Mexico Mission- Leaving Tlancualpican

Hello and Adios!

We spent our last day at the Tree of Life Center finishing several projects including lining a trail with gravel and rocks. Look for Landon and Lindsay Schott's house to get new tile on the walls as they both learned new skills here in Tlancualpican. One of the projects we worked on was to tile several walls on the new dormitories which are being constructed on the property. Another job was to lay "pavers" or stones around the exterior, much like octagon shaped brick cobblestones which not only are functional, but add to the decor of the straw bale building.

We joined with the many workers at the center for a pizza party. Talk about good, let's just say no one has lost any weight on this trip as the cooking staff is exceptional. We finished with an outdoor service reflecting on the beauty of this wonderful place.

I mentioned earlier that during the service Thursday night, many members of the team performed with some local church members a drama which folks who attend Mercy Street might be familiar with. It's a short skit, only about five minutes in length. I have been able to upload it on to YouTube, so here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RKQrCsOVqA

So Adios from Puebla, as we head home to Houston tomorrow.

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Mexico Mission- Church and Faith

As we continued our pilgrimage in Tlancualpican part of the day we spent learning about the Methodist Church in Mexico. Perhaps you might not know the Methodist here are not "United Methodist" as they were united well before the Methodist in the United States. Here "South of the border," both the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church of the South established their ministries in Mexico in 1873. However, in 1930, the two merged to become the Methodist Church of Mexico.

Today there are about 50,000 people who call themselves Methodists in Mexico, with another 50,000 who attend services regularly. Mexico remains overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with nearly 90% of the population with ties to the church, however the ties are not necessarily all that strong. We have also learned in some areas, the Roman Catholic priests will preach that all Protestant Churches, not just Methodists, should be considered cults. And in certain places there have been some unfortunate conflicts. Still there are some 320 Methodist Churches in Mexico, 40% in rural areas, another 40% in small towns, and 20% in cities, like Puebla, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City.

Last evening was "Church Night" as our group led the service at the Templo Gesthemi in Puebla. Mercy Street Youth Pastor Landon Schott gave the message about God's power which was translated in spanish as he spoke. As we prepared for our visit, the team prepared a short drama which incorporated some local actors which was directed by Ted Deforges. We shared some arts and crafts with the youth and many adults, then dined on hot dogs in the cool night air. There were plenty of smiles as the folks walked back to their homes.

It's hard to believe the week is wrapping up. We'll spend another day working and then head back to Puebla Saturday and then catch a flight to Houston early Sunday morning.

Mexico Mission- Vegetarian Day!

Another beautiful day in Tlancualpican as it remains unusually cold for this time of year. There isn't any heat in the dormitories as they are built for the scorching temperatures of the summer. But an early front blew through just before we arrived on Sunday, and the mornings and evenings are in the 50's, which makes for comfortable work days as they are in the 70's.

This is vegetarian day which means most everything we are eating today is grown. There was some leftover chicken which found its way in the empanadas, but the chalupas were wonderful. A crushed bean base with locally grown tomatoes, lettuce, cheese garnished with avocado, a green chili, and cream. Mexican food aficionados should be envious.

Before hitting the work sites, we spent a good hour learning about GETTYE's health mission. Obviously in rural Mexico, there are not enough nurses, doctors or hospitals, so the center sponsors several health programs to teach young women the basics. The women then return to their villages and become sort of first responders as they are equipped with first aid kits. We met one of the women who learned how to give injections during the training. She admitted she was kind of fearful of having to inject others, but now is the person called on when the need arises. She is most grateful of the training, and told us how her knowledge of the Heimlich Maneuver saved her Aunt from a choking incident.

As for the work detail, "Builder" Bob Lasalle and "Agile" Allison Gower perhaps had the most fun building a dam for the irrigation ditch which runs along the property. The timing couldn't have been better as the rainy season finished about a month ago, and the water hadn't flowed down the ditch for eight months. Bob and Allison admitted while they didn't really understand what they were building with the boulders, their leader cried out "Agua, Agua!" and they looked up the hill. Sure enough just as they finished the project, the water started flowing down the embankment and the dam held, diverting the water into the irrigation ditch to water the many recently planted plants on the property.

C.J. Yeoman, aka "Mrs. Clean" drew up the dirty job, and for that we'll let her tell you the story.

We thought we had finished painting the guest house, but were surprised with the word that the outdoor shower needed painting as well. Carleton took a look and realized it was quite stained with something ... workers were dispatched for the local version of "Formula 409" and some really tough scrub pads. It was only after I had scrubbed for about 20 minutes that the house's occupant said the stains were bat guano! Not exactly what you deal with in Houston, TX. Oh, well, the painting will wait for tomorrow, but the tiles are clean now ...

