Meeting John Mark, our Compassion Child

After eight years, we got to me the boy that we had been sponsoring! We went with three compassion staff to his school to pick him up for the day. His mom met us at his school. They had arranged ahead of time for him to be able to leave school. At first he was very shy, just tipping his head up for yes, a typical Filipino gesture.

When asked what he'd like to do first, he wanted to take us to his house. So off we went. He lives in a squatter's settlement in a house similar to a hut in the mountains. We were probably quite a sight walking to his house. It was our family, Pio and his sister, Joanne, Katrin, a volunteer from Germany, and 3 compassion staff workers. Skip, the kids, and I were given chairs to sit on in the kitchen. I was giving out presents when the floor dropped a couple of inches. Skip thought it was a good time for him to step outside! Apparently, the floor isn't used to so much weight! We took a group picture with our family and his and then left.

We took John Mark, his mom, dad, and younger brother out for lunch at a buffet restaurant. They looked like they might need a good meal. As soon as we finished eating my kids had the Uno cards out. It was one of the gifts we had given John Mark. As we started playing, John Mark began to relax and feel more comfortable with us. We played several rounds and were having fun.

While I was playing cards, Joanne starting asking his parents some questions to get to know them. She is a formal social worker and has previously worked with World Vision. She seemed to know what questions to ask to get them to start to talk. Emma, his mom, shared how they had met. Before they were married, her husband used to stalk her. Emma's mom was afraid he would rape her so she insisted that Emma marry him. A decision I'm not quite sure I understand. Emma cried through the wedding ceremony, knowing that she was marrying an alcoholic drug addict. Their life together was very rocky. Emma is a construction worker and very strong. At times she had to literally carry her drunk husband home. She would get angry at him and beat him. One time, she almost strangled him to death but someone intervened. Two years ago he developed asthma. It forced him to get off of drugs. Emma currently works as a construction worker making 170 pesos a day. His dad is unemployed. They spend 60 pesos a day on rice. John Mark and his 11 year old brother each receive 30 pesos a day for food while at school. The remaining 50 pesos is used for food to go with the rice. Not much to live on!

John Mark was such a sweet, polite boy. He had a ready smile and seemed quite bright. He does well in school, especially in math and science. It's hard to believe that he has been growing up in such a rough home life. His parents seemed to have reconciled and were amicable to each other. John Mark and his mom know Christ but his dad does not. It is required by Compassion that the mothers of sponsored children attend a weekly mom's group. Emma is trying to get her husband to attend since she is working and he is not. Please pray that the influence of his family and that of Compassion will help bring his father to the Lord. Only Christ can really make a difference in this family.

We ended our trip with a stop at the mall to get John Mark a basketball. I had brought an air pump with me but the basketball didn't fit in our already overloaded suitcases! I saw a court nearby his house that he'll be able to play on. We also gave money to Joann for her to take Emma grocery shopping. She was able to buy enough rice for three weeks and vitamins for the kids. She was overwhelmed by the gesture.

I'm very thankful for the chance to meet the Valores'. I learned a lot about his life in a very short amount of time. His house was nicer than I had imagined but the home life was much worse than I thought. That had never come through in the letters. It was such a gift to get to meet them and I now know how to better pray for him. By the time we left, the kids and John Mark were playing together and enjoying each other. I hope this becomes an annual event.

Hong Kong

Our spur of the moment trip to Hong Kong to avoid paying the renewal fees for our visas, worked. We came back into the Philippines yesterday and were granted another 59 days! Who would of thought that flying round trip to another country would cost less than renewing our visas? But, God worked it out wonderfully and we got to meet new friends.

Hong Kong is small in land mass but large in population. As a result, it is all tall buildings wherever you look. It's a very clean city with a great, easy to use public transportation system. We were able to navigate the city by ourselves if it was needed. The most confusing part is after you get off of the MTR, the train that goes both underground and above ground. The most congested parts of Hong Kong are underground. When you get off its like an underground city! There are restaurants, shops, and malls. It was really cool! You can walk blocks and cross streets all underground and in air conditioning! There were escalators everywhere. Hong Kong is very mountainous, which makes for a beautiful backdrop to the city skyline. So there where even escalators outside. It's definitely a very modern city. Skip said he felt like a country bumpkin gawking at all the tall buildings

Helen, who was part of our team last year, met us at the airport. She took us to where we were staying and took as to dinner. It was a traditional Chinese meal, served family style. Unlike the US, chopsticks are not optional, they are the only thing available. Its either learn or starve. I don't think I'll be switching to the Chinese menu anytime soon! (skip enjoyed it)We had 11 courses and dessert. The first course was a platter of pig's feet, cow tongue, pork in jello, and jellyfish. It got a little better after that. Maia liked the dumplings and ate half of them. Jackson didn't like any of it so we stopped at McDonald's on the way home. Thank God for MickeyD's! The kids may not have survived without it!

We stayed with Agnes, a friend of TMFI. She has previously been to the Philippines on a missions trip. She has a 3 bedroom flat on the 28th floor. The kids kept calling it a hotel. They seemed to think any tall building you stay in is a hotel, not a home! We took a bus from the airport to Lam Tin, the section of Hong Kong where Agnes lives. Jackson loved the ride on a double decker bus! We sat up on top, of course. We went across a bridge over the ship yards. Again, Jackson was loving it. He's always loved ships. From the window at Agnes', we over looked the water and could see Hong Kong Island. Jackson spent lots of time looking at the cruise ships, ferries, and cargo ships. The city skyline looked beautiful at night.

