A New Member of the Family

The whole point of missions is to sow the seeds of the Gospel across the Earth and hope that the Holy Spirit will convict and move in the hearts that hear it.  While meeting needs and performing good deeds are kind acts of service and definitely not meant to be discounted, soul winning is the heart of Christianity, and while I was with the second Agta team I visited, I got to see God claim a victory in a woman’s life.  

We call her "Nanay Ipa". She was baptized last Tuesday on her birthday!

Kari:  We met Nanay Ipa the first day we came into the village and were inviting people to bible studies.  She is from a family of believers, and she used to go to church.  She stopped going when she got married and had children, and never truly grasped the gospel when she attended before.  The Chieftan told us to conduct our bible studies at Nanay Ipa’s house because it is the only house in the village with electricity.  We began our bible studies there and had a pretty steady group of five women and their children.  The night we shared the Passover story, only Nanay Ipa and her family were there.  That was the night she accepted Christ.  It was such an amazing moment, and we got to have a personal celebration with her since only her family and our group were there.

Kelley Beth:  We could see an obvious change in Nanay Ipa from the moment she was saved.  It was physical as well as spiritual.  Her eyes went from a constant look of defeat to joyful, hopeful, and eager for more of Christ.  We left a Bible with her, and she hugged it close to her as soon as she got her hands on it – her hunger was obvious.  She is such a picture of grace! She’s never had a Bible, and she knew so little, but it all came together for her through the Spirit.  Now she says she is sad for people that don’t know Christ and is eager to share with them.

O’Neal:  Ivan, one of our translators, and I baptized Nanay Ipa in a river close to her home.  It was such an honor to be used by God in that way and to see the act of baptism from a different perspective.  Baptism itself is such a cool picture of salvation, but to experience leading someone else through it and illustrating their salvation to her is definitely something I will never forget.

A new member of the family!

Not Our Words, But His

The plan for the Agta Teams this summer has been to enter each village they visit, build relationships with the people, invite them to bible studies, share a simple series of stories that explain God’s story from creation to the resurrection, and answer any questions the people have in the process.  They make sure to emphasize God’s need for sacrifice to cover sin.  The people sometimes have a skewed view of God and His perception of sin:  they view God as a passive god who loves them and looks over most sin because he is so loving.  Hopefully with the foundation these teams lay, the missionaries that plan to come behind them will be able to further the Agta people’s spiritual growth and their understanding of the saving news of the gospel.

I asked the team members to share what they think of the bible studies and to explain anything God has shown them or changed about them through their experiences this summer.

Macey:  It’s neat to read the Bible with people and see it change their lives.  I see that it is not my words or my wisdom that has the power to penetrate hearts or change lives, but the incredible power of scripture can.  Through our experiences I am learning to walk by faith every day ad really trust the Lord in every situation.  Experiencing things like moving to new villages and not knowing anyone, or wondering how needs would be met for the team, or our water pump breaking has taught me to truly rely on God for every single thing I am given in my life – spiritual or physical.  God has opened doors for us to get everywhere we need to go safely and to make progress for the kingdom once we got there.  None of this is our doing.

Chelsea:  I really like the approach of our bible studies and the importance we place on sacrifice.  The way our lessons end with the people learning that Jesus is now our Great High Priest really pulls everything together for them.  Many of the people come from a very basic Catholic background, so they hear some of the well-known stories and offer their opinion.  When we get to lesser-known stories that they haven’t heard in mass, the people seem to really be thinking hard and trying to understand.  We don’t preach to them or stress our own opinions; we simply walk them through God’s word and let the Spirit work.  This summer God has shown me how to work in a team and the importance of unity.  He has pushed me to have an attitude of humility and child-like faith.  I have prayed that He would make me a woman of prayer this summer, and I am slowly becoming exactly that.

