As we arrived in the town center I couldn’t help but feel that I was cheating. Instead of the usual 2+ hour hike, a 45 minute motorcycle ride had me in Malikongkong fresh and dry. I was anxious to see the changes caused by the newly built road that provides easy access to the once remote village. After arriving and having a coffee to refresh ourselves, I set out to get the kids involved with the Matigsalug children. A few minutes of throwing the football broke the ice for Jackson and for the next 24 hours you could usually find Jackson, Mikol, Seth, and Randy running, throwing, laughing and just having a great time. Once Maia’s friends arrived from school, she was busy playing clapping games, dancing, playing with hair, and chasing and screaming with the other girls. Most of the day was consumed with teaching and playing new games with a host(and I mean large numbers) of Malikongkong kids.
After dinner at our hosts’, Pastor Jamie and Babet, house we had a fellowship on their lawn. The setting was perfect, a campfire, along with a hazy full moon illuminated the area, accompanied by faint flashes of lightning from a distant storm. The format was that typical of a Matigsalug gathering. The introductions caused a stir when I introduced myself as Kerry’s wife, then corrected it and introduced Kerry as my husband. We sang and the church youth performed a bunch of songs and dances depicting the history of their culture, the first missionary to visit them, and their acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. First time visitor Ryan shared the Word on faith, then prayed for the villagers convicted by the message.
As I lay in my hammock that night, my mind ran over the changes in this community since my first visit 9 years before. The surroundings are different: metal GI sheets cover the roof, major CR(bathroom) improvements, upgrades in kitchen facilities, to name a few. Second change was the health of the people. 9 years ago skin and eye ailments were prevalent, hygiene was lacking, probably due to the lack of water in the area. Now, people seemed clean and healthy. Third, the friendliness and openness of the people, and the entire atmosphere of the village had changed. People now seemed to have a sense of purpose, a look of happiness, determination, as opposed to a look of defeat. Before where the children seemed lethargic and and shy, they now seem full of energy, excited to see and play with visitors. Lastly, the numbers of people attending the fellowship, and the excitement of the kids performing, spoke to the success of Pastor Jamie in discipling his flock.
One thing that did not change, unfortunately, was the rooster crowing at 3:45 to signal the day was soon to begin. After omelets for breakfast our team sat around the table and discussed the community and our spiritual visions for the future while the men and women of Malikongkong gathered. We met with these men and women so they could discuss agriculture and health with Ryan and his wife Kathryn. They are a fish agriculturist and Nurse Practitioner respectively. Understanding the lives of these people was very enlightening to all of us. After a visit to a farm to see the crops firsthand, we ate lunch and prayed with Pastor Jamie and Babet. The motorcycles arrived and our trip ended as it began, on the back of a bike.
Sitting in my room in the city this morning, I can’t help but picture Malikongkong in another 9 years. Progress has benefits, but also leads to new problems. Logically, a road accessible by motorcycle will lead to one useable by jeepney, to electricity, and an increase in outside influences. The priority Pastor Jamie places on culture and the “old ways” along with his spiritual guidance will become harder to maintain. A new level of materialism may develop, increased discontent with the knowledge of the way it is elsewhere. Recently “spirit houses” have appeared on all 4 sides of Malikongkong, signaling a new level of warfare in the spiritual realm. Some of the problems and battles of Malikongkong have been almost won, some are just beginning. A new level of prayer is needed.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers, and principalities, and the rulers of this present darkness.
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