World War II Stories

Lately, I have been joining my parents at their weekly clinic. Adriana and I have just learned about World War II so we sent emails out to our great-grandparents to learn about their experiences in World War II. Then the following week when we were at clinic, Dad asked the people there about their experiences. I hurried to write notes but most of the people did not have any stories. One man did. He had many stories. His wife invited me to her houses to her more stories. After breakfast, he started telling stories. He was captured by the Japanese and a messenger for the Americans. My favorite story is of his time as a messenger:

“I was taken as a messenger for the American. They would put a message in a wax container like the ones tennis balls come in. Then they put it in my back pack covered it with grass, kamote, and then some more grass. I would hike to Betwagan via. Taluban. An American squad was always with me. There were many leeches on the path.  When I got there, they took my back pack, fed me, and clothed me. Then they let me rest the next day. They also gave me a field jacket that reached past my waist because it was too big. Then I walked back with my back pack and when we went home, they took my backpack again. It may have had a new message in it. I had to keep my journey a secret so I learned what secret and top secret meant from the military.  I was also given two triangles of cloth: one white and one red for when I went to Samoki. I would hide them in my g-string and tie them on sticks and use them as signals for the Americans. I would wave them three times. It is only now I know that the red meant danger and that the white meant forward.”

Still dancing,

Alexie

Am-Among, I Danced and the Mayor Played the Gongs!

As I have said I enjoy the Lang-ay and Am-among festivals of Mountain Province. This Am-among, we had a team here from the U.S. so I was really excited. I love learning and I love sharing what I have learned. I am a legend lover and collector of fun facts. Annalise can testify because she likes my stories and I like a listener. I especially like learning about the Igorot culture I am surrounded with.

We started early in the morning. I was anxious to get going. After breakfast and sunscreen, we hurried to see the street dancing. Already, the best spots were taken but we found a place where we could see. As a dancer passed by, I took her picture. I didn’t recognize her at first because she was so very serious focused on her dancing. Then she winked at me. It was laughing, smiling Cassey! I gave her thumbs up. Cassey used to be one of our SSM (student sponsorship ministry) students but I was really sad when we came back from furlough and she had moved back to her village so I couldn’t see her anymore.

Cassey Seriously Focused On Dancing on the Right

Cassey as Her Normal Smiling Self and Adriana

It was difficult to see the dancing from the street so we headed to the municipal plaza where we were ushered to front-row seats. There was a cute little girl sitting with her Mama behind us. Nanu was a perfect example of Filipino open friendliness as she sat on my lap and accepted a water bottle from Zach. Ate Arielle was also making friends with a little boy.

Zack and Nanu Making Friends

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”-Matthew 10:42

We learned that the cultural presentations would be held after lunch. We hurried home for our HAM sandwichs. I tend to get a bit excited about meat. No cheese, though, that would be way too expensive for thirty some people.

Unfortunately, lunch is not a definite time. Some people eat faster than others. We thought that lunch meant a hour or two later but we ended up arriving near the end of cultural presentations. People who eat fast do not like to wait for the people who don’t. Of course to be fair to fast-eaters, there is the fact that I stopped to say good-bye to Cassey as she boarded the jeepney home. But that was important. Very, very important. I just hope that I will be able to see her again soon sometime when she isn’t going somewhere, unless it would be our house.

The cultural presentations were good though. I always learn something new. This time it was about the sacrifices of rice planting. Unfortunately, the sacrifices are still real here as I have seen some of the symbols of the sacrifice in rice fields today.

I just love the sense of action and motion in this photo.

Igorot Leap-Frog

The best part for me seemed to be impromptu. The mayor and other officials began playing on the gongs. Then a general invitation to join the dance was issued from the loudspeaker. I wanted to so much. As Kuya Patrick and Ate Rufina had recently noticed that I generally dance when they get the gongs out at YWAM parties. Not the courtship dance though, I try to avoid that because I am still too young!) However, I didn’t want to intrude. I didn’t want to be thought of a big white American who comes barging in where she isn’t wanted and I know they would never tell me that I was doing. However the doctora came over and personally invited. Alayna, Ariana, and I eagerly accepted though Ate Bridget didn’t, even though she was from this area. She preferred to sit and watch us under the shade of her elegant umbrella. I enjoyed the dance. I was only told to stop watching my feet and to make my arms like carabao horns. I had never heard it described that way. Later, I thanked the doctora for inviting us because I wanted to dance but I didn’t want to intrude. She said I didn’t have to worry about that because I was “part of us”. That meant so much to me.

