Vietnam VBS

Our main reason for going to Vietnam was to help with a VBS. Before anyone panics, I have permission to publish this. We left Minh's house at 12:30 AM so we could meet our interpreter in Ho Chi Minh at 4:00 AM. Our final stopping point was a 9 hour van ride away. We checked into our hotel at about 4 PM. The next morning we went to the VBS site. It was held outside of a house church with about 100 kids in attendance. We created quite a stir when we arrived. We finally had to move the yard behind the kids so that they could pay attention! We had brought beads with us to make wordless bracelets. I got to share, through an interpreter, the gospel story as we put the bracelets together. The kids loved it. I don't think they get to do crafty things very often so it was a treat for them. I'm hoping they use the bracelet to tell their parents and friends the salvation story. After we finished with the bracelets, we had to leave. They were concerned that we would draw the attention of the police if we stayed too long.

The next day was Sunday. We were back at the VBS site early for Sunday church. We were early so we had time to interact with the kids. They were quite shy around us, most likely they aren't used to such pale skin. I guess we need more work on our tans! Digital cameras are such a blessing in these situations. It's a poor village and I don't think they've seen many cameras. After snapping their picture, I'd let them view it. It turned their faces into smiles and had them clamoring to be in the next picture.

After singing, or listening on our part, Skip shared the gospel through an interpreter. I got to help award prizes from VBS. After church we got the chance to speak to a few people. With the language barrier, it was difficult. No one could speak English. We left right away for lunch and then it was on the road again.

While there, the kids made a special new friend, Tien. She's 20 and could speak English. She was with us almost the whole time. Both Jackson and Maia loved her. We've since connected on Facebook to keep in touch. Skip and our interpreter also got to share the gospel with our hotel owner and family. Their daughter spoke a little bit of English and was enjoying practicing her English. The family thanked them for sharing.

We left at 11 AM and arrived back in Ho Chi Minh at 8 PM. Our interpreter wanted us to go to Sunday night services with him at his church. It had started at 7 PM but we went anyway. Unfortunately, the pulpit is right at the entrance door. No sneaking in late there! The pastor was expecting us so he stopped the beginning of his sermon for our introduction. We introduced ourselves and told them a little about what we were doing this summer.

It was late when we got to our hotel only to find out that our reserved rooms had given away. I guess they thought we weren't coming. They were very helpful, though, and went down the street to find us two other rooms for rent. At this point, a bed's a bed.

Vietnam with Minh

We just finished a whirlwind trip through Vietnam and Cambodia. Road trip is what comes to mind to describe it. Upon landing at 12:30 AM, we were met by Minh, her brother, and dad. (Minh is an Vietnamese student attending St. Francis University that we met through our niece.) What gracious hosts they were to be willing to pick us up at the airport at such an hour! It's a 2.5 hour drive to her house, which goes by quickly when you fall asleep. When we arrived, her mother was already up and cooking special dishes for us before she left for work at the hospital. We ate them for lunch and they were excellent. We had steamed rice with seafood, a seafood and egg dish, and snails. Surprisingly, I really liked the snails. We also got to enjoy some great fruit! We only had one day to visit so we crammed in as much as possible! We took a walking tour of the town, including an outdoor market, ordered iced coffee, toured the hospital were her parents work, had some more iced coffee (yum!) and got to go to her brother's birthday party. We enjoyed their favorite foods at the party: mice (ok, a little chewy), frogs (good, Skip loved), fish, and crane. We topped off our day with a trip to the night market, always a highlight for Skip & I. We love finding the deals! It was a quick trip so we only spent around 250,000. Ok, that was in Dong, which is much more impressive sounding than dollars. It was only about 13 dollars. We went back to her house to get a little rest before we left at 12:30 AM. Very short trip but worth it!

Malikongkong Revisited

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.

Malikongkong Revisited

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.

keys

My most recent assignment at TMFI was a simple one, or so you would think. Make some keyholders(keychains inAmerican) for the 13 rooms in the training center. The rooms are all named after Tribes around the world, Maori, Inuits, Lakota, etc to name a few. The keyholders were to be made from wood, and I thought that to make them Tribal looking I would burn the names in with hot metal. So I started on the project which, in true Filipino fashion, turned out to be quite the job. Without hand tools I cut some 1x1 wood to length, then cut it in half lengthwise. This was followed by sanding, sanding, and more sanding. This got them smooth and comfortable feeling to the fingers, not only smooth but rounded on all angles. I then found a peice of wire to heat and burn the names in the wood. After trial and error I found that the only way get it hot enough was to heat the metal in the gas flame of the stovetop and brand it in. Following that was to drill(my only concession to modern convenience) a hole then sear the hole tosmooth it. After presenting the almost finished project to Mimi she responded "very nice Skeep, but we need 3 for each room, duplicates" So repeat the above process 26 more times. After approximately 1 hour for each keyholder (after varnish, sanding, and more varnish) the holders were complete.

