Monday, May 31, 2010

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!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

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!

Friday, May 28, 2010

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.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

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.)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

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.