This is where the past and the present collide.
 The Mayor, Government Officials, Indigenous Dancers, and Police Officers All Playing the Gongs.

Sorry about it being so late,

 Love,

Adriana

Missionaries Gone Military

The title has nothing to do with any kind of violence but our water situation. I have nothing against the military. I respect them for being brave enough to risk their lives for what they think is right. However, the adjective military is rarely used with the synonyms: comfortable, relaxing, and luxurious. Military showers may be good for the environment and possibly for our health. However, they are not comfortable let alone luxurious. Here’s the description. You turn the shower on and get completely wet and wet your washcloth. Generally, the water is cold at the beginning and deliciously warm when you have to turn it off and soap your body and shampoo your hair. After you are all soaped up, which you try to do as quickly as possible so you’re not cold, you rinse, turn the shower off, and dry off. That is what you call a military shower. We have been forced to have military showers because a landslide destroyed our original water source and so we now only get one hour of water every other day. Hopefully, that will be fixed. But for now, I can be thankful:

1.Because of the water stored in our tank, we have running water most of the time.

2.We have water heaters on our showers.

P.S. When I am back in the U.S., I will have hot showers! Every day! Maybe even a bath! But I don’t think I will ever have a dipper and bucket shower there.

Love,

Adriana

Teaching Time

This week God has really taught me about prayer and how important it is. It all started with when we watched Letters to God. It is a really good movie about a little boy who has brain cancer and writes a letter to God every day. It is especially powerful because it is based on a true story.

This lesson was taught to me even more by reading the book Out of the Far Corners. It also talks about a true story of an orphaned Russian boy who felt that God as His best friend and it portrays the faithfulness of God. I learned that prayer is very important and is very powerful. God is always there even if no else is!!!!!!

Alexie

Questions for Alayna

Alayna’s twelfth birthday is coming up on August 29 so we will be posting a birthday interview. All questions would be greatly appreciated. Please comment and we will post her answers later.

Thanks!

Fang-orao

Last Sunday, we went to Fang-orao. Fang-orao is a part of Malicong we girls hadn’t seen yet. We wanted to go earlier but they were having a t-er which is a Pied Piper of Hamelin sort of ritual. So we were very excited.

We started off by missing the jeepney. When the trike dropped us off, we at first thought we had directed him to the wrong place. We found out that the jeepney we had been hoping to catch at 8 had left at 7:30 and there was no other jeepney in the morning. Dad was upset because he hates being late and he was scheduled to preach. So, I sat and waited while he texted the pastor and Mom asked trike drivers how much it would cost to go to Malicong.

I thought a great many random things in that time. I watched a cute three-year-old girl playing with her grandmother and a pair of yellow sunglasses. Mom found out that both her parents are working abroad in the Middle East. We didn’t take pictures because we didn’t want to seem like tourists. Someone had died nearby because they had a tarp shade and chairs out and many people had gathered. They were singing a funeral hymn or chant. I wondered what the words meant, whether it had a Christian or pagan meaning. The music was beautiful, sad and peaceful. A troop of boy scouts jogged by us, wearing white shirts and green bandanas. I then admired some wooden houses across the street. It is so rare to see wood instead of concrete due to termites. I wonder when they were built. I would like to have wood in my house. When it is polished, it feels good on your feet and is never so cold as tile. It has such a warm, welcoming color. I looked up and thought about how very blue the sky was.

The pastor replied that he was on his way to pick us up. We rode in his comfortable car along a beautiful road. I think that the road is one of the most beautiful in Mountain Province. It is lined with trees and greenery which I love.

