Traveling Show

While we were on furlough in the US, friends answered a prayer of ours by providing the equipment we need to be able to take Gospel movies to the people to whom we minister.  The equipment is lightweight, portable, and battery powered.

This weekend I had the first opportunity to put it to use.  I traveled with Pastor Rudy to the village of Chapyosen to show the Jesus film.  In the picture below you can see the equipment that is lying at the turn-around in Can-eo which will bring electricity to Chapyosen in the months to come.  But as for now, it is a place without electricity.

Utility poles and cables staged to take electricity to Chapyosen

We drove from Bontoc to Can-eo which takes about 45 minutes when the road is good.  From Can-eo, the only way to Chapyosen is to hike down the valley along a narrow path.  (You can see more images or Chapyosen from other trips by clicking here.)  This time the trip was unique because it is the first time I made the hike after dark.  Thankfully, it did not rain as it has nearly everyday since our arrival in the country and we were able to make the trip in about an hour.

It was a moonless night, almost.  When we arrived in the village, several of the children were saying, "Look at the moon," or "See the moon."  It took me a minute to realize that there was no moon in the sky and that I was the only white thing out in the night.

Watching the movie; the projector and speakers are in the foreground.

We pushed aside the loom (the wooden frame in to the left of the screen), quickly set up the projector, and were soon watching the movie in the space below someone's house.  I counted more than 40 faces sitting in the darkness.  What was amazing was how quiet and still everyone was throughout the movie, especially the children.

Afterwards, Pastor Rudy and I shared how the events of the movie are true and give us hope of God's love and forgiveness.  Then it was time to hike back.  We were prepared to spend the night, but our guides wanted to get back to their families in Can-eo.

The next afternoon, Pastor Rudy had a meeting with the leadership of Can-eo Station Church.  He has been teaching the leadership about commitment and the purpose of the church.  By coincidence, I had a short video about the purpose of the church with me.  We showed that video in segments, translating and discussing the various ideas as we went along.  That was not a presentation we had planned on, but it was good to be able to help.

Church leadership meeting - there were more than shown in the picture

During the time for the Saturday night Bible study in Can-eo, we presented the Jesus movie to a group of 30 or so.

Just for fun, Sunday morning after service, we showed a video I had made about ice fishing and another about our ministry here which includes several scenes of Can-eo.  It was fun to hear people's excitement as they saw photos and video of them and their friends.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to bring the Gospel to people through various methods:  Bibles, Proclaimers, video, and teaching.  God's Word does not go out without effect.  Thank you to all who partner with us and make this possible.

Around Can-eo

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

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

Can-eo Anniversary

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