Another School Year

As the starting date for the Kemantiyan Adventist School was drawing near, we all worried  how many students would enroll this year. There had been issues, some unresolved, between the parents and our staff over the requirements of our work-study program. Also, intertwined with that issue, was that one of our elementary teachers no longer wanted teach, and his leaving meant a very large hole needed to be filled. But with the addition of some new Filipino staff it meant that we had more teachers than prospective high school level students. We prayed often and trusted that God would provide according to His plan.

A new law was passed last year that awards federal assistance to parents who enroll their children, 15 and under, in Philippine schools. The assistance provided is not a great sum of money to a lowland Pilipino but to impoverished highland Palawano family, it means a great deal of financial help. When the parents of school-aged children, here in the mountains, began to learn of this program, an new interest grew in sending their children to our school.

That spark of interest spurred the interest of local teenager, not eligible for financial reward, but who saw the excitement and wanted to be part of it. On registration day, new and returning students gathered, at the school, with many others who had dropped out in the past, their ages ranging from 7 to 18 years old and even a couple nearing 30. Praise the Lord that altogether, we had 60 students enroll for this school year, nearly doubling last year’s enrollment.

I was happy but as absurd as it sounds I had mixed feeling about it. The reason was not because of all the extra work that would be needed to provide education, work, and meals for such a large group. On the contrary it was wonderful that so many had come to school this year. My only reservation was that I wished they had been motivated by something other than the promise financial reward or just wanting to be part of the excitement of the crowd. Much better, in my mind, would be a desire to learn more about Jesus, to receive an education, and to one day become missionaries who would carry the Good News of Salvation throughout their tribe. But I praise Lord that He tells me, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher that your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

As I thought of other possible reasons that students would desire to come to school, I thought about how many similar reasons motivated people to come to Jesus during His earthly ministry. True, many sought for healing, for a deeper meaning to life, and some for freedom from demons and sin, but not all were led by pure and righteous motivations. Some were selfishly looking for reward and gain, many for earthly riches and glory. Others were only caught up with the excitement of the crowd and still others came simply to receive a few fish and a couple of pieces of bread. He, who read the thoughts of all, never condemned them for their misplaced motivations. With loving words and example He showed them their selfishness and drew them away from their temporal hopes toward the hope of eternal life that He wanted to offer them. Although, some refused His offer and turned away sorrowfully, from others were heard songs of joy in response to the most freeing words they had ever heard, “Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.” Many were motivated to come to Jesus but none were the same after meeting Him.

Therefore this is our prayer: to offer our students an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ this year. Laying aside our assumptions about others and even our own fears, we welcome each one to taste and see that the Lord is good. Please join with us and pray for our students that this year will be for some the first steps leading to life eternal. 

Blessed to have a Second Year

          Returning to the mission field for a second year is a harder transition than it was the first time. Prior to coming the first year, everything seemed so glamorous and heroic. The whole idea of living in a bamboo hut in the middle of the jungle among a tribal people seemed very adventurous. Even the idea of having a bout of malaria sounded alluring. I was raised listening to stories, read from mission magazines, about heroes of faith and people who dared to go where no one else wanted to go. I had always wanted to live out the stories for myself. I had a mental picture of an Indiana Jones adventure mixed with Hudson Taylor in a place only captured in movies but secret enough that only a few outsiders had ever laid eyes on it. All the thoughts of fear and uncertainty were removed by the excitement of possibly achieving my highest expectation. So with the support of many people behind me, I set out on a life-making experience.

         When I arrived last year, I was high on adventure getting to try all kinds of new foods, hiking challenging trails, learning a new language, and seeing sights beyond my imagination. Even when the honeymoon period was over, and the real work and daily grind set in, I was still enraptured at the thought that my dreams were coming true. I remember moments of nostalgia where I had to figuratively keep my feet on the ground so I didn’t float away. Even after my first bout with malaria, I still didn’t lose that excitement.

          Slowly though, after one too many nights of lost sleep, after seeing demonic harassment face to face, after having a child die as I carried her to the lowlands, everything started to become all too real. The stress of working with different personalities and different cultures began to wear on me. Night after night of hiking home in the dark, after finishing my work, became a begrudging task, especially when the late night hike was followed by an early morning when I needed to be at school by 7am for my first class. The excitement had passed. The things once adventurous became normal and my stress level was close to maxing out.

          Daily, I laid myself before God having to rely on Him alone. Exhausted, I would teach my math classes, and He would carry me through every time. He would bring to my mind examples to explain concepts that were completely foreign to those whom I was teaching. In answer to prayer, God would bring understanding between other missionaries and I. Yes, days became harder and the work load heavier but His strength still remained. Language learning was now full of realizations of how I had been saying phrases or words completely wrong and I had to break poor grammar habits. But I started to realize that indeed I was still breathing, my head was in fact still above the waters of this seemingly impossible work. But somehow, something had to give. Something needed to change or I was going to crack. That was around the time that I began to realize something wonderful.

