Philippines Trip January 2011 #19 - The adventure continues to the end

The adventure continues to the end. We just enjoyed two marvellous days in Korea with brother Erv and Marian. We loved the luxury and efficiency of Korea. The roads, trains and buses are some of the best we have seen anywhere. Everything runs smoothly and on time. It was a joy also to see the work of Peacemaking through the Korea Anabaptist Centre.

We were tracking the storm heading for Chicago and Toronto, our final destinations. Sure enough when we got to the airport in Korea we saw immediately that our flight to Chicago was CANCELLED. We rushed to the Asiana Airlines ticketing place wondering, “Can you get us home another way?” They graciously changed our itinerary through LAX and then on to Toronto. That flight left much earlier than the flight we were originally scheduled on, so getting through all the preliminaries and onto the flight was a bit of a challenge, but I credit Asiana for excellent service. It was a relief to finally be on the way, just hoping that the storm would have subsided and the LAX to Toronto would not be delayed or cancelled. So far so good. We are checked in with only a very slight delay. So, we should actually get to Toronto earlier than if we had made our original itinerary. It is good to be on the way home.

Philippines Trip January 2011 - Debbie and Dave reflect on their experience

Dave and I returned home last night from our amazing adventures in the Philippines with Hart and Ginny. As Hart kept reminding us, "I want you to have the FULL experience while you are here", and we sure did! We have become honourary family members of our new Kalinga friends and we were overwhelmed and thankful for their warm hospitality and generosity.

After 4 days of travel ( incl. 2 international flights, 1 missed domestic flight and an overnight bus ride) we finally arrived in Tabuk, met by a familiar smiling face - Hart, and we were warmly welcomed into Christy and Eduardo's home. We had one day to acclimatize ourselves, and then we were off very early the next morning for our trek to Asibanglan. Dave sat on the top of the Jeepney for half of the 3 hour trip to the base of the mountain (along with 2 live pigs, a basket of live chickens, a few bags of rice, various other supplies, and a few other people!). We were met at the base of the mountain by 21 men from the village who would carry all our supplies and baggage... thankfully! because just getting ourselves up that slippery, muddy 6 km. mountain road was challenge enough!

And what a hike that was! After awhile, it wasn't worth fighting with the mud, so some of us ended up walking barefoot. (The funny thing was, that while we were muddy almost from head to foot when we arrived, the local folks were clean!) In just over 3 hours we arrived at the school in Asibanglan where we were greeted by many children and their teachers. For me it was a very emotional arrival... being in this place that we had heard so much about from Hart and Ginny.

Meeting Doleng (Pedro's widow) and staying in her home was also very overwhelming... we never understood the full weight of Pedro's death and it's aftermath at the time when it happened. Doleng is such a gracious, giving, loving woman... knowing what she has endured over the years, I marvelled at the calmness and joy always evident on her face. She has an "open door" policy at her place, and you can tell that many people love being around her. Her home is truly the "Starbuck's" of Asibanglan!

Our first night at Doleng's was an adventure... while about 20 of us slept inside the house, all the preparations for the next day's feast were happening right below us (the house is on stilts). Yes, even the butchering of those 2 pigs! The smells kept me awake more than the noises!

The next day was an all-day celebration and feast - the new library/ resource centre was dedicated in memory of Pedro and 2 others. Imagine... a library, where a written language did not even exist in 1973 when Hart and Ginny moved there! This is a community that has been deeply changed and affected by having a Bible written in their own language... what a privilege it was for us to see the fruits of Hart and Ginny's love for God and for this village. One thought that kept coming to me was how God has multiplied the faithfulness of Hart and Ginny's life and service in this little village over the years... we were so privileged to be witnesses to this!

What a party we had that day! There was a mass, lots of singing, touching speeches, games, food and of course, dancing. Together with most of the village, we danced the traditional Kalinga dance, me in my multi-coloured skirt and Dave in his g-string! Sorry, no pictures :) Our 4 days spent in Asibanglan were very rich and very inspiring. Our trek down the mountain was even more eventful than the trip up because it rained the whole way :)

We also made a day trip to Bagabag and the Banaue rice terraces. Our last few days were spent at the SIL guesthouse in Manila.

This reflection only touches the surface of what we experienced... I think we will be changed people because of this trip.

Debbie