Sunday was our first full day. Agnes took us to church at St. James, an English speaking church. The pastor sounded like he was from the UK. It definitely had the British influence with its formal service and conservative singing style, very un-Asian. Another friend of TMFI, Courtney, met us at church. We all went to lunch afterward. This was also Chinese but very good. Next we were off to see take a tram up to "The Peak," a great spot above the city. To get there we crossed to Hong Kong Island by ferry, a highlight for Jackson, of course. The Peak is a building shaped like a boat on a short tower. It has a great view of the city. From there we took the MTR under the water to get back to Agnes' flat, another exciting adventure for the kids. Helen, Juliet, and Ada met us there. Helen had cooked for us. I can't remember the name of what I really enjoyed but it was similar to a corn fritter with shrimp inside. Dipped in banana ketchup, it was delicious! Afterward we got to know everyone and Skip shared a mini Bible study. Thankfully, the kids were able to get to bed after dinner. It was a fun night but the party didn't end till 11. Helen had an hour trip home and then work in the morning, yuck!

Monday was the highlight for the kids. It was off to Disneyland Hong Kong! We took the MTR, meeting Courtney along the way, switching lines, and eventually getting onto the Disney MTR. The Disney experience began here. This one was above ground and the windows were shaped like Mickey's head & ears. Inside it had Mickey handles and Disney sculptures. Courtney had taken off work to go with us. She had a Disney employee for a friend who gave us three tickets to get in! After we went through the gates, I was approached by another employee. She wanted to know if we'd be the Grand Marshal for the parade! Of course, we agreed. It was in the afternoon and we all got monogrammed Mickey hats to keep. It was fun! (Jackson & Maia's favorite line of the day was, "Grandma will be so jealous!") When asked what their favorite rides was, the kids can't couldn't come up with just one. Every time we got off a ride, they wanted to ride it again! They liked Buzz Light Year, It's a Small World, and Space Mountain. Maia was just tall enough to ride Space Mountain and we rode it twice. I was surprised she enjoyed it! Skip, Lilet, and Courtney got tired but the kids and I kept going! We ended the day by watching a great fireworks show over the castle.

Tuesday we went to Helen's house for breakfast. She lives in the "country" on the 31st floor of her building. Obviously, countryside means something different in HK than in the US! I defined it as having some space between the buildings! Actually, here it was less crowded and there was a bike rack outside of the MTR station. Some of the buildings were only 4 stories high. This is the edge of HK and we could see across the border into China. On a side note, we had hoped to go "underground" in China but it didn't work out. While at Helen's, we met her 76 year old mother. She just recently had nasal surgery and suffers from depression. Se even came out of her room to see us. Before we left, we prayed for her. I think she enjoyed seeing kids.

Helen took went with us on the MTR to meet with two ladies from the Cedar Fund, an organization that has been supporting TMFI's FLIC projects. They took us to lunch, which lasted most of the afternoon. They have not been to the Philippines yet to see what they have been funding. We took the opportunity to share about our experiences this summer. They had lots of questions. It was enjoyable afternoon.

We had about two hours before we met Ada, so we took the MTR to get to some street markets. We love hitting the outdoor markets! They are like fleas markets but selling new items. I enjoyed the ladies market and the kids liked the goldfish markets. It was two blocks of fish, lizards and turtles. (While there, we found Nemo! He was with Dori! Soooo, glad that's solved.) We went to dinner with Agnes, Courtney, and Ada and then off to more markets. I made a purchase at a little grocery store and then the man, who I think was the owner, came with me to make two additional purchases on the street. He was my negotiator! Between Agnes and I, earlier in the day, and the store owner later, I got some good deals! It was quite fun but tiring! We didn't get back to the flat until midnight. Fortunately, the kids were troopers and didn't even complain! Maia did fall asleep in my arms as we were shopping.

After staying up till 2 AM trying to figure out how we were going to get it all packed and most importantly, distribute the weight in our bags to meet the airline requirements of 30 pounds, we were off to the bus stop at 7 AM. That completed our whirlwind tour of Hong Kong. We had a great time but more importantly, made some great new friends. They were incredible hosts and we're hoping they'll visit us some day so we can return the favor!

Pastor Robert

Please pray for Pastor Robert. Pastor Robert has been hospitalized with malaria. He is the pastor who has the heart to plant a church in Botoy. Two months before our team arrived his infant son died of complications from a hole in his heart. While we were in Botoy, he took his six year old daughter to the hospital. She died later that week from malaria. Please pray for his recovery, that his wife and two remaining children stay healthy, and that he will not become discouraged. Satan is trying to stop the church in Botoy. Please pray that he won't succeed.

