By Boat or Plane?

Before we left the Philippines, we were blessed to share some time together with friends.

Dinner with Patrick and Rufina's family

Our journey began with a long drive to Manila. We stayed at the UCCP Shalom Center like we usually do when traveling to the US. They only have a few rooms in which we can all fit. This was our first time in this particular room though. When we noticed the painting on the wall, we began to wonder whether we would still be flying or whether our voyage might be on the Dawn Treader.  (If that sentence made no sense to you, may we recommend The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis or the recent movie of the same title.)

Dawn Treader?

Well, the room did not flood, but the alarm went off at 1:45 am so we could all get a shower before heading to the airport for our journey across the Pacific and North America.

Did you ever notice that people look happy at the beginning of  a flight?

Actually, all of our travel went very well; everything departed and arrived on-time. Although we would have welcomed a voyage on the Dawn Treader we were thankful for the much quicker travel available on modern jetliners.  We also appreciated the individual touch screen entertainment monitors installed in each seat back.  They helped to distract us during the long flights.

Friendly faces at the airport-the best part of our trip!

Fetchin' the YWAM Salem CDTS

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

Special Delivery

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

Toughest Place to be a Driver

We just watched the video that is linked below. It presents an insight to the situation of so many in Manila. It is viewed through the experiences of a London bus driver who accepts the challenge to drive a bus in Manila. Anybody who has ever been to Manila can understand the monstrous undertaking he is facing.

It is a long video, but it is worth the time.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=toughest+place+to+be+a+bus+driver&aq=f

By the way, we live about 13 hours north of Manila in a small mountain town.

Grace,

Tom

Calvinball: Game 2 of New Season

Our MVP Thomas pulled through with another victory at the BI field in Manila this morning. Despite the ever-changing rules, he was declared a winner in record time. Here are the game stats:

• 6:45 arrived at BI
• 7:25 found that processing begins at 8
• 8:05 window 24, extension receiving "go to visa extension desk"
• Visa extension desk "go to 4th floor office 401"
• 8:15 office 401-"talk with guy with checked shirt"-office 419
• 419 shirt guy, immigration lawyer- shuffles papers, says they are out of order and need 2 hole fasteners, then take to office 426
• 8:25 rearrange and punch papers (this did not rattle him- he was prepared with needed hole punch and fasteners in backpack)
• 8:30 papers resorted and organized by lady in 426 "take to 425"
• 8:45 papers signed by checked shirt guy in 425
• Window 14 to receive bill
• 9:00 Window 13 to pay "take receipt to copier and take receipt to Window 14" (rarely is there a working copier on site)
• 9:10 dropped off papers at Window 14 and waited for next step
• 9:15 Window 14 lady came to lobby and asked what I was waiting for

The team is now on the way back home for a victory celebration and rest. No more games scheduled until notice of hearing arrives in the mail.

Lisa

Calvinball: Game 1 of New Season

In the end Thomas was able to navigate all the twists and turns of the rules of Calvinball to capture the trophy of 6 renewed I-cards. But it wasn't easy...

• 8 am He took a trike to get a cab.
• Took 20 minutes just to get a cab.
• Rush hour trip across Manila. (Once he was sitting in traffic in front of HP customer service center. Seemingly mocking our recent computer struggles with our HP computers.)
• In the first 15 minutes at the Bureau of Immigration, sent 5 places to get a document not listed anywhere but on the window:
• Window 36
• Window 19
• Window 1
• Then 2 offices on the 2nd floor.
• Then to 3rd floor to recover our cards that had been confiscated but that office is moving and didn't have any power or computers.
• Told to take his lunch and come back.
• After another cab ride to get lunch, returns to 3rd floor to collect cards.
• Back to Window 36
• Then to Window 33 to get express lane bill
• Window 41 to pay- on the 30 foot walk fees went from 3000 to 16029 PHP ($69 to $369)
• Window 34 to find errors made by the BI in Baguio
• Back to 3rd floor for second approval and annulment of Adriana's marriage (don't panic, just another error in the paperwork)
• Went to bank building for final approval
• Then at 3:30 p.m. Window 43 to submit for I-cards
• Told to wait, cards to be released at 4:30 p.m.
• Window 43- oops need Window 37
• 4:40 p.m. DONE!
• 10:20 p.m. sitting in bus terminal right next to rat superhighway waiting for the 12:15 bus to Baguio

I would say "And that's how it's done" except as with every game of Calvinball you just never know what the rules will be.

So stay tuned for next week's game of Calvinball. Will our Calvinball MRP Thomas be able to come through for the team again? Hope so as the stakes are higher. Winner gets permission to stay in the Philippines for 2 more years!

