Reflections on a trip now over

I'm sitting at my desk while my family sleeps.  Now to get back to normal routine.  It feels odd moving back into the roles and duties that were so commonplace just two weeks ago.  Taking the garbage out.  Having cereal instead of a Mila cooked breakfast with mango, puto and pandesal.  Having a cup of brewed coffee instead of a 3 in 1 instant packet.  Sitting here not knowing what I am doing today besides resting instead of a scheduled day of activities.

I have the LCP song going through my head as I sit here this morning.  It talks of LCP as a family.  I now fully understand that.  On our first night back, Megan broke down and cried at the slightest remembrance of her LCP family.  She was still sobbing in her bed when I called it a night.  I believe she has been changed by the trip.  I know she made quite a few new friends both from the party we went out with and from the LCP family.

Each of us on the team are now much closer.  Even those of us who are related to each other.  We've become close in just a few weeks.

Glenna, my cousin and head of LCW who was the mother of us all.  Brittany, her granddaughter and my 3rd cousin.  It was great being with you for more than a few hours during your Orlando vacations.

Janice and Bob, the grandparents.  It was great being with you more than just at a weekend board meeting.  Always friendly, willing to help and having a great sense of humor.

Diann, the nurse with a great sense of humor and a desire to always help.

Dianna, my cousin who it was nice to reconnect with.  Alexis, Dianna's granddaughter and my 3rd cousin who always haa a smile.  It was great getting to know you.  The last time I remember seeing your mom was when she was around your age.  Time sure does fly.

Brooke, the quiet and friendly college student.

Scott, the sometimes quirky but friend of all with a fondness for saying awesome.

Tate and Coda, the friendly high school young men who adopted me as dad and convinced me do a few things I shouldn't have.  Like playing basketball in the rain, barefoot.

My lovely daughter Megan.  I was touched with how close you became with your Filipino friends.

Dumaguete is a very different city from what I remember.  Few things are as they were.  The city has grown into a very busy city.  I'd be afraid to ride my bike downtown or to the beach nowadays.  Then again, the beach I used to go isn't much of a beach anymore since the airport expanded.  Dumaguete, I hardly recognize you but still love you.

LCP, you didn't exist the last time I left the Philippines.  There was a Peace Shelter with 30 kids in it.  You started after I left.  It's amazing what you have become in 25 years.

Manila, I thought you were busy and crowded 25 years ago.  You are even more so now.  I can't believe all the malls.

Faith Academy, much of you is the same but your facilities are vastly improved.  My dorm room is now a classroom.  The views of Manila look the same even if the campus looks a little different.

It's amazing how much things have changed over the last 25 years.  Then again, I've changed considerably over the past 25 years.

Goodbye Philippines

Our flight is at 6:30, why do we have to leave for the airport at 3:00?  That soon became evident.  It's amazing how slow everything moves.  It took us about 1.5 hours to make it to the gate.  You also had to take all your bags through a security check to make it into the terminal, another security check to gain access to the gates and a third check to gain access to the Delta gates.  We had our fourth security check in Nagano  and a fifth one in Detroit.  That's a lot of security checks.

We were all pretty exhausted on the plane.  The teens had stayed up all night so they pretty much slept much of the trip.  I watched all 5 movies and occasionally dozed.  We are a pretty close group now.  On the plane we would talk and Megan and I took laps around the plane with Diann.  It was a less turbulent trip than the trip out which was nice.  I didn't enjoy the movies as much but how can you expect to enjoy all the movies someone is selecting for 500 different people.

We had another medical emergency on the way to Detroit calling for any doctors or those with medical experience.  This is similar to the event that occurred on the way out.  They did however have EMTs waiting for the flight and unloaded the passenger first.

It was sad saying goodbye to everyone in Detroit.  Half the group had to rush to make their connections and we sat around and talked with the Bloomington group for about an hour before it was our turn to leave.

It's good being home but we do miss the Philippines.  Especially the people and kids at LCP.  It was wonderful being with you.

Now to get back to normal routines.