Because we were so late, the pastor asked whether we would be willing to take the narrow shortcut. It was about four-inches wide and ran through a peaceful and beautiful part of Malicong I hadn’t seen. I much prefer the balance-beam path compared to steep stairs. At the end of the path, it was covered with slippery orange clay. Then we used our hands and feet to climb up the stairs cut in the clay hillside.

We girls taught the kids and then went back to the church to listen to the rest of Dad’s Bible overview. At the end, an old woman named Rita asked Jesus to be her lord and was bold enough to come to the front of the church and say so with the help of a friend.

Who knows what will happen this Sunday?

Love,

Adriana

Whew! Wow! Yikes! Yay! Awwww!

In case, you didn’t understand the title, we had an extremely busy week. We finished school. (Whew!) We went to Baguio (Yikes!) on the same day we celebrated three years of living in the Philippines (Wow!). We heard our friend, Arabelle, sing in the mall, saw her new baby brother, Nathaniel, and went swimming (Wow! Wow! and Yay!). Mom and Dad celebrated their twentieth anniversary. (Awwww!) Now we are back in Bontoc (Yay!) and school started Monday (here we go again). Hopefully, we will able to post more details but I wanted to post this because it has been so long since we last posted.

Love,

Adriana

Mother's Day

I know this is a little late but oh well. I want to wish all the mothers (and those who someday wish to be a mother) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!! J But the person who I want to thank the most is my Mom. Thank you so much Mom. Here are 7 reasons I love my mom:

1. The first and foremost reason I love my Mom is because she loves me no matter what I do or say. She still loves me even if I yell or stomp my feet.

2. Mommy likes us to spend time as a family. Sometimes after dinner we can play a game or watch a movie. In the afternoon we might go to the market together.

3. Mommy reads aloud to me, she just finished Homer Price.

4. Mommy has homeschooled me all my life. She taught me to read and now I love to read.

5. Mommy plans me wonderful birthday parties for me. Everything goes along with the theme. For example when I was 6, I had a duck party. We did a relay race with flippers on and other duck games. My birthday cake was in a shape of a duck. There was blue punch with ducks floating in it.

6. She is an awesome hair stylist. She can make any hair style imaginable and do it well.

7. She is always happy for a hug or kiss. Even when Mommy is very busy she will stop for a hug or a kiss.

These are only 7 of the many reasons I love my wonderful Mommy!

Love you Mommy,

Alayna

Lang-ay A Little (Okay, A Lot) Late

A girl wearing an abaca fiber shirt waits nervously for

her group's turn to compete in the street dancing contest.

It appears she's not the only one.

Other girls talk while they wait.

An Igorot Princess

(or Obing nga Babae nga Napintas, if my Ilocano is correct)

Street Dancing

Boys in g-strings watching the cultural presentations.

(Don't worry, these tattoos are just ink and will wash off. In the past, the thorns would be used to prick patterns in the skin and ash would be rubbed into the holes. Much more painful.)

The Same Boys After They Saw My Camera

I love Lang-ay! I always enjoy learning about different cultures and Lang-ay and Am-among Festivals with the street dancing and cultural presentations are the perfect opportunities. Unfortunately, we were too late to get a good place to watch the most of the street dancing presentation. Thus, I took many pictures of the spectators. This was good because they were focused on something else and after two and half years of living here I try really hard not to appear like a tourist.

However, having white skin makes that difficult. We were approached by many journalists and we heard that Mom was on TV Patrol. I don't mind so much because it's fun to answer questions.

Sorry, we did not have many street dancing pictures. You can see a video from a previous Lang-ay at my parents' blog or you could comment and ask for more pictures.

Love,

Adriana

Strangers

Sometimes it is hard to remember that we do not live here and we are just passing through. Sometimes we forget all that God did on the cross and only think of colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, and peeps. But do you remember everything that you ate on Easter? Probably not. But most likely you do remember everything that Jesus did for us. The things of this world, sweets, will pass away but what Jesus did on the cross will remain.

Happy Late Easter,

Alayna

An Easter Story

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken away from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” The stillness of the Mount of Olives was broken by the urgency of the Man, who was so much more than just a man, in prayer. What was this cup? A cup of betrayal and death for the son of God. Why? Was it because of love?