agusan

We recently had an invite to attend a church on the outskirts of the Agusan marsh. Apparently being a foreigner leads to the assumption that you are a good preacher. (so far I have been introduced as Pastor Skip 3 times) We left Saturday the 3rd for Agusan. Public transportation is the way to go here in the Philippines, so we boarded our air-con bus and set out. The 5 hour bus ride to San Fransisco was pretty unremarkable, other than the fact that a trip of probably less than 100 miles took 5 hours. The bus terminal CRs(bathrooms) were very remarkable, but I won't get into that here.
We were met at the San Fransisco bus terminal by Pastor Don-Don and his wife Jeanette. They took us to lunch then to our hotel. We had come packed with hammocks and mosquito nets prepared to sleep at his house, only to be surprised and escorted to the nicest hotel in SF. The tribal pastors that Ptr Don-Don oversees had God speak and tell them to sow seeds in good soil. They were told we were good soil, so they all chipped in and paid for 2 nights in the hotel for us. I would've been content at Pastor Don-Don's house, but my first hot shower in 2 months felt pretty good.
The next day we took the bus 15 min to 4 square church. Whites always create a spectacle in these situations. The congregations are so welcoming it's humbling. After the Philippine praise and worship, which really has to be experienced, not described, I spoke on love, specifically the love of Christ, as being our motivation for everything we do. I used 2 Peter 1:3-11 as my main passage, and talked about how we can grow to love people more, with the love of Christ, and when this happens we will be more productive and useful. Now I am far from a great speaker and was relying on God to give me the subject matter that would impact the people. I was told afterward that the sermon fit in with what they had talked about the week before, and also went right along with the prophecy spoken during praise and worship. I thank God for using me!
After the agape meal after church Kerry spoke to the women of the church while I sat in on the pastors meeting. This was with 10 tribal pastors and several leaders. I kept myself awake (unsuccesfully) by watching the pastor's evil pet monkey. He would seem friendlly until someone would approach him. When they were just out of reach he would lunge from his bamboo perch, arms extended, shreiking a blood curdling scream. Just as you thought he would claw out your eyeballs, the chain would catch him and he would do a complete flip around the bamboo and sit back with a smug expression. It was fun watching people have the same reaction I did when it happened to me.(yelling and ducking so fast you almost hit the ground)
For the evening we had another agape meal, this time a Philippines specialty, Lechon Baboy.(roast Pig) This was delivered off the back of a motorcycle along with pop, fruit salad, and rice. The evening ended with 2 of the pastors returning with us to the hotel for prayer.
This was a new place for us to visit, and we were invited back to visit the interior of the marsh and visit the tribal churches. These are accessed by a 3-6 hour boat ride, depending on the water levels. From my understanding the marsh encompasses about 1,000,000 acres and is home to many species of wildlife, including crocodiles. I can't wait to go!
The Indigenous people of the Philippines continue to amaze me with their generosity, hospitality, and most of all their faith. They live under some of the most difficult conditions I have seen, and depend on God literally for their daily bread. We in the West seem to make it our goal to not need God in our lives. We plan for retirement, we have health insurance, life insurance, house/car insurance, excesses of food, clothes. What do we need God for? I think without a dependence on God for physical needs, we have a harder time with dependence for our spiritual needs also. America says that money is the key to happiness. Our wealth blinds us to the poverty of our souls. The American Way says we can always do it ourselves. We CAN'T! God's grace for our sins is the only solution.

On the lighter side...Public Transportation

I want to fully experience the culture and part of that is being able to get into and out of the city by myself. We live about 15 miles from downtown, or a one hour commute using public transportation. The Saturday before the Kurtz's arrived I was making my second solo trip to the city to go grocery shopping. I was going to a different grocery store, conveniently located in the mall, which required going a different way than my first trip. I needed to switch jeepneys in the Matina section of the city. I thought I new were that was. I got off the jeepney, walked around the corner, and their sat another jeepney. I asked if he was going to NCCC and he replied and motioned to me. I couldn't hear what he said, so I repeated my question. I still couldn't hear or maybe understand, his reply but his motion's seemed to indicate that yes, he was going to NCCC. He seemed annoyed that he had to repeat himself. I hopped on board and off we went. Immediately, the road seemed wrong. I knew it was a short ride so I decided if I didn't see the mall soon, I'd get off. Well, no sooner had I decided that when we turned onto a narrow, one lane road. I knew this was not right. The problem was, if I got off, I didn't see any jeepney's going the other way to get back. It was a very poor section and I knew they didn't have white people walk down their street everyday. I figured all jeepney's have a route and it would either turn around or go in a circle. I thought I'd just ride it out. I began to see water on my right. Definitely, I was not going to the mall! When I was the last one left on the jeepney, I asked the lady taking the money if it turned around or went in a circle. She didn't speak English. I pointed to myself and said, "Wrong jeepney. How much?" The driver turned around and said 5 pesos. As I was handing them my money, a jeepney was coming toward us. The driver of the jeepney I was in leaned out the window and said something to the other driver. He looked at me and said, "Matina?" I answered yes. He motioned me to the other jeepney. I thanked him and hopped on board the other jeepney. When we got back to where I had first switched jeepney's, I paid my 5 pesos and got off. I didn't know the minimum payment was 7 pesos. I figured if it was 5 one way it would be 5 to go back. Oops!

I had figured out where I had gone wrong. When I got off the first jeepney I wasn't supposed to go around the corner. I was just supposed to switch jeepney's. I went around the corner to the correct street and there was another jeepney. A man looked at me and asked, "NCCC?" I answered yes and hopped on board! Thank the Lord, I made it safely to the mall. I just refer to my detour as a cheap sightseeing trip, a spot most tourist overlook!

I do much better now, the Kurtz's allowed me to take Emi to the mall. My only concern now is that car rides put me to sleep. Especially, long hot rides. I hope I don't fall asleep some day and find myself in an unknown location! It may be my next adventure!

Botoy

The entire team was too large to take to one village so we split into two. The team that went to the village of Botoy was myself( Kerry), Maia, Dusty, Emi, Tiara, and Lilet, our leader. Botoy is located at the top of mountain, a 5000' climb. The first third of the hike was steep but after that it became a gradual uphill. This is the rainy season so it wouldn't be a hike without a little mud, just enough to keep it interesting! We were the second team ever to visit Botoy and the first foreign team. It would be 5 days of a lot of firsts! Our objective was to build relationships in the village.

