First Couple of Days

Today is day two of our adventure here in the Philippines, and it has been a lot to take in. We arrived yesterday at 9:30 in the morning and once we finally cleared customs and made it to our destination in Cainta Manila it was nearly 11:00 am, but felt more like 6:00 pm. We managed to get to our room, get our stuff settled, have lunch, and rest a little bit before we made our way to Gruar squatter village.
The movement of life here is completely by feeling. Drivers on the roads weave in and out of traffic by feel as there are few, if any, lights at any given place. Where there is traffic direction from an officer, it too is completely by feel as they seem to have some kind of sixth sense for traffic flow. The days are hot and humid and that combined with the travel makes for dozy evenings.
It's amazing the things that you take for granted about the place you call home when you go to visit other places in the world. The sun sets here at around 6:30 pm and rises at around 5:00 am, and I'm sure that since this country is close to the equator there is little variation to that schedule (but I could be wrong). I hadn't expected the sun to go down so early as back home the days are becoming longer with the approaching summer season.
Anyways, I digress. Back to Gruar squatter village. It was an amazing experience. We arrived at our destination by van and our entrance to the village was a narrow walkway between to buildings that suddenly burst onto a flurry of children as the team set up for their Thursday evening meeting. The village is built up beside a muddy stream with all kinds of remnants of garbage and other refuse floating on its banks. Here in this seemingly inhospitable environment fish, like the people of Gruar, have etched out a life for themselves in an environment that is harsh tattered and torn like the refuse that surrounds them.
Yet the people are beautiful. Children, at least a hundred if not more, all with smiles and song and play surround you as they come to partake in a worship service and get some soup and rice. They have every reason to be angry and bitter for their situation, but instead they are grateful for the company of newcomers and a hearty meal. Josiah and I had the privilege of handing out out the small portions of soup and rice wrapped in small plastic bags, and as each child was handed their portion I prayed blessing over their lives. Completely undeserving of their lot in life, they remain joyful and playful: unlike children back home. Lessons from the poor I will take into my heart as long as I can remember these days.
We came back from Gruar and Josiah was exhausted (I could tell when we were in Gruar that he was fading and by Ding's kind generosity Josiah was able to have a Coca-cola to tide him over) and immediately went into the room and crashed. I tried to wake him for supper, but it was useless: he was out for the night.

Friday morning arrived, and we were both awake by 5:00 am (actually I was awake at 3 but I forced myself to sleep until 5). Invigorated by an evening of much needed rest we were ready to begin the day. We had breakfast by 8 and without morning activities planned set to doing some work. I on my notes, for any opportunity at which I might be called to speak, and Josiah for his homework assignments. By 11 we were given lunch and shortly after 1 we made our way to visit Ileena, an LPN who runs a clinic as a ministry in Antipollo. From there we had the privilege of visiting the squatter village that she has served faithfully for the last six years, and were greeted once again with smiles. As we made our way through the village the crowd of children seemed to multiply instantaneously. We were greeted with gifts for our visit and as we left several of the children wanted to have their pictures taken with Josiah. As we got into the van I heard one of the little girls say goodbye to Justin Beiber (the name they gave to him). It was pretty cute.

The people here at New Hope are amazingly generous, and demonstrate tremendous hospitality and servanthood. While perhaps a little overwhelming, our experience thus far has been pretty amazing.