Manila - Tuesday

We bid a sad farewell to Dumaguete this morning to spend the day in Manila.  It was hard to say goodbye.  I was glad to see that both Megan and Lexi seem to have fallen in love with Dumaguete as well.  It was my first trip back in 25 years and Dianna's first trip back in about 40 years.  It was great reconnecting and remembering why I love the city so much.  Yes, it's changed much but the people haven't.  There are just a lot more of them.  Seeing my classmates was wonderful.  Connecting with the LCP staff and kids was amazing.


We were picked up at the airport by Dan & Amy Larson, my dorm parents from my senior year in high school.  I remember those days quite fondly.  It was great reconnecting.  They are older but the same quirky characters I remember when I lived with them.  :-)  It was great retelling some of the old stories and hearing updates regarding family and friends from days gone by.

If the traffic and driving in Dumaguete seemed bad, it was compounded 10 fold in Manila.  Signs and the rules for travel seem to be mostly suggestions.  Of course Dan was pulled over twice.  Once on the way to meet us and the other for performing an illegal turn.  Thankfully each let him off for being a missionary.

I recognized some sites such as the cultural center but most of the other places had changed.  Every piece of real estate seems to now be filled with a building.  There used to be occasional green spaces.  They also have the biggest billboards I have ever seen.  All over the place.  The malls, they make you feel that you have stepped back into the US.  They are better than most of our malls, and huge.  We went into one that spanned one of the main roads and it at least four stories with every storefront filled.  We were there on a Tuesday morning and it was packed.

Dan then took us to Fort Santiago, an old Spanish fort, known as one of the oldest structures in the Philippines and where Jose Rizal, one of the most famous Filipinos, spent his last days.  It was interesting seeing the fort and thinking of all the history.  There are sections that still show shell impacts from WW2.  They also have a number of Rizal's sculptures and scientific work.  He was an amazing man.  His life was ended just 2 years prior to seeing the Philippines freed from the Spanish.  I think the girls were a little bored though.  Dan and I both enjoy history.

We then went on to my old high school, Faith Academy.  The road has really changed.  The golf ball, which was always our indicator of where to turn, could barely be seen from the road.  Dan had to point it out to me.  The main road to the school, which used to be pretty with sporadic houses, was now packed with houses and apartments.  I recognized the turn up into the school and the gate was the same.  There is also a lot more security.  We used to have one guard.

The main classroom buildings and the gym are the same as are the tennis courts and soccer fields.  There is a nice new pool and a massive new 900 seat auditorium that many cities would be proud of.  Both Dan & Amy work in drama and they took us all around it.  It is amazing.  I am astonished that something that big and beautiful sits at my old high school.  It was donated by a large Korean church in Los Angeles.  It seems the population of Faith has changed considerably too.  Around half the student body is now Korean and a much smaller percentage are actual missionary kids.

The little library is now huge and spans across both of the main school buildings.  My old dorm room is now a middle school classroom.  It was odd seeing the rooms from my old dorm look so different.  The bathroom, gone.  The senior lounge, gone.  We had some great times in that dorm.

Dan and Amy also took us around the rest of the school.  I met my brother's former dorm parents, the Wullimans.  It was great seeing them after all these years.  The last time I saw them was at my college graduation from Taylor. There are only a few people left from my days at Faith but I guess that's to be expected after 27 years.

We then dropped Dianna and Lexi off to meet with some members of Dianna's church while we went out to dinner at an Outback Steakhouse.  It's amazing how Americanized and yet so foreign this city seems.  After dinner we picked up Dianna and Lexi and joined the rest of our party at the hotel.

The teenagers then proceeded to play games until we had to get ready to go at 2AM.  I played Bang and Fluxx with them until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

Thank you Dan & Amy for the wonderful time together.  I wish it could have been longer.  It was great catching up, reliving the Faith of 27 year ago and seeing the new Faith.

Change, the only constant.

Dumaguete - Last Sad Monday

Monday, our last full day in Dumaguete.  We have all enjoyed our time and experiences here.  We have also bonded well as a group.  After the daily devotions  those of us leaving on the first flight on Tuesday and missing the devotions then were asked to say a few words.  It was touching.  Megan was pretty much in tears and I felt close to bawling.  There was a consensus of a strong desire to return again soon.  We will miss Dumaguete and the people we have come to know and love.