          These people I had been stumbling through words with, the ones I was trying to teach every day, and the ones who came weekly to our clinic, were no longer just people, they had become something much more than that. I didn’t realize this until when I went to the lowlands for a week long stay. My body found relaxation and so did my mind, but something was missing. It was as if my heart ached for something still, like there was unexplainable hollowness. I found myself humming songs in the native language and in my mind I could picture the smiling faces who sang these songs so often. My heart found joy. These people, my friends, had won my heart.

          In all of these struggles and trails, they had been the only ones I could turn to for interaction and gave me moments of relief from stress. No longer did these smiling children, who sat on my lap, speak words that didn’t make sense to me. They would tell me how their day was and how this foot I was putting a band-aid on was cut by the mean rock on the trail. The men would express their joys and struggles to me and I was able to respond and every so often tell a funny joke to them. It had become nice to laugh with them instead of being laughed at by them. They were the one’s ministering to me when all this time I thought it was I who was helping them. Because of all this, I had found a little place to call home.

         Like I said before, it was hard to leave friends, family, and even the comfort of a warm shower in America for a second time. But, when I finished the first long accent hiking back into the mountains for a second year of what others would call service, that same familiar feeling came back into my heart, I was back in my second home.

PS: Now, I’m sitting here in the school at my desk grading homework and exams. I took a little break to write a letter to say I’m doing fine and that I’m here with my extended family.     

 

He who has promised is faithful...

     When the prospect of returning for a second year was first presented to me I met it with a host of questions. Such as how much more money do I need? How could I leave my family for two years when at the time I was still struggling with leaving them for one year? What about school and my career one day, how would that be affected? How could I in my own strength make it through another faith testing year? These along with many others led to much stress about this decision.
     I began to worry and wonder about many things that were out of my control and as many can attest that kind of worrying cannot add any inches to your stature. In fact the feeling that worrying brings is more like inches are being removed is you sink lower and lower under the pressure. In a moment of prayer a simple yet profound verse came to mind from John 14  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. And when I think of that peace, I realize that peace was the peace that stood the test of the cross and the enormous burden of sin, without uttering a negative word and He promised that peace to me. So decided no matter what the world could bring with all of its changing attacks He who holds my life in His hands, changes not. So why should I worry? Instead I should through pray and Bible study be connected to that peace and stand firmly for He who has promised is faithful.
     With that in mind, God made it evident by providing nearly all money for the second year before I had left for the first year. So half way through the first year, I committed coming staying for the second year and after my recent visit to states, He provided that all of my needs were met and my cup was overflowing with encouragement and love from all my church, family, and friends.
    I put our God to test and He came through, just like every single time before. I can truly say the we have nothing to fear for the future except as we forget the way He led in past. So now I establish a remembrance, so that in the future in times of trouble and storm I can now turn back and recall His faithful leading and how He has carried me all the way.   

Back home, with hope to return.

Hello Friends,
   I'm currently writing from the road heading back to Tennessee. I've returned to the states for the next month. For those of you who have not read or heard about the days of my life over this past year I'll do my best to catch you up. In September of 2011, I set off to Palawan, Philippines to serve as a student missionary with Adventist Frontier Mission. I spent the year teaching high school level math to the native Palawan tribe at the missionary training school established by career missionaries Pastor Kent and Leonda George.
   During my year there, it was my pleasure to try to learn the native language, to assimilate to the local culture, and to allow God to use me to show the character of Christ to His children in that little corner of the world. I saw first hand the hand of God work in my life and in the lives of those I came in contact with. Stories of the many answered prayers and people's hearts once claimed as Satan's property reconciled to Christ could be told. I saw an active Savior fighting a real and tangible battle between the forces of good and evil and let me be one to tell you that good is winning.
At a turning point of this past year I felt called to return for a second year. Having learned the language enough to discuss things of eternally relevance and made friendships with the local people, i feel confident that God can use these tools to build up His kingdom. 
   Last year was only made possible by people who believe in missions and were willing to support God's work among the Palawan tribe. God blessed and multiplied their prayers and monies that was given to accomplish many things last year. If you don't believe me read the previous posts on this blog then ask yourself the question is this work worth supporting? 
   I appeal most importantly for your prayers because nothing is impossible when God's people pray. Secondly I ask that you would sacrifice and support me financially and take part in a plan much bigger than any of us. We'll only know the length of the far reaching results of this great plan in our heavenly home.

Palawan Energy Project

Take time to watch this video. It's about a group of Student Missionaries, who will be returning to the Palawan Project this coming summer to help with some of our serious energy needs. As a project begins to grow and reach people further and further in the dense jungles of Palawan, so increases our need of your support. By supporting the Palawan Energy Project you will play a crucial role bringing the Gospel to a people group who identifies themselves as 'the people of the darkness.' Please help us bring the Light of the World to our people here.

