..::Tribe Mission::..

Services in the Tribes

Manobo

Diary



We visited two services and it was meant to visit a third but that service where ended before we reached, but we met the Pastor of that church anyway.
Here is the whole schedule and experience this day:




Already seven o'clock in the morning Pastor Morales picked me up in Adlay and we went to a place just before Madrid where we met the other two Pastors.
Pastor Dalipe and Aparicio also carried bread, juice and sardines that we should bring to the churches we visited. We all showed up in tricycles but we changed to a motorbike with carrier on each side. Pastor Aparicio and I sat down behind the driver while Pastor Dalipe and Morales sat on each side on a carrier; behind them we also placed bread and bags.
To come to this tribes we needed to ride the bike over the mountain, and its not a trip without fear, but with a lot of faith and a very experienced driver we climbed the mountain once, through a valley and up the next mountain. Some parts were not possible for the driver to carry us all why we some parts in the mountain climbed by feet.






On the way to the first church, after that we had stopped in Kabangahan to leave two bags of bread, we had two incidents with the motorcycle. To come up to the next mountain we first need to pass a cornfield (mais), and on the way out in the field, the right platform were pastor Morales was seated bumped against an arm of a tree that was hided in the high grass.

The bike tipped and that made me observant at that I could damage or break my leg if I sat as I did, because automatically I tried to save the bike tipping with stretching out my leg, but the platform pressed my leg back. Therefore I moved my feet's up on the platform behind the pastors and next time in the dry riverbed when the bike rolled at side and tipped again I once again reacted automatically, but this time I jumped right up in the air and landed one meter behind the motorcycle, which made me laugh.
When the pastors turned around after tipping they could not see me in the seat, and they never felt that I jumped, but when they saw me laughing behind the bike they also laughed.
Then we had only a pleasure trip without any fear of the road.








The first church we visited was the one that was most far. We came to the Barangay Langkoag and the church named Our God Reigns. The name on the Pastor in that church is Josel Sandag which is a very young Pastor with not much experience of the English language.
The church has no walls at the sides and the rear but a roof and in the front an altar.




We visited their service, and the people there were very kind and spiritual, but (as usual) very shy to me as a white* stranger from abroad. We came in the ongoing service and we enjoyed their songs with dancing and jiving to glory our holy God. After a while they wanted me to make a presentation of me self, where I'm from and why I'm there, which I did and Pastor Morales translated me after introduction of Pastor Dalipe. After a few songs more I had the experience to share my faith with the fellowship in that Pastor Dalipe asked me for a testimony/preach.
After the service we were offered to drink bukojuice before we continued our trip.















Next church to visit was in the valley we passed earlier in a Barangay named Kabangahan, the name of the church is Independent Church and its Pastor is Lando Agyam.
There we also came in the middle of preach of the Pastor. We enjoyed the service to its end, also here I was introduced, but here talked both Pastor Dalipe and Aparicio which is well-known in this church. Also the people here are very kind, they show no exceptions to me, but they asked about my visit to the other Pastors. They are sceptic to "white"* visitors by earlier experiences (see note).






After the service we visited Pastor Noli Abarka, who is Pastor of the church Our God Reigns in Kabangahan. His house is neighbour to the Independent Church. He was already at home why he invited us for a brake (merienda). He is by the way the founder of Independent Church, but after false promises from foreign visitors (USA, see note) the fellowship didn't trust him, so he had to leave the church to a new Pastor elected by the ministry of the church (hard).


After this we went back to Madrid, counted our costs for this trip which was with transportation and food a little less than p1200.

*For important information to foreigners please read information below.





* For information, it's important to know that all foreign "white" Pastors are not in the right mission when they come here to plant their call. Because that some Pastors from foreign cultures still preaches alike in their "hometown", people here can't understand the vision told from the Pastor. It is very important to let the local Pastors work in co-operation, both for the right translation and for showing which needs there are in every area, because it changes from time to time and depending on the season of the year. Also political influences are important to respect.

Many Christians is coming alike boy-, or girl scouts, for living under "same" conditions as the people in the tribes, taking pictures only to go back home leaving empty promises in behind, and to show their families and churches home how brave they was.
Left in the jungle is the tribal people waiting for that the promises that was given shall be fulfilled. When nothing happens, of course, they become very disappointed, frustrated but also angry with the "white" people that is using them only for merchandising of their own churches back home abroad. This people is not able to see the different between a white man and another white man, why I also lived in danger until the pastors explained for the people that I was not an American or in cooperation with earlier visitors. Even some of the pastors had to be convinced before they trusted to bring me with them.

Jesus gives in the holy bible a warning to these Pastors and volunteers that is making false prophets like this, it damage the work for our Lord, and gives only profit for the evil.
Don't become like one of these, be sure that God really needs you here, and talk to the local Pastors, because they really need support, but only this that is through our Lord.