The Man continues to pray with urgency. Sweat like drops of blood from his brow fell staining his cloak. To add to his sorrow of the Man, He sees friends asleep. He wakes them. He urges them to pray.

Soon the clash of armor breaks the peace of the Mount. Judas Iscariot walks forward. The sorrowful man turns to him saying, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

His friend betrays him. Why would God let that happen?

The Man turns to the crowd, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth.”

“I am He.”

No one steps forward.

“Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth.”

The Man says, “I told you that I am He.”

Peter struck off the ear of the servant of the high priest. The Man rebukes him and heals the servant.

The Man was bound and led to Pilate. Pilate finds him righteous. He sends him to Herod, who also finds him guiltless.

Those who praised Him as king just a week before, sentenced Him to death. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. Why could this happen? Was it for love?

The Man is led to Golgotha and is nailed to the cross. He is to die the most shameful death. Why? Was it for love?

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The cry came from the lips of a Man, forsaken, scourged, jeered at, and betrayed.

He calls for wine. Yet turned away, refusing the pain relieving liquid.

He promises the thief on His left a place in paradise. Why? A thief in paradise? Did the Man love even a thief?

“Into Thy hands I commit my spirit!”

In the unusual darkness of the morning, the Man says, “It is finished.” The Man collapses, dead. The ground quakes and rocks split. People rush away. The curtain in the Holy of Holies is ripped from top to bottom. The Man is dead.

Joseph of Arimathea buries the Man. Then in three days women with spices come to the tomb. The tomb is empty. They spread the news. Two disciples confirm the discovery.

The Man is risen! He has conquered death; all for love.

Myth Busting

The Myth Busting Of the Common Theory That You Can Use Roosters as an Alarm Clock

Procedure: live in a country that has a lot of roosters

Results: After living in the Philippines for 3 years, I can now call my hypothesis a theory. Roosters in Samoki, Bontoc, Mountain Province can be heard crowing at all hours of both night and day.
If any of you have any arguments, I accept after you have visited for awhile.

Alexie

Leaving Home

It was a very sad day when we slowly drove away from the white house in Michigan where I had lived almost all of my thirteen years of life to go to the airport. We were going to be missionaries in the Philippines for two years. (In case you don’t know what the Philippines is, it is an Asian country made of 7,107 islands. It is north of Australia.) Not visiting, not vacationing, moving! This was frightening to me since I had never moved before. I had planned on living in our house all my life. Visit other places? Yes! Move? NO! I had decided that I would visit lots of different countries especially Korea, Kenya, and Brazil (the countries that have always interested me but I haven’t gone to yet). Then I would always return to Michigan, United States of America. Besides, two years is a very long time. I wouldn’t have minded two days or two weeks or two months; in fact, I had already spent two months in the Philippines. But two years? That was too long as far as I was concerned.

I was frightened and sad about the move. I loved the Philippines, but I loved Michigan, U.S.A. too. I loved the seasons, especially winter. I loved our home and our yard. I loved my room which my daddy had transformed into a butterfly garden by painting it yellow with butterflies and wildflowers on the walls. I liked my garden which was somewhat a miracle the way it survived with very little help and how mysterious but beautiful plants appeared in it from nowhere. There was even a nest of cheerful robins in the tree near our driveway. I was sad I would miss seeing the baby robins grow up. The worst thing was that our family who at most had been a half-hour away would now be half-way around the world. I think though that the biggest reasons I disliked the move were that I hated change and I disliked not knowing what was going to happen. Moving to a third world country is a big change and we did not know what we would do next after the two years were over.

It was a beautiful sunny day despite how sad it was. There were some flowers in my garden and the two maple trees were holding tightly to their green seeds. The sky was as blue as I was.

In the Philippines, when someone is leaving for a long time or for good, they give and are given small gifts called “remembrances”. I had nothing to give to the U.S. but I wanted something to remember her by. Then I thought that I had never seen maple trees in the Philippines. Soon I had a pocketful of the helicopter seeds. The maple trees in our front yard were rather stingy since it was only late May so I had to tug a little. I decided I would keep those seeds as my remembrance.

