7/5: Casiklan!!

I woke up at 5:30 am, due to a creature I now have started looking upon as a curse to my blissful sleep--can you guess??? Yep, you're right....a R-O-O-S-T-E-R. Got up at 5:55am, dressed, and had breakfast: oatmeal, eggs, fried galay (Filipino "Spinach"), and rice.

When I rolled my pant leg up, I found this on my calf!! Not the best picture, but  it looked like the big dipper-given to me by an ant while I was traveling here from Davao!! Thankfully, it didn't hurt.

Our daily schedule here is: Up at 6 AM, Start 'work' at 9 AM, Back for lunch at 11:30-12 PM, Siesta until 3 PM, go back to 'work' until 5:30-6 PM. Of course each day differs, but that is the basics-very relaxed.

The back room-our storage room/dish washing sink

Hannah, Jilian, and Katie having personal devotions

Katie and Etienne

Discussing how the day will go

Girls Rule here!! :) Jilian, Katie, Hannah, and Sylvette

 Around 7:30 am, a young boy came and informed us that his mom died at 6 PM the night before. That was devastating to the group, as they had visited her just a few days before, but there wasn't anything medically they could do for her, except pray and encourage her and her family. She was between 40-50 years old, and had 6-7 children, all of which, plus family members were waiting for us, when we arrived at 9 AM. They think she died from stomach problems.

God worked through it though, as neighbors started pouring in as Bong preached and the team members shared, encouraged and prayed. It also was a wake-up call for us (again), how precious and fragile life is, and that GOD IS THE GIVER AND TAKER OF LIFE!!! Just because there we know so much in the medical realm does NOT change that fact.

...The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

~ Job 1:21b ~

Afterwards, we split into 2 teams - to go visit different Puroks (branches of the village). Makayla went with Balong, Jilian, and Hannah, while Sylvette and I went with Etienne and Katie. 

Cow and calf

These 3 pictures were taken in remembrance of one of my dearest friends: Selah...miss milking cows with you Sis!!

A noisy, squealing hog

Visitations usually included introducing ourselves as Volunteers at the Health Center, asking about their family's health, taking their blood pressures, if pregnant-doing prenatal checkups, and then asking how their spiritual life was doing, and if they had a personal relationship with Christ and had assurance of salvation. We also invited them to the Sunday "Bible Study".

Most of them went to church, and could tell you a lot of the right answers, but didn't have actual assurance of salvation. Filipinos love testimonies, and so we shared quite a few, and really tried to deal with their hearts, and present the Gospel in a way that they as an individual could understand.

One home we went to, there was a buntis (pregnant woman), who was G5P4 and 27 1/7 weeks pregnant, but had a Fundal Height of 24, which is low normal. (Baby was breech too, which is normal for this GA.) Come to find out that there is a belief there that small baby is much better than a big baby (which is true to some extent). Can you guess what their 'big' baby was??? 5-6 lbs!!!! Yikes!!!! The way they handle this is by rationing their food to the minimum--not good!!! We were able to dispel that myth, for which she was VERY greatful. :) 
Another woman signed up her 5 year old boy for "Tuli". More on that in a later post.


Went home around 11:30AM, and had lunch, consisting of Munggo Bean (mung beans) and Squash Soup-ie (soup-ay) :) and Rice. 


After lunch, a few villagers came with various ailments or wanting their b/p taken. One gal had a toenail that was hurting her pretty badly, and so Bong clipped the whole thing off--it wasn't attached to the skin except at the roots, and was entirely FILLED with dirt!! Oi!! We washed it up, and sent her home. Another gal had a cyst close to her spine in her mid-back, and another was buntis--8 months along. (that was not an ailment. :D)


After we had helped them all, we took a short siesta, and wrote some letters for Bong to take to the other villages. Bong was originally going to leave that morning, but we all convinced him to stay until the afternoon, and then took turns trying to delay his departure.

Back Row: Balong (translator), MKK, Katie, Jilian, Sylvette, Etienne (leader), and Bong (supervisor)
Front Row: Hannah and me

At 3PM, we got up did more visitations until 6 PM. We were able to visit 4 homes in a small neighborhood, and fully shared the Gospel at the first home to 2 sisters, one of which had a baby. Their father is a drunkard, and you could see the devastating affects in his single daughter's spirit. The one professed Christ, and the other was open, but neither one had assurance. The next home we visited, was of a small family with 3 boys, 2 of which they signed up for "Tuli". 


The 3rd home we visited is continually in my remembrance: We hadn't even got to the door, and called "I-O!!" (knock-knock) once, and they called from inside "Sulod!!" (come in). As soon as we got inside, all 5 children there 'blessed' us, which is done by putting our hand to their forehead. It was so precious.


Sylvette knew this family from last year at NT, and so it was especially memorable, because there was a lasting friendship there. The home consisted of the Grandma, the Great-Grandma (age 60), and 5 grandkids ages 12-5. The grandmother had heart problems and major hypertension, with a b/p of 178/108. Everything we advised her to do, she said she was doing, so we just tried to reinforce it, and asked her to--as part of her exercise regime--visit us daily at the H/C to get her b/p rechecked. At the end, I felt led to bless both grandmas, which I think really blessed them (which is the point. :D). I guess the kids really like Etienne, because he looked like their dad (I think the parents were both working).


The last home we visited contained a family with 6 girls, all under the age of 8 is my guess. They really wanted a boy, but have given up hope now. :) Their girls were darling. Some extended family lives there as well, and their TV was always on to some Karaoke. (Karaoke is a favorite past time here in the Bukid, much more so than in the normal city.)

The husband's sister lived next door, and was buntis with her 3rd, but as she wasn't there, we requested that she visit the H/C the next morning. We then went home, where we found out that the other team had led a young man to Christ!!! Praise the Lord for His goodness!!


Had Tuna and Crackers and veggies for dinner (maayo kaayo!), and then just sat around at talked. I got to know Jill really well, and we had some prayer time for each other, which was really special.  I am convinced that one of the most special things on earth is to be able to fellowship with like-minded and impassioned believers, to be able to draw under our one King and pray. 


We then had Team Time, something I learned to look forward to so much at Casiklan!! As part of Bible Study, they were going through a book compilation of different Missionaries. Tonight's was George Mueller--one of my personal Historical Mentors. That was invigorating and refreshing.  God SO mightily used him, and still continues to today!!!


We got to bed at 10 PM, sleeping in our mulongs on mats on the floor. It was actually quite comfortable, and by the end of trip, it was wala'y problema!! I could do it continually if needed!!

What I Learned:
- Life is a Vapour
- Besides God-given relationships, our first priority needs to be Sharing the Gospel.
- What are we willing to sacrifice for God? Our finances? Our time? Our sleep? Our lives?


One song we sang while here was the following, & it really impacted me:

This is my desire To honour You

Lord, with all my heart I worship You

All I have within me I give You praise

All that I adore Is in You.

Lord, I give You my heart, I give you soul

I live for You alone, With every breath that I take

With every moment I'm awake

Lord have Your way in me.