A few of us then visited NORSU (Negros Oriental State University), the university where 102 sponsored college students are enrolled.  We were led around by one of the LCP students and met a few others there.  We also spoke briefly with a few of the deans.  It was great to see the university where so many at LCP go.

Coffee Beans on Tree

After a little souvenir shopping we had a group lunch before we went to our separate afternoon visits.  I went with Megan, Tate & Coda to visit with a man in the provincial agriculture department.  He turns out to be a classmate of my sister Colleen.  It's amazing how many people are connected to my family in this city.  We went to visit one of the areas they are promoting the growth of coffee.  During the long bumpy ride their and back, I learned much about coffee and cacao production in the Philippines.  He taught me a number of things that I had not known from the research I did prior to the trip.  It was very encouraging to speak with him.  Each of the people that I have spoken with regarding the livelihood projects we are interested in pursuing have been very helpful.  I'm very encouraged that these ideas can bear fruit.

We then spent a little time with the kids prior to having a team dinner.  The kids get out of school at 5 here in the Philippines.  Going to school 8-5 sure makes for a long school day.  All the kids were hugging us and telling us that they didn't want us to go.  We had to pry ourselves away for dinner.  Sigh.

After dinner Megan went to be with the Wee Women for a while.  She is helping them with their homework and socializing with them one last time.  I'm wrapping up and packing our souvenirs and praying they all survive the trip.

We will all look back on the fond memories we have captured from this beautiful city on a beautiful island in a beautiful country with beautiful people.  Dumaguete has always been a home for me.

Dumaguete - 2nd Sunday

It's hard to believe we are now at our second Sunday on this trip.  All we have is today and tomorrow before we leave for Manila and the US.  As Megan put it so succinctly this morning as she spoke in front of a thousand people, "I want to go home but I don't want to go."  This confused the translators for a minute.  She then added, "I love it here.  All the people I have gotten to know but I want to see my sister and mom again."

I'm proud of my girl.  She has done a great job on this trip.  She has tried new foods, made new friends, not complained at the lack of amenities and spoken well in front of between twenty and a thousand people.  Not easy for most American teenagers.  What a great girl.  She deserves a pak pak (clapping hands).

Today started bright and early and for once the rain did not show.  This was awesome since today was free clinic day.  Some of us spent the first part of the morning registering patients or getting the basic vitals such as height, weight, BP & temperature.  They then helped the dentist and other medical personnel work with the patients.  The Philippine army was also there giving massages and haircuts as part of their required community service.  The military here requires each person engage in a number of community service hours each month.  It's a great service that they do.  I tried one of the massages.  It was quite relaxing.

We had our morning worship with Pastor Roy leading a congregation of around a thousand.  This was going on while the medical mission was occurring so people were coming and going through much of the service.  It's a very different worship service from what we are used to with all the dancing and praise songs.  It's a fun experience with a body that truly seems to believe in God.  The service is also almost 2 hours long but it seems to fly by, even when most of it is in Cebuano.  Many of the praise songs they sing in English but most of the rest of the service is in Cebuano.

At the end of the service, two of us were asked to give solos.  Deann, the nurse, sang her's first.  Then I sang mine.  Yes, my first ever solo was in front of a thousand people.  A little intimidating but I didn't feel that nervous.  The Lord must have been giving me strength.  Megan told me before I went up that she was nervous for me and her heart was beating very fast.  Thank you my dear girl.  That was quite an experience and I think I pulled it off reasonably well.  I then gave a few words of thanks.  I let everyone know that Tatay wishes he could be here to sing to them again but he can't sing anymore.  He and Nanay send their love.  I continue to almost break down whenever I bring up my parents.  I however can't help but bring them up at a gathering.  So I guess that I am at an impasse.  Survive and move on, the fire swamps are next.

At the service, I saw the Wee Women wearing the new dresses we handed them yesterday.  They looked so beautiful in them.  They each added a belt that made the dress even more beautiful.  One of the girls let me know that this dress is now her favorite.  It was a great gift.  Thank you for making them Barbara.