Donnatello:  I think the selection of stories that were given to us to tell is perfect.  The stories are told in an order that build on each other and makes sense to the people.  It’s been really encouraging to see the people willingly accept the Christian ideas that contradict their incorrect Catholic views (Filipino Catholicism is much different from American Catholicism).  This summer has been an experience that is completely out of my comfort zone.  Because I am so far from what I know, God has taught me to let him lead completely in my life.  Also, seeing how these people live and knowing what a tiny piece I am in the puzzle of God’s work across the world has been extremely humbling.

Michelle:  The Bible studies are because we are reading such seemingly simple stories, but the power of God’s word is becoming more and more evident.  We’ve heard these stories our whole lives, but they still speak to us too.  We move chronologically through the Bible, so each story builds on the next.  Because of this sequence, God’s plan for His people is easier to understand for our listeners.  We don’t have to add further detail or tell the story in some dramatic way, we just share and let the Spirit move – and it’s definitely been moving.  God has really been teaching me patience on this trip in unexpected ways.  By adjusting to Filipino culture and the obstacles of camping life, such as always maintaining a fire, hiking to where you bathe, cooking outside, not being able to preserve food, I have had to have patience.  But I haven’t just learned patience for the physical world.  I am now more willing to wait and listen to what God wants for me, and I know changes He wants to make or answers He will give may not be instant, but they are coming.

School Dances Are WAY Better Here!

After establishing strong relationships in their current village and embracing much of the villager’s culture, the team had apparently earned the right to be invited to a party one night after dinner.  The invitation was extended to Ray and Donnatello by some of the men they had been working with that day, so the girls and I assumed that we were not invited.  Ray and Nikki, the team translators, quickly corrected us and said we were all invited.

It was late (for us at least) when the party started, so we were tired and seriously considered just going to bed.  As we laid out our bedding, we started talking about possibly going.  We thought, “….well, maybe we should.” or “How much will we regret this if we don’t?” and “This is a perfect way to build more relationships!” After five minutes or so of discussion our shoes and headlamp were on, and we were making our way to the elementary school of the town.

The school had inducted new officers earlier in the day, and their was a community-wide celebration.  And we mean COMMUNITY-WIDE.  The road to the school had people all around it, and as we were lead into the actual campus of the school, we saw a massive dance area with lights.  We were instantly welcomed and taken by the children to meet teachers and the principal.

After meeting them, we were all quickly invited to dance.  I stood on the sidelines to take pictures while the team, to my surprise, jumped right out to dance with the kids.  As I looked through my lens I quickly saw that this party was so much different than the school parties I have been to.  Teachers, parents, and students covered the dance floor, ALL having an amazing time – not just students.  I was able to take pictures uninterrupted for the first few shots.  As soon as I put the flash on and I took the next picture, I was swarmed with children.  It will never stop surprising me how much Filipino children love to have their picture taken.

I swear...a camera is a kid magnet!

Chelsea:  The party was an amazing experience.  With all of the different ages coming together and enjoying themselves, it felt kind of like I was in a scene from a movie.

Michelle:  I felt like a celebrity – everyone wanted a picture with us.  I didn’t know the party was going to be that big of a deal.  I had imagined my school parties, but they were nothing like this.  It was such a fun way to build relationships.

Donnatello:  The people were so friendly to us from the moment we got there.  On older lady danced with me, but she didn’t dance like she was old!  I was thinking, “Wow, Grandma can move!”  I was great to see the whole community come together and dance.  This was my first time to get to dance since we got here.

Macey:  I felt so welcome, but that we stood out so much.  I felt three feet taller than everyone there!  They loved it when the Americans danced though.  I don’t think they expected us to.

Hopefully, by going to the party, we confirmed our concern and willingness to participate to the people.  After seeing us go the extra mile to reach out to them, maybe more youth age people and men will be more willing to come to the bible studies.  We hope that the Spirit will continue to move in that village.  