Mexico Mission- Back to work

Buenos Dias from Tlancualpican, Mexico. It's been another work day here at the Tree of Life Center as we continue to learn about our surroundings and the work done here. It was another early call, today's music from the Lion King "El Circo de la vie."

We then blessed the animals as this is a working farm. There are a few milk cows, but the greatest number of livestock are goats and "hair sheep" as opposed to "wool sheep." These sheep are bred to be sold at the marketplace. Once again we split into work teams, team leader Carleen Woods removed mineral deposits from a dry composting toilet. As Carleen noted, it was a job that was needed to be done, but most importantly she had the chance to visit with Yoni, one of the young women who works here at the center. Carleen also had the chance to help beautify the place planting flowers in a tasa, so now it is a chistosa tasa, which means a "funny toilet." The center teaches folks in the area how to build straw-bale houses. The "bricks" are much larger than adobe and are easy to make. Recently a family built an entire house in 20 days. On site there are many straw bale buildings including the guest house which caught fire after an electrical short. While the damage was extensive to the interior, the straw bale did not burn, although it was discolored. The fact that it resists fire is one of the many attributes to building this way. C.J. and Carleton worked together painting the exterior of the home alongside several of the workers on the site.

We are planning a "teatro" with some of the children later this week, but the rehearsal is soon.

Mexico Mission- Rural Solidarity Day

The alarm, actually some music, went off early. 6:00 a.m. local time, same as Houston. We were told this would be "Rural Solidarity Day" and as such we would be eating the same foods and at the same time Mexican families would be eating. At 6:30 there was hot water for instant coffee or tea and then a breakfast cake before we would be heading out. The team broke out for tasks in several areas. "Builder Bob" Lasalle and I were chosen to work harvesting rocks. There is a mile long dirt road from the "Tree of Life" center to the main road that leads to town. Unfortunately, rain and irrigation has eroded several areas making the travel very bumpy. The missionaries Terry and Muriel Henderson often kid. They say one of the most frequent questions they are asked is, "Why don't you fix the road?" The fact is they work on it often and today was no different. Working in an area where rocks are plentiful, the detail is not all that difficult. Rocks of all sizes are needed meaning there wasn't a lot of thinking to today's task, just stooping. I can tell you fire ant bites in Mexico are just as painful as the ones in Houston. We filled about 5 pick up loads and spread them out in some of the worst pot holes. Rain isn't in the forecast, but we should know how successful our work was when we ride out to town in the coming days.

As an educational ministry, we will learn many skills this week, like making tortillas, and yes it's an art form. It is a skill which young women are required to learn, and there's no question our teachers have had years of experience. After flattening the batter in a tortilla press, we cooked them on a specially made wood stove. The center also is teaching villagers how to make these stoves which are far more efficient than cooking on an open flame. They also are well vented meaning the air in many homes is a lot cleaner. We're told women who often cook in their homes all day, are exposed to smoke equivalent of smoking 10 packs of cigarettes a day, so having a well vented stove is much healthier. But making tortillas was not only "women's work" today, as the guys on the trip each made their own tortilla.

For Rural Solidarity day, the women do "women's work," which started with raking and shoveling up all the "leavings" in the goat pen ... oh yeah! After that, out to the pasture to chop wood for the fire. (Note Melissa Maher with her machete.) Then half of us did laundry the old-fashioned way, with laundry bar soap in a sink with a washboard bottom. One wash, two rinses and then hang things on the clothesline. There's a washer here at the Center, but many women in the small towns still do their laundry in a bucket or a river. The other 3 women sifted soil and added ash to make the solution for the dry-composting toilet. Changing tasks again, a different group of 3 women started digging out a trail that will be filled with sand and gravel. That's when you could really tell who works out ... and who doesn't. Ouch. And Estela who works here at the Center made us all look bad.

We've been harvested

After a brief tour of Puebla on Saturday, the mission team headed Southwest to Tlancualpican, arriving at the Tree of Life center on a beautiful, star-filled, and unusually chilly evening. The team spent Sunday visiting the village market, meeting locals and have just returned from a wonderful service at Gethesmane Methodist Church.

The team had an orientation at the Tree of Life -- learning the importance of both crisis and development response. The Tree of Life center focuses on development response, with its core mission being education.

One of the technologies the Center teaches is how to build a dry composting toilet. Without getting into all of the details, the toilet does not use any water, and in a rural area like much of Mexico this is a huge advantage.

The bell to dinner is ringing. We'll have more tomorrow!

