Philippines Trip January 2011 #7

Yesterday was a restful and relaxing sabbath. We had decided to go to the 8AM mass at the Cathedral, so it was a bit of a rush for Christy to get the little ones ready. She made us feel at home by not fussing over our breakfast and just letting us fend for ourselves. This was just one of many ways that Christy and her family have made us feel at home already. We were always close to her family, but we had not had the opportunity to get to know Christy very well as an adult with her own family. Already in this week we really feel that we have been accepted as parents and grandparents in her family. We feel at home and at ease here. After mass we met the Bishop and made an appointment to visit him this morning. Then we went up to the provincial capitol which is on a ridge overlooking Tabuk with a beautiful view of the whole city. From there we went out to the dam on the Chico River (about 10K out of town). This dam was completed after we left Kalinga and Ginny had not seen it before. The Chico river drains the mountains in upper Kalinga province and then broadens out into a wide delta around Tabuk. The dam provides irrigation for a large area of farmlands in lower Kalinga and even in a neighbouring province, making this a prime rice growing area in the Philippines and attracting many new immigrants from other parts of the country. While we were at the dam site Eduardo decided on the spur of the moment that it might be fun to have a boat ride on the river. There are boats which ferry people across to villages on the other side. The boats are driven by a small Briggs and Stratton engine which drives a propeller as soon as the boatman yanks the rope to start it. It was a fun ride for all of us. By then we were all hungry and stopped at their favourite Sunday restaurant for some “pancit” a favourite Philippine dish of noodles, vegetables and meat. Then we came home for a nice Sunday nap. After the nap Christy took us to visit our good friend Contes and his family. Contes is the only surviving member of our original translation team. He is 84, but he still hopes to join us for the hike up the mountain into Asibanglan next week for the dedication of the memorial library in honour of those who have gone before. Our evening meal was lighter than usual, just the way we would do it at home and then we even had popcorn at night. We spent the evening in quiet pursuits like reading, working on a puzzle that Ginny had brought and listening (and some singing along) to worship songs I had saved on my computer. During the night we got some rain – a bit of a problem for Eduardo because the construction on the second floor has required opening up some of the roof. So there was a bit of scrambling up above this morning to stem the leaks caused by the rain. As we welcome a new day, most of you are at the end of yours. I hope it has been a restful day for you too.