All Things to All People

The Chieftan - she was so gracious to the team

The first Agta team I visited (Macey, Michelle, Chelsea, and Donnatello) shared with me how amazing it was in their current village because they truly felt like they were members of the village.  Unlike their first two stops, they stayed with a family in the village, so they were always with the people.  This stronger attachment to the people allowed them to build relationships faster, and those relationships ran deeper.  The chieftan of the village was very helpful in welcoming the team and making their presence know in the village.  Soon, Donnatello and Ray, one of the team’s translators, were working with the men during the day, and the girls and Nikki, the other translator and Ray’s sister, were able to fellowship with the women and children before establishing regular bible studies.

One of the best things to do to be well received in another country, region, or even town, is to fully embrace the culture of the town.  Donnatello and Ray made great steps towards the men by working with them.  We all were able to connect with the people through our interest in what they do with the fibers of a plant native to their area. 

Almost everyone in the village makes their living from these plants by harvesting them, stripping the fibers, or weaving them into goods.  One day while we were hiking through the mountains with the chieftan, we met the indigenous people that lived around the village.  After two hours of hiking, she asked if we wanted to visit one more house.  We said yes, of course, and met the people there.  The people who lived in the house asked if we would like to see where the plants were harvested because the area was only a five-minute walk away.  After the five-minute walk turned into a twenty-five-minute walk, we saw men working, gathering the plants.  They let Michelle, Donnatello, Chelsea, and me strip the fibers from the plants.  It was fun to do and a great bonding moment for the team and the people.

Macey learning the trade

The next day, we were walking through the village inviting more people to bible studies, and we saw some women twisting the dark-type of fibers into strands.  They taught Macey how to do it while we watched. 

A weaving machine for the fibers

Nothing shows someone you care about him and his life more than asking him to teach you how he lives.  For these people, those plants are the center of their lives.  By showing interest in their trades, we hopefully began the process of replacing those plants with Christ.

The Road to Here

After spending a few days living with the one of the Agta Teams, I realized how spoiled I had been by my cushy life in America.  When I got to them, they were staying in the nicest conditions they had been in so far, and their stories of adjusting to their new summer lifestyle were pretty amusing.  They were each willing to share the different struggles and realizations they had on their road to their current village. 

Macey:  I tried not to have any expectations about how the trip would go.  There were some factors that I hadn’t considered, like how or what we would cook or how different the culture would be.  One of the differences it took me a while to get used to was the lack of privacy.  From the first village forward our team was packed in tight quarters and we were always with each other.  It wouldn’t have been a very big adjustment if we had known each other prior to the trip, but when you’re with the same people that much, you get to know each other really quickly.  I think that challenge actually turned into a blessing because we got so close so fast.  The language barrier is also difficult, but most of the people are so welcoming and helpful that it hasn’t been that much of an issue.  Sometimes they even apologize because they don’t know more English to communicate with us, which blows us away considering we are in THEIR country.

Chelsea:  I didn’t expect our group to be as independent as we are.  Not that I expected our supervisors to hold our hands as we went from village to village and supervise every bible study, but I was unaware of how much we would do on our own.    I was surprised by how the people feel personally responsible for us while we stay in their village: they escort us places, in our current village the chieftan checks on us multiple times a day, and in one village they moved us from our tents outside into the Barangay Hall (town hall) because a typhoon was coming.  We stayed in the Barangay Halls of the first two villages we went to, but in our current village we are staying in the home of one of the villagers. Staying with the people all the time makes all the difference.  They have fully included us and we really feel like part of the family – it’s amazing.

Donnatello:  It was difficult at first to travel because we had to hike through so much mud.  It’s hard to be frustrated when you look around though.  The Philippines is such a beautiful place!    I was surprised by how some people lived so primitively, but the men have started to let me accompany them when they work.  That is such a big step because in every village we have been to, it has been relatively easy to reach the women and children, but hard to build relationships with the men.  We are learning better ways to approach the people, and seeing the progress God has allowed us to make in each village has been very humbling.