Pilgrimage to Tlancualpican

On Friday, November 5th 10 members of Chapelwood leave for a 10-day mission to Give Ye Them to Eat in Tlancualpican, Mexico. The members of the team are
-Carleen Woods, Allison Gower, Bob Lassalle, CJ Yeoman, Carleton Cole, Landon & Lindsay Schott, Mary Lou Strange, Ted Desforges and Melissa Maher.

We will be participating in the AWARE program learning about the technologies available to rural communities to improve their crop production, livestock health, community health and water sanitation. Numerous groups of indigenous leadership from surrounding villages visit the Tree of Life Training Center each year. These leaders then train leaders in their own villages in the five development programs.

Join with the Chapelwood team in praying for God's greater mission of restoration and hope to be revealed. We will try and post pictures and stories as we have access to the Internet.
Here is the scripture from our group prayer journal for Friday, November 5th:
Psalm 46:10
"Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."

Gracias a Dios!

Farewell and Good-bye!

What a send off by the Administrators and Staff and Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges. We were treated to a wonderful “Thank-you” dinner and exchanged gifts before saying our good-byes.

The evening started with several songs and games from Emelyn Castillo, who’s proved to be more than a music teacher and leader, she has the gift of motivating others. Before the evening was over, we witnessed Milson the building contractor dance, everyone clap and sing, and Janet McCarty, the host missionary shed a few tears.

The gift exchange was more than we could possibly return. Our Philippine hosts gave us several mementos and even a couple of “diplomas” for the lectures and class teachings done at the school. We responded with Chapelwood crosses, three prayer shawls, and a “shovel.” The iron of one of the shovels purchased for the team, cracked in the middle rendering it useless. Since it wasn’t very warn, the shovel became a “trophy” as we signed our names on it with the glitter pens we brought to Kidapawan for Vacation Bible School.

For the record, the first 13 foundation holes have been dugout, each at varying depths. The plan is to construct the new two story building in phases which is common in developing countries. The new “kitchen” has been erected with the concrete poured even as the rain was beginning to fall. And Dr. Ed Lynch completed nearly 70 physicals.

Already some of the medical follow up on the more serious students has begun.

So we leave knowing we have left an impact. How much may be never known fully, but when you look around at all the grace we received, we leave as blessed people. At breakfast in Kidapawan this morning, one of the students Gemma Labagan left us a letter. Her closing words gave us a lift as we began the long road home, “Thanks to all of you. You inspired me as I continue my journey in life. May God bless you more with your families be a blessing to all people. To God be the Glory!” And then one last line, “I hope we’ll see you again.” We do too, Gemma.

Leaving a Legacy

It is hard to measure the impact of a trip such as this. While it’s easy to note the completed tasks like how many student physicals were given, the number of foundation holes dug out, and the construction of a kitchen in the rear of the men’s dormitory, the real impact is the relationships that will continue.

As I headed to the men’s dormitory to help with the kitchen this afternoon, I was stopped by a student who was going the other direction. “Thank-you Sir,” he said. I first responded nonchalantly, “You’re welcome,” and started to pass him by, but he persisted, thanking me again. “You are part of the mission team?” he asked, in a way to keep the conversation going. I replied, “Yes, I am.” He then smiled and proclaimed, “Chapelwood! your church has made it possible for me to be here, I’m getting a scholarship.”

As it turns out Zaldy Aganan has quite a story. At age 51, he is the father of 10 children, four of whom are already grown and are married living in Manila with four children of their own, so Zaldy is a “Lolo”, a grandfather. He is from the northern island Luzon in the Bicol region which he describes as very poor and remote, so traveling to the Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges is difficult. “I come from a place that is very far from here. It is a two day travel by land.”

Zaldy has been serving as a local pastor in Bicol for the past couple of years, and the District Superintendent encouraged him to go to a theological school to continue his education. Even though he is much older than the other students, Zaldy believes the time spent here is well worth it. “At age 51 maybe I will be waiting until age 55 [to graduate], but for me serving the Lord, there’s no retirement.”

And his family is encouraging him too. “I think this will give more bonding to the family because that’s what my children are always saying to me, ‘Papa you continue to study!’”

Chapelwood supports a number of students by donating $6,000 to the college. The amount each student receives depends on need and their course of study. Bob Lasalle, who visited the school when the first Chapelwood mission team was here two years ago, is sponsoring another student sparking an interest from Kathie Luther. She and team leader, husband Dave, have decided to underwrite a scholarship for a young woman who is going into teaching, Kathie’s profession. The student’s story is compelling as she lost her mother to cancer at an early age, and her father, who was a poor farmer, died a few years ago. Still, the young woman has great faith writing in a letter she submitted for a leadership scholarship. “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’” If you or a prayer group would like to sponsor a scholarship, which cost $400 to $450, contact missionary Janet McCarty at the school. The email address is jmccarty50@yahoo.com.

