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We arrived late Friday evening, October 1st into Manila and are glad to see someone smiling and waving a UCG AIA sign. Mr. & Mrs. Rey Evasco, local elder and wife are there to greet us. The city was congested with traffic. The streets were noisy and busy. We made our way through the crowded streets to our hotel and much needed rest.
The next day we had Sabbath services with about 15 people. Services started late due to the unpredictable Manila traffic. The members were warm and friendly and we found ourselves in a comfortable setting. One of the ladies, Reah Belga, made beef siomai as a snack to share after services. It was served with soy sauce and tasty. We later found out her family had recently lost their apartment in a fire. You would have never known it to see the family. Their two young sons and one daughter were cheerful, well dressed and friendly. Their spirits had not been dampened and they were happy and serving.
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The next day we took an arduous, eight-hour trip up to La Trinidad in the mountains of the Benguet province. I thought surely, our driver; Rey Evasco must have had nerves of steel. It was a driving nightmare! We have bumpy roads, no roads, and several detours to negotiate. The long trip was fascinating and filled with many new sights and vistas. It was anything but boring. We finally arrived for Sunday evening’s opening service.
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The hall was a pleasant room with stage, open windows, and wooden chairs. The stage was a beautiful sight. One of the members, Mrs. Cecile Cinco, had made a backdrop that spanned the length of the entire stage. The sign was complete with a United Church of God logo and decorative mural announcing the Feast of Tabernacles in Benguet. What a labor of love and dedication it displayed! The lettering had been carefully hand-cut; a lot of work. After morning services, all 45 of us were treated to a family style meal of salad, rice, and chicken with vegetables. It was great to eat together (for me, it was reminiscent of feasts in Big Sandy during the ‘60’s).
The second day of the feast we had 9 am services so Mr. Evasco could drive us back to Manila where we were to meet with Dave and Marguerite Evans for dinner. They had just been to Bacolod and were due to take our place in Benguet. We were extremely tired and seriously considered canceling our dinner engagement but decided to go to dinner since this would be our only chance to connect with the Evans’. They had had a lovely stay in Bacolod and seemed to be rested and have made the time change better than we had so far. We thanked Mr. Evasco for driving us and knew he was a saint for making the trip twice in as many days. [Surely God would bless him for his attitude of serving and labor for us during the Feast.]
The next day we fly to Davao City after a 1-½ hour plane delay. Mr. and Mrs. Ed Macaraeg are there to warmly greet us and suggest breakfast on the way to church services. We drive into the Girl Scout Camp ground where the Feast for 112 happy people was being held. Jim and I are dead tired from our short sleep the night before and enervated by the heat in Davao. But I will never forget the sweet, sparkling faces of the people lined up to shake our hands and warmly welcome us to the Feast. They said they were so glad we were there. Jim and I quickly ran upstairs to our room where we showered and dressed for church. We hurried. How could we keep these dear people waiting?
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The hall was a large open-air room with oscillating ceiling fans. The stage was again nicely decorated with purple and white curtains with the words, Feast of Tabernacles 1998 lettered on it. There was a huge banner draped on the outside of the building advising everyone that the United Church of God AIA was meeting there for the eight-day feast. Again, much loving care and an eye for quality spoke much of their dedication. We all stayed at the camp and all three meals were served in the dining hall. It was good to eat together. Most of the members had accommodations resembling small huts or cottages. They were basic rooms for sleeping. The bathing facilities were in a different building.
The next morning, Jim and I took a tour of the grounds and were surprised to see our members sweeping leaves and picking up sticks in front of their cottages. Everyone was helping in the cleanup from grandmother to the youngest child. They had the biggest smiles as they attend to their work. We asked later about it, “oh, they were taught to make it better and leave it cleaner than they had found it”. Another evidence of an attitude of the Kingdom we were trying to picture.
It was now Thursday and we seemed to finally be adjusted to the time change. Today we had services in the morning, the catered meal, and then an interactive Bible study. This kind of study was quite new to them but well received. Even some of the teenagers stood and answered questions.Maybe the highlight of the trip was the evening’s activity. It was a feast variety show. We were in for a treat! There were folk dances, singing, and reciting of poetry. Jim and I wore the headsets this time because some of the lyrics were in Tagalog – their national language. We were quite impressed with their enthusiasm and talent. A 4-year old girl though, stole the show. A large handkerchief was used to tie the microphone around her neck so as to free her hands for gestures during the recitation of the nursery rhyme, “Little Boy Blue”. She was adorable. Each act deserved high praise. Everyone tried to have a costume or prop for his number. There was much camaraderie and appreciation for one another – those participating and those observing. We were sorry to see it end- the right kind of entertainment, the right kind of audience, and the right spirit. It was a beautiful thing and stuff good memories are made of.