Michelle:  As I was adjusting to life here on my team in the Philippines, I realized how many things I took for granted in the U.S., like stoves and toilet seats.  I also had to adjust to how much longer it takes to do things here.  I am so used to everything being instant in the U.S. that it was frustrating at first to deal with the delays of travel and cooking – which can take so long between collecting firewood, starting the fire, maintaining the fire, waiting for water to boil, then finally cooking.  I asked God to teach me patience this summer, but I expected him to do it through people, not camping.  He does work in mysterious ways.  It has been amazing to see the people who are spiritually receptive to us, not just welcoming because we are important white people.  In our second village we were so encouraged to see how hungry the people were for the word.  That was the most remote village we visited, and travel was too expensive for the people to go and visit a church or hear a speaker.  There were two conversions while we were there!  They were so eager to hear that we were happy to leave several bibles with them so they could continue to study. 

A fire to cook over at WAIST LEVEL....

and a toilet that FLUSHES!!!!!!  We feel like we are now in the lap of luxury

In His Image

After spending over a month in the Philippines, I have noticed a few things about the way the Filipinos see themselves. One thing affecting their self-image is their skin color. They will stare at the “white people” who come into town and tell us how beautiful we are - mainly because of our skin. There are countless products here that are used to lighten skin. I am surprised by the focus on lighter skin because we place so much emphasis on tanning in the U.S., and the Filipinos’ color is beautiful and part of their heritage/culture. They seem to be such proud people that the idea that they would like to drastically change something about themselves is unexpected. As I spent nine days with the Agta teams in different villages, I saw and heard how much the color of skin has affected the self-worth some native Filipino villagers.

The Agta people have a story of creation that greatly differs from our Christian view. The story states that God created all people and that every one of them was dirty. God created a pool for the people to wash the dirt off. The Americans and Europeans, being the smartest and hardest working people found the pool first and were able to completely clean themselves, leaving them with untainted white skin. The next group to find the pool was the Chinese and other Asians. They water had receded from the Americans and Europeans using it, and it was now dirty from their washing. The Chinese were still able to get most of the dirt off, leaving them with golden colored skin. The Agta were the last people to find the pool. By the time they arrived the water was very dirty and the pool has shrunken to a small puddle only big enough for the Agta people to press their hands and feet into the water.

The darker skin of the Agta people is associated with filthiness and even stupidity. They are viewed by others as dumb, dirty, worthless, incapable of accomplishing anything great, and as thieves. The Agta people are very aware of how they are seen and carry the shame that accompanies their appearance. They don’t want to be referred to as “Agta” because they even use the term as an insult or derogatory term for themselves in their communities. If they make a mistake, they may say something like, “Sorry! That was so Agta.” They refer to themselves as I.P. (indigenous people).

When the creation story is taught through the Bible studies that the teams conduct, the teams try to stress the point that we are ALL made in the image of God. He loves and values ALL of us, regardless of appearance. Kelley Beth had a touching experience with a girl who was able to find beauty in herself through God.

Kelley Beth: The girls in one village we visited really loved our skin. They thought we were so beautiful because of our color, but when we tried to tell them that they were beautiful as well, they wouldn’t believe us. We shared with them that we are ALL created in God’s image and are ALL fearfully and wonderfully made, but they wouldn’t believe that was in the Bible until Bam our translator showed them. After they saw the scripture, one girl became very excited. The other girls teased her about her enthusiasm. She said she didn’t care though because God made her beautiful. It was really cool to see the word of God show her truth even when our words couldn’t.

