. He does not read music yet has been able to create a number of musical instruments which look and sound beautiful. His various wind instruments are made of bamboo. Sometimes he is looking for specific pieces of bamboo, other times something draws him to a unique piece of bamboo and is able to transform it into an instrument.

He was traveling with his family when we met at the YWAM Baguio Training Center. In his bag he carried a selection of instruments which he uses to present the Gospel and to sell in order to fund his ministry further south in the Philippines, YWAM Batangas.

As he was showing me some of his creations, he gave us a treat by playing Amazing Grace on the bamboo saxophone he made.

By the way, if you are interested in finding out more, you can check him out on Facebook - Eryk Gumarang.

Summer Break

2011-06-06T11:31:00.017+08:00

Garden of Grace Girls Academy ended the school year on May 26. We were all looking forward to a break after the intense weeks of work finishing the term. We did not have a long time to relax though, as we began again on June 6. That means that summer vacation for our girls was a total of 10 days!

Before we sound like mean and despicable homeschooling parents, allow me to explain. We began the school year after we returned from furlough in September. That is why we are just completing. In the Philippines, school begins in June. (The students here began June 6, also.) June is also the beginning of the rainy season so it's not the best time for playing outside anyway. We also want to finish school before our furlough which will begin in April, 2012 due to the girls' passports expiring. So they are trading a short summer now for an extended one when we visit the US next year.

In order to make the most of our time, we took a trip to Baguio for a change of place and some indulgences such as McDonald's and Starbucks. We also took a mini-vacation at Riverview Water Park while in the area.

It is a beautiful place,

In a beautiful setting,

With beautiful people,

The weather cooperated and we spent 2 days in the water and sun.