Staff sportscaster, Lisa

Long Trip Made Longer

We are now back in the Philippines. There is still a 6 hour journey ahead of us before we make it home to Bontoc, but we are spending a few days in Baguio as we adjust to the different time zone and take care of some business.

On Thursday morning we arrived with all of our luggage (this is no small feat) at the South Bend airport. After saying "see you later" to family and friends who had come to see us off (one claimed he was there just to make sure we left) we boarded the plane and flew to Chicago. Because of time zones, we arrived about 5 minutes before we left. Here ends the "according to plan" part of our journey.

In Chicago, we were supposed to have a 3 hour layover. 10 hours later we began boarding the plane (for the second time). About 2 hours later we actually took off for Hong Kong.

The airline set us up with a hotel in Hong Kong because we would miss our connection due to the delay. That was a nice gesture, but it was rather thin on effect. When we arrived in Hong Kong, we needed to collect our luggage, go through immigration, go through customs, and make our way to the hotel. Fortunately it was connected and we did not need to walk too far. But since it was 2:30 am before we made it out of the airport and we needed to be back at 6:30 am, it was not particularly restful. We are thankful for the opportunity to shower and rest on something softer and more private than an airport bench.

When we returned to the airport, we went to a few different desks before finally finding where we needed to check-in. (Bit-by-bit, we are learning Filippino languages. But our Chinese is really lacking.) We rechecked our luggage and headed through security, arriving at our gate at the scheduled time. Again, our flight was delayed, but this time for only half an hour.

The flight was uneventful. My only ???? was when the stewardess asked if I would like tea and made sure I had a cup and stirrer but never returned with tea. Oh well...

In Manila, we did not have any wait to get through Immigration and we proceeded to the baggage claim area. Once again, a traveler's irritation arose. 2 of our bags were not on the plane. We filed the appropriate forms and headed for customs and the passenger pick-up area. No problem with customs.

Passenger pick-up, now that's another story. We had worked through a friend in Baguio to arrange a driver to pick us up at the airport in Manila and take us directly to Baguio (a 6-7 hour journey). Remember all of those delays? Well our driver had come and waited several hours for us to show up at the airport. He did not get the message of our delay until he was nearly back to Baguio. So there we are without a ride. Fortunately, we were able to make arrangements and made it to Baguio.

Last night, our missing luggage arrived where we are staying in Baguio. All of it seems to have made the trip intact.

We are thankful that God has brought us and our things safely to the Philippines.

So Far, So Good!

Saturday morning our friend Rudy came with his truck to help us move our small mountain of baggage so we could get on the bus to Baguio. When you have a family of 6 moving to the other side of the globe for several months, you have some stuff.

Here we are fresh and excited about the journey before us. We had a newer bus than we usually do and the six hour trip was without incident. So far, so good.

Because the rainy season has arrived, we planned a few extra days into our travel from Bontoc to Manila to avoid being trapped in the mountains by a landslide. We spent these extra days in Baguio.

While we were at the YWAM Baguio Training Center, one of the staff was preparing for her family's trip out of the country as well. She told us of a van company which could take us directly to our hotel in Manila.
So, instead of catching another bus to take us from Baguio to Manila, we decided to take a van. We were a little nervous when the van arrived over 2 hours late, but it worked out really well. I loathe trying to get around in Manila. (Loathe may not be a strong enough word to convey my emotion about that.) It was great that they took us (and the small mountain of luggage) to the front door of the hotel. Even with our stop for lunch, we made it in to Manila in 7 hours. So far, so good.

Wednesday morning, we got up early to get to the airport in Manila. The hotel had a shuttle (not free, but cheaper than we expected) that took us right to the airport. (Yeah! no need to get taxis in Manila!) So far, very good!
At the airport, we got our bags checked without any problems. Even though somebody said something about our bags being 7.5 kilos over, nobody brought it up as a problem. Maybe because we only checked 10 bags instead of the 12 allowed. So far, so good.

We then went to immigration. Here we hit a little bump. Because we have a 2 year visa, we needed to get an i-card. An i-card is an identification card that helps you get through immigration faster. But that only works if your i-cards did not expire 2 weeks prior to you standing in the airport with your family wanting to catch a flight out of the country for which you paid a huge sum of money. Fortunately, the folks at immigration helped us complete the paperwork for temporary i-cards. It was not as quick as it would have been if the cards would have been good, but it did not make us late either. So far, so good.

Here are my princesses waiting for our flight from Manila to Hong Kong. (Aren't they beautiful!?)

Here Alexie, Adriana, and Alayna are waiting for our flight from Hong Kong to Chicago playing a game the Filipino children call Chinese Garter. It is a jumping game using rubber bands.

Are we there yet? Our flight from Hong Kong to Chicago was a 14 hour and 31 minute flight! The video screen would often show updates. At this point, the answer would be "No."

