The Philippines have been…interesting. I don’t quite know how to describe it here. It’s just different.
The streets are mobbed with trikes (motorycles with a cart attached with them) and trucks, which pedestrians pay no heed to. There are no clear road rules; it’s just understood that everyone drives for themselves. Drivers pass one another like it’s nothing and don’t seem to notice and/or care that there’s a car coming at them in the opposite direction. The best part is that people squash into vehicles like sardines. A trike, for instance, has space for approximately 7 people (not comfortably mind you), but the other day I counted 15 on one.
The food has been good, but not like our previous two months (duh). Lots of fish, and lots of BBQ surprisingly. Today, a woman bought me barbequed bananas on a stick. I know. They love rice and serve it with everything. They also have ice candy, which are basically ice pops but definitely delicious and refreshing. At the other end of the spectrum is balut, which is duck fetus. Yup. Duck fetus. And yes, I did partake. I had 2 in fact. One was 16 days old and the other was 18 days old (the eggs hatch at 22 days or so). It surprisingly wasn’t that bad. The mind game leading up to was much worse than the actual meal, although I don’t feel the need to have anymore.
Dumaguete, the city where we’re staying, is poor but not overwhelmingly so. Most people seem to be getting by ok. But just outside the city is intense poverty, where we are doing our primary ministry. Naked children run freely, and people bathe in the same water they drink from. The houses are made from either bamboo or plywood and are literally smaller than my bed in many cases. The people are so kind though. They offer what little food they have, and take pictures of us like we’re movie stars or something. We’ve partnered with International Care Ministry, which goes into the poorest of the poor communities. Their mission is to go to the people living on less than 70 cents a day and raise them up. They do this through teaching organic farming and sustainable economy principles. They also teach health education, just basic stuff like using soap after using the restroom or covering their food. But this is the kind of stuff they need to know that no one has ever taught them. Lastly, the program centers on values and having a relationship with Christ.
Spiritually, the Philippines has been an odd place for me. The majority of Filipinos are Roman Catholic, so we see His name everywhere, even painted on those trikes! But there are also a lot of witch doctors that people turn to, especially for healing. As a spiritually sensitive person, my soul has been completely overwhelmed. I’m learning to use my discernment, though, and listen to God when He tells me not to walk any farther on a street or to pray in a certain way. So this country has certainly been a challenge for me already.
Even with all that, I am slowly but surely falling in love with this place and allowing my heart to break for these people. I’m excited to see how God will use my team and me this month. So stay tuned!
