Mamang

On Saturday, March 21st, our dear friend "Mamang" ("mother" in Tagalog) passed away.  Jason and I both wanted to take some time to reflect on our time her.

Mamang was one of the first church members we met coming into our time with the UBCC.  Pastor Romy let us know she had developed lung cancer and wasn't doing that well.  I remember the first time she looked up and showed us her beautiful smile.  Over the last couple weeks, we visited Mamang regularly sharing stories from the Bible, stories from our lives, and singing songs to her.  I was so blessed by her during our second visit when we were going to pray for her and she asked us to just be thankful to God.  Her attitude in the midst of greatly challenging times left quite an impact- one request- thank God.  The next couple weeks we spent thanking God- especially for Mamang.  Every visit was welcomed by a smile that I will always remember.  

The week following her passing away was her wake- having a nightly service, followed by a full night of games, food, and conversation every night until her funeral on Saturday.  I was able to speak on Tuesday night- sharing my experiences with her as well as going through John 3- sharing new life in the spirit.   The entire time from Saturday to Saturday was very impactful- not only were we able to remember and cherish the memories of Mamong, but we were able to meet her family, spend quality time with church members at night, and moved deeply by the reality of God's timing in bringing Jason and I to the Philippines.  

Thank you Father for our time with Mamang- it brings joy to think about her smiling for eternity with You.

-Jerry


Truly, it is incredibly difficult for me to express my heart as relates to Mamang. In life, spending time with her was a cherished, almost numinous experience. When I think of those times of stories, song and silence, her countenance reminds me of Titus where elder women are told to be worthy of reverence - i.e., awe and respect. In death I was shook to my core yet further still in experiences which shall forever come to define a part of me; experiences which I dare not write as are too precious, terrible, awful and incredible to share without certain injustice. 

I was, to my honor and astonishment, asked to speak at the last night of her wake when all of her family had gathered from the Filipino islands to mourn her death and celebrate her life. I stood before the crowd absolutely shaken, with nary an idea of what to say; some were Christians, most were not, a couple were drunk to fight their grief, and others soon to follow, yet all loved this woman and knew her better than I. Frankly, I felt terribly unqualified to be before them. With a trembling heart I sang before them Mamang's favorite song - Psalm 23 - and told them what it meant, concluding with the line, "'I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever!' That," I said, "means home." From there I poured my heart out with what I could and said while many would tell me how she lives, and others of us how she died, I wanted them to know that she lives and where. To many, I suppose, it could have appeared a shameless moment of taking advantage of pain to peddle a religion, but to me it was my gospel; my good news, and summarized my final wish for the woman I knew only at the end: 'I love you. Thank you. God loves you. I'll see you soon.'

-Jason

March of the Philippines

So check it out everyone- here's an update on our month so far in the Philippines. Jason and I have been serving at the United Body of Christ Church in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. We have been actively helping Pastor Romy with Bible studies, youth activities, visiting Mamang (a member of the church who Jason wrote about previously), preaching, and leading discussions. This is a picture of where we're staying- and no, we're not living in the Coke store, the entrace is the gate next to it with a warning sign referring to their great dane "Copper" who greets us daily without fail.

This is Pastor Romy Rodriguez- we are spending the month learning from his lifestyle of ministry. We are giving him what he calls, "The first time off I've had in eight years." He's very encouraging and he, his family, and the church community have shown us true Filipino hospitality.

Jason and I with Kate and Unice- Jethro (aka Guapo) is taking the picture. These are the gardens of the roof of the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.  They've been helping us get around the Tandang Sora area.

The group below is from one of the Bible studies we've been teaching.  Weekly, we teach 3 Bible studies for mothers.  Currently, the Lord's been leading us to discuss the beginning of Matthew 5- encouraging others with the words Jesus spoke to us. Our focus has been on being blessed, salt, and light.

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers!  This is God's trip and we give Him all credit for everything happening out here- please take some time to thank Him for all He's doing- Until next time,

Jerry

Some pictures in Taipei

Below are some pictures of our last couple weeks in Taiwan!

Pastor Joanna, Claire, and Brotha Joseph took us to the Palace Museum showing much of the Taiwanese history and artifacts brought over from mainland China.

Here is the Antioch Baptist Church- wonderful people and great friends!

Henning (From Germany), Jameni (Taiwanese), and Bynum (From Alaska) with Jason and myself at the beach! This is where Jason almost lost all of his toes on the razor shells.

This is me speaking on Sunday morning at the Antioch Baptist Church with Claire, the interpreting master, translating the message.

Jason and I on top (as far up as one can go) of the 101 Building- the tallest completed building in the world.

Outing with young people of ABC to wildlife and nature park.

The "Makeup" Small Group Jason and I spent time with.

Elaine took us to the beautiful Yangming mountains with some friends from school.  Fountains, waterfalls, and flowers filled the paths we walked through.

Thank you to everyone in Taipei for a wonderful month!  We miss you all- til next time!

