Day Forty-Two: An Education

Today has been fantastic. We have learned so much, with meetings and sessions from 8 AM until 10 PM. This was the final day of the broader conference, so many of the participants have now gone home and a few of us are left for some meetings tomorrow and Saturday.

We were introduced to the organization's incoming executive director today and we really enjoyed hearing his passion, his strong missiological background and his sense of humour all coming through. There are exciting times ahead!

Our hearts and heads are full, but our eyes won't stay open anymore so we're off to bed.

Evan

They gave us Play-Doh. I gave them Einstein.

Our new director shared an alternate translation of a well-known passage.

Understanding the stages of language use.

Day Forty-One: Local Leadership

Second day of InterMission Asia. Today's theme was "Developing Local Leaders". Here we were hearing (and seeing) more about how Indonesia is developing leaders across the nation. A big part of their mission is working with and through the local churches. In fact, they have national partnership agreement to support this.

 

I also find it interesting that there has been a protestant church in Indonesia since the 1600's. The Bible has been available in Bahasa Indonesian for about as long as our English King James Version has been around. However, this one country has more than 10% of the world's 7000+ languages within its boarders. Of the 700+ languages, about 400 are still in need of scripture. Thankfully there are hundreds of people (mostly locals) working toward this goal. More importantly, they are partnering with local churches so that there are communities involved to support on-going "scripture engagement". Translating in a void doesn't always end with the most sustainable results.

It is very encouraging to know that local leaders are being sought after and that training them up is a priority at all levels in the organization. It is beautiful to see God transforming lives and carrying on His mission around Asia.

~ Bonnie 

Day Forty: "Drawing Together"

Today was the first full day of our meetings in Bangkok. For one of our activities, we had to create drawings of our worst case and best case scenarios for Bible movements within our areas, and another drawing to show what we'd need to do to achieve our best case scenario.

It was amazing to hear all the different ideas and to see people drawing those out and sharing their visions for their respective areas. We heard from people from so many different places and got a peek into their hearts for the areas they are working in.

Our drawings themselves may have been amateurish and clumsy, but the combination of passion, experience and intellect that people poured into them truly made them beautiful.

Evan

Day Thirty-Nine: Globalisation

Today was the beginning of the end. We are now at Baan Phu Waan, just outside of Bangkok, where our final conference of the trip is taking place.

After dinner was a 'meet and greet' with whoever was here already. People from all over Asia (and the globe) are gathering to learn more about and from each other. It was great to reconnect with colleagues we haven't seen for months or even years. And yet, we have a kinship that comes from working towards the same goals.

We were relieved to hear that all of our colleagues in Nepal are accounted for and doing ok. Still, join with us in praying after the devastation. Disasters like this feel so much closer to home when you know people there and have it on your radar to visit them. We could have been there. We will go there. These are the realities of living away from the safety of the Canadian Shield.

We are both very much looking forward to this week of getting to know our fellow Kingdom builders better and hoping to learn to serve them well.

~ Bonnie

Day Thirty-Eight: Familiar in the Foreign

Today we went to IKEA! We had no idea Bangkok even had one until our friend in Manila told us about it. It's not central at all but there is a huge mall there so we went on an adventure.

I think it was about 13 BTS (sky train) stops away and then a 20 minute shuttle bus. It took us over an hour to get there but we really enjoyed watching the city go by. We realize that Bangkok is not for everyone but we've totally fallen in love with this city.

Much of it is completely foreign. Most of the signage is in Thai, culture is different, it's WAY bigger than Winnipeg or Davao, street food is still a little daunting... a lot of the food we get is so spicy it feels like your face will melt off... and yet... IKEA... Sometimes to manage the culture shock of a new place, having something familiar to experience can be the break one needs. 

Speaking of which, the Mega Banana* mall where the IKEA is also has an ice skating rink. We can even do some winter stuff! 

Don't get me wrong, we love the Thai culture and are not generally the type to want all of our Western comforts all the time, but it does help to ease into a new locale.

~ Bonnie

*It's actually "Mega Bangna" but I kept reading "Mega Banana" so that is what I call it.

Day Thirty-Seven: Beautiful Manila?

I have a confession to make: I have had a bit of a bad attitude about Manila. As much as we love the Philippines, and Davao in particular, I have kind of dreaded having to go to Manila. The past few days, though, have really softened my heart towards this city.