Megan and I then met with my in-laws sponsored child Jamel and his mom.  He is a cute but shy kid.  His mother spoke very good English and we had a great time together.  I gave them the letter and little gift that I brought from VCR.  I know, interesting acronym.  It's the first time I have ever tried it.  It really shortens things although my shortness now consists of three sentences.  Anyway, they much appreciated the letter and gift.  We then took them shopping.  Jamel wanted a new pair of school shoes, high top sneakers and a basketball uniform.  He picked out the Miami Heat.  After buying 2 sets of shoes and the uniform, we still had quite a bit of money left over so we gave it to the mom to buy groceries for her family.  They were very appreciative.

After returning, I was given the opportunity to have a massage.  Glenna, the team and LCW leader, was just finishing up one and offered to pay for me to have one since my back has been hurting most of the week.  Yes, I had my second massage of the day.  This one with more of an emphasis on the back.  I was very relaxed after that.

We ended the day with a team dinner at Greenrich, a local restaurant.

Time is now flying by and we want it to slow down although I would love to see my wife and baby doll again.  We both miss them terribly.

Saturday - Bais

Another early morning wake up call.  But today is our fun day.  We drove to the town of Bais which is about 1.5 hours from Dumaguete.  You have to arrive early because that is when the dolphins are not tired of their people watching yet.  That's right, we are there for the dolphins to watch.  I wonder if they pay to see us?  It was a fun journey up the coast with a decent road most of the time.

We took a large banca (dual outrigger boat) to dolphin watch.  There were scores of dolphins around us as we went.  It was a blast.  Unfortunately none of my dolphin pictures are any good.  I'll have to beg one of the other team members for a good one.  I have some decent video so I have something worth trading with.

After the dolphins got tired of us we went over to a large sandbar where the water was only up to our chests.  We had fun playing on it.  That is, those of us who braved the slightly chilled water on an overcast day.  We then has lunch and completed our morning.  It was nice to get in the water.  It was our first and probably only time to swim in the ocean this trip.  Sigh.  We are here to work not play.

After cleaning up, we spent time with the kids on campus.  Some of us played basketball but most of us spent time talking to the kids and watching them practice for tomorrow's worship service.

We handed out dresses to the Wee Women girls (girls of elementary schools age).  They were very excited about the new dresses.  I also took a nice ride around the neighborhood on the back of a motorcycle with Cerila.  She let me know where everything was and who owned what.  It was nice to see.  It's amazing how much clearer things look from the back of a cycle.

Megan made a new friend.  One of the girls living on the campus who is the same age as her.  She has no parents since her father died and her mother ran off to Manila with another man leaving her with relatives.  She enjoyed watching the interaction between Megan and I.  We brought her along for dinner.

I can't believe it's the second weekend already.  It feels like we just got here but we will be leaving in a few days.  Sigh.

Friday - Dumaguete

Today started with a visit to one of my favorite places on the island, camp lookout.  My family used to vacation up there.  Ben Malayang graciously offered to have us driven up there and given a guided tour of the changes that have occurred.  He sent along Moses who was excellent.  Moses recalls seeing my brother Chris and I riding our bikes around campus from his dorm.  

Camp Lookout is now a writers haven and it's very understandable why.  It has always been an excellent escape from the city.  Moses reiterated the story of the site.  In WWII when the Japanese invaded the island, the Americans fled to the mountains.  Specifically the area now called Camp Lookout.

They have really updated the facilities.  The main house is now almost like a Swiss chalet but with the old structure's look.  All the facilities have been modernized.  The second cottage is gone and in it's place are a couple smaller cottages made out of converted shipping containers.  They looked great.  The tree Chris and I always climbed is still there.  Short a few branches but still looking the same.  I always loved the view from Camp Lookout.  Breathtaking.

The woman that oversees the site fondly remembers my family.  She worked with us often when we visited.  She brought us coconuts and chopped them open with a bolo.  I tried opening one and completely massacred the coconut.  It was fun trying though.

It was great seeing the site again.  I long to stay in it again.  I remember the fun on the mountain.  Hiking to the falls.  Playing on the tree.  The nights of board games under lanterns.  Sigh.

It was very nice of Ben to offer us the trip and Moses.  It was very much appreciated.

We then returned to Dumaguete to join the rest of the team for lunch.

After lunch we went to visit the very poor community but one close to my mother's heart, Candayong.  We visited the preschool there and met with the teacher who fondly remembers nanay and tatay.  The kids were great.  One of us read a story to them.  They then sang songs for us.