As you can tell I had plenty of time to think as I worked on the project. I thought about what holds the keys to a heart. At different times of my life, and even different seasons through the years, various things have and still hold my heart. I, similar to what I see in my kids, had toys as keys for awhile.(Legos for Jackson, stuffed animals for Maia, Star Wars for me) Sports as a teen had their share, as well as girls. While dating and through marriage, Kerry has a big part, as well as the kids. In different seasons hunting, skiing, missions, and the Mountaineers all take their share. Some of these things are good, some are neither good nor bad, but all take time, thought, and some of my devotion. What I know is that the real keys to my heart should be held by God, that these other things are temporary, and may be satisfying or fun for awhile, but like the Star Wars toys, will be outgrown. Even activities such as missions, while good in themselves, should not take over the passion for God Himself. This I think is where the danger can lie for Christians. We work for the Lord, overextending ourselves in His name, but neglect the relationship we need with Him.

"Take delight in the Lord and he will give you your heart's desires."Psalms 37:4

Just be careful, if you are delighting in the Lord, your heart's desires may change.

Dumalugdog

We left on Friday to go to Dumalugdog. We left at 5 AM and traveled by van (a thirteen passenger van about the size of a mini van plus all of our bags, food supplies, our building supplies, and the other passengers baggage) for about two hours, followed by a 45 minute motorbike ride to Pagat, and then the 3.5 mile hike to Dumalugdog. It was a muddy trail, too muddy for Maia to ride a horse. Jackson decided he wanted to hike it. It was a very steep downhill hike, made harder by the muddy and slippery path. It eventually leveled off and we followed a river. We crossed the river 4 times. It was up to the top of my legs with a strong current. It made me nervous to be carrying a camera! We started at 9:30 and finished at 3:00 PM. To enter Dumalugdog you have to cross a bridge that looks like it should have been condemned years ago. It has wooden supports and a wooden walkway. The supports were half rotten and a lot of the wooden slats for the walkway were missing. I'm not exaggerating! We crossed one at a time because we weren't sure how much weight it could hold. I crossed with Jackson, there was no way I wanted him to go alone! It was a scary two minutes! There were spots we had to slide our feet along the cables because our legs weren't long enough to reach the next slat. You do a lot of praying in those two minutes and thankfully, God provided safety! Jackson hiked the whole thing and did an awesome job!

We stayed with Pastor Jun and his wife Linda. They have five children and live in a two bedroom hut. They gave up their bedrooms for the females on our team. The guys strung their hammocks next door in the church. (The church building looks like a pavilion.) We greatly enjoyed our bath in the river!

Our plans in Dumalugdog were to build a cabinet for their FLIC (Functional Literacy for Indigenous Children) school. We had brought all our supplies with us from Davao. From the village of Pagat, some were put on horses and some were hand carried. The cabinet supplies didn't make it until Saturday after lunch time. So, I went to plan B. I was the group leader for this trip. Plan B was fellowshipping with the pastor and his family. He also invited the tribal datus (chiefs) and the government datus. We all introduced ourselves and then divided into prayer groups. I had the opportunity to pray with Pastor Jun and another lady from the church. She was concerned with church unity because this is a busy time in the fields for everyone. Pastor June was concerned about getting nails to be able to do some repairs on the church and for the unsaved in the village. He thinks probable only half have come to a saving knowledge of Christ. He himself is a missionary. He and his family moved from another tribal village to Dumalugdog five years ago to reach the people there. Pray also for their acceptance into the community. At times their is a lot of jealousy and envy, particularly with his wife who teaches at the FLIC school.

One of the datu's arranged a dance for us. They have this neat percussion instrument. It is a log suspended horizontally. Six people have sticks and they rhythmically beat it. There's at least three different rhythms going at once. It has an awesome sound. While they played, an older man performed a traditional war dance. Then they were doing some other dances for us. We got chances to do both. The instrument playing is a lot harder than it looks! Well, the dancing isn't that easy, either! It was a great morning. So, although we go with a purpose to build a cabinet, it's more important to build relationships.

