Here are the highlights:
The end of January, the high school students put on an English program at the school one evening to practice and showcase their English language learning. I should mention that our high school is down to 2 students, well 3 once Dyillin (Jillin) returns from the States. Over the month of January many students from various levels but starting with high school, dropped out of school. I am sure there are various reasons for doing so such as the long distance to walk to school, their families wanting them to work... Some walk 45+ minutes and have to cross a river to come to school. During rainy season this is very difficult as the river rises quickly and the trails are slippery but its not rainy season right now. Some find school hard and just don't want to continue. Please pray for the students that are still in school that they will desire to continue their schooling and those that have dropped out will want to return. School is a very important place for the students to learn about Jesus.
So back to the English program/worship put on by Dyeanie and Kalbu with the assistance of Josh their teacher. They gave us written invitations a few days earlier in English, then the evening of, they welcomed us in English and gave us programs they themselves had written up in English and had each uniquely illustrated. I found my invitation very cute, they spelled my first name correctly but then spelled my last name as Calate. I know they put the C because they have learned English has a letter C that can sound like their K. Most of the Palawanos around here spell my name as Misil. They don't have C in their alphabet you might recall and don't use H with S; they don't seem to have the 'sh' sound or use it much, at least not in their names. They sang songs with us in English, did a special music, played a couple games with us like “Simon says...” and prayed both in opening and closing. They prayed so simply but profoundly. Josh told us that they decided what they wanted to pray then he just helped them write and memorize it in English. Dyeanie and Kalbu did such a good job! I had such fun and was so proud of them. I kept saying thank you in Palawano and had a hard time remembering that for this evening I could greet and thank them in English.
In a lot of ways I feel our team has been under attach by Satan these past few weeks. So many of us were sick and not feeling well. Unfortunately one of our fellow Philippino team mates decided to return home as she was sick but also for other personal reasons. I don't want to focus on this in a negative light but instead wanted to thank you for your continued prayers that have sustained us during these hard times. I know it is only through God's power, strength and mercy that we have survived. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” Phil 4:13.
There are a few things I have realized this past week. I have killed someone. As I listened to a sermon from ACTS 2009 by Steve Conway it really hit me that I have been the cause of someone's death. Someone didn't just die for me, I caused their death. And I have been thinking, how does that make me feel? Of course you all know that I am talking about Jesus but please don't look at this like its the same old same old. I think we have gotten use to the idea of Christ's death in our behalf and have stopped feeling and thinking about it. As an inspired writer wrote, (I am paraphrasing) it would do us good to spend a thoughtful hour each day contemplating the cross and Christ's death in our behalf. I have been convicted lately of the need to view Christ's death in my behalf and yours in a more profound way. I don't think it happens overnight and I don't think it happens by accident, but it is something we all need. After all the good news of salvation is only as good as the bad news is bad. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” John 3:16-17. I have been convicted of my own sinfulness and shortcomings this year but praise God it only helps me that much more appreciate God's love for me and His forgiveness. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” 2 Cor 12:9b. “...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Phil 1:6. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Cor 5:17.
It also reminds me of the need to not judge others. As human beings it is so easy to judge or make conclusions about others but as we truly see ourselves in relation to our perfect God and see our own sinfulness it brings compassion for others who are sinful just like we are. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” Matt 7:1-2 NIV. I also really like it in the CEV version “Don't condemn others and God won't condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them.”
This last week I also celebrated my 25th birthday! As Danelle pointed out, I am now a quarter of a century old! It doesn't sound as appealing! A lot has happened in this past year and I look forward to seeing what surprises this next year will hold. All the missionaries gathered on Monday evening for a potluck for my birthday, although a couple of days early because that was when we would all be around. We had such good food! There was green nunka (jackfruit) cooked up in coconut milk with onions and tomatoes. Napthali and Josh had cooked that up and slightly burned the nunka so it had a nice fire-roasted taste, reminded me of panago pizza, the primo veggie pizza! Carrine made buko salad or young coconut fruit salad. Their were also patties and even chocolate cake for desert! They had one birthday candle for me to blow out! I was supposed to make a wish but instead sort of just asked God to do as He wishes. He knows my hearts' desires but I want to do whatever He wants and pray that He will give me the correct desires; that they are from Him alone. The day of my actual birthday passed without too much out of ordinary. I forgot it was my birthday as first. Then I remembered later to open the two cards I had been waiting to open. I had received a bunch of packages on the Friday before. One had been sent in early November, another from my mom in early December and one more in January. They just arrived! Small cards arrive here quickly like in 2-3 weeks but packages can take 1-3 months depending if air mail and on the size. So far God has blessed and although we were told mail is unreliable, I have received everything sent to me!
One last highlight. Kela'ulu (literally translated big head) has three daughters who come and sell us produce quite often, usually a couple times a week. Dillet, Marlin and Dyalin (Jalin) and their friend Dyusie (Josie) are quite the persistent saleswomen! And they drive a hard bargain! Grin. I really like them especially after I had gotten to know them more. I am very grateful to them because they provide me with linitgid, my addiction here. Its grated kumbahung root or cassava (not poisonous here). I cook it very thinly in a frying pan without oil and it makes a very nice flat bread like chappati. I like to eat it with peanut butter and jam or tomatoes and mayonnaise. Anyways their father offered to have them teach me how to make this other food from kumbahung which he thinks is even better than linitgid. I agreed and we set the time to meet on Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately Tuesday afternoon I was so exhausted all I could do was sit and read. I was dreading them coming because I was not sure I would have the energy to hike to their house for them to teach me. Sure enough they came but suprises of suprises they brought everything they needed to teach me right on my own porch! It was so wonderful and I was so excited and thankful. So they had me wash and grate the kumbahung with this special tool. The tool, which you hold in your hand, has curled bits of metal on the end to make round strands of the root. It made it look like spaghetti or worms! Then we washed the starch out of the strands and then steamed them up! Its called merut (ma-root). It tasted delicious like potatoe pancakes. By then the starch had settled down in the bottom of the bowl, that we had washed the kumbahung strands in, and so we poured off the water and then they showed me how to scoop it into a frying pan and cook the starch. It looked like really thick wet corn starch but once it was cooked looked like the linitgid flatbread just a little more crunchy and chewy. Its called nuntek (nun-tock).
If I am able to attach pictures I want to show you how even the animals enjoy church here and are eager to come!
Today Danelle and I learned how to suture! Neither of us had sutured before, only watched Doctors/Dentists back home, not even here. Its quite common here for people to cut themselves with their tukews (machetes) as they use them for everything from cutting firewood, to cutting grass, cutting vegetables, mostly roots for cooking, to clearning jungle, to digging up roots! I even saw one lady today using hers to pull a slinter out of her granddaughter's foot! Niksun cut himself while working in his field. Thankfully he came to us right away. We have steri stripped a few cuts already but this one although small, was deep enough to need a suture or stitch. So we took turns freezing the two sides of the cut and put in two sutures, one each! Because it was on the back of his hand we didn't have to do a finger block just local infiltration or whatever its called. There has been some concern that maybe he cut or damaged his ligament as he is having some trouble moving his thumb. Please pray for complete healing and that Niksun will have complete use of his left hand to be able to continue to play guitar and thus praise God!
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