We later went over to the Consuelo boy's home to do crafts with them.  We had them make their own decorations on hats.  It was a lot of fun watching the creativity of the kids.  These kids are high school age or above.  They later sang a number of songs for us.

Well, I need some rest.   I've been yawning all night.  Tomorrow is our day of rest.  So, I guess that explains the 5am wake up.  Hmmm.  I'll tell you about it later.

Thursday - Dumaguete

We started our Thursday with a long bumpy ride up to the mountain community of Timbao.  It's amazing that many of these people come to the worship service at LCP each Sunday.  It's a hard trek.

I'm starting to get used to getting flowers everywhere.  I received my largest handful here.  I even received one I dubbed the club.  What a heavy but beautiful flower.  It looks like someone weaved it out of bamboo.

Half of our group taught a preschool while the other half taught a bible study.  The kids are so wonderfully behaved and friendly.  Everyone was very friendly.  They all kept offering me a chair.  I had to stand for a little while after that trek to ease my back.  The rain started then, making the rest of the trip rather interesting.  After the classes we had fruit and some rice cakes.  I of course had budbud again.

We then headed further into the mountains to see the home of one of the sponsored kids.  It was an even rougher journey.  People from the bible study greeted us when we got there.  I guess the walking trails are faster than the roads.  The view, although overcast, was amazing.  You could see down to the ocean.  Only a few trekked up to the house.  It was a rather steep and somewhat slippery.

It took us an hour to get back for a 2PM lunch.  I'm so glad we had the snack.  My back was so glad to hit pavement again.

I then visited the Foundation University agriculture department with Rosalie while Megan went to another preschool.  We talked about what what was currently being done on Negros regarding crops, particularly coffee and cacao production.  There are some initiatives underway to help the local farmers shift to coffee production.  They offered to provide assistance with the program and send me literature regarding requirements for production.  Especially with coffee.

I spoke with Rosalie and another staff member about 2 other possible self sustaining projects that could also provide some local employment.  There is a way to utilize plastic bottles to provide light during the day to the poorer homes.  There is also an American organization that has developed a low cost solar light that could be used at night.  The company is selling discounted marketing kits that can be used to provide jobs to people while providing a low cost, single cost way to eliminate a large portion of the electrical expenses.

That night I got together with old classmates from Silliman High School.  Yes, we are all old now.  Some faces were very recognizable while others not as much.  It was great catching up after 25 years.  It's amazing the different paths we have all taken.  Twenty five years is too long a span.  I definitely don't want to wait another 25 years for a visit.

Wednesday - Dumaguete

We woke early in order to ready ourselves and make the ship for Dumaguete.  This is actually a decent hotel that is catered to the western taste.  They even had pancakes at breakfast.  It's phenomenal that it was setup as a mission to provide employment for the deaf.

We had a very bumpy ride back to Dumaguete and arrived 30 minutes behind schedule.  A few of the team felt a little ill.  We weren't as adventurous with card games as we were on the way out.  Too bumpy and too many people.  We were just glad to finally be back in Dumaguete.

We immediately headed for the mountains after arrival.  We visited the LCP community in Tikala.  It was another rough journey due to the terrain.  It is a beautiful area.  So lush and rich with fauna.  There were fruit trees everywhere.  We had a bible study lesson led by one of the members of the team.  It was great meeting the people and seeing the children and how they have benefited through the actions of LCP.  I found one of the plants I remember playing with as a kid.  It closes up on touch.  I always thought it was the neatest thing.  I showed this to all the teenagers on the trip.  They call it the shy plant.  I don't recall the Cebuano name for it.

After leaving the Tikala, a few of the team visited in the home of the sponsored child of one of the teens.  It was a great trip up there.  It was like traversing through the jungle.  We even had to cross a bamboo bridge over a river.  Yes, Megan experienced all this as well.  We saw many fruit trees including those for star apple, lanzones, papaya and the ever present coconut.  I was taken to see a cacao tree.  I recognized the type of tree due to the funny fruit.  I just never knew it produced chocolate until then.  It was neat to see one of the future livelihood project trees in person.  Such a weird looking fruit.