It was a good flight with only some minor turbulence.

Somebody was a little tired while waiting for our last flight from Chicago to South Bend. But isn't he cute when he's sleeping?

She's always cute! Even after traveling 22 hours and 35 minutes - not including the 3 hours of check-in in Manila or the 13 hours of travel from Bontoc to Manila.

Indeed, they are cute too!

So far, so good. In fact, all of it went well. Often when somebody uses this phrase toward the beginning of a story, it foreshadows problems later on. But we are so thankful that God brought us safely home to a reunion with our family and friends. Even now we can thank Him because... So far, so good!
We were warmly welcomed at the airport. It was great to get the hugs we have been anticipating for so long.

When we got to Lisa's parents' where we will be staying during our time at home, the girls found this sign above their doorway...

God is good! We are so thankful for our trip and the great times we have already had being with people we care about and who care about us.

The Flame Goes Forward

The first week of April we traveled to Manila. Manila is not normally high on our list of places to visit. But this was a special occasion. YWAM is holding celebrations around the globe in honor of its 50th birthday. All of YWAM Philippines gathered for this special event. YWAM founders, Loren and Darlene Cunningham, were the primary speakers.

As I said, Manila is not our favorite destination. Our bus arrived in Manila 2 hours later than we had anticipated, but we still had plenty of time before the conference began for the evening. Since our hotel was only 50 meters from the bus terminal, I threw our large duffel bags over my shoulders and began hiking. (Consider a family of 6 traveling for a week, 5 of them females. 90% of our stuff was put into 2 large duffel bags too heavy for anyone in the family but me to carry. Good planning on somebody's part, but not mine.) To all of those who said the hotel is only 50 meters from the bus terminal - get a new meter stick! It is more like 150-200 meters. This would not have been a big deal except for the aforementioned duffel bags.

I was fairly well prepared with maps and directions (it did not look like 50 meters on the map, but eyewitnesses told me it was). We have found that when getting into a taxi in Manila, it is really helpful if you know how to get to your destination instead of hoping your driver does. For the first night however, we thought we would give the overhead railway system a try; there are terminals very close to our hotel and the conference. A family of country bumpkins and massive, pushing crowds trying to squeeze onto and off a train car that stops for less than a minute is definitely a recipe for a good comedy routine. But trying to make sure the entire family makes it onto the train or the entire family does not get on the train at the same time in such circumstances is not fun for the country bumpkin dad. We did finally make it onto the train - a new experience for our two youngest - and safely to the conference.

The first night of the conference was truly a celebration. Each region of the Philippines was represented by YWAMers from that region in cultural attire, music, and dance. For a nation about the size of Arizona, this nation is incredibly diverse. The first floor of the auditorium was too crowded when we arrived so we ended up sitting in the balcony. But when the dances began, nobody was sitting in the balcony; everybody was at the railing to get a better view of what was happening on-stage.
Besides the encouragement of the messages shared by our founders and others, we had a great time with other YWAMers. We enjoyed seeing some from the teams who have come to YWAM Mountain Province and from bases we have visited. We also got to meet some new friends in the process.

When the conference was over on Friday afternoon, a friend from Valley Cathedral Children's Home picked us up and drove us to Naic for the weekend. But that's another story...

No Ark Needed

Many of you may have heard about the flooding in the Manila area. (Click here for Fox News article.) Fortunately, we are not directly impacted by the situation there. Manila is a 12 hour drive from our mountain home in Bontoc. (22 hours or more when things don't go well. Click here for that story.)

Because of our location in the mountains, we are well protected from such storms. Manila is on the coast.

When a typhoon comes through we can tell because of the steady rain. Normally, our mornings are pleasant and in the mid-afternoon we get a heavy downpour for a couple hours. It is incredible how much rain can fall in such a short time. When a typhoon comes through, it rains continuously for a few days. Usually it is not the heavy, monsoon rains. Sometimes we will also get some wind with a typhoon; enough to wreak havoc on umbrellas but not destructive otherwise.

The other day we did have strong winds and heavy rain as this typhoon came through. We thought we would lose electricity, but fortunately did not. Even though we are spared the destruction of the flood they have in Manila, the prolonged heavy rain can cause us some problems.

The biggest concern is landslides. There are only a few options for getting into Bontoc. All of them are narrow, winding mountain roads with steep mountains on one side and steep valleys on the other. The rains can loosen the soil and completely bury or collapse the road. Sometimes, though rarely, people are injured or killed. When a slide blocks one of the roads, the vendors are not able to get fresh stock. It is not as if we have anything resembling a Super Wal-Mart to begin with. The options get thinner and the produce grows older until the road is again open and deliveries can be made. Obviously, any travel plans would be affected in the same way.