Carleton Cole

Back to Work

Entering our second week in the Philippines the mission team is focused on getting as much work done as there can be. As we have come accustomed to, the day began with stagnant grey clouds and threatening skies. We walked from our quarters at the guest house about a mile through a small community to the Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges. Again we were met by the foundation holes. Still saturated by a weekend rain, and more surely to come soon. While we waited for more lumber to work on the men’s dormitory stove, the shoveling began.

There is no question that when you are digging muddy clods from foundation pits, you surely ask yourself, why would anyone take a plane, travel half way around the globe to work so hard. Then you are hit with mission moments. Our foreman, as it were, is a genteel man named Millson. His rename is Carmillo, but his father shares the same name and decided he didn’t want to call his son junior, so he came up with the nickname Mill-son. Millson called out to me, Carleton you played with my grandson! I had to think a bit but I remembered on Saturday there was a little boy who was being a little bit of a toot during Vacation Bible School. “Carleton I knew it was you because the three year old told me , Tambok picked me up!” I now know a new word in Tagalog, Tambok meaning “Big Man.” Again my thoughts turned to my family as for so many years I carried little brothers and sisters, my daughter and several nephews on my shoulders. In this case all I was trying to do was to help quiet an unruly child. Instead I made a “huge” impression on a three year old and his grand dad, a little thing, but something which won’t be forgotten.

The rains did come, and they always do, but we did have enough dry weather to continue work on the men’s dormitory stove after lunch. I always find it fascinating how third world carpenters get as much as they can out of the supplies that are on hand. U bolts are made out of 10 penny nails by bending them hard around the rebar. It may not sound like much but sawing through the soft lumber is an interesting sensation. In Houston we’re more accustomed to taking a power saw and zipping through pressure treated pine. Here there are no power saws so all the work is done by hand. While the 2x6 was firm, it didn’t take long before the teeth of the hand saw chewed through the board. In no time a scaffold was assembled to erect the frame for the roof of the structure.

On a final note I would like to share with you something called the “Dionsia Clap” Readers of the sports pages back home may be familiar with a boxer named Manny Pacquiao. He is a local hero coming from the Island of Mindanao and highly revered by both men and women students at the college. Dionsia is Manny’s mother and she has popularized a cheer much like “The Wave” or the “Tomahawk Chop” which we are used to seeing at football or baseball games. On several occasions the students have treated us to the “Donisa Clap” as an appreciation for helping them. For the record it’s three claps of the hand, three stomps of the feet, and then a salute as they call out the words, “Thank-you Sir!” with an emphasis on thank-you. Again I have to say, “No thank-you, I am so happy to be allowed to serve in The Philippines!” It is just one of the many examples of seeing God’s Grace as we encourage the people of Kidapawan.

Carleton Cole

July 4th in the Philippines and in Houston

It is Independence Day, a day to pause and remember, “The Spirit of 1776,” a living document which keeps our country united today. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It is fitting that as I write this, I just heard the 9:00 a.m. Patriotic Service from Chapelwood, (10 p.m. here in the Philippines,) and the words of Jefferson and Monroe still ring so clearly around the world. I am proud to know a new friend in Leobert Don Laforteza, someone you have not met, but if you were at Chapelwood today you heard his voice as he narrated a video produced this week at the Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges. The words are inspiring whether heard in the Chapelwood sanctuary or half a world a way via the internet in Kidipawan. “We live in a much more connected world than at any time throughout history. Despite all the diversity there is in this world, we share so much in common. We together, Spanish, Filipino, American, Russian, African, all of us are the body of Christ in identity, as his beloved, and in our calling to serve wherever we may be today. We are made one by God's Holy Spirit that resides is both you and us.” I’ll admit, the video along with the singing from the Chancel Choir, made me a little homesick.

Here in Kidipawan, our “Forth of July” began with a special event too. We were invited to visit the Branscomb United Methodist Church. A quaint building near where we are serving, sitting on the fringe of a city park that offers picturesque views of a descending stream. Smiles from the many friendly faces greeted us as we enjoyed a two hour worship service complete with the sharing of the Holy Communion.

The mission team helped lead the congregation in song, singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” and “Father I Adore You.” Gleefully, the church members joined in, and we are especially grateful for the talents of Emelyn Castillo who not only kept us on key, but is the music teacher at the Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges.