It was touching to see the house and land the family lived in.  There was no way to easily make it to the house except by walking.  The house has electricity and running water but lacks many of the amenities we take for granted.  A humbling experience.

We then returned to the rest of the group as they finished the bible study.  The ladies gave us cassava cake and biko.  Check biko and cassava off the list of foods to definitely eat while in the Philippines.  They were both excellent.  Mala, the cook, also prepared an excellent lunch for us that included siopao.  Check siopao off the list.  Megan also loved the siopao

After lunch I worked with Rosalie in the office going over their computers and suggesting a few improvements that would help with the speed and connect-ability as well as provide for a better backup of the environment.

I spent the rest of the afternoon resting and the rest with the kids playing basketball and badminton.  It was great although a little painful to play with them.  Basketball got to be a little much so I started to hit the shuttlecock with one of the little boys.  It was great handling a badminton racket again.  It has been a while.

That night I was interviewed on one of the Dumaguete City radio stations.  One of my classmates from Silliman has a program every night from 7-9PM.  It was an interesting experience and a lot of fun.  We talked mostly about the changes in Dumaguete and what LCP is as well as what they are doing in the community.

Tuesday in Bohol

We woke early in the morning to catch a fast ferry to Bohol.  These ships are much smaller but much faster than the ferries we used to take the last time I was here.  They are primarily for passenger traffic.  Instead of going to sleep in one port and waking up in the next, you only have a 2-3 hour trip between ports.  I spent the time with the youth teaching and playing Bang with them.  Bang is a western card game that has you trying to kill each other and drinking beer or whiskey to recover your life points.  A great game for teenagers.    Our game was also challenged by our lack of a table which made things interesting.

Our first stop in Bohol was to see the self-sustaining livelihood projects that Dennis Drake oversees.  Mr. Drake came over as a peace corp volunteer to work with the deaf.  He set up schools for the deaf.  He however noticed that they had a difficult time finding work after they finished their schooling.  Not many people wanted to hire deaf employees.  He then started businesses that were manned by a predominantly deaf staff.  He also saw the need for these businesses to be able to pay for themselves and help subsidize the schools.  He has setup 2 hotels, 3 restaurants, laundry service catering to hotels, fishing lure manufacturing for export, etc.  He is constantly looking for new ideas.  He had an awesome idea to setup a fish massage spa at the hotel we were staying at.  You dip your feet in and the fish peck at them, cleaning them and giving you a massage.  He spent the morning with us and showed us the different facilities.  What a wonderful ministry.  It got us all thinking about what possibilities there were for LCW/LCP.

From there we went to a place to have a special Bohol lunch.  It was a dinner cruise with Filipino food.  I ate it up.  They also had a singer who constantly sang boat, sailing or river tunes.  During the cruise they had a stop at one of the communities where they sang and danced the tinikling.  It was great seeing it again.  We left the cruise then proceeded to a habitat for one of the strangest monkeys I have ever seen.  It has the eyes of an owl, body of a monkey, feet of a frog and tail of a rat.  Sounds like a monster.  It however only grows to the size of your hand and the babies are the size of your thumb.

We also visited a butterfly sanctuary before proceeding to one of the symbols of Bohol, the Chocolate Hills. They were beautiful.  No one knows how they were formed.  Unfortunately it has been raining quite a bit and the hills were kind of green.  One of the few times you don't want greenery right?

Afterward we rushed to a zoo that contained a 20 foot Philippine Boa Constrictor and a number of smaller creatures.  The thing was huge with a bulge in the middle that held the remains of a goat it ate a few days ago.  The cage also contained a monkey called George, 2 Philippine eagles and some other bird.  After we stood there admiring the snake for a few minutes we were all astonished to be invited into the cage.  Of course I was the first to enter.  It was a little scary when the cage was shut with only myself and the guide.  I figured that if the snake was hungry it would probably go for the smaller of us (which wasn't me).  I touched the snake then had George look for lice in my hair.  Thankfully he found none.  Kind of tickled though.

We then went back to the hotel for a late dinner and a game of bang before calling it a night.  I checked off halo halo from my list of things I needed to eat at dinner.

Back to Dumaguete tomorrow.