A Baptism and an adventure with sidetracks

Well it's currently 12:30 am Wednesday morning and after a couple of unexpected days in Vancouver we are now sitting in the waiting area for our flight to the Philippines.
Our adventure began with an amazing momentous occasion as on Sunday I had the honor of assisting in Josiah's baptism. Getting to share in this occasion was beyond words for me, but one I will never forget as it is a milestone in my son's journey with the Father. It made my wife and I think of the time when Jesus was baptized and his Father was there to mark the occasion with a pronouncement over him. Jesus was launched from that moment into his ministry life and it was sealed by the Holy spirit.
When we baptized Josiah, I too had the wondrous opportunity to pronounce blessing over him and, with our mission team leader Alan, was able to pray for the baptism of the Holy spirit over him. Our journey couldn't have been launched any better. But, as with all journeys we take with the Father, it never works out as our limited vision causes us to believe it will and often we wind up in unexpected places.
As we arrived in Vancouver ready to make our connecting flight to Taipei, Josiah and I encountered a problem that would cause our journey to take us to just such an unexpected place. Since my passport did not have more than six months left on it before expiring, I was denied entry to Manila by their customs office and forced to remain in Vancouver until I was able to renew my passport. While Josiah left the terminal with me quite disappointed and exhausted, I had the opportunity to explain to him that when the Father calls us on an adventure we have to be open to where he will lead us as He knows what our hearts need even more than we do. I explained to him that we need to trust his plans for our adventures. Stuck in the airport lobby without anywhere to go, I immediately called my brother, who lives in the lower mainland, and within no time we were at his house and in good company.
What's amazing about this little rabbit trail is that the Father knew exactly what both Josiah and I needed. I had said, only just days before I was preparing to leave, that I was missing my brother and wanted to try and reconnect with him. The Father heard that desire and gave me just that opportunity. It was great to see him and spend time with him. Times I have missed from our early childhood days thqt we had rare occasion to share as adults. We were able to share laughs, tell stories about our children and share in deep and meaningful conversation; all moments I will cherish as a gift from the Father. Not only did I get to share in this gift, but the Father also gave me the gift of seeing my son's heart delight in His goodness (He always knows what our hearts delight in). With the extra time we had in Vancouver I had the privilege of taking Josiah to Science World and the Vancouver Aquarium. It was great to watch him move from exhibition to exhibition as his youthful curiosity about the world we live in was tantalized by nature's beauty and the amazing gift the Father has bestowed upon us in the creative discoveries made by the world of science. The Father, knowing the disappointment of His son provided a gift that would serve to show His incredible goodness towards us.
In the end, my passport renewal was expedited in timely fashion with the support of friends and family in both prayer and word, and now we press on to the Philippines where I'm sure more adventure awaits us.

Itinerary

So we had our last meeting about the trip to the Philippines and I thought I would share our itinerary so people will know where we will be and when.
We'll be leaving Lethbridge on Sunday the 15th at 6:30 to arrive to the airport for our flight which leaves from Calgary to Vancouver at 11:00 PM. Then we change flights in Vancouver and our plane to Taipei boards at 1:55 AM for a 13 hour flight. From there we transfer to a two hour flight to Manila where we arrive at 9:35 AM local time on the 17th of May. We'll have a few days in Manilla to get organized and most likely visit the squatter village near to where we will be staying. On the Friday we'll participate in a home group meeting, and then on the Saturday we'll participate in a kid's ministry and on Sunday we'll participate in church and Sunday evening the youth events. Then on the 23rd we head out for a retreat that we will be helping to put on for the children's ministry there for three days or so before we transition to San Pablo for a youth convention where we will be assisting as well until the 28th. Then we leave on the 30th to come home.

All in all it looks like we'll be having a whirlwind of a stay in the Philippines. I'm looking forward to what the Father will show us while we are there.

Praise the Lord!

Well thanks be to God for His provision! All the money has been raised for Josiah and I to go to the Philippines. Thank you to everyone for your continued support in prayer and friendship as Josiah and I prepare for our journey together. As we continue I am reminded of Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established." It's amazing how when we feel the Lord lead and commit ourselves to His ends, He alone establishes (or another translation says makes successful) our plans. Pslams 37:23 says "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand." Our steps are established by the Lord, and He will not let us falter; all great lessons for a Father to teach His son, and a father to teach his son.

