Buwan ng Wika
August is ‘Buwan
ng Wika’, which means ‘Month of Language. It is a time to celebrate the language,
culture, history and traditions of The Philippines. As part of their P.E. and
Filipino subjects, students prepared dances, dramas, songs and pieces of art
for a special service on August 20th. The first year students had
been separated into five groups during their PE, and had to practice and
perform dances incorporating different elements. The first dance was with ‘ipit-ipit’,
small hand-held pieces of wood which were clicked together with the fingers.
The next group performed ‘maglalatik’ with coconut shells strapped to their
knees, hips and shoulders, which they hit with hand-held coconut shells. The
next group had flowers along a bent piece of bamboo, called bulaklakan. The
fourth group performed ‘tinikling’, using long pieces of bamboo, which were
clapped together on the floor. The dancers had to jump in between them and avoid
getting hit (in a graceful manner, of course). The final group ‘pandango sa
ilaw’ used candles, dancing while balancing the candles on their heads.
After the
traditional dances, a larger group performed an interpretive dance while
students sang a solemn Filipino song. Following this performance, the third
year students performed a drama, incorporating their unique comic talents,
which had the whole audience in fits of laughter. With my limited understanding of Tagalog, especially when it
is spoken quickly, I had a hard time following the storyline, but I was
thoroughly entertained by their crazy antics.
The final
part of the program was a display of artwork produced by the students,
incorporating the theme of unity. We have some talented artists at PCL!
It was such
a wonderful day, especially because for that 1 day, students were allowed to
break the golden rule of PCL, which is ‘always speak English’. For that day, I
even tried to speak in Tagalog, much to the amusement of the students.
Alumni Homecoming
On August 25th,
PCL held its first official alumni homecoming. Since 2011, we have had 4 groups
graduate – Batches Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. PCL invited all
graduates to return to the Prayer Mountain for a special celebration, an update
on their lives and ministries, and the election of the Alumni Council. It was so wonderful to see the students again.
I was a guest at the first graduation, as the honorary ‘parent’ of Elvy, who
just happened to be about 20 years older than me. For the following three
graduations, I have been involved as a staff member and the MC at each
ceremony. Of course, not all graduates were able to come, especially as some
live in the provinces, but for those who came, it was such a joyful experience.
We were
encouraged as students shared about their growing ministries and teaching
opportunities. We also met the first PCL baby, as two 2012 graduates, Ptr. Ryan
and Ptra. Divine, got married last year and had a baby earlier this year. I’m
some kind of ‘grand-godparent’ to her, as I was ‘Ninang’ or godparent in the
wedding of Ptr. Ryan and Ptra. Divine. (Since coming to the Philippines I have
gained many god-children, or ‘inaanak’, as it is customary to have many
godparents for baby dedications and weddings.) During our delicious lunch, one
member from each batch was asked to give a special number. We look forward to
having more alumni activities in order to encourage one another and reflect
upon the great things God is doing in the lives of our PCL graduates.
Library
One of my tasks here at PCL is to oversee the library.
August has been a very busy month for the PCL library. It seems like the work
is never-ending! While our dedicated library assistant, Sis. Mahalia, has been
encoding book after book into the new electronic system, we decided that we
really needed some extra help in physically rearranging the books, many of
which had been incorrectly labelled during the schools earliest years, and
completing some other requirements. For three weeks in August, we asked for 15
volunteers to stay at the school for an extra day. They created book-pockets
and book cards for the books and searched through the 10,000+ books to check
that they were in the right section. We created a single reference section, rather
than having different reference books in separate sections. We transformed the ‘halo-halo’
or ‘mix-mix’ section of books into a proper fiction section. I got so excited
to see many classic books that I would love to read if I ever find more time. I
am pleased with the progress we made, and while there is still work to do, we
can work during regular school hours again. I’m so pleased with the arrangement
of the books that I will sometimes go to the library, look at our beautiful
reference or fiction section, put my hands on my hips, and give a contented
sigh and smile.
Some Sad News
August was a very
challenging and sad month for Juls and I, and his family, as our 4 month old
nephew, Aquilles, passed away. With Juls’ family in the province, we were the
ones who helped his sister, Erica, looked after the 3 other children, did the
hospital visits and organized the funeral and burial. It was such a sad and
stressful time, but through it all, we felt God’s love and support. We were so grateful
to family and friends who helped us financially, taking away the financial
strain of hospital and funeral costs. After little Aqui was buried, Erica and
the children went to the province to stay with Juls’ parents. God has been our
comfort and strength and we know that Aqui, who was very sick for his whole
life, is now in the arms of Jesus, where he will endure no more suffering.
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| Aqui's family - Even though it was a sad time, we will miss having them with us |
San Mateo
Now that the lot where
our new ministry will be has officially been purchased by a Korean sponsor,
Juls and I do weekly visits and prayer walks and Juls and his friends will soon
start clearing the area.
More August Photos
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| Another Rainy Day at PCL |
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| Playing in the Rain |
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| Sweet Nadine, my goddaughter (inaanak) |
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| Pi-Jo, our godson (inaanak) |
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