We stayed at the Datu's (chief's) hut and it was the largest and nicest hut I've seen in the mountains! It is on top of the ridge line overlooking the village below. It was a great location: great view, nice breezes. He didn't stay with us, instead preferring to stay at his hut by his fields. He was to come on the day we arrived but it was Monday afternoon before he ever arrived. I was beginning to think we'd have to go to his field if we wanted to meet him! He had given his permission for the people to have a church service but he had made it clear in the past that he wasn't interested in a church. Our job was to help change his mind.

When we arrived, we met pastor Robert. He is the pastor in the next village and his heart is to plant a church in Botoy. We thought that they had been holding church services in Botoy before we had arrived only to find out that we would be a there for the very first church service ever on Sunday! On Saturday evening we hosted a fellowship outside the chief's hut. Dusty played and Emi, Tiara and myself sang with him. Then I shared the gospel. I didn't ask people to step forward or raise their hands, so I'm not sure if anyone accepted Christ but it seemed well received.

The church service on Sunday was held at the billiard hall. They didn't have a church but they had a pool hall! Our group sang again and Dusty preached his first sermon ever! It's always an adjustment to talk through an interpreter but Dusty did great. Pastor Robert asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ and at least 15 people did! It was an awesome first church service! Afterward, we were trying to get to know people. It's kid of hard when you don't speak the language! I've been picking up some words here but I'm learning Visian not the Matisalug tribal language. It's all confusing to me! Anyway, Tiara, our teammate from Manilla, was able to interpret for us. Emi was answering questions about herself and life in the US. At first I was taking videos of people & then letting them see it. Normally, this is a big hit with the kids. I barely got a few smiles this time. Most were very camera shy. Next Maia & I tried playing with bouncy balls with the kids. They don't bounce well on dirt so I was throwing them in the air. They'd catch them and throw them back. I only had two and Maia wanted more. I returned with about 8 more bouncy balls. I threw them all in the air at once and it was so funny to hear the squeals and see the chaos that ensued. We finally found something the kids enjoyed! We played it, and played it, and played it.

After lunch, Emi, Maia, and I taught them "stop, go," our culturally relevant version of red light, green light. We figured no one had ever seen one of those before! We also taught them "manok, manok, okonos" literally, chicken, chicken, rooster, aka, duck, duck, goose. We also didn't sit on the ground, it was too muddy. The kids never seemed to tire of that game! I, on the other hand, got a little tired of it after the 50th round! But, I enjoyed playing with the kids. Mostly the kids who would play with us were boys. There were only 2 girls who would play. The other half of the kids sat and watched us play. We had piqued their curiosity but not enough to get them to interact with us. Even the little girls shied away from Maia, which was surprising. In our previous two mountain trips, Maia was a celebrity with kids huddled around her just wanting to be with her.

Lilet had asked me at lunch on Sunday to invite the military to eat dinner with us. We had 15 army guys with us. I asked Lt. Pito, the man in charge, for all of them to join us. It's a good thing I'm white. It made him feel obligated to agree! The look on his face when I asked him was, "No, that's the last thing I want to do, I think I'd rather starve," but he just nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am." They all showed up! They don't speak conversational English well so they are uncomfortable talking with us. We let Tiara interpret for us! (I am surprised she didn't have a headache after all the interpreting.) After we ate, we had a mini battle of the bands between Dusty and one of the army guys. They would sing a song and then pass the guitar back. After Tiara told them they didn't have to sing religious songs, they relaxed a bit. Karaoke is popular in the Philippines and so they like to sing love songs. Dusty had to rack his brain to remember the chords & words of a few long songs. We wanted them to feel comfortable around us. He'd only come prepared with praise & worship type music but he pulled it off. He and Emi even sung a duet. Dusty shared the story of David & Goliath. Lilet explained that we never like to miss an opportunity to tell others about salvation. She explained salvation and all 15 men accepted Christ! God was definitely working in this village. I asked if I could get it in their language, how many would like a Bible, and they all wanted one! We haven't had a chance to shop for them yet but they all want a pocket Bible. I'd like to highlight some verses for them. (Let me know if you have suggestions, besides salvation, I was thinking of words of courage for when they're in battle.)

Monday morning we tried our hand at farming by helping to plant 70 fruit trees. It was a very steep mountain side that someone had to go ahead of us with a bolo (very large machete) and clear a path. The holes had already been dug and they were spaced about ten yards apart. A very long ten yards! It was very rugged terrain. Farming is not an easy life. We managed with only minor falls and no injuries. It just added more laughter to our trip, of which, their was plenty of it on this trip!

In the afternoon, we handed out toothbrushes to the adults, flip flops to the boys, and panties for the girls and small children. Sadly, the panties seemed to be the only clothing some of the small children had. We would later see them walking around in just their new panties. The funny thing about flip flops in the rainy season is that it's easier to walk without them! When going up or down a hill, most people took them off. Actually, if my feet were tougher, I think it would have been easier, too!