One of the highlights of the service was to hear in Tagalog the Lord’s prayer. For me this was especially meaningful as my wife Hazel and I visited the Church of the Pater Noster recently in Israel where it is believed Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. Mosaics in 80 languages adorn the church on the Mount of Olives including one in Tagalog which I had caught on camera. Who would know I would hear the inscribed words said by native Filipinos. Chapelwood staff member Chris Archer added to the moment as he gave a sermon on the Lord’s prayer sharing insights to the individual words, “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name.”

All worship service is personal, but today’s service in Kidipawan had deep meaning for team member Ed Lynch. As is custom here, the church celebrates members birthdays for the week ahead by announcing their names from the altar then singing to them. When the team was introduced to the congregation all of us had the chance to something about us, and Ed had the most to say in perhaps the least amount of worlds. He admitted he was moved by the singing of Happy Birthday as back in the states his first born son is celebrating his 53 birthday today, and he wished he could be with him. As I reflect and get ready for bed, I can only think of the words from George M. Cohan, “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy, born on the 4th of July.” Indeed it is a “Dandy Day”, two worship services celebrating July 4th birthdays, one for those who are with us in the flesh, and the other for a spirit which inspired a new country 224 years ago. Each however, connected by the Holy Spirit who calls us to serve both near and far.

Carleton Cole

Vacation Bible School

I don’t think there is a more anticipated event on an international mission trip than Vacation Bible School. It’s hard to say who gets more out of it, the children or the team.

It was evident school teacher and team member Kathie Luther put in a lot of thought in Houston gathering supplies, and thinking about the messages for the children.

The day began early as the team assembled at a fairly large chapel on the school grounds. Five stations were set up, each with fifteen chairs for the corresponding craft for the children. At station one there were coloring sheets each with a Christian message which they drew over with the multi-hued crayons we had carried from Houston. At station two there were soap bubbles which are always at hit with children of any age. These represented the promise of the rainbow from Genesis. There was a craft at station three where the children erected small crosses from thin foam like material to take home with them. Balloons were blown up at station four, with smiling faces drawn on them representing God’s love. And at station five, which was the second craft, the children made little fish out colorful beads as a reminder that Christ has called us to be “fishers of men.”

As the team prepared for the children, we received a lot of help from the mothers and some volunteers from the school. Not only could they converse in the children’s native dialect, they helped maintain order which was quite remarkable considering the number of kids. Vacation Bible School can often be “organized mayhem,” but on this Saturday morning, the children were very well behaved, helping insure the event was fun for everyone. After the kids went through a rotation of stations, each getting to participate in all the activities, we threw frisbees and kicked soccer balls outside on the wet grass slickened by a fresh fallen rain. The day also included a “fast food” meal, which is a real treat for the children and other family members as most everyone brought home the left overs to share.

There’s no question the day highlights the “purpose” of the mission trip, not just the “task,” which in this case is to construct some foundation holes. The smiles on the children and their parents can warm the heart of even the dourest of curmudgeon. It vividly serves as a reminder of the words in Matthew found in “The Great Commission” to go into the world and share Christ’s love. I was especially moved by several incidents which I think offered some insights to the humanity of the day.

First as B.J. Castagnetta held a bubble producing toy sending a multitude of soap spheres descending on the kids, a mother giggled, “I never had the chance to do this as a child. Now I am with my two children.” Then after the meal, and after all the fast food boxes were gathered, a kindergarten teacher carefully recycled much of the cardboard and the cups to recycled them as supplies for crafts later with her kids. I remembered my mother doing a similar kind of thing as a child growing up in a large family. My mother’s cardboard of choice was the oatmeal canister which made for a great drum. I then envisioned how these gently used soda cups will be used to thin water colors for the children to draw pictures on the carefully torn up cardboard later on. Another Christ-like image flashed through my mind, as He commanded His disciples to gather up all the remaining crumbs from the loaves and fishes at Tagbha two thousand years ago.

And lastly as I walked back to our guest house there was a young family, a mother and three youngsters, walking down the muddy trail along side me as they were heading home. The smallest was singing a familiar tune. “Five little monkeys sitting on the bed, one jumped up and broke his bed.” It was the same little nursery rhyme my daughter Whitney used to sing, and this little girl, maybe three years old, was toddling home with the same joy in her heart which I had seen on Whitney’s face so many times before. I chuckled a little and then joined in like I did with Whitney when she was a similar age. The entire family was grinning and laughing now as the little one sang out with even more gusto than she had done before, a priceless moment for sure. It is then when you fully understand the calling of coming to such a far away place.