There's a time for everything under the sun.

What do you do with the question of death? For those of us who believe in a loving, caring God, death can prove to be a hard issue to deal with especially when it’s staring you in the face. It seems to be the complete opposite of our God. The joy He brings to a soul, the Father-like care He shows toward us, and the gift of life He has given to us; even these can come into question when we see a life cut short. Can one cope with the dark cloud that rests over them when weeping over a lost loved one? Can we be happy in times like these? Is there an answer to these questions that will lead us closer to God? I say yes. Allow me share with you a story from a recent experience of mine.

Just a few weeks ago on Friday, my day off from school, I decided to take a friend up on his offer to come help him plant rice at his farm. On American or even many Philippino farms it can seem to be an easily accomplished job, but not so in the slash and burn, mountain farms of Palawan.  I had found myself in a situation that was a little more than I was prepared for. We planted most of the morning on the side of the mountain, more comparable to a Double Black Diamond ski slope than any farm I had ever seen. My only worry leaving my house that morning was a sore back from bending over planting all day but there was no bending here. Standing straight up, you only needed to lean forward a little to reach the ground right in front of you. Sore back No, sore everything else Yes, including some nicely blistered hands. I didn’t know how long the work would take but I wasn’t sure if could last the whole day. Around noon we rested and I jumped at the offer to call it a day. So after a bite to eat I headed home.

Arriving at home I was fairly tired and it being my day off, I decided to spend the high noon hours inside and out of the sun. Initially I had intended to rest but my hands quickly got busy making a window. I had wanted to build one for a while now. Time flew by with many aimless thoughts and one-sided mental discussions; before I knew it I had finished my window. But with that out of the way, there wasn’t much else I could do and far be it from this guy to spend a perfectly nice afternoon cleaning his house. So, I decided to show up early for the Friday afternoon Bible study down at another missionary’s house.

I packed up my backpack, gathered my things, locked my door, (that will only keep out an honest man) and started down the trail. I had just left the village, when the thought seemed to shout in my mind, ‘Don’t leave yet!’ A bit startled, I did a once over of all the stuff I needed to have; cell phone, Bible, water, backpack, all was accounted for, so shrugging it off, I went on. I took about ten more steps and Whack! a small piece of bamboo made a less than comfortable impression on my leg. So I stopped and thought for a minute that maybe there was something more to that thought about not leaving. Conceding to wait and see, a little begrudgingly I walked back up to my house, opened the door, and started cleaning. Assuming whatever the reason, having a clean house in preparation for the Sabbath would be a good idea. I did my neglected chores and finished up with the dishes and just as I was pouring the used water outside, one of the village children shouted a greeting to Napthali, a Philippino missionary here at the project.

He rounded the corner of my house and the first thing he said was, “Can you help me?” He was carrying two small children, one in a basket strapped across his forehead and the other in his arms. They had been brought to the clinic a few hours before and needed to be carried out to the hospital in the lowlands. Their mother who followed close behind was carrying her third daughter, all three of her children suffering from typhoid in varying degrees. Her middle daughter, age 3 and doing the best had only been sick for a few days. The baby she carried in her arms was worse but her condition wasn’t anywhere near the condition of 5 year old in the basket who was drifting in and out of consciousness.

I grabbed a bottle of water and we set off, Napthali in front with the three year old, I followed carrying the basket and 5 year old, mom and the baby trailing behind, with a family friend accompanying. Climbing to the top of the first ridge I began to hear the little girl moaning and decided we needed to stop and check on her. When I turn the basket around I could see that having lost all of her strength to keep herself up-right, she had crumpled over in a position that was making it hard for her to breathe. So we straightened her back up, resituated her, and before setting off again we paused to vocalize our already ongoing prayers. Walking again, the groaning persisted and began to worsen with each step, but having seen the urgency of the situation we picked up the pace.

Her moaning became worse and worse so we decided once again to stop and check on her. When I turned her around I saw that she had twisted over again, and while trying to resituate her I could feel the frailty of her body. Her breathing was very labored and every breath seem to be a struggle. Her body and face showed the wear of fighting this sickness for two weeks with little to no food. It didn’t take a health professional to see that this little girl didn’t have much time left to live. Thinking it might help, I wet a bandanna and wiped her head to cool her off. This time our prayers became more urgent as we pleaded with God over the life of this little girl. The mom caught up behind us as I was lifting her and the basket and so we continued on.

Her moaning was weakening as my steps were quickening. We passed the bend in the trail leading us to the top of the last ridge and before descending 1,000 feet out of the mountains. After passing over a small creek, I notice that there wasn’t any sound coming from behind me. We stopped again, this time turning around to see a limp body hunched over in the basket. I reached down the feel for a pulse and there was still a notable heart beat so we decided to take her from the basket so that Napthali could carry her in his arms. As he held her, Napthali admittedly said, ‘She dead.’ But having felt the heart beat I reassured him there still might be a chance. The mother was standing behind me as, Napthali was holding the limp body, gasping she asked, ‘Is she dead?’ Turning without an answer we pushed on.

