Expression of Christianity: What did I learn about being a Christian from the local Christians with whom I worked this summer?
· The power of a Christ-like attitude no matter what the circumstances
· A deep appreciation and love for people just for who they are as a unique image bearer of God
· The strong solidarity and support of the Christian faith community within and outside of the church
How is the local expression of Christianity similar to my own practice and beliefs? How is it different?
· Similar
i. Practices of prayer, Sunday school, worship, baptism, communion
ii. Heart to serve
iii. Finding family within the church
· Different
i. Rich and sincere welcoming hospitality
ii. Humility and acceptance of humble circumstances and those in them
iii. Small group prayer during Wednesday evening worship/prayer service
Local Christian church: What did I learn about the local Christian church in the area where I served? What does the church in this country have to add to the body of Christ?
· Faithfulness and commitment of the people and families within the church to the church
· Joy and celebration of the church and people amidst trying times
· Strong role, leadership, and potential of the youth within the church
Your faith: How might my faith have been different if I had grown up in this culture instead of in my own (include both positive and negative implications)?
· Emphasis more on community of faith rather than individual faith
· Rooted more deeply in basic faith rather than climbing and reaching towards new heights
· More local verses global eyes of faith
· Humility
· More accepted, less embedded faith
God: What did I learn about God over the course of the summer?
· God’s ways are not our ways. God’s ways are higher.
· God’s providence beyond what is expected when least expected
· God of all around the world
· How diverse and unfathomable God is
· Goodness and faithfulness even more
God’s call: What did God most need to teach me this summer? How well did I learn it?
· Surrender
· Being open
· Patience
· Living and loving in close community
· Solitude
· Being in His presence and the presence of others
· Joy of getting tangled up in relationships
In what ways have I changed? How is God asking me to change?
· Intentionally be present to those around me
· Being content whatever the circumstances
· Turning growth in Christian community into outreach
· Self surrender to be other serving
If you have insight into one or more of the bulleted items below, please share your thoughts. Also feel free to address something that concerns/interests you that has not been addressed elsewhere.
· What are some of the most important cultural values of China, Guatemala, Guinea, or the Philippines?
Philippines – Family / hospitality / respect for elders
· How do missionaries partner with other mission agencies? What levels of cooperation do they have? What do they do separately?
Work together, support, and get involved with each other’s ministries
· Do CRWM missionaries do missions differently than those who work with mission agencies that are not Reformed? How?
Empowerment of local people – involving them in and handing over to them the mission and ministry with support
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Philippines to Tennesse
I moved to Tennesse on August 2 and just started working as a youth ministry intern at Germantown UMC and attending Memphis Theological Seminary. Check out my new blog at http://ymintnatgumc.blogspot.com/ as the journey continues.
Philippines Continued
Sunday - July 26
- 7:30 am corn flakes and milk for breakfast
- 7:45 am Tagalog church service and 10 am English church service at Grace from Heaven CRC
- Lunch with deacons, elders, and pastor of church
- 2 pm HIV/AIDS presentation to about 40 adults and youth at the church (great response!)
- Hang out with youth at the church
- 6 pm pork, veggies, rice, and bannanas for dinner at church thanks to the fine cooking of the deacon ladies
- Hang out with 3 of the teachers who live at the church and the school
- 10-11 pm group devos
- 11-12 pm reflections on Philippines experience with teammates
- 12 pm bedtime
Monday - July 27
- 8:30 am peanut butter sandwiches, cereal, oranges for breakfast
- 9 am - noon tour of homes in a poorer area in Manila (85 families sponsored byZeeland Christian Middle school families in Zeeland, MI)
- Noon - 5 pm Mall of Asia (tour, 1 hour of ice skating in the mall ice rink, souvenier shopping)
- Cook pancakes for dinner at the church and hang out
- Play ping pong with school janitor