We piled into our silver Honda van. We kids were singing all the patriotic songs we knew and saying good-bye to everything. Once I said, “I am going to write down everything you say.” By then we had run out of songs and nobody really said anything. I guess they all wanted quiet to think and sort out their feelings. I was glad and sad about that. I wanted to sort out my feelings but I didn’t want to think about leaving anymore.

When we arrived at the airport, we saw that most of our friends and family were there. The airport looked like a black and white photograph. It was dim, quiet, and rather empty because it is a small airport. We were basically all the people in sight there. We hugged and cried and waited. We were given different remembrances: a yellow lock, coloring and puzzle books. We were also given letters and envelopes to open when we got on the airplane.

Then I had to go through security, where my friends and relatives couldn’t go. I was crying so hard I couldn’t see. I almost turned around and ran back. I don’t know why I didn’t but I kept on. When I got on the airplane, a feeling of peace and excitement settled over me. This was going to be an adventure!

I settled into my seat. I read the letters and opened the envelopes. I was still a little sad about leaving but now I was excited about going. I think one of the saddest things in the world is a good-bye. The good thing about it, though, is that a good-bye is always followed by a hello.

I have since settled into our small, isolated city of Bontoc, Mountain Province. I love it here. I can’t imagine how I could ever leave. I now say “This is my home. Here is where I belong.” That is what I believe is true, at least for now. I have some good friends here who make me laugh. We talk to our family on Skype almost every week. I love the rice paddies and the mountains. I love the food: rice, papayas, mangos, bananas and chicken adobo (chicken and potatoes cooked in a yummy sauce). I love that our landlady has chickens and ducks that we can watch. I like the ducks the best even though they are afraid of water. We weren’t allowed to have farm animals in the U.S.A. because we lived in a subdivision. Bontoc isn’t a lot like the U.S.A. The nearest mall is eight hours away and we don’t always have water. I don’t care; I have never liked going shopping anyway. It is not the mountains around Bontoc that look like they have been cut out of green construction paper and glued to the sky that make it beautiful, it is the people. It is how friendly and kind the people generally are that made me love the Philippines in the first place and they are the reason I will continue to love it.

Adriana

My First and Last 12th Birthday

For my birthday, I had a lot of new experiences.

• I made my own birthday cake. It was the first cake I made with minimal help.
• I was almost done with school for the year because in the Philippines the school year is June - March.
• I also enjoyed a Skype call,which gave me my favorite present that my grandparents and cousin [my best friend] are coming :)!
• It was my first birthday in a foreign country.

On my birthday, I enjoyed opening my presents and making mac &cheese. I had a lot of fun watching a movie, eating pizza, and drinking pop on Saturday after my birthday with some friends.

Alexie

My Birthday

January 19 was me and my Daddy’s birthday. I had planned to ask Ate Flore to play with her ducklings in the morning and play games with my friends in the afternoon. But sometimes things don’t go as planned they are even better. We had a snow day for my birthday. After Daddy left to Moral Recovery Program, we got a Skype call from my Grandma’s house. They had invited the whole family over to celebrate my birthday. Grandma held a piece of cake with a candle on it up to the Webcam so I could blow it out. Then I unwrapped the present Grandma had sent me, a Rummikub game. Grammy and Papa had helped so I also got a keyboard. What I really wanted for my birthday was a list of all the good things about me. Grammy read it out loud. Later in the afternoon, my friends came, Ruffie, Rhealyn, Roselyn and Charmain. We played Twister together. Then we ate pizza and popcorn. Roselyn gave me a bracelet and some cards. Charmain wrote me a card that touched me very much:

First of all I would like to greet you a 14th birthday and thanks for being friendly. I hope that you can not change your good attitude (like trying harder to do the best that you could) and I wish that many years from now you become a successful woman. Cause I believe you so I know that you can reach your goal in life. I hope that you enjoying to stay here in Bontoc. I’m so proud to you my friend.