One more thing I almost forgot – yes, Jim and I did taste the infamous Durian fruit . . . almost. The Macaraegs treated us to a Durian milkshake. I drank it holding my breath in two long gulps. It was sweet but oh the smell!
Before leaving, we were able to give funds donated from the Minneapolis congregation for the Filipino feast. Mr. Macaraeg was very appreciative and explained afterward of the people’s hardship since the drought of the previous 10 months. It had wiped out people financially and most had not funds to make the feast. He told them to come anyway and trusting that God would provide. These funds together with the Home Office funds helped all to attend the feast and have shelter and three good meals throughout the feast. It was humbling to understand their situation and to see everyone’s faith through it all. Would we have told a bunch of people to come to the feast not knowing how we would pay for them? Someone stepped out on faith.
After services on Friday, it was time to say good-bye and push on to Bacolod. We flew from Davao City to Manila and then boarded another plane for the island of Negros Occidental. As expected, Mr. Siopan is there to meet us upon arrival. His wife and six other church members accompany him. They seem genuinely excited about our coming to spend the last three days of the feast with them.
The next day is the Sabbath; services, a catered meal and a bible study are planned. There are about 50 people in church and they are especially affectionate and close knit. (They have just recently lost half of their members to the COG Monrovia group.) We meet in an air-conditioned hotel and rented room for services. Again, the large sign behind the speaker impresses me. They had gotten the hotel to make a colorful, professional sign proclaiming the Feast of Tabernacles. After the bible study our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Florante Siopan take us out for a chicken dinner to be eaten the Filipino way – with our fingers. During one point in the evening our hosts notice friends from COG Monrovia sitting at another table and quickly excuse themselves to go and warmly greet their friends. Our hosts displayed unmistakable love and concern. It was a good example and lesson.
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It is now Sunday and time for church and an afternoon family outing at the beach. We picked up barbecued chicken for lunch. Ice cream was served supposedly for the children but everyone had their fill of the cool treat. There was much fellowship and enjoyment of families relaxing together. Several appreciative church members told one man’s example to me - the member, Mr. Norberto Jain (pictured at left, lower right, in blue shirt) is a fisherman. It is hard work in the Philippines. Nevertheless, the members are endeared to him because he is always careful to share his catch with them. When I asked him about this, he reminded me that this was God’s way and of course, he would be generous with the brethren. It was getting close to sundown and time to pack up and go home.
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Monday is the Last Great Day and the sign in the hall and the flower arrangement reflected it. The management had changed the Feast of Tabernacles sign to read the Last Great Day. The flowers had been thoughtfully arranged by Mrs. Julagay to form the letter, ”L” for Last Great Day. After the second service, we had to say goodbye and this was hard. We had gotten close to one another. We also realized how difficult it is going to be for us to be together again. We would leave and go to the far away United States.
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Our experience at the airport was unique. The rains had been fierce during the last church service. The airport was suffering the consequences. There were several inches of water in the airport. We walked on steel planks into the airport and carefully tiptoed up to the ticket counter. The Siopans had brought us to the airport but we were surprised to see other families there to see us off. We hugged and kissed goodbye and went into a separate waiting area.We were separated from our friends by a wall with glass. It was soon apparent that our friends were going to stay the hour until our plane took off. I wrote them a note and held it up to the glass. How else could we communicate? I had been quickly attached to the children and wanted to have contact with them. We made up finger games and pressed our hands to the glass to play. I hope I never forget those sweet faces and lovely moments. It is reassuring to visit other countries and know that other people have had the same calling as we have received.
The trip was great and the hospitable Filipino brethren gave us lovely parting gifts. But more than anything else, we will remember their powerful examples of faith, hope, and love. Thanks also to the members of the Minneapolis, UCG AIA congregation. We appreciate your love and generosity for all our brethren and making our trip possible.
With love,
Jim & Judy Servidio