Coming to Parina, the halfway marker, we stopped one last time to pray and this time we prayed, ‘God, increase our faith so that we can see Your power.’ With as much haste as the trail would allow we started to descend. Not much time passed and we had made to it the creek marking a third of the way down the mountain. We stopped and checking her pulse again I felt nothing. We both could smell that the body had moved its bowels, assuring us that she had in fact died. We talked about it for a moment and Napthali decided to carry the body back to the mountains to be buried in the small graveyard in the jungle next to our clinic. The mom having then caught back up with us asked again, and this time we answered, ‘She’s dead.’ The mother’s countenance dropped and tears began to rush from her eyes as she wailed over her child’s lifeless body. I couldn’t help but do the same as I listened and saw as she embraced her child for the last time. Napthali reminded her of the importance of getting her other two children to the hospital and reluctantly she separated from her child. I could only imagine what the breaking of that bond between mother and child must have felt like.

Our pace slowed down to a walk and the moaning of the dying child had been replaced with the cries of a sorrowful, grieving mother. Each person we passed on the trail seemed to remind her of her loss as she would again break out in tears. We made it down to the meeting place and waited a few minutes for the trike to arrive.

I had been praying the whole way down for this woman and was also trying to make sense out of what I had just seen. But now as I saw the mother sitting there holding her two children, I began to pray all the more for her. She asked me if I would be going with them to the hospital and sadly I said, ‘No, but that there would be someone there to meet you.’ As we sat there an unexpected person walked by, it was one of the Christians from the lowlands and she began to speak with the women, not knowing what had happened. But as they talked she discovered her recent loss and the reason for her grief. She then did what I had completely forgotten to do, but I know now could have only come for another mother. God sent that woman to encourage her and tell her that heaven was very close and that Jesus was coming back soon. She told her that she could pray to Jesus, and that God would help her and comfort her through this trying time. A little later, I sent them off on the trike and watched as they disappeared down the road.

I turned and started hiking, now for the first time realizing how exhausted I really was. Having mixed feelings, I began to pray out loud asking God why that had happened and why things had turned out the way they did. Just then I looked down at the ground and saw a dead, trampled, at one time beautiful, red flower, without a bit of life left in it. Looking at it, I thought of the little girl who had just passed into death’s sleep. ‘What a loss,’ I thought, ‘of something so beautiful.’ Lifting up my head, I saw the long row of bushes along the side of the road that it had fallen from, covered with bright red flowers shining with the glow of the now setting sun. They were living testaments of their Creator, their praise and adoration for Him were almost audible. What a contrast, to the silent, lifeless flower lying at my feet which was a sad but true testament of the degradation that sin causes.

In that moment the lesson was driven home, that there is only one explanation for death and that is sin. The reason that little girl died can be traced back to the cancer of sin that has been killing our planet for six thousand years. There is all around us the evidence of this death causing disease. The Bible reads, ‘the wages of sin is death’ both spiritually and ultimately physically, it is what causes all the hurt and sorrow in our world and universe. But in the same verse, we find the promise of hope, ‘the (free) gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ And just like my friend told the grieving mother, that ‘gift’ is very, very close. Praise God and His son Jesus for giving us the answer to ‘Why is there death?’ and for being the answer for eternal life.

Update since writing this story:

The following Saturday night the mother lost her youngest child to Pneumonia. Please remember her in your prayers.

BUZZZZ! OUCH! HAHA!

Palawan is covered in plants and trees that bear delicious fruit year round, pineapple, bananas, coconuts, avocado, assorted berries, but one of my very favorite are mangoes. Yes while ripe mangoes are usually my favorite, but I've grown to like green mangoes. Although they are a little sour with a little salt they become quiet enjoyable. The only down side is that green mangoes don't fall from the tree, only ripe mangoes do. So in order to get them you need to climb.

One day while returning home with the children from my village, we were passing under a a few mango trees and decided to stop for a snack. Dyubim and I climbed up and started shaking the branches to cause them to fall. Things were going great, mangoes were dropping one after the other to the kid below us. Moving to another branch, I began to shake it but the mango wouldn't come lose, so I did the obvious thing, shake harder. Bad move. What I didn't see was the bee's nest further out on the branch. That second shake sent a number of angry bees, stingers first, straight toward me. One got me on the crown of my head, another on my hand, but the one that brought the most swelling and later much laughter to all who saw it, was the bee that selected my upper lip as his target. A little swelling at first turned it to something....well just look at the picture. PS: Jungle remedy for swelling: heat a banana leaf over flame for 3 second and directly apply to swollen area. Thanks Meyini.

Lesson Learned Part 2:Blessed are the Hungry!!!