Carleton Cole

The Big Dig

You may have heard about a transportation project in the east coast dubbed, “The Big Dig.” Of course Chapelwood members are familiar with the Katy freeway expansion. Well, in Kidapawan, The Philippines, “The Big Dig” is the many foundation holes that continue to grow at the Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges. No question it is hard work, with B.J and Warren Castagnetta, Dave and Kathie Luther, Bob Lassalle, and Chris Archer doing the heavy lifting. You would think just shoveling out the dirt doesn’t take much thought, but in a climate like the Philippines there are special challenges.

Take for instance the rain. You would think after living in Houston the team would be adequately prepared. However in Kidapawan, it rains more than 120 inches per year, nearly 3 times the amount that falls on Houston annually. So rain isn’t just a some times thing, it’s an everyday thing. So when you’re digging out a hole, it gets muddy, the shovels get heavier, and you look like a mess. But there are things to do during the rainstorms. The tap dance is to make sure you have a tarp over some of the holes you are working on so when it rains you shovel out them. But when it’s sunny outside, that’s when you begin clearing out new holes, knowing you’ll be back under the tarp at anytime. So you see even in digging out construction holes, it can be a science.

It was mostly sunny today, and the team got a new construction project which goes hand in hand with the other. The men’s dormitory is in badly need of a new stove area, so today the job began. So guess what, that meant digging holes in a new area, although these weren’t as deep. Only four holes for this project and then the fun to make suitable concrete to set the rebar to anchor the base. Since it’s Friday, the concrete should have time to set so more work can be done on Monday. After just digging for the past few days, this project was a nice respite.

Doctor Ed continues to see students as he is providing much needed medical services to the school. The count is up to 50, or nearly half of the student body, pardon the pun, this week alone. The good doctor also finished his lectures on the history of Christianity. Frankly, other than his wife Nell who took the tours with him, I don’t know a person who has visited more Biblical sites than Doctor Ed and put them into a PowerPoint presentation.

Kathie Luther not only taught another English class today, but she got a music lesson this afternoon. It’s a very good thing because many of us can’t carry a tune, and we have a command performance at Church on Sunday. We endeavor to hold are own, but we’re happy to report will be singing with a group a students, not all by ourselves. I’ll let you know how we do on Sunday.

And for the first time in perhaps 15 years, I played some full court basketball. The Philippine youngsters are especially curious about my size. You may find this hard to believe, but in the 6th grade I was one of the smallest kids in my class. Now at 6’1” and a bit on the heavy side, I tower over the Filipinos. I sort of looked like “Big Country” out there with my overalls, but I did hit a couple of shots earning big cheers from the adoring fans. Well it least it gave them a thrill. As for me, I was a bit winded after only a few minutes and I’m not going to talk about my shooting percentage.

Carleton Cole

Teaching Moments

It is not often people get the opportunity to share their gifts with other folks from a far away land. We are blessed to have several team members who have professional knowledge and experiences to help teach the courses being taught here at Southern Philippine Methodist College.

Kathie Luther, who teaches at Mayde Creek High School, was asked to give several lessons for an English class. The board members of the school require all courses to be taught in English, yet Acting Director Janet McCarty freely admits the biggest barrier at the school is language. English is a priority for several reasons primarily because it is the language of world commerce. And while the national language is Tagalog there are several local dialects, so even among Filipinos, they may have English in common, even though they might not be familiar with the dialects from the north or southern islands. Kathie had brushed up before delivering her lesson noting that in English we learn the rhythm of Subject Verb Object, in Tagalog it’s different, it’s verb subject object. Another of the God moments. Her husband Dave shared with us, it was the first time he ever had seen his wife teach in a classroom environment, and yes his eyes welled up.

Dr. Ed who continues to provide physicals for his students, took off his “white coat” and gave a 3 hour lecture on the history of religion. Dr. Ed and his wife Nell have visited more than 82 countries over the years. His lecture began with the “Fertile Crescent” and took the students through the beginnings of Judaism through to the birth of Christ. Another lecture is tomorrow. By the way let me rant about compatibility as it relates to computers. This is not a Philippine problem, it’s universal. Ed brought his flash drive with him for the PowerPoint presentation. While it plays fine on my laptop, the MAC wouldn’t connect with the Epson projector even though it said it would. Hey Apple and Microsoft, what is up? Eli Whitney overcame the problem of interchangeable parts in the 19th century. C’mon computer geeks, like hello, let’s keep to just one standard. Am I asking too much? We went through three computers before one of the local Pastor’s came up with a system which finally could run the program.

