Here is our family.
Hala- 13 yrs; Kyle- 11 yrs; Sophia- 4 yrs
Charlotte- 9 yrs; Chuck; Shannon; Eli- 14 1/2 yrs
Jenna- 2 yrs (April 6th)
Here is another fun picture. Notice that Jenna is holding up 6 fingers! She did this all on her own. There are 6 kids and she is #6!
We are looking forward to seeing you all face to face very soon.
We were privileged last week to have 3 other missionaries come into our village and help Chuck to see where he is at with language and culture learning. They were able to give him some guidance of what he needs to do in order to get proficient in Ga’dang.
I could write all about it and what happens and everything but I am sure I couldn’t explain it as well as one of the evaluators did on his blog. Please read what he wrote about Chuck’s evaluation and the how’s and why’s for this.
Just click the link below:
Thanks George for such a great explanation.
In October of last year a major typhoon went through the Ga’dang area and destroyed much of their rice crops. We thought that it was going to be a more challenging year for the people as they were short on rice. We have learned throughout the last couple of months that in a normal year, most harvest enough to last more than a year. This has helped many to have rice to eat until this years harvest.
Chuck has been out several times to harvest rice this season but I had my first opportunity to go help just a couple weeks ago. I was amazed to see people still going out to harvest after a heavy rain the night before and off and on rain that morning.
Thankfully Chuck was willing to take me out to this field. I wasn’t sure where it was and was told that it was “far”. So off we went in the fun slippery mud. It took us about 1 hr to get there and we had to cross the same river about 5 times. I tried desperately to not get water in my boots but in one spot I thought for sure I was going to get water in. Thankfully we managed to find shallower water and got across. As we walked several people came up behind us…heading to the same field…and kept walking. I think we were a little slow getting there. We knew we were on the right path though as we could see the muddy foot prints of the people who went before us.
Soon enough we arrived at the bottom of the hill that was being harvested. It was a rather steep climb getting to the top. My friend Analyn was surprised to see me there because of the rain.
Analyn was so nice as she took me over to the rice and showed me how to hold the cutting tool, grasp the rice and cut all with the same hand. It is quite a trick…for me anyway. (I laugh at Chuck as he has cut himself several times in that last couple of weeks while harvesting!) I was amazed that I didn’t cut myself.
Analyn also showed me how to tie the bundles of rice also. There is some co-ordination in spinning the bundles around too.
This is one of the men twisting/spinning the tie around the bundles of rice.
Here is some the rice that was harvested. The darker is sticky rice, used for special desserts. The lighter coloured is their everyday eating rice. They place them together in groups of 8 and then count them after that. There is special counting system for that. Later they will stack them in a special way and there is a way to count that too.
I was so happy to be able to experience and learn so much from my good friend.
Each day we try to use our eyes and ears to learn about the lives of the Ga’dang people. As time goes on it seems that some things just get “normal” for us to see. We love having visitors in the village so we can see things new again through their eyes.
As I looked through our pictures I noticed that we have been able to watch people make things lately and have seen what they use them for.
Here are a few:
This is our neighbours little boy. They have made him a home made walker/jolly jumper! He loves to be in it watching his mom as she pounds rice for the daily meals.
Can you guess what this is? Our neighbour is making a nest for his chickens! The hens lay their eggs in it. They are usually attached to the side of the house so it is up high enough to keep predators out.
This is a beautiful basket that an older gentleman in the village made. They use these baskets for many things but especially when they are pounding their rice. It is just a big bowl to hold it at the different stages. I just learned the other day that they have a different word for a basket like this that is really big!
I look forward to discovering more things in the weeks and months ahead!
We arrived home, in the village, 5 weeks ago. It is always nice to be home and sleeping in our own beds but being home has added stresses too.
Since June I have had to take on the medical issues that come up in the village. In the beginning it was just minor things, colds, rashes and fevers. This I can handle, even if I don’t know the causes of the rashes, I can help by giving some direction to the cause, and some medicine to help the itch go away for a time.
Just 2 days after our return in August, we had our first major medical event. We were able to call in the helicopter and get Analyn to town. For the full story READ here. At the same time another young lady in the village became jaundice. We recommended she go to town to see what was wrong but she returned with no real diagnosis, just some medicine for her liver.