On Tuesday the most of the children went to school. They have school Tuesday, Wednesday, and a half day on Thursday. Odd schedule, but that's a story for another day. While they were away, Pastor Arnell and some others attempted to teach us the traditional tribal dance and to sing a song in Matigsalug. I thought they were just trying to entertain us for the afternoon, little did I know, I'd be performing it for the whole tribe! We had a final fellowship that night, celebrating our last night with a bonfire. Pastor Arnell and Norma performed the dance and than Dusty and I danced. (Emi says she doesn't dance and Tiara thought it should be 2 white people dancing. That left me by default, not by my dancing skill!) Amongst great cheering and laughter we danced. It started raining as we finished so we moved to the billiard hall. They asked us to dance again. We laughed a little harder, but danced again. Now if anyone is familiar with the Philippine culture, you would know what's coming. They have no qualms about putting you on the spot. They asked our group to perform something as our goodbye. Then they said that Kerry will be sharing something with them. Then they announced Dusty would like to say something. We had joked earlier with Dusty that if he had to preach, we'd give him five minutes notice. I didn't even get a five second notice! But, the point of our mission is to take advantage of every opportunity to share Christ. We performed & shared happily and more people accepted Christ. Praise the Lord! As we were finishing, they said someone had missed us dance. They asked us to dance for a third time. We complied. We laughed and they laughed. Laughter is a universal language, no interpreter needed! It had taken our entire trip but I felt we had finally connected. As we sang a goodbye song and shook hands, we received hugs and saw some tears shed. I looked at the kids, with most having a runny nose, a cough, some smelled, and I thought, these are the cutest kids! It was a sad goodbye.

On a lighter note, it had poured the entire time we were at the billiard hall. The datu's hut is at the top of the hill, following a very dirt packed path. A path that becomes a sliding board when wet. I attempted to carry my sleeping daughter up the hill, but, well, let's just say I would have been better off to do what the natives do: take off my flip flops! I ended up muddy but saved Maia. It only added yet another joke and more laughter to the trip! This was followed by a large spider sighting at the hut. The reaction to the spider by a fellow teammate almost caused Tiara and I to roll on the ground in laughter. Oh, team bonding at its best!

We left at 5:20 AM the next morning and quite a sight we were. We consisted of 15 military, 6 team members, people carrying our backpacks, two or 3 guys that took turns carrying Maia, and several teenage girls who had helped cook for us. They skipped school so they could walk us out of the mountain. That's how they say goodbye. We kept a great pace, thanks to our military escorts, and were out of the mountain in less than three hours. The last part of the hike was steep and slippery. A farmer had built a hand rail along his field to go up & down the trail. I knew we were in trouble if the natives needed a hand rail! Let's sum it up by saying that we ended up muddier than when we started with many more funny stories. We did earn the distinction as being the loudest group ever escorted by Lt. Pito, but he said, "at least they had fun."

I end this saga with a heavy heart. Pastor Robert, whose heart it is to see a church planted in Botoy, has just lost his second child. Six months ago after the first team left the mountains his 3 month old son died of complications from a heart defect. While we were in Botoy, they had taken his son to the hospital with malaria. He died 3 days later. Please pray for Pastor Robert, his wife Gem, and their remaining child, a 4 year old girl. Please pray for their protection from the enemy because it is a spiritual battle. Pray that satan will not win.

"fruit"

We went to the market, Bankherotan, again today at 4 AM. walking through the aisles, as I have said before is a shock to the senses. The people, sights, sounds, and especially smells, just hit you as soon as you step out of the truck, and remain until you leave. Walking through the fruit aisles is my favorite. The smells are better for one, and the exotic fruits are so varied in their color, smell, shape etc than anything we have in the states, its an experience just to look.

This brought me to think about the spiritual fruit mentioned in the Bible. Galatians lists the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. The New Testament mentions fruit alot, starting with John the Baptist speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 3:7-10. Verse 10 says"even now the ax of God's judgement is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 7:15-20 and John 15:1-4 have similar messages.

Jesus and John don't beat around the bush in these passages. He says if we have no fruit we will be cut off and thrown into the fire. It seems clear to me He is talking about Hell.

It isn't easy to read these passages, but like I said, Jesus wasn't known for making following Him easy. If you claim to be a Christian, think about your life and determine if there is spiritual fruit. If we are truly children of God we WILL have fruit. We need to evaluate our lives to see if we are producing. Faith without works is dead. Read James 2: 14-20. Vs. 17 says So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. The rest of this passage and Mt 7:21-23 tell us that not all who call on the name of the Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, to some he will say, depart form me, I never knew you.

I must also clarify that we are not saved by works. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve Salvation. We are all sinners and are only saved through the grace of God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But, if we are a "good tree", one of Gods children, we will have good fruit.

One of the reasons I am in the Philippines this summer is because after thinking and praying about these passages, I determined that this was where my life produced the most fruit. After taking a missions course this week I have been reminded that one of the reasons we as Christians are here is to fulfill Gods redemptive plan to the nations. We are to go and make disciples of all the nations. Too often we get the mindset of Jonah, who wanted the benefits of election, but none of the responsibilities. We have become to introspective and desire the blessings of God, but do not want to be a blessing to others.

We don't need to travel to the Philippines, or to anywhere for that matter to fulfill that responsibility. We need to be fulfilling it wherever we are. We need to boldly tell and show people our relationship with Jesus Christ, and His love, grace, sacrifice and mercy, not try to justify our faith through facts, or cliche sayings.

Go make some "fruit"

On the lighter side...

Here's the food update for Sue! We've enjoyed fresh pineapple, mangos, bananas-both table and cooked, avocados,, lusones, and today had saursop shakes for lunch. They've been delicious!

