Philippines Trip January 2011 #15

Today the adventure moves into high gear – the climax of our month here. We will leave Tabuk early this morning (It’s Friday here already), for our journey deep into the Kalinga mountains to Asibanglan, one of the remotest places in the Philippines. That is where we helped start the Limos Kalinga translation project 35 years ago. That is where our friend Pedro gave his life for his friends and that is where we have now helped the people build a memorial library/reading centre to honour his memory and 2 other co-translators who have gone before. Together with the community we have planned a program that we trust will be honouring to God and the memory of the people who gave themselves to this project and we pray that the event will inspire the community to deeper discipleship and help in their education. We are providing 2 pigs for the feast. Since pigs are bigger and less expensive here in Tabuk than the native pigs they raise in Asibanglan, we purchased the pigs here. At least 21 people from Asibanglan will be meeting us at the place where the road ends and the hike begins to help carry the pigs, other food and our luggage up the mountain. We are joined in the adventure today  by my brother Dave and his wife Debbie and by Dann and Joji Pantoja (with their co-worker Regina) who work in Peacemaking here in the Philippines through Mennonite Witness and an organization they are developing called Peacebuilders Community. Dann and Joji and Regina are Filipinos, but Dann and Joji lived in Canada for 20 years where Dann also did a graduate degree at Vancouver School of Theology. We were so excited to finally welcome Dave and Debbie early yesterday morning after their 10 hour night bus trip from Manila (this because their flight on Wednesday was cancelled by bad weather). So yesterday was an exciting day of interacting with these friends. It ended in the evening with Eduardo and Christy making another quick trip into Tuguegarao to pick up Kiyoko, our Japanese co-worker who was in Asibanglan when Pedro was killed. Yesterday afternoon Dann, Joji, Regina and I also had a fabulous meeting with Bishop Andaya. As I have shared earlier, Bishop is very much involved as a Peacemaker here in Kalinga and it was great to get these Christian Peacemakers together and feel the energy as they shared about our common commitment to discipleship in the way of Jesus and strategies for helping our Kalinga friends experience peace (true shalom) in their daily experience. There were moment when I got goose bumps listening to the conversation and imagining what God might do under the power of the Spirit and with the combined energy and imagination of these dear friends. I think yesterday’s meeting was the beginning of many new adventures on the journey with God and the Kalinga people. I hope I get to see a lot more of that in the years to come. The day is about to begin here as the daily pig butchering has begun, the roosters are enthusiastically announcing the imminent dawn and the pan de sal vendor will shortly be out singing his wares through town. May it be a day of blessing for us and all whose lives we touch today.