Please, read previous post first or none of this will make since. But if you’re too lazy I’ll sum it up for you. Recently, I learned some very good insight on the Palawano mind set in particular and how they value food in the survival situation they call their lives. The words they use to say they are full (no longer in need of food) implies that they are living and have what they need to survive until the next meal whenever that comes. Now that you’re caught up I still encourage you to read the previous post.

As I was processing the epiphany and wondering the lengths of its implications, my mind was drawn to the spiritual implications. I’m sure you are aware of the illustration that Jesus used in the institution of the Lord’s Supper. In Mark 22:19 Jesus took bread and broke it saying, ‘take, eat; this is My body broken for you. A piece of which was given to each disciple signifying that a piece of Himself is given to each one of those that follow Jesus. They took it and ate all of it. And we follow in their example, breaking bread in remembrance of Him. Now anyone who has participated in the Lord’s Supper knows that the small cracker comes nowhere near filling the stomach and more over, you would die of hunger if you didn’t eat anything else until the next time your church did the Lord’s Supper. Obvious, I know, but consider this with me. How often do we take only a small cracker size bit of the Jesus and expect it keep us alive until the next sermon or next time boredom leads to pick up a Bible and to a get fresh spiritual meal. It is no wonder we often find ourselves starving for food of the spiritual sort.

Taking of this spiritual meal, the bread, signifying the character of Jesus, and the wine, the forgiving and atoning blood of Jesus, is to be a daily process. The promise in Lamentations 3:22, 23 says that ‘His mercies are new every morning’ old wine will sour and ferment and old bread will mold and rot away but not these; they are fresh and new every morning. We sing a song that says ‘There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins.’ Indeed there is a fountain springing up from the Author of Love representing the sacrifice given to redeem us. It pours out to all, as a free gift waiting for us to accept it and washes away ‘all our guilty stains.’ In John 6:35 Jesus says ‘I am the bread of life.’ The only source true life is living in a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no substitute, to have live: is to live with Jesus in our hearts.

At my last job had an accountability partner and each morning we would jokingly asked each other if we had eaten ‘breakfast’ yet. If not we’d stop there and pray together and if time allowed it we opened the Bible together. Now that joking exchange has a new meaning. Just like our temporal hunger our spiritual hunger is a gift from God to keep us alive. If it wasn’t for the sensors and reaction in our body to remind us, like I did with my friend, we might miss out on meal after meal. First we salivate, then the stomach growls, and eventually we suffer fatigue for emaciation, all of these are our body’s trying to send the message to the brain, ‘we need food!’ Similar signs can be seen in a spiritual hunger. When some external stimulus trigger a thought of heavenly things, a beautiful flower, the love a mother to her child, or God’s providence in our lives, I would relate that to salivation, a simple reminder. When our thoughts give way to doubt, and our faith wavers, when we see the result of sin in our lives, this is where our spiritual life is growling, and showing its apparent need. When it seems like the walls of life are closing in, our attitude has given way to anger and pride, and when there seems to be no hope, our spirits are suffering fatigue from spiritual emaciation.

Wherever you are today salivating for a delicious meal, growling within as the last meal has long passed, or maybe it’s been so long you can’t remember the last time you were full. My prayer for us today is that our appetites would lead us to Jesus Christ who says, ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ ‘He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’ Matthew 5: John 6:35

Lesson Learned.

As an AFM student missionary we are sent out with two main goals. The first is to fulfill the call that we’ve answered. When a person signs up with AFM they go through an in depth interviewing process with the intentions to best match them with one of the available calls. Once you have chosen from a more specified list it is then understood that supporting the existing mission and the career missionaries will be you main objective while in the field.

The second main objective you are trained to accomplished is language acquisition. A large part the month long training course at AFM is spent practicing the skills necessary to acquire a language in the most effective and efficient manner. This can prove to be one the hardest things, both to train for and later to accomplish, as a student missionary going to the only people group on the planet who speak this language. Most situations require a completely different understanding of grammar, pronunciation not found in western languages, and a great deal of culturally specific conversation styles.

For me it sounded like a daunting undertaking but after much prayer and Bible study I found this. The origins of the language were a result of sinful distrust in God, which then led to the separation of peoples only after they attempted to defy God in building the tower of Babel. (Genesis 11) Because of sin God had to separate the human family. But the plan to redeem that family and eventually to bring it back together at the great heavenly family reunion involves overcoming the separation of language and culture to seek out the lost members of the family of God.

In His closing words to His disciples Jesus says, ‘And these signs will follow those who believe, in my name…they will speak with new tongues.” Mark 16:17 So what this means to me is that Jesus promises that through the teaching power of the Holy Spirit those that believe in Him and go into all the world will speak the Good News of peace to the fellow man in new tongues.