Jerry

Taiwan in Retrospect

For the sake of being absolutely honest about the status of this trip, I will begin with a comment on our present state in the Philippines. From there, I assure you, I will do as my title and Jerry's post suggests, and talk about Taiwan. Here it goes: the Philippines is hot; it is ridiculously hot and humid, and it is only going to get hotter every single day. Also, we ate pig face. More about the Philippines after Taiwan.

Please note that both Jerry and I posted today, so be sure to read his post first.

I give a moment of reverence and some blinking as I consider just how quickly the month of February flew by and, consequently, how quickly our time in Taiwan passed. On one hand I remember how Clair suspiciously looked at us when we first arrived, then I remember vividly our last lunch with her went and the sharing of hearts; I remember feeling rather flat-footed as we were first introduced to the marvels of Individual Evangelism, then I remember in the end being thanked for sharing our perspective on loving the lost and getting to know them. I will, with great injustice, try to recall a few favored moments of the trip, that everyone may share in our Joy of the Lord, and be in prayer for those we've met.

Meetings with the Pastor:

Pastor Joanne, I assure you, is one of the more genuine women of Christ I have met. In those meetings it would be Jerry, me and the AMTC staff - including "Brotha" Joseph, Clair, Esther, Judy, and, of course, Pastor Joanne. We would sit in a circle and discuss the past week and, usually, what was on the mind of either Jerry or me. This may not seem like much, and to be honest I'm often not a fan of meetings, but the takeaway of said meetings were always good, and the teachability of the staff simply humbled me. Important decisions are made in these meetings, and they are always wreathed in prayer; I ask others to be in prayer for them and their ministry, for I cherish these Servants of God.

Lunch Time:

Per the generosity of the church, we would often be taken out by one of the staff or youth. I consider myself a connoisseur of one-on-one conversations and, I must say, these times of edible fellowship were wonderful. I am of the opinion that it is a long lost, and often unappreciated, art: a meal and a chat. I recall reading that eating is one of the most intimate forms of human interaction; there's just something about slowing down to a meal with a good friend and discussing life, the universe, and classical literature. These moments were so thoroughly enjoyed as I got to meet some marvelous children of God over such delicacies as American-style Cheeseburgers and Pork & Peanut Butter Pizza. This, I believe, is some of the best and most effective places to be a missionary, for behind the pulpit one is reduced to speaking en masse and reaching the heart through the ears; the heart, if one recalls in biology, is much closer to the stomach.

The Lulala Club:

Pronounced Loo-la-la, this was a club at the local Northern Taiwan University with a goal on serving, so as you can imagine we found an immediate mutual interest. Jerry and I were invited to speak at one of their meetings, in spite of being a secular group, and when we got there were delighted to find many of the members to be as strange as ourselves - to get to know one another, the Lulala conducted a small circle dance which included jumping, clapping, spinning, squatting and singing a goofy Chinese song. I felt immediately relaxed. Then, after an introduction testimony by "Brotha" Joseph, Jerry and I went up, introduced ourselves and let the Holy Spirit take over. This time, the Holy Spirit manifested itself in the form of me getting the students to act out the New Testament story where the four friends take their lame friend to the place where Jesus was staying and lowered him through the roof after finding it impossible to walk in the front door (roof deconstruction being an obvious, logical, secondary plan). The story ensues that Jesus, rather anti-climatically by immediately apparent standards, tells the lame man that he's forgiven him of his sins. From there the Pharisees inform Jesus they didn't much appreciate his forgiving of sins, for how could he? Jesus retorts by asking them if it would be easier to heal him or forgive his sins, and then heals the man. I talked about how Jesus sees the problem, but unlike us he sees the greater problem and seeks to put into perspective first what our real need is and will always treat that need. Jesus, as I concluded, was the Son of God and a doer of great works, yet he, by who he was, performed the greatest work in his sacrifice and met the greatest need. To be honest, my favorite moment was reminding the "four friends" not to drop their lame friend and how to properly hold a lame person - not, I assure you, by each person gripping a limb and lifting, for that yields disastrous results.

Taiwan Epilogue:

Ultimately, in spite of all they gave us, the church and training center gave us more parting gifts, which I will be sure to show off upon returning. Not because the gifts are so wonderful, though they are, but because I know the givers, and they certainly are most wonderful.

The Philippines:

As I said, we ate pig face, and drank mango juice. Also, we're now with the pastor in the urban area of Manila and, though it is true poverty, Jerry and I are certain already that these are absolutely wonderful people. We've already had the opportunity to meet and talk with a wonderful woman dying of cancer named "Mamang" - i.e. mother. My heart went out to the woman as she sat looking very, very weak, but had such a beautiful smile with kind, caring eyes. Speaking for her is difficult, so we do most of the talking, but I love this woman, and marvel at the opportunity we have to let her know. From there we met with the local youth (about twenty or so) and had a great time getting to know them, and finally told stories to the little ones (David and Goliath - a classic) most of today and will be with some young adults in the evening. Other than that, I say once more, it is so hot.