Vacation Bible School

We just completed the the first ever TMFI VBS! Last week Mimi took Jackson & Maia trough the neighborhood inviting all 7-13 year olds to VBS. They thought the white kids might draw the crowd in! They expected 40. Our first day we had about 30 kids come in our target age group and about 10 kids between the ages of 2-6. We didn't want to turn anyone away so we left them stay. We also noticed that a lot of moms came and either stayed with their younger children or sat outside. Beng decided we'd have Skip & Chad (Miller) alternate days and speak with the moms while their kids were attending VBS. I had brought prizes and play money with me. We handed out money as rewards for memorizing verses, attendance, good behavior, participating, etc. The kids had fun and started inviting friends. Everyday we had more kids. Their was also the theory that kids heard we were handing out money & prizes and wanted some, too. Whatever it was, we grew. By the end of the week we had 25 kids between 2-6 and 48 kids between the ages of 7-13. PTL!

Belle and I were in charge of crafts. Being on a tight budget, we didn't have many extra crafts-if any. On more than one day we were scrambling to make more! On our last day, we made a key chain with a cross and beads with a kit I had brought with me. We had one left over! The beads on were a wordless tool to tell the gospel story. I told the kids about salvation as we assembled the key chain. It was probably the first time many of the kids had been presented with the gospel.

The redeeming of money for prizes was a big hit. The prizes we had left over we gave out to the kids who could say a memory verse. The kids crowded around, trying to be the first to win more prizes! Most of the prizes were school supply type items: pens, pencils, scissors, ruler, erasers, etc. I'm glad that's the types of things we had because one girl told me what her mom had told her. "Don't get any toys, get school supplies." I think for many the basic school supplies are luxury items! Most of the leftover prizes were the toy items: jump ropes, water colors, markers, colored pencils, etc.

The last day we had a graduation ceremony. Most of the kids got some kind of reward: good attendance, good listener, good at memory verses, most cooperative, etc. Lots a rewards. The mothers were invited to attend. They were proud of their kids as they received rewards. I was also the graduation speaker, again, low budget event. I presented Christ to the moms as well. We think it was the first time any of the mothers had heard that as well.

Overall, it was a great week! The kids made a few new friends. Jackson told me one of the boys might come up to play tomorrow. I hope so. Maybe more language will rub off on the kids. We are all learning a few words. My problem is, I can't remember them! They group letters together that we don't group to together in English. It makes it difficult to remember and pronounce! I was going to say good afternoon in Cebuano, but, well, I can't spell it!

Tonight is a good bye party for Chad. We're having a bonfire and a bar-b-que. Can't wait!

Life in the City by Kerry

We're at the training center located about 10 miles outside of Davao City and adjusting to life here. Some things that I've noticed is that's it's very common to have brown outs. Normally they last about 12 hours during the day. When the power goes out, so does the water. Normally, it takes about 2 hours to get the water back after the electric comes back on. There are also times when we have electric but still no water. So, the things I've learned:

1. Always keep the 30 gallon bucket in the bathroom full of water. It ensures you have water when you need a shower. (which is frequent in this heat!)

2. Always keep a water pitcher full in case you're thirsty when the water is out.

3. Do your dishes right away, you may not have water later to do them.

4. Life in the U.S. is very pampered-enjoy it!

5. With or without electric or water, life is fun here and we're enjoying our new community.

6. Days start early around here-so I'm going to bed!

Back from Another Asia Trip by Kerry

Hello! Lilet and I arrived back in Davao on Saturday afternoon after starting our travel at 12:30 AM and having a layover in Manilla from 4 AM to 11:00 AM. I'm not sure the cheaper ticket was worth having to travel all night! It was a very eye opening trip. We had arrived in the country at it 1:30 in the morning and the missionary picked us up at the airport. We drove 2 hours to her farm. We went to bed @ 4 only to get back up again at 7. (Sleep is very overrated!) Since I was American, she preferred to bring me in at night so I'd draw less attention to her farm. We had an orientation that morning and she said she had no clear calling from God what we should do that week. She has 3 different aspects to her ministry and had recently been traveling a lot with them. She felt she really needed fellowship with other believers. I shared that that was okay, I felt my summer was a continuation of how Skip & I met, as being encouragers. Our schedule for the week was to work on her farm. She needs a valid reason to stay in the country. She is in the process of starting an organic fertilizer company with a demonstration farm. That afternoon we worked on her farm planted small fruit trees. It didn't take long to plant 30 trees since the holes had been prepared for us. It is similar to the Philippines in that everything is done by hand and they are limited tools. We didn't even have shovels for planting! Monday's temperature was 98'F and 98% humidity. The rest of the week seemed about the same. Our days had the schedule of breakfast, devotions, work, lunch break, work, and then dinner. We worked hard and sweated even harder! I was starting to feel like a fish, always wet! We raked grass, leaves, palm branches, sticks, and anything else that was on the ground. On one side of the farm we put our debris into a canal that they were in the process of closing in. On the other side of the farm, part of the team used a shredded on it to be used for mulching. It is a natural, organic farm. We also helped clean up the front yard from a previous construction project and to make way for a new construction project scheduled to start in June. I also helped bag over 60 bags of coconut quire (shredded coconut tree and coconut shells, used in making fertilizer.) We did have 2 shovels to use for that along with a metal cookie tin and a dustpan. Sometimes, there just not enough tools to go around!

Being a group of foreigners, we attracted a lot of attention. It was a small village and everyone knew what everyone was doing. (Even more so than in the Cove!) People would just walk or drive by on their motorbikes to see what was going on. You'll notice in the pictures on Facebook that I'm always wearing pants, long sleeves, and a hat while outside. I was trying to hide as much as possible. The long sleeves were to have the added benefit of protecting your skin from the heat. I really didn't find that to be the case, though! One morning we started our devotions by singing. I looked out the window and there was a man staring at me. The missionary went outside to talk with him. He was just curious! He was one of the guys there to work on the farm for the day.