So with this promise in mind I set off to speak with confidence and to take personal ownership of my language learning experience. Now, nearly 7 months have passed of embarrassing mispronunciations that included saying, ‘I have a door on my arm!’ when trying to say ‘I have a spider on my arm!’ (lellangewan meaning door and kelelawa` meaning spider) That or saying ‘I have a serious joke for you.’ instead of saying ‘I have a serious question for you.’ (ungke` meaning joke and ingku` meaning question.) Learning mistakes like those and many other, I have nearly filled a small composition notebook with vocabulary and phrases.

The most interesting part of language learning is the small insights on culture you pick up while practicing. It really caught me off guard when I learned they used the same words for saying ‘I am living now.’ and when they tell someone that they’ve had enough food like, ‘I’m full now.’ The phrase is ‘Mebiyag ku ne.’ Like many culture insight they take a while to develop and grow in your mind until you realize the implications behind what you’ve learned, followed by an epiphany. So I’ll explain:

For a Palawano the main goal of life is survival for not only you but your family and friends. Meaning to have a house to call home, healthy family and friends, and food in everyone’s stomach is enough to be more than thankful for. Once I understood the implication behind how they value life because of how fragile it is here in the mountain, I started to appreciate even more their invitations to share food with each other. In America we’d be sharing just another thing from the pantry, but for a Palawan they are offering to share a part of their life with you. It’s a large part of their love language and they are showing you that they really care for you.

Finding your way into a Palawano’s mind and intellectual belief system can only be accomplished when you have a place in their heart. As a wise person once told me, ‘No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you are care.’ The way you show you care for a Palawano is with food. Therefore, the way into a Palawano’s heart is through their stomach. The lesson of Abigail’s actions in 1 Samuel 25 ring true, where she got through to David’s vengeful mind and later found a place in his heart was through appeasing his stomach.

Lesson learned and applied, and now I wonder what’s next in the vast open ended mysteries behind these people I love so much.

Pray Requests

Update from Palawan and Pray requests:
Today is my last day in the lowland where the internet, running water, and electricity are available. But before I hike back into the mountains I wanted to leave a little update about what things are happening right now in Palawan.
1) School: We are nearing the end of our second quarter at our little mission school in the mountains. It's be nothing short of an adventure so far. We recently have been forced to cancel two of our highschool classes as one of our missionaries here ended her time with us. We still are teaching Bible, Math, Philipino (Tagalog), English, typing and teacher training to our 6 highschool students. It is very sad though that they no longer have a science or history class which were taught by Kiana. We hope to begin them again when Kent and Leonda (our career missionaries return at the end of March) but even that will be a hard untaking as they have many other responsibilties here at the mission. Therefore, I asked that you'll join us in prayer for more teachers. There have been some potiential proscepts that have even visited the mountains but nobody has been found to fill the position. Pray for more teachers.
2) Our Students: Half way through the year can become a bit of a low point for our students and in the past this is when we have some decided to leave school. Recently after a serious situation involving two girls being demonicly harassed a close friend of theirs and a very promising young man named Nitu decided to quit school. We praise God that just recently he has returned to church but we still prayer that he will desire to come back to school. Pray for our students.
3) Transition: Like I mentioned above the project here is going through a bit of a transition. During the past 5 months our career missionaries have been on furlough in the states and we praise the Lord that the things that were holding them back from returning earlier are now moved out of the way and they are coming back. For the current SM's it comes as a relief to have our leaders back with us. It's been an amzing adventure but we are ready to return some of the bigger responsibilties back into their more experienced hands. Also, we recently had to say goodbye to our dear friend Kiana whose service term here in Palawan has come to an end. We all looked up to her and admired her devotion to the people here. She is surely missed but we are confindent that God is leading her 'in the paths of righteousness for His name sake' as she opens a new chapter of her life starting her career as a teacher back in the States. She leaves big whole in our team here 'not physically.' So I just ask that for your prayers as we make some adjustments over the following weeks.
4) Lowland team and supporting ministries: During the past few months their has been controversy and many hurt feelings as there has been a time of unrest for the PAMAS team. They are a branch of GMI that works hand in hand with the AFM team here. I with hold many details because I don't feel it's my place to share them. Recently, there leader suffered a three gun shot wounds two to the face and one in chest at his home in Manila. By a miracle of God, Dewayne Harrison is alive and recovering and is still in need of prayers. Satan has given not rest to the rest of their team and ours down here in Brookes Point. Please pray also for Danny Henson, his wife and two daughters as they plan for the soon future.
5) We need the latter rain. Revelation 18 describes a scene of whole world being lightened with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, prophesy tell us during this time just before the second coming there will be a revival of true godliness among God's remnant people as has never before been witnessed just before the time of trouble and the triumphant return of Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray that you personally ask God to pour upon you the early rain, (Joel 2 18-32) representing a daily portion of His Holy Spirit that will begin to change our hearts and lives to be more like the perfect example our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I ask that you join us as we do the same each day here in Kamantian. Jesus is coming soon!!! and, " being confident is this very things, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:6 and "He who calls you is faithful and who will also do it."
He will prepare us for that time, if we commit our lives to Him today and every day.