Adriana

Adriana's Birthday

January 19 was me and my Daddy’s birthday. I had planned to ask Ate Flore to play with her ducklings in the morning and play games with my friends in the afternoon. But sometimes things don’t go as planned they are even better. We had a snow day for my birthday. After Daddy left to Moral Recovery Program, we got a Skype call from my Grandma’s house. They had invited the whole family over to celebrate my birthday. Grandma held a piece of cake with a candle on it up to the Webcam so I could blow it out. Then I unwrapped the present Grandma had sent me, a Rummikub game. Grammy and Papa had helped so I also got a keyboard. What I really wanted for my birthday was a list of all the good things about me. Grammy read it out loud. Later in the afternoon, my friends came, Ruffie, Rhealyn, Roselyn and Charmain. We played Twister together. Then we ate pizza and popcorn. Roselyn gave me a bracelet and some cards. Charmain wrote me a card that touched me very much:

First of all I would like to greet you a 14th birthday and thanks for being friendly. I hope that you can not change your good attitude (like trying harder to do the best that you could) and I wish that many years from now you become a successful woman. Cause I believe you so I know that you can reach your goal in life. I hope that you enjoying to stay here in Bontoc. I’m so proud to you my friend.

Adriana

Language Lessons

We have begun the long road of language learning. I must correct myself and say a more-fun-than-not, long road of language learning. I, myself, love learning the new sounds, words, and sentences. I also am encouraged to keep learning by the people that have said I have a good accent. The only part that is hard for me is the system we are using is sometimes hard for me. We pretend we are babies and so we have to keep hearing the word before we say it. My parents say I like to rush ahead so I don’t like to wait until I have heard it so many times that I can say it. I like to say it whenever I learn it.
Our language helper is Rengie, an SSM student. She does a great job being patient with us. We normally meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to do lessons. Tuesday and Thursday are supposed to be set aside for studying. ;o)

Still Dancing,
Alexie

My 2 Little Special Friends in the Philippines

One of my friends is Jenny. She is 4 going on 5. I first meet her when she was 3. She lives in Naic at the Valley Cathedral. I had a lot of fun tutoring her and carrying her and carrying her. I was kind of surprised that people would tutor a 3 year old. She was good at shapes. Even though I was only with her 3 weeks and 2 days, we are friends. I love her.
The other one is Teah. Teah is 2 going on 3. She lives in Baguio, but since her grandparents are Ate Rufina and Cuya Patrick, she comes to Bontoc to visit. I have enjoyed holding her. Even though she has only visited twice, we are good friends. I love her.

On Top of the Jeepney, On Top of the World

Yesterday we got to go to the Mainit hot springs again. It was fun and we didn't get sunburned as much as last time. The big pool was full. The highlight of the trip for me, however, was on the way back. I got to ride on top of the jeepney with Daddy! I had always wanted to but last year Dad said no. I didn't actually think I could do it because of my fear of heights but I did it!

It has the best view and is the most uncomfortable place to sit. Daddy told me I was to sit in the "cage". But the bars dug into my bottom. I learned that if you take off one flip-flop and put it under your bottom it makes a more comfortable seat.

There was nothing but sky and trees overhead. I could feel the wind in my hair. It was a little chilly, but who cares? It felt like I was on the top of the world.

We passed a few caribous and cows. We saw a mountain that looked like a perfectly symmetrical volcano. Later in our trip, we saw the swimming pool in Bontoc (from above) that we had heard of. The best part was when I was able to see our house from high up on the mountain. It's so nice to be able to point from somewhere and say "That's my home."

We had two encounters with other people: one good and one bad. The first one was bad. As we were going past, an unseen somebody threw mud at us . The second one was good. As we passed another jeepney, they seemed to be talking about us. When we asked one of our fellow passengers what they said, he said they were calling me a doll. We get so many compliments here.

Love,

Adriana

Matalec's Fruit Store

If you go into the market where the vegetables are then go out the other side, then you will be at Matalec’s Fruit Store. This small store is owned by Mrs Meriam K. Buane.

At Matalec’s Fruit Store there are many different kinds of fruit including oranges, apples, pomelo, coconut, pineapple, and santol. There are also bananas including dippig [cooking bananas], latondan , amorosa, and native lacatan bananas.

Their fruit comes from the Quirino province, Philippines which is an eight hour drive away from Bontoc.

From,
Alayna