We've been staying with one of my colleagues and his family (fellow Canadians!) at their home here in Manila for the past few days. They've shown us a side of Manila that we haven't really seen before. These people really love Manila and they have opened our eyes to beauty here that we would not have known about.

As we move today from Manila back to Bangkok, I am grateful for the opportunity to say goodbye to Manila with much more affection than I have had for this place in the past.

Evan

Day Thirty-Six: High School Theatre

The very first time we were in Manila, we were invited to a play at Faith Academy. Again, we happen to be in town when they are putting on a musical. We've now seen "Arsenic and Old Lace" and "Into the Woods" at this missions high school.

Besides bringing back fond memories of my own high school's productions, it is really beautiful to see these kids getting the opportunity to be involved in high quality events. Being an "MK" (missionary kid) in Manila sure has its perks!

~ Bonnie

Day Thirty-Five: Presence

Today we had meetings in Manila. I had a very excellent day.

The drive in to Ortigas Centre

Much like my time with Beth (see Monday's post) the meeting I had this morning with my team member Jean, was very encouraging. Besides doing stellar work in my department, she's been getting involved in the spiritual lives of those around her. She's part of a weekly in-depth Bible study at the office as well as doing additional mentoring with some of the ladies. It is so awesome to hear that my group is really getting involved in their communities. Above and beyond!

Unfortunately, Jean will be retiring next year and finding a replacement to fill her stunning shoes has been weighing on my mind. Done! It's not official but I think we have found the ideal candidate. Now we just have to go through all the appropriate channels and work out a time line. I did not expect issue to resolve so quickly.

My office space for the day

Since my "promotion" I've been struggling with my role in leadership. It has been getting better and today I got to meet with a leadership coach in our organization. She is a lovely lady and is willing to work with me through this learning process. This was another inspiring meeting.

Sometimes people see the travel budget that the organization uses and they think it excessive. If you've never worked in a global setting where team mates, supervisors and other colleagues are spread around the world, then it is really hard to understand the incredible value of face to face meetings. I didn't use to. Now I do. In Asia especially where relationships are far more important than tasks. To get work done efficiently and even correctly, one must know whom one is working with. Being present is vital. Maybe we should rename the "travel" budget line to "relationship building".

~ Bonnie

Some Bibles

Day Thirty-Four: Industrious

When we were talking language lessons in Cebuano early in our time in the Philippines, one of our first vocabulary words was "kugihan". This means industrious. It seemed a strange word to learn at the time but we soon saw how cultural it is. People here deal with a lot and don't always get the same opportunities we would in Canada. Still, they manage to find ways to survive. Like selling peanuts in traffic.

~Bonnie

Day Thirty-Three: Code, Monkey, CODE!!

The past few days I have been buried neck deep in code, server architecture, databases... well, that is to say, "I.T. stuff".

I'm sure this translates to other disciplines, but I know it best from the tech world. It's that feeling when you're "in the zone" - you're staying on top of close to 15 open windows and are mentally tracking about another five or six things that you need to be aware of. Your computer is having trouble keeping up with you, but you're making mad progress and even though you've really got to pee, you're going to hold it until you get this one more thing working...

It's easy to lose yourself in that world, but I finally stumbled out today and in the end, had accomplished something I'd been wanting to get done for months. It's hard to explain to non-techies just what I completed that sparked this sense of euphoria, but for the three of you who might actually understand (and the others who'll give it a good shot):

After many months of dealing with an unwieldy software project with too many interconnected parts and environment dependencies, I created a virtual environment where each piece of the software suite runs in a separate virtual environment which is completely portable. Thanks to "docker", those virtual environments can be created in seconds, so swapping pieces in and out when upgrading software or modifying code is a no-brainer.

It's just a proof of concept for now, but over the next weeks and months this is going to be a significant improvement. The bottom line is that a piece of software that hundreds of people depend upon is going to be a whole lot easier to keep running (which makes me happy, because as of now I'm the only one left in the organization who knows how it works)!

Geek out,

Evan

Day Thirty-Two: Beth

Let me tell you about Beth. She has been a friend and colleague since we first came out to the Philippines. We were teammates and now I'm kind of her supervisor. She is a Filipina who has been working with Wycliffe for many years. She has an amazing servant's heart and a dedication for the work that is being done out here.