- We were suppossed to be picked up to go back to Laguna but our ride got stuck in traffic for 6 hours b/c of the holiday and ended up turning around
- group devos
-11 pm bedtime
Tuesday - July 28
(Often times in transition we only see what we are leaving behind and not all the potential that God has in store for the future - keep moving forward and be still in God)
- 6:30 am wake up
- 8 am breakfast at McDonald's in Manila (rice, eggs, sausage)
- ride river boat
- Horse drawn carriage ride (our driver had to have a college education to drive the carriage. Many fast food resturants require a college education to work in them. A relative of the carriage driver pastors a church and went to jail for 15 years of his life for bad behavior before he became a pastor)
- Tour of old fort in Manila
- Ride Manila train
- Lunch at Borgyos American resturant (P295 - shrimp penne pasta)
- Tour CRWM/CRWRC Manila offices
- Visit NuRock radio station where host brother worked for a year
- Drive back to Los Banos
- 7:30 pm dinner at guest house with host family and other church youth as a goodbye dinner for me - goofy games too
- Camp fire with youth
- 12:30 pm bedtime
Wednesday - July 29
- 9 am breakfast at guest house (avacados with brown sugar and yogurt, rolls, fried egg, rice)
- Day of goodbye's with host family youth and group
- Visit old Catholic cemetary
- Lunch at local resturant (shrimp soup, rice, chop suey)
- Blue Icy and curly fries snack at McDonald's
- 6:30 pm church prayer meeting at Calamba CRC
- Dinner at host families house (noodles, rice, fish, peanut butter fudge)
- Group watched Ice Age 3 while I talked with my host parents about Grace Community Christian School (They would like for me to look for support for them back in the U.S.) and heard some of their stories
- 11 pm group devos at guest house and sharing of farewells and words of encouragement for eachother
- 1 pm bedtime
Thursday - July 30
- 3:30 am wake up at guest house for 6:45 am flight out of Manila to back home
- Drive to Manila
- 6:45 am flight out of Manila
- 11 am land in Negoya, Japan
(12 hours time difference inserted)
- 4 pm arrive in Grand Rapids, MI
- Greeted by family and friend same at airport
- 8 pm back home in Kalamazo0, MI
- 7:30 am corn flakes and milk for breakfast
- 7:45 am Tagalog church service and 10 am English church service at Grace from Heaven CRC
- Lunch with deacons, elders, and pastor of church
- 2 pm HIV/AIDS presentation to about 40 adults and youth at the church (great response!)
- Hang out with youth at the church
- 6 pm pork, veggies, rice, and bannanas for dinner at church thanks to the fine cooking of the deacon ladies
- Hang out with 3 of the teachers who live at the church and the school
- 10-11 pm group devos
- 11-12 pm reflections on Philippines experience with teammates
- 12 pm bedtime
Monday - July 27
- 8:30 am peanut butter sandwiches, cereal, oranges for breakfast
- 9 am - noon tour of homes in a poorer area in Manila (85 families sponsored byZeeland Christian Middle school families in Zeeland, MI)
- Noon - 5 pm Mall of Asia (tour, 1 hour of ice skating in the mall ice rink, souvenier shopping)
- Cook pancakes for dinner at the church and hang out
- Play ping pong with school janitor
- We were suppossed to be picked up to go back to Laguna but our ride got stuck in traffic for 6 hours b/c of the holiday and ended up turning around
- group devos
-11 pm bedtime
Tuesday - July 28
(Often times in transition we only see what we are leaving behind and not all the potential that God has in store for the future - keep moving forward and be still in God)
- 6:30 am wake up
- 8 am breakfast at McDonald's in Manila (rice, eggs, sausage)
- ride river boat
- Horse drawn carriage ride (our driver had to have a college education to drive the carriage. Many fast food resturants require a college education to work in them. A relative of the carriage driver pastors a church and went to jail for 15 years of his life for bad behavior before he became a pastor)
- Tour of old fort in Manila
- Ride Manila train
- Lunch at Borgyos American resturant (P295 - shrimp penne pasta)
- Tour CRWM/CRWRC Manila offices
- Visit NuRock radio station where host brother worked for a year
- Drive back to Los Banos
- 7:30 pm dinner at guest house with host family and other church youth as a goodbye dinner for me - goofy games too
- Camp fire with youth
- 12:30 pm bedtime
Wednesday - July 29
- 9 am breakfast at guest house (avacados with brown sugar and yogurt, rolls, fried egg, rice)
- Day of goodbye's with host family youth and group
- Visit old Catholic cemetary