As Time Flys by I Stop to Remember

Dear reader,
Whether you be close friend, distant relative, and random blogger. I pray the following will be a true blessing to you on your journey of life's path to what lies just beyond. I've titled this post time flys because coming to a 6 months milestone and turning around to watch it as it passes by I've been able to recount some of the experiences I've had so far living on the frontier of gosple work. Retracing memories of victory in appearent defeat, steadfast standing on shaking groud, and through it all learning more about trust and faith than I ever thought possible. There have been nights of sleep surrendered and long days of work done by strength not coming from within. There were times spent of the mountains of thanksgiving as my cups was appearently overflowing with blessings and also times of darkness where my cup seemed to be all but dry. Turning back I don't have to look to far down the road to spot a story worth passing on.
As of late things have been fairly quite and restful for the missionaries here, not much to write home about. We've been able to settle into our daily routine. For the teachers that meant having time to catch up grading and planning a little ahead in lesson plans. For the nurse and the clinic it means organizing, charting, prepacking assorted medicines, and treating the cuts and bruises and the occsaional malaria patient. But as it sometimes happens relaxation can be short and sweet.
It was Sabbath morning all was quiet and peaceful as the church members gathered at the church for singing and prayer before Sabbath School. Smiles could be seen all around and warm greetings were heard by all, it had all the promises of a happy and restful Sabbath worship service. The numbers grew as worshipper continued to come in. After our time of prayer and thanksgiving we prepared to break off into individual Sabbath School groups. Thats when things started to get stirred up.
Outside of the school house/ church doors waited a small group of people. After a little investigation we were able to find out the reason they had come. One woman was a frequenter of the clinic. She is know on a first name bases but not for all positive reasons. Just recently, she has been stringing together a chain of twisted story that have left our clinic staff feeling as if she has manipulated their vonerablity. The situation had started when she started asking for extra milk for her baby to supplement her breast feeding but later we found out that she had been lying to us and had been giving it away to a friend. Now I'm not saying the clinic here is short on milk or not willing to give it away to all that need it but we make it a priority to see and assess each patient that we can make sure that a case of simple malnurishment isn't worms or any other serious disease. But with that being said the nurses here had been made uneasy by the breach of trust and having to meet this same situation again quickly removed the atmosphere of peace.
The other part of the group that had gather was a father and son of a sick mother who was still at home. Since the clinic here is one of the only place to receive free medical care for the native people we have patient come from far and wide. This family lives a 3 hour hike away from the clinic. They had come that morning asking to receive medicine for the sick mother. The nurses weren't able to gather enough information about her symptoms to be for sure about her illness. It was decided that she would need to be carried to the clinic. So at the end of church some of the young men went with them to bring back their mother, causing us to have to cancel the Bible studies being given in an area newly receptive to the gosple. The boys ended up not being able to carry her in that afternoon and had to return home that night and go back the next morning. After coming back together we recognized that Satan had been at hard work that morning to try and stop the gosple for going forward in those Bible studies and it was discouraging to see that he had won the battle but we had proof that he didn't win the war.

Earlier during the youth Sabbath school that morning three of our girls came under spiritual attacks similar to one's we seen in the past with our young people here. They weren't as serious as what we have seen before when they needed to be protected from hurting themselves but this morning two of them, for short periods of time, would have acute muscle spasms. Uncontrollably and incoherently they would clinch their fists so strongly that it was nearly impossible to pull their fingers apart. But once their hand was reopened they would be coherent again. This has happened in the passed to the same girls. And as we did in the past and as we do always in these situations we prayed. The youth prayed during their Sabbath school and the missionaries gather after church for a special season of prayer primarily for the girls and also for direction as to what we should do for the planned outreach for that afternoon. One of the girls who had been demonically harassed has been mentured to give Bible studies, in particular two each Sabbath afternoon. Sadly, after the long morning of fighting she seemed to exhausted and weary to go on as planned. But we felt that we needed to ask her and also encourage her to still give the Bible study, the first of which was with a few of her own peers near the church. With a tired face she agreed. We shared with her the promise that whenever we work for God, He sends extra angels along side us to strengthen us and they even give us the word to speak.
I wasn't able to go to the Bible study but I can tell what was relayed back to me. The girls still worn down and tried began by singing a few songs. While the were singing, familiar smiles returned to their faces. They opened with prayer and the tone in her voice seemed to have changed from before. The person who had sat down at the beginning of Bible study seemed to be a different person from the one now giving the Bible study. Her saddness and exhaustion had been replaced with joy and energy. She gave a wonderful Bible study and closed with the lesson that no matter how hard the trying times are, we should never stop praying to God.