Today we had a meeting about how Funding Management Services is changing and the role that she will play going forward. Things have been in flux for a while. We had a great talk and both of us are excited with her part on this team. She already has great relationships with project mangers in this area and that will be a perfect launching point to the bigger role she is going to be taking on.

More than her official role within my department, she is involved in many "side ministries" as she puts it. Over the last few weeks and months she has been raising money for people to sponsor the distribution of Bibles to minority groups out in mountain villages around this island. God has been arranging things so that she can share safe transportation to these areas. He is also arranging the right people at the right time in the right place. In one case, a school teacher was at a church where they were distributing Bibles and he asked if they had an extra 200 for the students he had in that same language group!

On top of that undertaking, she is leading a team of ladies that does prison ministry in a nearby women's penitentiary. This is a once a month event that I had the privilege of joining early on in our term. It is a tough situation to go into but God is doing amazing things in the lives of those women. They understand the concept of spiritual freedom at a much deeper level than most of us ever will.

Beth and I have always gotten along well and today it was so encouraging to see where God is leading her and the growing passion she has for these communities.

I didn't take a photo of us today so here is an interesting landmark in Davao:

The condemned yet beloved Durian Hotel.

~ Bonnie

Day Thirty-One: "Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal!"

In the far-too-short-lived TV series Firefly, the first time we meet the ship's pilot he is playing with toy dinosaurs who break into a fight with the now-famous catchphrase, "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!" It was the moment I fell in love with that show.

When we got into a taxi cab which featured a beautiful play area laid out across the dashboard, it felt like getting on board the starship "Serenity" to join the crew from Firefly. While many taxi drivers like to personalize their vehicles - they certainly spend enough time in them - that usually takes the form of stuffed animals or the odd bobblehead. This guy really went above and beyond.

One of the beautiful things about being in the Philippines is that we always see a healthy sense of playfulness that isn't lost in the transition to adulthood - or, for that matter, to old age. People smile, enjoy life, have fun and take the time to be playful. We are grateful to taxi drivers like this one for having some fun; it reminds us that we're all human beings.

Evan

Day Thirty: Ceilidh

Again, amazing timing! We happen to be here for the Ceilidh. (Pronounced 'kay-lee'. Gaelic.) This is a Scottish - Irish traditional dance party and it took months to prepare. It was all put on by the local missions community. The band was fantastic. We just happen to have a guy who plays bagpipes. (Whaaaat?!?) Tonnes of people came out and had a great time. Despite being Mennonites, even Evan and I danced!

In fact, this was a great way to share in many cultures. We had a lady from Northern Ireland do the calling. She had, after all, arranged this whole celebration. About half the people there were Filipino, and they tend to love music and dancing! Lots of kids from the school were involved who come from a variety of backgrounds. It was a wonderful way to bring the community together.

~ Bonnie

Day Twenty-Nine: Friday

It's Friday. We've had a busy week of meetings and other work. But it's Friday. Time to relax, watch the sunset and appreciate the beauty of this place we've found ourselves. Happy Friday, everyone.

Evan

The view from the guesthouse where we're staying, looking out at the office and school complex.

Day Twenty-Eight: Burnt Curry

Today happened to be the office potluck. We seemed to have timed this trip better than we realised.

We did our grocery shopping and planned to bring a pot of curry. It's one of our favourite dishes. Easy and delicious. Throw a bunch of vegetables and chick peas into the pot with coconut milk and spices, and just let it simmer.

The guest house here has a gas stove and I noticed that the flame didn't seem to change size despite me turning the dial down. I was working on the computer while I made the curry and must have gotten stuck in something.

I smelled it first. I looked up and the room was filled with smoke. I burned the curry. Fiercely. The bottom half inch was charcoal and was actively pushing smoke up through the rest of the food. It was completely ruined.

The beautiful thing is that it didn't matter. There was tonnes of food at the potluck. We enjoyed praising and praying to God with our colleagues and no one went hungry. Living in community means that we help each other in our weaknesses and mistakes so that we are all lifted up in our times of need.

Bonnie 

Day Twenty-Seven: Durian

There is a fruit here in Southeast Asia that looks like a medieval torture device. It is heavy, has sharp spikes, and is responsible for numerous deaths each year when it falls out of trees on those below.

