Transitions

We are back in Puerto Princessa, at the camp where we spent training to go out to our ministry destinations. While the mud is still here (and as sticky as ever), it’s funny how the team’s perception of camp has changed.

My last update was on Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, we hosted a three-session, two-day kids club in Tumbod, a village on Tuluran Island. It was a 30-minute commute by boat from our base in the small village of Pangulatan. The kids club was the final ministry on Palawan. Wow…talk about energy! The kids flocked to the program that was held in the local basketball court. Note: every city, town, and village has a full-court outdoor basketball court – the Filipinos are obsessed with basketball over every other sport.  We danced, did skits, puppets, songs, sports, games, crafts…you name it, we did it. At the finish, half the village’s children, including various dads, grandmas, and dogs (of course) escorted us to the boats and waved us goodbye as we motored back to camp. It was an amazing closure to our ministry here.

We prayed for dry weather and clear skies for tearing down camp on Wednesday morning. Instead, it began raining just as I woke the team, and kept on raining for hours. A strong, steady rain. The kind that soaks everything. Oh well. We had no choice but to tramp the muddy path through the palm and banana trees, and up the slippery hill with our rolling packs and other gear. The wheels were useless in those conditions, so we had to carry everything to the truck. We loaded up, and drove away in the rain in a truck with wooden plank seats, no shocks or springs, and with no wall and is open all around. At least it had a roof. After seven bone-jarring, butt-smashing, wind-blasting, brain-numbing hours later we arrived at camp.

The other two teams we had trained with (Thailand and the Backpack teams) were there ahead of us and it was a great reunion! We quickly set up our tents in a new location away from the mud-plank challenge course and settled in. And here is where the change in perspective came.

When we first arrived on June 15^th, we were a bit dismayed at the state of the cold bucket-shower-in-the-toilet-area situation. It felt dirty and nasty. But upon returning it feels different; it has running water. It has a light. And there are four stalls! Compared with the facilities at the church in San Jose and the beach village, it is sheer luxury!

We leave here on Sunday for Taipei, but in between we are taking some well-deserved days for R&R. We are also using the time to plan for the Youth group and VBS/English camp in Taiwan that begins on the 19^th.  Here is where we are at regarding the TBD days (July 15-18) listed on the schedule I sent you. We’ve been going back and forth with people in Taiwan. After working on it for two weeks and submitting a detailed schedule, we received confirmation last week from a school in the city of Budai, that our program was a go. And then on Tuesday night the school canceled. I have no idea why. However, yesterday I learned that another school is interested in us, and I hope to have everything nailed down by Saturday. Which would be good since we need to be there on Tuesday. Stay tuned!

For the Nehemiah Team,

Tom