Another problem is with our water supply. The water is not safe to drink, but indoor plumbing is still greatly appreciated. When the rains get too heavy, the water coming from the tap can literally be mud. Saturday, Lisa started a load of clothes in the washer before breakfast. After breakfast, I started to wash dishes. I discovered that the water color was somewhere between strong tea and coffee. The bowl I was filling with water had a layer of dirt in it. When we looked in the washing machine, the clothes looked as if the girls had been playing in a sandbox with wet clothes on. Fortunately, it was a load of dark clothes. Soon afterward, the municipal water supply was shut off throughout the town. It did not make much difference because of the poor water quality, but we had not had municipal water available for three days prior.

I understand that sometimes the Chico river will flood it banks and even the flood control walls. Our landlord said that our courtyard has been under water before, but not to the level of the house. In the time we have been here, we have not seen the river so high that it was anywhere near overwhelming the flood walls.

I guess the summary is... we are safe from the typhoons you may hear about on the news. We may be inconvenienced, but we are not harmed.

Grace,
Tom

Welcome Wagon on the Way

After much anticipation and not-so patient waiting, our very first visitors are finally coming! Thomas and Alexie leave this afternoon for the 12 hour bus ride to Manila to greet his parents and our niece, Jordan. Please pray for their journey and the return trip to Bontoc. It has been raining for the last three days so conditions are optimal for landslides. The plan is that they will ALL be in Bontoc Tuesday night. We did not think they would be up to the 12 hour direct bus after traveling the MANY hours over the ocean so they will spend the night in Manila, then go to Baguio spend the night, then take the bus to the remaining members of the welcome wagon.

UPDATE the welcome wagon has had many difficulties in their journey and your prayers are really appreciated...

This is a look at my communication with them via cell phone texts after bus left Bontoc at 3:10 PM:
3:46 PM We hit a road grader. Nothing serious. We stopped so they could inspect. On our way again.
5:10:01 PM We r stopped as men work to clear rocks. More keep falling. DANGEROUS!
5:10:29 PM Made it!
5:11 PM All is well. Movies r B grade tagalog. (The movies commonly shown are very violent R rated movies and I was concerned with my dear 12 yo sitting in the front seat.)
6:56 PM We r ok. Movies still in tag. and seem goofy.
9:19 PM We left the gas station. Drove 100 meters and the drivers got out with tools. Waiting 2 c what happens.
9:26 PM We are moving again it seems!
3:58 AM Remember how I said they were working on d bus? We have been at d half-way point since 9pm. On another bus, waiting. We will transfer once more.
4:00 AM We used a vacant lot for cr. (Not that the bathrooms they usually stop at are nice but ...)
4:03 AM Ok. We are both tired but dont feel like sleep.
4:13 AM Here they refunded part and left it to us to make it the rest of the way. They had hired a van which would have cost 100p plus d refund, each. (This is the reply after I said in the States they would give you a coupon for your next trip at least.)
4:26 AM While waiting 4 d van another bus line said they could take us for less than d refund. We loaded, drove 15 min and r waiting again. ??? The adventure continues. I think Alexie is asleep.
7:44 AM We r ok. We have just boarded d next bus. We will c where that takes us. In San Jose City now.
7:58 PM Bus broke down at 9 p.m. Boarded next at 4 a.m. to San Jose. Now on bus to Cubao.
Cubao is part of Man. (Manila) Dont kno time left.
8:14 AM Estimating by hours traveled, about 2 to go. But that is just a guess since our route is probably different.
8:18 AM Conductor just said 5 hours. WooHoo! (that's my exhausted love's sarcasm after being on the bus for 16 plus hours to travel what should take about 12 hours and finding he is just over half way!)

ANOTHER UPDATE...
1:04 PM Just arrived at SM north. (Mall in Manila) Going to eat!
1:15 PM Huge slices of Chicago style pizza and Sarsi (Philippine version of root beer, both the Sarsi and the pizza are treats as we can get neither in our small town of Bontoc but does not make up for the 22 hour adventure instead of the anticipated 12 but seeing family will!)
12:30 AM We r loaded in the van and heading to the base. ( All of the family has arrived safely and going to the YWAM base for the night.)
12:37 AM All went well (They got through Immigration including the special clearance since Jordan is a minor and not traveling with a parent and left with all their baggage.)

Now they just need to travel in the Philippines for the reunion with the rest of the family. Thomas and Alexie decided they were going to walk back, "It's quicker and easier on d bum." I hope the rest of the Americanos brought their walking shoes and packed light! Just kiddding, we want them to experience real-life in the Philippines and that involves taking the bus over the bumpy mountain roads. But we do hope it is not the loooong adventure Thomas and Alexie just endured.

One Year Ago