Add to that, it has an aroma that is most charitably described as "unique". It is forbidden on public transportation and in hotels in most places, as the smell lingers long after the fruit has moved on.

This magical fruit is called "durian" and Davao is one of the most significant durian producing regions in Asia. It takes a few tries to acquire the taste, but once you do there is no going back! We've been craving this for a while now, and today is just a foretaste of the durian feast that's shaping up for tomorrow.

No matter how long you live in Asia, we know we will never be locals - but there is a beautiful feeling when you realize you're not just a visitor anymore, either.

Evan

Bonnie enjoying some of the flesh from inside the durian.

Day Twenty-Six: Artistry

We love Davao and its people, but one of the things people notice quickly about this place is that it is a very pragmatic city. Davao has its roots as an outpost, most people who live here (or, at least, their parents or grandparents) came from somewhere else. In other words, Davao is still working on developing an artistic identity.

Still, we spent this evening surrounded by artistry. We went with friends to our favourite restaurant in Davao, a small French eatery where the owner knows us by our first names. Still, I promised artistry. Let me point some out:

- The restaurant decor is unlike anything else in Davao. From the moment you step inside, you are surrounded by etchings done by the owner's grandfather. On top of the wine cabinet, there is a small mechanical sculpture by his uncle, a lion which moves its head around in an amazingly lifelike fashion.

- The food is not only presented beautifully, but the flavours are crafted together painstakingly and with tremendous creativity.

- The group we were with was filled with musicians planning an event, thinkers pondering life's great puzzles and foodies expounding on the virtues of, well, food.

There is a danger, though, that in the context of a French restaurant we find ourselves believing that artistry is something we must bring to Davao from elsewhere, not something we can find there. Not so! This restaurant, though, has always served us as a reminder that artistry can exist and even flourish here, at those times when we are tempted to give in to the pragmatism of daily city life. For that we will always be grateful.

Evan

Day Twenty-Five: Birthday Party

Today happened to be our friend's 30th birthday so we got to celebrate with him! We didn't realise this until we got to Davao and his wife sent us the invitation. Such beautiful timing!

We knew more than half the people around the large table and enjoyed catching up with them. It was a small establishment and we were served Pinoy style: one or two people at a time, as the kitchen could make the dishes. This means there was never a lull in the conversation because there never a time when everyone was eating!

There were lots of laughs throughout the evening as everyone became friends with everyone else. This is also one of beautiful things about Filipino culture; everyone is family.

~ Bonnie

Day Twenty-Four: Beauty of Green

We're not talking about the care of creation but rather flavours of green. And not vegetables, either!

In Asia, we've discovered that green treats are tasty. They are likely to be pandan, matcha or avocado. These flavours are highly under utilised in Canada. Today we went to the brand new J. Co in Davao. It is an Indonesian coffee and doughnut shop that is spreading internationally. We enjoyed their Cafe Avocado (avocado shake with chocolate and coffee) plus a Mr. Green T and an Avocado DiCaprio doughnut. It was just like being back in Indonesia!

There is beauty in strange flavours of the world. Don't even get me started on the deep purple ube snacks!

~ Bonnie

Day Twenty-Three: God's Creation

God created some very beautiful things. The truly awesome thing about nature is that it was meant for us all to enjoy. In a place like Davao, you don't have to go out of your way to see the beauty in the trees, mountains, ocean and orchids that surround you. His beautiful creation is all around!

~ Bonnie

Day Twenty-Two: Yes, We Have No Water

On Wednesday evening we got the news that from 9 a.m. on Thursday through 9 a.m. on Friday there would be an emergency water outage across nearly the entire city.

24 hours is a long water outage, even for Davao, but at least there was some warning. We made our plans, filled all the buckets and containers, and figured we could make it until 9 a.m. today. Well, 9 a.m. came and went today, as did 10, 11, 12... by 3 p.m. we got the news that the water outage had been extended from 24 hours to 41 hours. Our bucket has pretty much run dry and we're borrowing from others.

So, where's the beauty? The beauty is how people here handle it. One of the greatest things about the Philippines is the adaptability of the people. With a smile and a knowing laugh, they accept what cannot be helped and find a way to make it work.

To be certain, this is not an easy thing to deal with. This was not part of our plans for our visit here! But we're still smiling, because everyone around us is, and you just can't help it. Incomprehensible as it is, this is beauty. This is why they say, "It's more fun in the Philippines!"