Politically and culturally it was eye opening. There are a lot of rights we have in the US that we take for granted especially the right to assemble and freedom of religion. Culturally, they are very family oriented with the family patriarch having a lot of influence over the family. There's so much family influence that most won't switch to Christianity if the family doesn't approve. It prevents lots of obstacles when trying to share the gospel, not that it's legal to share gospel! I got the opportunity to go to her Aunt's house and meet some of her family. We also went to her cousin's house and store to pray for her cousin. He was diagnosed with hepatitis years ago but it wasn't treated. There is free health care in this country but you have to bride the receptionist to see the nurse, bribe the nurse to see the doctor, and bribe the doctor to give you a diagnosis. Since it wasn't treated , it has since progressed to liver cancer. She is praying for a miraculous healing with the hope that the display of God's power will be a witness to her family. Her family members are not believers. We had to cut our prayer time with him short since it was drawing too much attention. She didn't want the neighbors to start to ostracize them and their store. Her cousin, though an unbeliever, thanked us for praying for him. Please also pray for the son of Uncle #7. (Odd as it sounds, they number their relatives and call them by their number!) He has a wife and 2 children.

There's a lot more to say and a lot of pictures. Some of the pictures are on Facebook. I can't wait to share of my experience in person! We topped off our trip by shopping in the city before we flew out and midnight. Lots of bargains to be had after haggling over the price. I managed to get some deals!

Visions of prison

So, The other day I passed my TMFI inposed driving exam. If you have ever been to an Asian country you know that there are no driving rules, just organized chaos. Beng, Tribal Missions Director, had me drive to the market on Tuesday. It is a stressful and exhilerating experience, but at 5:30 AM there is not much traffic and pretty routine. Apparently I drove well enough that she deemed me able to be an errand boy for TMFI. Today Jeremy was flying out so we first went to the mall and got shaved at the barber shop. (That is not really relevant to the story but if you ever get the chance to have a professional shave I highly recommend it.) Anyway, after leaving the mall, we dropped off some friends at the market and headed to the airport through the traffic. This being my second drive in a few days my confidence was growing, passing through oncominig traffic, passing off the burm, dodging motorcycles, pedestrians, dogs, etc. The confidence lasted until I saw the uniformed officer standing along the road motion for me to pull over. I still felt relatively secure, I was armed with a $10 sheet of paper I got from AAA that said INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT in bold letters on the front. The officer walked up to the window and said something vaguely sounded like "you aren't wearing your safety belt". I quickly put it on and apologized. (He made no mention of the two people sitting on a 2x4 resting on the sides of the pickup I was driving.) He then asked for my drivers licence. I handed him the paper and he looked confused. He fiddled with it for awhile and and told me he would confiscate it. I decided to play dumb, which wasn't hard considering I couldn't understand more than 1 or 2 words he was saying. "OK" I replied not knowing what else to say. He gave me a sly smile and continued to talk, none of which I could understand. As Jun-Jun talked to the man my mind was going over the less desireable scenes from the Shawshank Redemption with little brown men doing bad things to me. He again looked at me and said "I will confiscate this". Again I said "OK" After a moment of silence he handed me my "licence" and we drove away. Looking back I think he wanted a bribe and my stupid "act" and my lack of concern for him taking my AAA "licence" did the trick.

Off to another part of Asia

I'm off to another part of Asia within the hour. For security of our contact, I can not post on the blog where we're heading but most of you know. I wanted to post why I'm going. The short answer is because God said yes. The long answer starts last year. Lilet, a TMFI staff person, went there to do a natural farming demonstration. They normally start in Genesis with God creating the perfect garden. Due to circumstances, they could not mention God at all. After a three day seminar, someone in the group yelled out, "Tell us about your God!" I was amazed at God's show of his glory and was intrigued about a trip there as well. Lilet was planning a trip in November and her and I talked in length about me joining. As an American, it may require me to move about at night and be disguised in local attire. The adventurer in me was ready to sign up! But, my mind told me I could be a liability to their team. If caught sharing the gospel we could be deported. Once deported, you may not enter the country again. For TMFI who is trying to help in this area, that's a great risk. I did not want to be a liability to there team and so I know I could only go if God said yes. I prayed about it and asked others to pray for a decision I needed to make. I didn't tell them details, which drove them crazy, because I didn't want outside influences. Only God's influence. I never got a yes from God. At the end of November I was sitting in church and I don't even remember what was said but I thought to myself, I should be on that trip. This was the time the trip was scheduled. Several days later I got an e-mail from Lilet saying the trip had been post-poned to May. My answer from God had come! Not only was God saying for me to go but he made the details of my trip so much easier and cheaper. Praise God! I'm now asking that you lift me up in prayer this week. May we be shining examples of Christ so that even if we can't proclaim Christ "even the rocks will cry out." Pray as well for our contact's family and for a softening of there hearts. Forty minutes until we leave for the airport-let the adventure begin!

Tech Update

Yesterday we were in the city & got our tech stuff for the summer. Skip & I each got cell phone so we can communicate while in the city. You know "Help, we're lost!" Also, we got a Smart Bro card which will enable us to have internet access anywhere we get cell reception! You'll be getting more updates! I'm not sure if we have a fast enough speed to upload pictures so that might have to wait until we're in the city where we can get a wi-fi signal. (I think I said all that tech stuff right, Chris.)

