Howdy y’all! Please enjoy this wonderful “recipe” that my beautiful and charming teammate Candace Cox (blog: candacecox.theworldrace.org) created to paint the picture of how we got to church. Enjoy!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 21-78 minutes
Ingredients:
Four Racers
One Rickety Trike
Several Jeepneys
Buckets of Sweat, Like SO MUCH Sweat
24 Pisos
Google Maps (with no updates though…)
And A Dash Determination
– Leave about half an hour after everyone else, because you didn’t know they were taking vans into town and had to figure out directions.
– Hop into a trike bike with three other people (probably girls, because let’s be honest about the ratio of women to men on the race)…this will cost 8 pisos by the way.
– Ride said trike bike from your ministry site about a mile down the road to the corner of the McDonalds and Jollibee’s so you can catch a Jeepney.
– Have a generic idea of what Jeepney to catch, but don’t be 100% sure of which one to ride. It makes things more lively and interesting.
– Eventually come to terms with the fact that you don’t really know what you’re doing and ask someone at the Jeepney stop for help with directions.
– Listen very closely to said directions.
– Ignore said directions, because a Jeepney pulls up and the guy hanging out the side says they are going to ‘Junction’…this will cost you another 8 pisos.
– Wave goodbye and say, “Maraming Salamat!” to the girl who tried to help you as you duck your head and climb into the back of the Jeepney.
***Side Note: Be sure this Jeepney is bumping rap music, otherwise the whole recipe will be off and the experience is just ruined.***
– Ride the Jeepney for about seven minutes; then get off to walk about a block, get confused as to why you did get off that Jeepney when you look at Google Maps, and then turn around a few different times before eventually figuring out which side of the road you’re supposed to be on.
– See a Jeepney pass you that says Pasig (that’s where you want to go!) on it and try to flag it down. It will not stop; don’t worry though, because another one will come around the corner! It will also not stop. Do not get discouraged though, you’re almost there at this point! (Just fifteen minutes into the supposed twenty-one minute trip.)
– Eventually the traffic stacks up enough that you catch up to the Jeepney that passed you and are able to climb on board. This one does not have music, but don’t worry, there is a vibrant symphony between the Sunday markets and cityscape to listen to as you creep through the streets. This ride will also cost you 8 pisos.
– Ride the Jeepney for a short while, watch all the other passengers disembark from the ride, then watch as the seats fill up again, and sweat like you have never sweat before. This helps keep your skin looking fresh and dewy; you want to look good for church, don’t you? Don’t you?
– Get into a slight accident with the Jeepney behind you and realize that you just watched blankly as your Jeepney driver backed up into the Jeepney behind him.
– Reflect on why you didn’t say anything to stop him.
– Come to terms with the fact that you didn’t really see what was going on because you’re pretty close to the driver and not the back seat, understand that you didn’t want to cause a stir, and accept that you weren’t entirely paying attention to what was happening.
– Contemplate as to whether or not you and your group should get off the Jeepney and catch another one seeing as the one that got backed into has now driven up and blocked your driver in the middle of the street…also blocking the rest of traffic from moving.
– Decide not to get off because you already paid for this ride and are on a decently tight budget.
– Watch as your driver takes his headlight off his Jeepney and hands it to the other driver to ‘pay’ for the damage done.
– Continue on to church with growing confusion, but confidence that you are getting closer…and are still going to be on time!
– Become wildly confused again when your Jeepney takes a turn that quite literally takes you the opposite direction again.
– Decide to get off the Jeepney at the very next stop it makes. Girl 1 gets off and turns back to look at the group.
– Feel the Jeepney begin to drive off and see the terror and (once again) confusion spread across Girl 1’s face.
– Amongst the three of you left in the Jeepney, decide to jump out of the moving Jeepney…even though it is picking up speed and the other riders are telling you not to do what you are planning.
***Side Note: One of you must have a broken foot for this to turn out just right.***
– Do not keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times; do jump out the back of the Jeepney! No racers left behind!
– Accept the hoots, hollers, and laughter from the locals who have just witnessed your James Bond/Mission Impossible moment.
– Decide to walk the last leg (about ten minutes) of the trip…on a one-foot wide sidewalk, over the bridge, on the side of the highway, during Sunday traffic, while temperatures soar.
– Almost get hit by a slew of traffic as you cross the street to the church.
– Make it into the air conditioned building, ride the elevator up to the eighth floor of the mega church, walk into the auditorium, take your seat with the rest of the racers, walk in two minutes early for church, actually be twenty-eight minutes late for church.
If you follow this recipe correctly…
You’ll surly end up with a memory to last a lifetime, laughter that fills your belly, and quite the story to share with the people you love back home.
With love always,
Candace
Thanks y’all for checking out my blog. I hope that it paints a picture and gives you a new perspective on traveling. Even though there is so much traffic and getting from point A to point B is not always the simplest or most fun thing to do, I am learning so much. I am not only learning to travel more efficiently, but also to slow down, live in the moment, and trust in the Lord. This month has certainly been one that has brought me to my knees. The Lord is teaching me and growing me to trust and rest in Him in new ways.
Thank you all for the constant prayers and stay tuned for my next blog!
Love y’all,
Alyssa O.