Evan

Note: Since writing this, the water came back, only 9 hours late! We're seeing all sorts of ecstatic posts on Facebook as our friends and colleagues here celebrate. :)

This is how we showered this morning... and this is how much we have left after 30-some hours (and counting) without water.

Day Twenty-One: Familiar Faces

Last night we had dinner with two of our dearest friends and colleagues here in Davao. It was a truly beautiful evening of reconnecting and sharing. Their balcony has become something of an important place in our lives, so many transformative conversations have taken place there!

Last evening's particular conversation focused on how being out here has changed all of us - emotionally, spiritually, theologically - and how we relate back to our communities in our home countries as a result. That can be a very difficult thing to work out and we are blessed to have friends like this who can walk with us on that journey with laughter, compassion and great food.

We are very thankful for so many wonderful friends here in Davao we'll be seeing over the next two weeks. The community here is a big part of what has made Davao "home" for us.

Evan

Terrible photo. Wonderful friends.

Day Twenty: Familiar Places

We're back in Davao for the next two and a half weeks, working out of the office here. My old office has apparently been turned into a computer room, but Bonnie's was still vacant so we're set up in here.

It feels somewhat surreal to be back here again - working, shopping, cooking, doing "normal" things. This was our home for two years and in many ways it still feels like home - but "home" is a funny word for missionaries. We can be at home anywhere, but nowhere is truly "home" anymore.

It's all a little bittersweet, but we are very thankful for this time here in one of the places we will always call home.

Evan

Our workspace here in Davao

Day Nineteen: Beauty in Chaos

If you have ever driven through a densely populated city in Asia (or probably Africa, and I've heard Russia...) you will notice that the traffic is much different than in most of North America. It seems chaotic at first. Intimidating. But if you spend time trying to understand it, you soon realise that it is a beautiful dance of negotiations. People are less concerned about the "rules" and more about making the most of the available space and allowing everyone to get to where they need to.

Day Eighteen: Davao

We got up very early this morning. Made it safe to our guest house in Davao. The taxi ride to BKK before dawn was quite pretty.

Day Seventeen: Easter

He is risen!

While we've been in Bangkok we have been attending Christ Church. It is Anglican but serves a very diverse community. There are people of all ethnic and denominational backgrounds that call this place home. Christianity makes up about 1% of the population in Thailand so being a part of a community of believers feels that much more precious.

On Easter, we are all reminded of the Good News. That God loves the world and wants each person to be reconciled to Himself. It was beautiful to share in this celebration with this cherished group of people.

~ Bonnie

Day Sixteen: Beautiful Spaces

On Monday we move on to the Philippines for a few weeks so we've been spending this weekend doing a bit more exploring around town. For part of the day today we wandered around one of Bangkok's parks.

Natural beauty is, of course, breathtaking - but the beauty in man-made places is more than just a pale imitation of that. It is a unique experience to walk through a place and know that this is here because someone cared enough about this space to make it beautiful.

To quote G.K. Chesterton, "Modern things are ugly, because modern men are careless, not because they are careful."

So many of the places we visit are, at best, pragmatic. To create beauty in the midst of that takes a great deal more effort, and we are grateful for it.

Evan

Day Fifteen: Good Friday

Good Friday. The day we remember what Christ did for us. Let us also not forget who "us" really is. Not just those who gather on a Sunday morning, not just those who follow Jesus daily... Christ died for everyone. Everyone. All we need to do is accept Him. This is the beauty of the gospel.

~ Bonnie

Day Fourteen: Beautiful People Back Home

One of our friends back in Winnipeg asked us if we would wear blue today for World Autism Awareness Day, and post a selfie on Facebook. It felt really great to have that connection with someone back home, and we've actually got quite a few friends who have kids on the autistic spectrum so we were pretty excited to wear blue for all of them today.

Thanks Tanya, for including us! Here's our selfie, wearing #blue4ivan!

Evan

Day Thirteen: The Beauty of Everyday Life

Today we visited the local office, where we'll be working, and looked at apartments in the area.

It was eye opening to see what our life will likely look like in a few months. We timed our walk to the nearest metro station and figured out the closest supermarket and 7-11 (hint: if you're not within sight of a 7-11 you've somehow left Thailand).

Oh, and of course we sampled the local street food. Mystery meat on a stick for the win! :)

Evan