Just 10 days later, on a rainy Friday night, we were told that one of the oldest ladies in the village became ill with diahrea. She is not well anyway and this just made her condition worse. With the help of our American friend doctor in Manila, Skype and the Lord directing us, we were able to help her. She is now able to get up and about. Praise the Lord!
Right after that my language helper became ill. She was having trouble with keeping anything down. After sending her to town to get an IV and some texts, it was found out that she is pregnant! This trip involved our buyer and Christina driving 2 hrs to pick her up and then another 2 hrs to get her to a good hospital. Another young man was shot with an airgun in the hip area. He had to be taken to town. Thankfully we were able to arrange a ride for him from the end of the trail to town. (Our pilot was in Manila, so we couldn’t fly him out.)
There have been fevers, sore ears, headaches, toothaches and runny noses going around. And a flood of people thinking they have UTI’s.
I am not a nurse or a doctor. I am just a mom, with many medical books and friends to ask questions to. But most of all, I have the Lord to ask for strength and wisdom as I talk to each person that comes my way.
Meeting the physical needs of the people here is just one way we can build relationships with the Ga’dang people. Lord willing this will help to build relationships with them so we can someday share the Gospel with them.
Please pray for me, Shannon, as I look for answers to the questions the people ask me about their illnesses.
We are looking to start a fund that would help to cover the costs of medical flights for the people plus help with some of their medical costs if they need tests, procedures or have to stay in the hospitals. If you are interested in contributing to this fund, please contact NTMC at www.ntm.org/canada Please specify that it’s for the Medical Fund for the Ga’dang people in the Philippines.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6
Last night Christina learned that our good friend Analyn (she is 19 weeks pregnant) started having some cramping and bleeding. Analyn has become a good friend to both Christina and I over the last year. We were so excited for her when she became pregnant as her and her husband had been wanting another baby for about 2 years now. They have 2 children already.
After talking with Analyn this morning we decided that it would be best to take her out to the hospital and have a checkup. Christina having been home for just 2 days was happy to accompany Analyn to town.
It is possible to get to town by land. But it is a 2 hr hike, if you walk yourself. She would have needed to been taken out by stretcher. Then it is a 1 hr bumpy ride to the nearest town. The hospitals there are not good. It would then be another 1 hr drive to a town with a good hospital.
It was obvious that it was best to fly Analyn by our NTM helicopter to that town with a good hospital. That is what we have the helicopter for.
The saddest thing for us is that we had to think about whether or not we can afford to pay for this flight. We do not have extra support to cover these medical flights. It cost us $180 US for the flight alone. Then there will be the hospital and doctors fees on top of that.
We decided to trust the Lord to provide for this expense. We know He is faithful to take care of all our needs and the needs of the people we are ministering among.
If you would like to help us with this medical expense or any other medical expenses for the Ga’dang people, please let us know. We can direct you the information you need. Or go to www.ntm.org/canada/give Make sure to include a note for Ga’dang Medical Fund.
Please be praying for Analyn and her baby. We will keep you updated as we learn more.
It’s finally done! There is now a fresh supply of water for our village thanks to all the hard work of both the people living there and the recent NTM SUMMIT team that came from the UK. It was 3 years ago when we promised the people that we would provide a fresh water supply for them and we are very thankful that the Lord allowed us to come through on our promise. Here, with pictures is how it all played out:
Before the SUMMIT team arrived we needed to get the water as far as the village. This meant laying 1 km of 1” pipe from the spring up in the hills down to the tank just above the village. The men of the village helped me cut the trail, lay the pipe and pour the pad for the the tank.
When the team arrived, they got right to work digging. We also had help for the village people for this as well. They came up with the idea of using the plough to break the ground. What a great help that was!
It was hot, and every day of the first week with the team there it rained in the afternoon. Rain or shine though, they kept working hard.
We set up 6 faucets in the village, each complete with a cement pad. The team worked on these as well. The village guys thought it was amazing to see the SUMMIT team ladies right in there mixing cement and getting dirty!
By the end of the 12 days, we were able to bury all the water lines in the village and hook up all the faucets, as well as Christina’s and our water tanks at our houses.
To say thanks to the SUMMIT team and to all the people in the village who helped us with the water project, we hosted a ‘blow out’ (party), complete with pig, pancit and dekat (sticky rice dish).
We are very thankful to all who have given financially to make this project happen, as well as all those who prayed for us during this time. A lot of other things happened that could have set us back but the Lord saw us through and we are blessed as a result.
By Chuck