After they showed us their talents, we showed them ours. How to play four square! The men joined in and then the boys. It took a little bit before they caught one and understood all the rules. The boys caught on quicker. It seemed to be a big hit.

After lunch our building materials arrived! Except for the one side of the cupboard. We got to work sanding and staining. It took us the rest of the afternoon to get all the pieces done. After dinner that night we had a fellowship in the town hall (a small pavilion) with the people of the tribe. Everyone sang and then our team introduced ourselves. Pastor Jun had made up the order of service so I was a little surprised when the Jeffries family was called upon to sing a special number. We picked a children's song, Jesus Loves the Little Children. The rest of the team was surprised when they were each also asked to sing a special number. I'm pretty sure it was pushing them all right out of there comfort zones! I knew ahead of time that I would be sharing about salvation, through an interpreter, of course, so I wasn't surprised when called upon to share. Pastor Jun spoke a little and then had anyone who needed prayer for healing to stand on one side and those who had a vision for the community to stand on the other side. We divided up and prayed for each person individually. It was an awesome time.

Sunday morning we attended church and Skip was the preacher. I think he enjoys it. It was funny after church how many people wanted their pictures taken with the kids! The leaders wanted their pictures taken and requested that we give them a copy. Jackson and Maia each received gifts. Jackson got a beaded cell phone holder and Maia got necklaces. I think they're getting used to the attention! As we finished up, our missing cabinet piece arrived!

After lunch, the guys went to finish off the cabinet. They recruited Pastor Jun and another guy to help. It gave them an opportunity to talk. Ate' Lisa spent some time getting to know Linda, Pastor Jun's wife. Grace, the kids, and I played with all the kids. Jackson & I played four square while Maia and Grace played the bouncy ball game. It's a very technical game that we made up last year in Botoy. You take a handful of bouncy balls, throw them into the air, and watch all the chaos ensues as the kids try to catch them. They collect the balls and give them back. You keep repeating this until you get tired. They have a game similar to duck, duck, goose that we played. They taught us a new game, the snake. All the kids get in a line, similar to a congo line, and "head" of the snake tries to tag the "tail" of the snake. It's a pretty wild game. We also taught them, stop go (i.e. red light, green light in the US.) They seemed to love it. I think the kids could have gone on playing until dark, but by 5, Grace and I needed breaks!

Sunday night we packed up our things and tried to get to bed early. Our plan was to get up at 4 AM for the hike out. You may groan, but we wanted an early start. The last part of the hike is all uphill and very steep at that. We all managed to cross the bridge without falling through the holes. It was six o'clock by the time we got on our way. There weren't enough horses so some leaders in the village volunteered to carry our bags. Jackson wanted a horse but there wasn't one available. Maia got carried, again. It hadn't rained the whole time we were in Dumalugdog so the trail was mostly dried out. It is a tough hike. The river was a little lower this time. We hit the uphill part at 8 AM but it was still hot. Jackson was quite the trooper. He was tired but managed to make it the whole way. We were very proud of him.

The motorcycles took us to the highway. They were less scary going uphill verses downhill. Or maybe I was so tired from the hike that my gratitude over not having to walk anymore skewed my judgement. Either way, it was a relief to be riding. The rest of the trip was uneventful. We are welcome back to Dumalugdog and I hope they saw our actions as Christ love to them. It was well worth the trip.

Wrestling

We recently completed a 3 day staff retreat with TMFI. The subject matter was Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership. Of the many lessons I learned during the sessions, the hardest was found during a activity dealing with solitude and hearing from God. After each of three readings of a passage in Numbers, we were asked to sit and be quiet before God for 2-3 minutes and listen for the answer to the question "What does God want me to do the next few days?" The words I was hearing from the Lord seemed to say "trust me". I preface the rest of this by saying that Kerry and I had been discussing our future plans, plans we did not want to give up. Later that day we were challenged about maintaining a Rhythm of Prayer and Action- Discerning and Doing the will of God. The first step in this was a prayer of indifference. This does not mean indifference to a situation , but after much prayer, indifference to the outcome because you trust God's will and goodness. A prayer of God's Will-nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Wow! I was really struggling. I sat by myself in solitude wrestling with God. In fact, I wished for an actual angel to wrestle, like Jacob, so that I may have a little chance of keeping MY plans. After a long struggle I finally conceded to God and prayed, I trust you God, whatever happens is OK. Kerry reminded me of Proverbs 16:9, a verse she had been given the day before, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." I am now at peace, regardless of how our future plans work out, I know it will be what God has planned for us. We will continue to serve Him however and wherever He calls, and hope to glorify Him in all we do.