My Trip to the Philippines

I’ve decided the easiest way to tackle this is to just break it up into subjects and sub-topics. There is so much to tell that a lot is going to be left out but enjoy what I did put here. :)

-- Culture --

Scenery – It is very hilly there. There are many plants and it is very tropical. It is beautiful!

Weather – It was hot and humid. It rained several times and it is not even the rainy season yet!

Language – I was under the impression that Spanish was the main language, I was wrong. They speak Tagalog and English. I thought it might be a problem but God didn't allow it to be.

Housing – In some neighborhoods, there were very nice houses and in other places, the houses were not as nice. There were horrible slums in some areas. However, it is not the houses that matter.

Clothing – Some people think, “This is a foreign country. What do they dress like?” Honestly, I have seen Americans who were not as stylish. It was not much different, not that it matters but some people might care to know.

Religion – There is a very strong Catholic background where we were. There were so many churches of all different kinds! Also, as we were in a couple neighborhoods we would see Mormons walking around sharing their stuff.

People – The people were unbelievably generous. No matter how little they might have had, they gave! Everyone I met was nice. They are beautiful people, inside and out!

Food – You probably know I was insanely worried about what I might have to eat. As it turns out, the food was amazing! Beth is a wonderful cook! She made me potato soup one day, I loved it!!! :) The hotels potato skins were definitely not TGI Friday’s though. They were super weird!

Driving – You can quote me on this, “an American will not die in a car wreck, they will die of a heart attack from a near collision!” The driving is insane! It works over there because everyone is on the same wavelength. Here everyone does their own thing, hence the crashes daily! Also they don’t wear seatbelts so coming home was awkward. I had not worn a seatbelt in nearly 2 weeks.

Currency – $1usd = roughly 46pesos. So, when I exchanged money I was shocked that I had over 12,000p. Most of it was money given to me to pay for dinners and travel fare but still! A coke will cost about 7, 13 or 25 p (8oz, 12oz, or 1liter) and you can eat at burger king for less than 3 dollars!

Animals – There were thousands of chickens and roosters everywhere you looked. Half the dogs had mange but my favorite, Wally, didn’t. He’s Pastor Luis’ dog. Such a cute puppy. Gerry has a dog named Bruce. My dad liked Bruce! There were also lots of cats!

--Sharing--

General

– Well this was my first evangelical mission trip and I had not shared my personal testimony before, so I was scared. I thought I was going to be with my dad, but they sent me off with teenagers and he went with some adults. I had no clue what I was supposed to say to these people. I started the first few visits just reading my testimony to them and asking the questions. After consulting with my dad, I figured needed to ask them where they would spend eternity and use the Evangicube as well. After that I felt better about it. I personally shared with over 35 people. 36 of which prayed.

Specific visits

– (I’m bad with names)

Woman with RC – After talking with her she brought us each a RC and crackers. That was my first soda in almost 3 years! For her to give us each a snack was a sacrifice for her so I did not want to offend her.

Girl with baby – We met with a 17 year old girl who had a 6 or so month old baby (I didn’t know it was hers until after we left) and when they told me her father had disowned me I realized how blessed I am to have a father who loves me no matter what. (Not that I’ve had a baby)

6 girl bible study – At one house we met with 6 girls and after sharing with them we took prayer requests and I prayed for them. One really stuck out to me though. This 17-year-old girl is smarter than most college girls. Instead of looking for love, she was praying about it. Can you think of any better way to find a “life partner”? She was letting God give her the perfect man!

George – George has a brother named Daryl or Darren and he would not come out of the house to talk to us. I was saddened that he would not talk to us because I knew it might affect his eternity.

Woman who did not think she was a sinner – I was talking to a woman and after going through the Evangicube and reading my testimony we began questions and when asked if she thought she was a sinner she said no. I was shocked that someone could think they had not messed up. After about 3 minutes, we got that settled and moved on.

Lisa – I thought that when I boarded the plane the trip was over. Not so. In the LAX airport I had another opportunity to witness. I didn’t lead her through the prayer but definitely planted a seed. My dad left his testimony that had the questions on it.

--Individuals—

Pastor Luis – Our Pastor (obviously). The father of 7. A wonderful Christian man!

Beth – His beautiful wife, the amazing cook!

Lois – The oldest daughter of Luis and Beth. She plays the bass guitar. She went out several days with me witnessing.

Lei – A.K.A. scaredy cat! ;) The oldest son of Luis and Beth. He would not come in the houses when he was with us witnessing. Later in the week he did but he kept the nick name!

Lace – The next daughter. She went with us witnessing many times. What a big help it was to have someone translate into Tagalog!

Quoc – The Vietnamese Pastor who LOVED pictures. If you could not find him, he was probably taking a picture! Nick named “the duck” qwok-qwok!

Gerry – I think, the pastor’s right hand man. He was very nice and has a wonderful family! He gave me a shirt that says, “Jesus died to give you Life”. I think it’s so cool!

Jezreel – Gerry’s daughter and one of my friends who helped with witnessing. She is such a sweet girl!

Mae – She called me “Dora” since I always had my backpack. She got me a miniature bench because I love the furniture and she knew I could not take it home so she had a little one made with my name on it. I think some others may have chipped in, but I am not sure who all.

Erika – Yet another teenage translator/witness for Christ. The first time I met her I must have missed her name so it was like 2 days before I learned her name. I won’t forget it though. She gave me a letter that was so sweet. I miss everyone!

--Experiences—

First Solo – The first Sunday, on the way to the church I was asked to sing. That is something you could not pay me enough to do! I said ok. They did not have music and I had to sing alone so I had my first A Cappella solo! I sang “Mighty To Save”. At the second church, the band played with me and I felt better about that one.

Jack Fruit – In the afternoon, we went to a home church and sat outside in a circle under a tree. I sat down without noticing that I was sitting under 3 giant Jack fruits. After they were pointed out to me I was nervous they would fall. They did not fall, but they leaked a gross brown juice onto my arm.

Saturday – On Saturday, we did not visit with people. Instead, they took us to the People’s Park in Tagaytay, where I bought some souvenirs. They have a zip line there. I was in another country with a once in a lifetime opportunity to have some fun. So for $10 my dad and I rode the zip line and got our picture! It was so fun! When we came home and showed my mom the picture she just about fell over. Later, we went to the mall for extra shopping and some other stuff.

To all the IC volunteers, Americans, Vietnamese and Filipinos alike, I say Thank you for this wonderful experience!

Feel free to ask any questions about anything!!! :)