Please pray for the local ministry - specifically their need to own the lot of land they use and, in spite of no financial means at present, fully believe the Lord will provide. Incredibly, they are up every day at 4:00am at the church praying for this, the nation and each other. Wow. Then, as Jerry mentioned, please pray for us spiritually, for the enemy has most certainly being sending some pretty heavy attacks our way, specifically mine. We love you and thank you from our hearts for your faithful prayer and giving.

Month in Taipei

While we have just arrived to this wonderful church in the Philippines, I would like to first take time to reflect on the last 2 weeks we spent in Taiwan.  Since the last post, Jason and I have found ourselves leading small groups, preaching in church, speaking and praying at a nursing home, playing basketball at a juvenile detention center, and speaking at a university club.  I would like to share some of my favorite thoughts from these times.

So just to give a quick review- in Taiwan, we were working with a group from the Antioch Baptist Church called the Antioch Missionary Training Center- they were all great people who blessed us to the max and became good friends of ours.  Here are some of my favorite moments with them these past 2 weeks I'd like to share.

Women's Salon Small Group

We spent 2 weeks with these wonderful women.  The group is held at a woman named Candy's beauty salon.  The first week going in, we had a discussion about life- the life that Jesus spoke of- the life God has given us- and how we're able to pour that life into others- I talked about a good friend of mine named Ashli and how she uses her hair skills as a place to encourage and bring life to others.  The following week, there was nothing really pressing on my heart to speak about, so I asked God what He would want me to speak on, and immediately the word "Love" came to my mind- nothing more, just love.  So that time was spent discussing the Taiwanese view of the word "Love" and how it was used or shown in their culture and we as Americans talked about the same.  The Taiwanese women shared how the phrase "I love you" isn't said often in their culture, but is more understood through their actions, showing their love for each other.  Jason and I shared how the word "love" is overused often in the American culture to describe our feelings about our favorite food to describing our committed passion for God and others.  The discussion led to us talking about a view on love that was neither Taiwanese or American, but biblical- a love that's greater than us- a sacrificial love that goes beyond ourselves and only comes from our Father.

Sunday Morning Speaking

On the third Sunday of the month, I was asked to speak again.  The first Sunday, I spoke on loving God with everything inside of us.  On this Sunday, I spoke on "Greater things are still to be done in this city."  Title being taken from the song "God of This City" by Chris Tomlin.  I spoke on the greater things to be done being the fullness of life and love we have received from God being given to others or as many call it, ministry.  I encouraged everyone to understand they were all full time ministers and had three thoughts for their everyday life/ministry.  One is to be themselves and use their gifts God has given them- not just using the methods of others, but using the gifts God has them.  I mentioned Camp Melody and Red Sea Affair.  Two was a line I heard from Pastor Lloyd from MCUSA where he said, "Build big people, not a big ministry."  Since hearing that line, I haven't looked at ministry the same.  And lastly, encouraging everyone with the thought that in the end, love wins- love is what makes the difference.  Whether we hand out tracks, build relationships, or participate in acts of service, doing so with God's love makes all the difference.  The service went very well, and many good conversations came from that Sunday.

Basketball and Jesus

I have found it is really easy to bring up Jesus in conversations with others when He is the one who brought you to their country.  I've also been learning more personally, the more of my daily life is lived with Jesus, the easier and more natural it is for me to share Him with others.  In one small group, the Living Water small group led by Brotha Joseph, I shared if I just ate and breathed basketball, if it was all I focused on, if I spent a ton of time playing everyday and kept up with all the latest stats of the NBA, guess what would come up in conversation when you talk to me... yep, basketball.  And the more and more I'm spending time with Jesus and the more He works through me- the more natural I'm finding Jesus come into my conversation with any random people I meet.  For instance, the fellas I played basketball with- being able to sit after a game and have many conversations with guys was a highlight for me this month.  To be able to talk to them very normally, very unpreachingly (new word?),  about my faith and what God's currently doing in my life has made me feel alive and blessed for Him to work through me in those times.  So how bout we add basketball to the schedule every Sunday morning?  Think about it :)

So those are some thoughts on our awesome month in Taiwan.  We were so blessed by everyone- even in the fun days we had like going to see the pandas at the zoo, walking through paths of flowers at the beautiful Yang Ming mountains, and checking out the Palace Museum with Pastor Joanna, Esther, Brotha Joseph and Claire.  

Pray for Taiwan and the Antioch Baptist Church everyone- there are many people in Taipei who need to hear the good news about Jesus and the people at ABC are some of the great people God is using as a light to the world.

The Philippines have been fantastic so far and we'll give an update soon on our adventures here.  We appreciate your prayers more than you know.  We've felt attacked spiritually most heavily over the past week and we thank you all for fighting for us in prayer.  Jesus bless you guys!  Til next time,

Jerry