After the wedding we retreated a 5 minute walk to the waterfall to our honeymoon hut. The tribal pastors had built us a hut over the water in a great setting by a waterfall. We had our reception on a dock over the water. Our head table was the end of the dock with Chief Bueya, Chief Ali and his wife. We had chicken, pork, bananas, noodles, rice(of course), and some interesting greens. After chatting for awhile, some friends took the liberty of throwing me off the dock. Making me take the plunge, literally. Skip and the kids spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing with our friends and guests. Kerry spent most of it talking with Chief Ali and his wife with the interpreting help of Beng. He explained a lot of his family history.

We spent the evening at the youth camp. It was great time worshipping with them and their passion. Skip was the main speaker at the event. The budget was low this year and he comes cheap. More singing and then soothed to sleep by the sweet sounds of the waterfall.

The next day was spent in teams by the youth camp. The theme was "Survivor". Our team went to Abuns farm. It was a setup by the camp organizers. We were supposed to be eating only what we caught, but Abun provided some food. Abun is the epitome of a servant's heart. Our team happened to catch a chicken which his wife Ivy cooked and made into sardine noodle soup. We also had some corn on the cob, rice(of course), and Cacao. We went fishing Filipino style. First we tried to build a dam at fork in the river to dry up that part of the river. Then you're supposed to be able to just pick up the fish off the dry ground. We weren't successful at building the dam. Our next attempt at fishing was much more successful. We held a net across the stream while others went up stream and stirred up the water. Abun and another pastor reached under the rocks to grab fish or scare them out. Skip attempted but visions of eels & snapping turtles hindered his boldness! We were successful with this method. We caught a varied fish in different sizes (.5" to 6"), crabs, & frogs. We never got to eat them thanks to the wonderful meal by Abun & Ivy (even my kids ate it & loved it! Maia even ate the chicken without ranch!) The kids had a great day playing in the river. Their were some boys Jackson's size in our group that he played with and some little girls joined us to play with Maia. She is quite popular wherever she goes-I'm always hearing "Maia" as we walk through villages! She is completely comfortable here. Normally she has a fan club with her.

We finished the day with another group gathering. Dusty and Jeremy did a concert & it was loved by all. They had some yell out requests & their were shouts for more! Skip also spoke again. Afterward we retreated to our honeymoon hut. (I can't get many pictures posted here but check out Facebook. It may not be till the weekend when we can get a faster internet connection.) The pastors wanted to make sure we'd be ok so they spent the night outside our hut. Nothing like having personal body guards!

The hike out the next day was uneventful, just the normal hot & humid day. Jackson rode a horse to Malikongkong & then walked the last hour. He did a great job! Some boys hsi size held his hand through the steep parts. It's great to see him interacting with the other kids. Abun wanted to carry Maia so she was carried! I feel like I have a mountain princess! When we had reached our destination village where we'd catch the jeepney, she was off to explore & check out the local school. She lost all shyness.

Our Wedding Day...

The 18th was a busy day. I woke up Clark David Jeffries and ended the day Datu Hihimanawen, which means the compassionate one. Kerry tribal name is Bai Maayun-ayun, which means supportive wife. Kerry and I were officially adopted into the Matigsalug tribe by Datu Ali from the Paquibato District of the tribe. A humbling honor. We knelt on a woven reed mat while the assembled tribe members were addressed. The tropical sun hammered our heads, as a white chicken was waved over our heads in a tribal ritual. I tried to remain somber as I kept picturing the irritated chicken pooping on my head. As the ceremony concluded beaded necklaces were buttoned around our neck signifying adoption. We were quickly surrounded by the Matigsalug people dressed in red beaded outfits cheering, shaking our hands, hugging and welcoming us. We were then brought our own formal tribal wear and dressed with the help of many people. (I personally think I would've chosen clothes better suited to a tropical environment, they were hot!)

Then came the surprise of the day for Kerry. Last year I had planned with Pio a 15th wedding anniversary celebration. Kerry was whisked away by the tribal women to don beaded necklaces earrings and headgear. I was taken to the entrance to the "church" and was not allowed to enter until I had proof of payment for a wife. Pastor Jamie came with my ceremonial horse and I was allowed to cut the cord blocking the door and enter. After walking through a gauntlet of tribal children I was seated on a banana leaf and waited for my bride. She entered with an entourage of women in their finest covering her with a flowered cloth. She was seated beside me and prayed over. A white chicken, symbolizing holiness, was waved in front of us. They spread its wings as they waved it in the air in front of us. We were told to feed each other a handful of rice, of course. During the cheering that followed the remaining bowlful of rice was devoured by rushing kids. This was to bless us with many children.

We then rose and were escorted to the front of the church, both with our entourage and covered with cloth. We were seated facing the crowd and our "fathers" sat down to discuss the brideprice. They took their jobs very seriously. Datu Buaya acting as my father looked especially serious. After a few minutes the price of 2 horses was agreed upon. (a bargain in my humble opinion) We then were given marital advice by our fathers and again asked to feed each other rice(of course). At this point I whispered to Kerry that I would prefer wedding cake. This time after the rice was eaten the remaining rice was eaten by adults and had to be completely gone to bless our union. A kiss is forbidden during the ceremony, so our marriage ceremony was completed by banging our heads together, another tradition in which I prefer the American version. We were then surrounded by smiling faces and bombarded by hands to shake and bodies to hug.

5 weeks to go. Our fundraiser, Meupiya Saa (Good Tea), is this Saturday. It is shaping up to be an extravagant event. We are rolling out the red carpet for a fun women's luncheon! All monies from the event will go toward the projects we will be working on this summer.