Following this Bible study, they both hiked up to the top of the ridge to visit with another family and give another Bible study. This one was followed with the same lesson as before, never stop praying. It reminded me a favorite Bible verse in 1 Thessalonians 5 starting in verse 16, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." verse 24. "He who calls you is faithful and who also will do it." And how true His word was for those two girls, He was faithful in their time of need, and He partnered with them and did it.

The God who helped those two young girls is the same God who is making Himself availible to each and everyone of us every moment of our lives. He gave more than we could ever imagined just so that He could be there to help us when we need Him most and there He waits just a prayer away.

Do you get paid do do this?

Recently a group of 3 tourists and their guide came down the
trail that goes passed our school and through our villages here in Kementiyan.
They had stopped for a rest near the clinic. I was curious as to where they
were coming from and more importantly I was concerned about what they were
doing here. So passing by, being the only white person they had seen, they
called me over. After talking for a little while the story I gathered was:
months before they found themselves in need of adventure so they had set to
hike coast to coast, summiting the tallest mountain in Palawan, Kebetangan.
Having hiked 7 days so far they were near the end of their trip and in need of
food. So, I invited them to my house where I cooked rice and gave them the
untouched cans of fruit cocktail I had sitting on my shelf. Tropical Fruit Mix,
untouched because ‘why eat from a can what you can find right outside your door.’
While they were eating we talked some more and I answered a few question about
the mission and what we do here. Then one of them asked me, “Do you get paid
for your work here?” With a smile I replied, “Aside from donation for people
back in America that pay for my food and transportation, not a penny.” They
looked at me like I had a few screws loose, but then returned to eating their
food. We chatted some more then I pointed them in the direction of the trail
heading toward the lowlands.
A few days later, I was talking with Kiana, another teacher
here, telling her about our visitors and all their curious questioning. The
more we talked the more I realized that if being paid with money was the only
reward I received from being a missionary here, it simply wouldn’t be worth it
and I probably would have gave up and quit a long time ago. The things we do
here may appear like work to the American world-view but I guess spending this
small time a missionary has changed that view of mine. I see now why the missionary
Paul said “I count all thing as rubbish.” Yes, of course we need money from our faithful
unselfish donors because that’s how the “busy”ness of our world works. But the
work of the gospel is never limitted by dollar signs; nor can they alone be a
fitting reward for those who are called as His servants. I am starting to
understand that a heavenly eternal reward is worth greater than anything
the riches of this world could offer me in this lifetime. Contrary to the
declining value of the currency that backs our world economy, the work of our
Heavenly Father is backed by a currency redeeming souls everyday “not with
perishable things like silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.”

An update from Palawan:

During the time I was able to post a week ago, the baptized members of the church, including 9 my of high school students, went to a two week Bible training school in the lowlands up on by AFM’s Pilipino sister Philippine Frontier Missions. The president of the organization presented wonderful lectures and messages to a our members covering topics such as Spiritual Warfare, approaching people, and Bible study training, all within a cultural context. During church last week we were able to hear the testimonies from attendees about what had happened and what they had learned, but most importantly we’ve heard from many that they rededicated their lives to Christ. Two people in particular that were answers to prayer: Sublitu, a one-time strong, on fire worker for Christ who had backslidden into old gambling habits and become a stranger to church participation. After returning, one of the missionaries went to visit him on Sunday, market and gambling day, he told them that he wanted to stay home, keeping him far away from temptation. Praise God! Secondly Miuget, a rowdy and energetic teenager who was baptized last spring was reluctant to attend after not being in church for the past 2 months. Upon the last day before the meeting began both of these men ask if they could still go. This is certainly an answer too many prayers. Miuget stood up in church and told everyone of how the two weeks affected him for the good. A little bit about Miuget: He is the only teenage Christian boy in my village and in his time of admitted wavering from the straight and narrow, he would avoid me at all cost. Since his return he has come to my house nearly every night to talk and befriend me in any way he can.

God is moving among His people here in Kementiyan.

All the people who went to the Bible training classes are now leading out in a week of prayer. In the mornings, before school this week we’ve decided to delay school for a time prayer. After a short message from one of our church leaders the student have broke off into groups of 2-3 and prayed both for personal revival and for the church as a whole. Our high school students and elementary school teachers are stepping into the leadership roles. They have caught a glimpse of the potential of the gospel in this valley and they are working together to make that vision a reality.

Please join us in prayer as we push forward with the cross of Jesus leading the way.

Next week, we will be having our annual Christmas Program. This event draws attention and people from although out the valley. Regularly, our little village at its busiest on market day might have about 50 people in it, but during this program last year, there were more than 200 people. All of these people, believer and non-believers alike, will watch two plays put on by the students. The first will be the elementary students, portraying the life work of Christ, from birth to resurrection. Second, will be the high school’s play, a culturally contextual modern day Christmas story. This event is a reason for much prayer. The fire that is burning our hearts and in the hearts of our students and teachers, we pray, will spread throughout the hearts of the people who attend our program this year.

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year