Day 4!

Hello friends and family! Welcome to Day 4!

Today’s agenda:
Morning prayer
A one hour bus ride to the work site from Daet
Building sight
Ocean break
Bishops palace & banquet
Go back to host homes

Last night when we arrived in Daet we were greeted with many signs of welcome and our host families! There are two missionaries per family. All homes are safe and give the essential needs, however there is a diversity among the privileges such as whether there is an actual shower or just basins of water. We are learning that hospitality is very important to the Filipino people and we are receiving the absolute best of what these people have. The team is feeling very welcomed and valued. It is great to have learned about the Filipino culture and history and to now have the opportunity to experience it.

Today was our first day on the work site and the two houses are coming along. The two houses are literally among others are in the jungle area. Looking out all you see are a few huts and trees. Just walking off the main street you would not have expected to walk into that. The Philippines is very beautiful and has a lot more trees than Saskatchewan!

 For the morning and part of the afternoon we passed concrete bricks down the hill to the work site. This morning was very humid with a sprinkle of rain and we certainly sweat bullets. It was like we were celebrities while we were working because all the neighbors around the project site come to us and were videoing and taking pictures.  We went through the musical genes singing accapella as we worked beginning with Variety Night songs, to Pop to Praise and Worship. After that we cooled off in ocean.

In the evening we were surprised with a Filipino welcoming party! We began the evening with mass with the Bishop where he encouraged us to be not afraid and to stay young. He said that those who accept and are open to Christ are young and that we only get old when our hearts become hard. Then we entered the banquet hall that was beautifully decorated. It felt like we should be attending a wedding. The dinner was delicious, with rice of course, and then the speeches and welcomings began. Now, as Canadians we expected to have simple speeches of welcome, but we got a real sense of who the Filipino people are! The Bishop said his welcome and then sang us a song! Then the youth ministry department danced for us followed by more introductions of the clergy within this diocese and a few special songs sung by them. After the welcomes two youth teams performed their “dance parable” where they make an amazing dance and act to a Biblical parable. Our Canadian team was then challenged to take the mic and do karaoke. It was a beautiful night where we got to see who these people are! They certainly do not welcome like Canadians. Perhaps we could get Bishop Dan to do karaoke one night? 

It is interesting to see that the Filipino people are very friendly, but once they find out that we are not here on a vacation rather that we are here to experience the culture, on missions and to build two houses for two families in the community, they become very intrigued. The Filipino people take pride in their country and their culture.

Highlight of the Day: Seeing the Bishop welcome us in song and seeing the site for the first time.

Quote of the Day: "It’s interesting to see the extreme of poverty contrasted with the extreme of consumerism." –Landon K

"You are building two houses while you are here, but you are also building the temple of God in your hearts." –Bishop Gilbert

Prayer Request: For the Filipino people they their faith may deepen and that God may bless them for their hospitality.

Blog written by: Brandi 

Peace and love, 

The Arch Team