Praise the Lord

Well, Josiah and I have some great news! The Lord has been faithful and provided us with nearly all the money we need for our trip. Over the weekend the Father provided all but $625! It has been incredible to see Him at work for us, and it has been awesome to journey with Josiah on this adventure of faith. With just over two weeks before we leave, I have no doubt that the Father will provide all that we need.

Extra Info

Ok, so thanks to some keen eyes I have realized that the dates that we are going to be in the Philippines are not in any of my previous posts. So, the dates we will be travelling are May 15th to the 30th. The rest of the team will be there until the second of June, but since that is my convocation date, Josiah and I are coming back early to attend (even though we will most likely be very jet lagged!). Also I thought it might be a good idea to let people know how much money we have raised and how much more we need to raise.

A good friend of mine once told me that a journey of faith is made cheap if all we do is tell about all the miraculous moments that the Father does for us without the details on the gritty moments that produced the faith it took to get to those great moments. That had me thinking that perhaps this journey of faith that my son and I are on is one that could be shared among many, and not just to ourselves. So, as I mentioned in our first blog, we felt that the Father wanted us to go on this trip back during the Christmas season and decided in faith to commit ourselves to that end. Not really knowing the dates or what would be required of us, either in time or finances, we embarked on preparing our hearts as much as we could. Having a toddler and an infant at home as well as a full course load and tutoring at the University has not afforded me a whole lot of time to garner the support that we have needed, and at times I have found myself in tremendous anxiety about whether or not we heard from the Father correctly. But, every time I begin to feel that way He always comes in reassurance that going on this trip is part of His desire for our journey together as a father and a son. It began with the generous gift of one of our tickets being purchased on our behalf. This to me was a major miracle! Then as the weeks have gone by, little by little, the Father has been pouring in His support for us, and always just at the point of my own anxiety.

I cannot help but be reminded of James 1:17 that reads "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows." His gentle reassurances along the way have been a constant reminder of His unfailing love, of the fact that He does not change like the shifting shadows of this world. As we come closer to our travel date I know that Josiah has had his own anxieties about being able to go, and just like the Father has for me, He continues to prove Himself unchanging to Josiah. My only hope is that I can do offer the same reassurances. That I might be able to coach him in the way of faith; in the way of the Father.

As it stands now our journey is far from over as we continue to seek the Lord to raise the funds we need. At present we have been blessed with one ticket and raised approximately $800.00, and are in need of roughly $2200.00 more. But, for me, the last five years have been a journey of faith in seeing the Father provide time and time again wondrously and miraculously for our family, and from where I sit at this moment I do not doubt His ability to provide for us now. My hope is that as we move towards the travel date I will be able to help Josiah see firsthand, the ways in which our heavenly Father takes care of our needs. But more than that, I hope that Josiah will see that the Father loves all His kids and will go to great lengths to show them His love for them. My prayer is that Josiah and I will be a representation of the Fathers love to the people of the Philippines.

Great Support & Wonderful Community

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the team yesterday. We were a little worried that with our spring rain...I mean snow, that numbers for the fundraiser were going to be low. But we filled just about all of the nearly 160 seats in the gym. Also I want to give special thanks for all the help that we had in putting this together.

After giving some personal reflection to fundraisers I began think about it from the other side (as is often my role) where participants come and volunteer or support by attending. I've always believed in supporting missions trips and missionaries but, since being a student, have had little resources to offer and so thought little of my own contributions. At times, I have even questioned their value, as in my opinion, they have been miniscule. After putting one on with a team with whom I am personally traveling however, my feelings have changed. The simplest of tasks performed by the remotest of people in my personal sphere have borne tremendous gratitude. The feeling of community one gets from a scenario like we had yesterday is surprisingly overwhelming. The sense of camaraderie palpable. We came away tired from hours of effort, but full of love.

So to those who have supported don't discount your efforts as minuscule or meaningless, as I have in the past, but know that what you contribute in whatever way you can, fills the hearts of those you are sending.