- Lunch at local resturant (shrimp soup, rice, chop suey)
- Blue Icy and curly fries snack at McDonald's
- 6:30 pm church prayer meeting at Calamba CRC
- Dinner at host families house (noodles, rice, fish, peanut butter fudge)
- Group watched Ice Age 3 while I talked with my host parents about Grace Community Christian School (They would like for me to look for support for them back in the U.S.) and heard some of their stories
- 11 pm group devos at guest house and sharing of farewells and words of encouragement for eachother
- 1 pm bedtime
Thursday - July 30
- 3:30 am wake up at guest house for 6:45 am flight out of Manila to back home
- Drive to Manila
- 6:45 am flight out of Manila
- 11 am land in Negoya, Japan
(12 hours time difference inserted)
- 4 pm arrive in Grand Rapids, MI
- Greeted by family and friend same at airport
- 8 pm back home in Kalamazo0, MI
Philippines Continued
Friday - July 24
- 8:30 am breakfast at KIM (bannanas, mangos, dragon fruit, rambutan (fuzzy fruit with spikes), bannana muffins)
- Visit Jeepney Magazine (street vendor magazine put out by KIM - $2 cost and $1 goes to the street vendor) office at KIM
- Travel/stuck in traffic in Manila
- Visit Mall of Asia for lunch - Wendy's - baked potatoe and chili
- Travel to Los Banyos
- Halo Halo snack at Chow King and group meeting
- HIV/AIDS presentation at Church Among the Palms in Los Banyos
- Back to staying at guest house
- Group devos
- 11:45 pm bedtime
Saturday - July 25
- 8:30 am breakfast at guest house (cassava cake, red pepper and onion and cheese omlets, rolls and guava jelly, bannanas, rice)
- Jamboree/Bible teaching to kids age 2-12 at a local community in the forest (singing, bible stories, snacks, coloring - 17 kids) - 170 families in this community have to move by August 30 b/c they are on a preserve and they don't know where they are going to move to yet)
- Pack
- Drive to Las Pinas
- Ride train in Manila
- Arrive at Grace Community Christian School in Las Pinas and meet Pastor Leo
- Dinner and breakfast shopping at grocery on a motor bike
- Dinner at school (rice, chicken, spaghetti, root beer, fruit salad)
- Prepare for HIV/AIDS presentation to church youth on Sunday
- Group devos
- 11:45 pm bedtime
- 8:30 am breakfast at KIM (bannanas, mangos, dragon fruit, rambutan (fuzzy fruit with spikes), bannana muffins)
- Visit Jeepney Magazine (street vendor magazine put out by KIM - $2 cost and $1 goes to the street vendor) office at KIM
- Travel/stuck in traffic in Manila
- Visit Mall of Asia for lunch - Wendy's - baked potatoe and chili
- Travel to Los Banyos
- Halo Halo snack at Chow King and group meeting
- HIV/AIDS presentation at Church Among the Palms in Los Banyos
- Back to staying at guest house
- Group devos
- 11:45 pm bedtime
Saturday - July 25
- 8:30 am breakfast at guest house (cassava cake, red pepper and onion and cheese omlets, rolls and guava jelly, bannanas, rice)
- Jamboree/Bible teaching to kids age 2-12 at a local community in the forest (singing, bible stories, snacks, coloring - 17 kids) - 170 families in this community have to move by August 30 b/c they are on a preserve and they don't know where they are going to move to yet)
- Pack
- Drive to Las Pinas
- Ride train in Manila
- Arrive at Grace Community Christian School in Las Pinas and meet Pastor Leo
- Dinner and breakfast shopping at grocery on a motor bike
- Dinner at school (rice, chicken, spaghetti, root beer, fruit salad)
- Prepare for HIV/AIDS presentation to church youth on Sunday
- Group devos
- 11:45 pm bedtime
Philippines Continued
Tuesday - July 21
- 8:30 am pancakes, meat loaf, bannanas for breakfast at guest house
- 11 am drive to Manila
- 2 pm arrive at Kid's International Ministry in Manila where we got a tour of the school, orphanage, and seminary their and ate dinner (rice, spaghetti, brownies, bread, soup). We will be at Kid's International Ministry (KIM) for the next couple of days.
- Met college students from England, Tennesse, Maryland, etc. who were also helping out at KIM
- met KIM B-ball ministry team - college b-ball players from the U.S. come to the Philippines to play against Philippino b-ball teams and to minister to them at half time
- Met 2 soccer players from Camerune(?spelling?) in Africa whose passports were stolen and money stolen so they have been stuck in the Philippines now for 2 years b/c they can't go back home without their money and passports.)
- 7:30-8:15pm group devos
- 8:30 pm watch the movie "Fireproof" at the apartment of the KIM school director (25 year old lady who started the school up here after college in the U.S.)