Thank-you for letting me get that off my chest. I feel better now. I did conduct a lesson for the journalism class which lasted nearly 3 hours tonight. The journalism teacher told me before the class I might have trouble getting the students to ask questions, so I was kind of concerned I might have to “tap dance” through the lecture. I’m happy to tell you the students had all kinds of questions, and very good ones at that. The nice part is the teacher invited a local newspaper reporter to come to hear me and afterwards he addressed the class briefly supporting all the advice I shared.

Carleton Cole

Inauguration Day

It’s a national holiday today in the Philippines. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino took office. At noon everyone was to clap for him, and out of respect, the Chapelwood mission team stopped eating lunch and clapped and cheered. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea today would be a holiday until I was told about it when we arrived on Sunday. Aquino won the election on May 10th by a landslide campaigning on a strong anti-corruption platform, promising to investigate the alleged wrongdoing of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. I’ve added a picture of the new president in today’s blog.

The holiday actually turned out to be a gain for the mission team as students, who would normally be in school, joined the mission team helping to dig out the foundation. Chapelwood members can certainly relate to building programs as it wasn’t so long ago our church property had a giant hole. Now that’s been filled by the very beautiful youth building, so it’s always important to remember buildings like Christians need solid foundations.

There is no question the Philippine people are so happy we are here especially missionary Janet McCarty who is the acting president of the Southern Philippine Methodist Colleges. In the blog yesterday I mentioned Kidapawan is a city of about 80,000 people. Today I leaned Janet is the only American living in the area. “I was told once there was another American here but I’ve never seen him.” Janet says. “When I was here once before and there were security problems, my driver said to me, ‘Well we can’t hide you, you’re too white!’ so yes, I do stick out. But the Filipino people are so friendly and so kind and so willing to help there is a lot of support.”

There are a lot of smiles and a lot of camaraderie especially working together in the rainy wet pits. Today team member Warren Castagnetta had a number of kids hanging on him as he pushed, or rather slid, a wheelbarrow full of dirt away from the job site. Let’s face it, digging foundation trenches is not the most glamourous job, but even in dripping sweat, the task has its moments. “I think it’s important for our students to see that people from another country care about them,” says Janet. “And one way they can show they care is that they actually come.”

In fact team member B.J. Castagnetta was moved to tears. “To have the opportunity to work side by side with Brothers and Sisters in Christ there are no words for that. To be able to share in the work and sweat and the fellowship and the worship and spend the time it takes to get here that’s something that words and your heart can’t express.”

Carleton Cole

Working Hard

We awoke early in Davao to make the morning drive to Kidapawan and to the Southern Philippines Methodist Colleges. The views are spectacular. For perspective, Manila is on one of the northern Philippine islands, Davao is about 500 miles southeast on the island called Mindanao. Where we are working is Kidapawan a city of roughly 80,000 people in the hills some 70 miles due west of Davao. To get there, it is about a two and a half hour trip on a road which twists and turns around inlets and rivers fitted between luscious green meadows lined by banana and coconut palm trees. Just as soon as we hit the outskirts of Kidapawan, we made a right turn immediately after a bridge over a small brook that outlines the property.

After a short lunch, we were welcomed to the Colleges in song. A music class was waiting for us and students were very happy to see the visitors from Texas. Dr. Ed Lynch set up a make shift medical clinic to administer physicals to the students in one of the dormitories. He was to see the women first, but when the nurse assigned to help him had another responsibility, he began examining some of the men. In only a few hours, Dr. Ed had seen 13 patients finding several medical issues which will need further attention.

Most of the team started digging. It is hoped the school can add a two story facility on the site in nine months to a year. But the finished product has to start with a foundation, and that means taking a shovel and moving a lot of dirt. There are already cries from the mission team to rent a backhoe, but in this situation, as with so many third world construction projects, the cost for renting heavy equipment is far more expensive than manual labor; especially when the labor is volunteered by a team from Chapelwood. The soil is thick, pasty and heavy, especially after a good soaking which comes regularly in the early afternoon. In fact as I am writing this, a thunder cloud has just sounded, a not so gentle reminder that any time you are working in a tropical climate, rain can be moments away.

I have to admit I didn’t get my hands dirty today, as I spent most of the time taking pictures and producing a short video which will be shown this Sunday at the special July 4th service at Chapelwood. Even in the hills of Kidipawan, the world wide web works, so the video has been sent to the communications department at Chapelwood and we hope you will enjoy it on Sunday.

I will be digging tomorrow, and I hope I can lose some weight. You see I had a battle during dinner tonight with an avocado colored green resin chair, something you might find in white at Lowe’s or the Home Depot. Let’s just say the chair lost. It’s now lying wounded in the corner in about five pieces. Falling to the floor, the only thing I injured was my pride, which can always be humbled. I am now sitting in a much sturdier wooden chair.

