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