- 11:40 pm bedtime
Wednesday - July 22
- Pancakes, eggs, mango, bannana for breakfast at 8:30 am at KIM
- Ditch digging 10 am - 5:30 pm
- Lunch break at noon - rice, pancit (rice noodles with veggies), brownies, rolls
- Toron snack at 4:30 pm (fried bannanas in a crisp shell)
- 5:30 pm coleslaw, chocolate cake with white frosting, spaghetti, garlic bread for dinner at KIM
- 6:30 pm watch b-ball ministry
- 7:30 pm play soccer with 2 Camerune guys and a bunch of Faith Academy (missionary school in Manila) students and even their parents and teachers on an outdoor cement basketball court with soccer goals until 9 pm
- Teammate to hospital for foot infection - no worries - just some rest and recovery needed
- Walk back home
- Devos with group
- 12 pm bedtime
Thursday - July 23
- 8:30 am breakfast at KIM (eggs, bannanas, toast)
- Tie re-bar and dig ditch from yesterday further down (concluded that it was too unsanitary so we stopped)
- Watch recess at school and 5th grade PE class at KIM
- Chisel concrete for an addition to housing at KIM
- Lunch at KIM (green beans, coconut milk and chicken over rice, rolls, chocolate cake)
- Play with kids at orphanage
- Bread pudding and brownie afternoon snack
- Play with kids at orphanage (push in stroller cars, b-ball, swings, soccer)
- Dinner (enchiladas, rolls, salad)
- 8-10 pm soccer practice with Philippino Homeless World Cup Team (players will play soccer in the Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy in September - sponsored by Jeepney Magazine)
- 10 - 11 pm group devos
- 12 pm bedtime
- 8:30 am pancakes, meat loaf, bannanas for breakfast at guest house
- 11 am drive to Manila
- 2 pm arrive at Kid's International Ministry in Manila where we got a tour of the school, orphanage, and seminary their and ate dinner (rice, spaghetti, brownies, bread, soup). We will be at Kid's International Ministry (KIM) for the next couple of days.
- Met college students from England, Tennesse, Maryland, etc. who were also helping out at KIM
- met KIM B-ball ministry team - college b-ball players from the U.S. come to the Philippines to play against Philippino b-ball teams and to minister to them at half time
- Met 2 soccer players from Camerune(?spelling?) in Africa whose passports were stolen and money stolen so they have been stuck in the Philippines now for 2 years b/c they can't go back home without their money and passports.)
- 7:30-8:15pm group devos
- 8:30 pm watch the movie "Fireproof" at the apartment of the KIM school director (25 year old lady who started the school up here after college in the U.S.)
- 11:40 pm bedtime
Wednesday - July 22
- Pancakes, eggs, mango, bannana for breakfast at 8:30 am at KIM
- Ditch digging 10 am - 5:30 pm
- Lunch break at noon - rice, pancit (rice noodles with veggies), brownies, rolls
- Toron snack at 4:30 pm (fried bannanas in a crisp shell)
- 5:30 pm coleslaw, chocolate cake with white frosting, spaghetti, garlic bread for dinner at KIM
- 6:30 pm watch b-ball ministry
- 7:30 pm play soccer with 2 Camerune guys and a bunch of Faith Academy (missionary school in Manila) students and even their parents and teachers on an outdoor cement basketball court with soccer goals until 9 pm
- Teammate to hospital for foot infection - no worries - just some rest and recovery needed
- Walk back home
- Devos with group
- 12 pm bedtime
Thursday - July 23
- 8:30 am breakfast at KIM (eggs, bannanas, toast)
- Tie re-bar and dig ditch from yesterday further down (concluded that it was too unsanitary so we stopped)
- Watch recess at school and 5th grade PE class at KIM
- Chisel concrete for an addition to housing at KIM
- Lunch at KIM (green beans, coconut milk and chicken over rice, rolls, chocolate cake)
- Play with kids at orphanage
- Bread pudding and brownie afternoon snack
- Play with kids at orphanage (push in stroller cars, b-ball, swings, soccer)
- Dinner (enchiladas, rolls, salad)
- 8-10 pm soccer practice with Philippino Homeless World Cup Team (players will play soccer in the Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy in September - sponsored by Jeepney Magazine)
- 10 - 11 pm group devos
- 12 pm bedtime
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