Open Hearts

Hello everybody!  Living in the Filipino jungle has definitely been an experience, but I am not complaining.  At the moment, our camp is in a small village.  The people here are so very friendly!  They even built us our very own CR (bathroom) out of bamboo and banana leaves.  We are so very blessed to be around such giving people.  Our goal here is to have as many Bible studies as possible that will hopefully grow into a church in the future.  Our Bible studies are stories that especially teach the fact that there is only one God, and only one way to get to Him!  There are a few villagers who have been quite receptive.  One lady specifically wants to continue the Bible studies after we leave.  Her name is Gloria, but we all call her Nanay, or mother.  One day one of my teammates Kelley felt very discouraged & homesick.  Nanay and her husband Tatay were very comforting.  Our hope is that the villagers will remember the stories and share them after we leave to their friends and neighbors.  God has taught me and my team this week about being completely reliant on Him.  God has blessed me with a wonderful team!  They are my home away from home.  Please pray that God will open the hearts of the Agta people to His Word.  Love all of you!

~ by Kari, Agta Team-Rinconada

Kelley Beth & Kari 

our Bible study last night 

O'Neal and some of the local guys 

Kari & Kelley Beth with Nanay

Greetings to everyone from the jungle!  I don’t even know how to begin to describe these past couple of weeks.  I have never experienced anything like this, and it has been hard, but God has been so faithful.  I just want to share one story of His goodness in answering our prayers.  The other morning my teammates Kari and O’Neal and I were all attempting to make pancakes over our fire pit outside.  This was a hard morning.  We hadn’t really been shown an opportunity for leading a consistent Bible study yet and we were praying for people to hear.  I was also very homesick that morning.  As we made pancakes, I thought about eating pancakes with my family the night before I left, and I couldn’t stop the tears.  I tried to hide them, but the man living in the hut next to our tent had seen.  As we visited his house later, he told me that he had hurt when he saw my tears because he knew I missed my family, and that he and his wife would be my “Tatay NS Nanay” (father and mother) while I was here.  He continued to tell us that his wife has confided to him that she wanted to continue a Bible study after we left and how eager she is to learn the Word of God.  This time, the tears were tears of joy!  The Lord had comforted me in my own pain, as well as showing us His faithfulness in providing open hearts and minds ready to hear.  He will redeem His people!  He also uses our weakest moments for His good.  Please pray for us that we will not shrink back in the low times, but that we will claim His promises.  Pray for the people, that their eyes will be opened and that they will be brought from darkness into light.  Thank you for your prayers!

~ Kelley Beth, Agta Team-Rinconada

Hungry for the Word

When we first met Nanay Nory and her husband, they were very cautious about any sort of religion.  She used to Muslim, and her husband was Catholic.  Through our Bible studies, we shared with her that we were not there to bring religion.  We expressed our desire to share the truths of the Bible and about Jesus Christ.  She did not seem very interested, but she was still willing to study with us.  After a few studies with her, Nanay Nory expressed excitement that we were not trying to force religion on her.  There are many religions in this area telling her that she must follow them to know God and be saved.  She shared that she has faith in Christ alone.  She knows He is the only way because her grandmother told her.  Nanay Nory is incredibly hungry for the Lord and His Word.  She was so grateful for someone to tell her more.  We left her and her family with a Bible for them to study after we leave.

~ by Chelsea

Bicol Team:  Donnatello, Rey, Michelle, Chelsea, Nikki & Macey

Some of the groups we are having Bible studies with:

Agta Team - 2011

Agta Team

Team 1:  Left to right

Chelsea, 19, of Blue Mountain College.  Mission verse – John 17:3

Team Leader Macey, 21, of Chrleston Southern University.  

Mission verse – Isaiah 52: 6-12        

Michelle, 20, of College of Charleston.  
Mission verse – Colossians 3:1-4

Donnatello, 21, of East Central Community College.  
Mission verse – Jeremiah 1: 4-10

Team 2:  Left to right

Kelley Beth, 20, of Mississippi College.  
Mission verse – Isaiah 40: 28-31

O’Neal, 20, of Francis Marion University.  
Mission verse – Isaiah 50:7

Team Leader Kari, 20, of Northeast Alabama Community College. 

Mission verse – Ephesians 6:10-17