Carleton Cole

A Slight Detour

The first rule for any international mission team is to be flexible. So is the second rule as well as the third. I was first reminded of that 10 years ago when Chapelwood member Colin Wilkinson led a mission team to Kenya. What was true back then is still true today.

When we arrived to the Manila Airport for our domestic flight to Davao, we learned Philippine Airlines had made a schedule change in their daily departures, but without notifying us. You would think after booking the flight three months in advance, the airline would contact the group, but not so. The surprise came when we checked in, although there was some good news, we still had seats on the plane. With the departure now being pushed back until 3:00 p.m. we now had a narrow window to drive to Kidipawan in daylight. Our host Missionary, Janet McCarty gave us a 5:30 deadline to meet her or we would be forced to spend the night in Davao. With the flight only an hour and 30 minutes, the plan was still a go, but when it took 40 minutes to corral all the luggage, are plans changed and we were forced to spend a night in a hotel in Davao. Driving by day in the Philippines is an adventure, and at night it’s just not safe. Kidipawan is not only a three hour trip during the day, at night the conditions are pitch black, far too risky for even the safest of drivers.

So instead of bouncing through a rural road at night, we got to experience rush hour driving through Davao at dusk. They say Rome has the worst drivers in the world; Davao can’t be that far behind. Traffic lights are mere ornaments, and pedestrians are obstacles much like the pot holes which the motorists try to avoid by keeping one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake. When we did arrive at the hotel, we all felt like we had just been through the spin cycle of a Maytag washer. There was even a little rain to dampen the walk from the mini vans to the hotel lobby.

While on the subject of wash, all of the pictures of the team are with our red mission t-shirts. This is not a fashion statement, but it does make the stops through the various security checks along the way much faster. We breezed through customs in Manila, and today we got a discount on the luggage charge since the agent saw that we are doing mission work. Of course now that we’ve had them on our backs since early Saturday morning, the shirts are way past the “rank” state, so tomorrow we’ll break out some fresh clothes as we continue on to Kidipawan.

Carleton Cole

We have made it to the Philippines!

Any kind of travel can be difficult, but international travel is especially different. Not only are the security concerns stricter, but there are certain to be some bumps along the way. Please don’t take this is a complaint, but rather something which always make for good storytelling.

After Doug Cheeves dropped us off at Intercontinental Airport, the fun started to begin. It’s obvious the person running the Delta Airlines gate Saturday morning, didn’t have much experience or much of a sense of humor. When we checked our luggage, we were told we would have to get our seat assignments from the attendant at the gate. While it seemed like a minor inconvenience it turned out to be a bigger pain. I can now tell you there are 67 rows on a Boeing 747-400, seven of the eight member teams ended up on the last two. Ed Lynch, whom the gate attendant finally ran his ticket , was isolated from our group getting to sit in the 23rd row. Of course all of us were happy to have seats to begin with, but we are still puzzled why Delta couldn’t seat us when we first arrived to the airport and then couldn’t keep us together.

Dr. Ed at least got to view whatever movies the air carrier was offering, those of us in the back didn’t. After we pulled out of the gate, the flight attendants realized the large screen to view the safety video, and later the movies didn’t work. We could see the small video monitors which were about 50 feet in front of us, but it was very difficult to make out what was on the tiny screens. About the best way to describe the situation is to imagine back in the 60s when there were Drive-In movie theaters. When you passed them on a road at night you might get a glimpse of the screen, but there was no way you could make out what was happening in the film. Delta graciously announced to those who were sitting in the rear 25 rows, we would be getting a “voucher” of some sort to be used in a later flight. When we got to the service desk in Nagoya, Japan the voucher was for a “complimentary” beer or glass of wine. Being good Methodists, we passed on their generosity.

As for the trans pacific flight, the pilots warned us it would be bumpy as there is a lot of turbulent air between Detroit and Nagoya, Japan. The flight plan took us over Canada, a little north of Anchorage, Alaska, and then down the Aleutian Islands on the way. But we learned from one of the veteran flight attendants, after the merger between Northwest and Delta, the pilots had been instructed to fly through the turbulence as much as possible to keep on course to save on fuel and money.

The 3 1/2 flight from Nagoya to Manila was pretty much uneventful. No the video monitor still wasn’t working, but by now most everyone was tired and trying to do their best to catch a few winks. Sunday June 27th will go down as the shortest day of our lives as we lost most of it when we crossed the international dateline. Manila is 13 hours ahead of Houston, so now as I am posting this, it is early Monday morning in the Philippines, but early Sunday afternoon back home.

Carleton Cole