There and back again...

Hello all.

It has been a long time since I posted on this blog and in all honesty I had almost given up trying to catch up. Nevertheless it felt like this TREK journey as I have documented it here felt like it needed some closure...So here it is my final post on this blog:

The last week we were in Baguio was an emotional roller coaster. Goodbyes, sharing, meals together with friends who had become family... it was all a blessing, but a dose of reality that this time was coming to an end. We had talked a lot about "finishing well" and in all honesty... I think we did. I think we made an impact and a huge impact had been made on us. We will miss the Arcano family and the rest of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Baguio City and the Philippines.

And home to debrief... It wasn't quite the arrival we had expected. Especially because we arrived with 3 out of 4 of our team mates. Chris was held back because of an eye-infection and he couldn't get on a plane until a few days later. Through prayer and faith though, many obstacles were overcome (including no flights available home) and he eventually arrived back in Canada. It was hard starting the debrief process with a teammate still gone, but eventually we did. It was good. We got to process the plethora of thoughts racing around in our head, sort out the emotions we had about leaving and being back, and pray and plan for the future.

It was also a time for goodbyes. More goodbyes... I've found one more thing to add to a dislike list.

Despite them... I felt a newfound readiness and anticipation for what was to come next. And what is next? That's a pretty popular question I've been getting. As it goes, I'm looking for a job. A kinesiology job to be specific. I'm also looking to find a place of ministry I can invest my time and life into. The whole TREK thing rubbed off on me I guess... God works in some awesome ways. Oh, and it looks like I get to work on being an uncle as well =)

It really does feel like life is moving into a whole new season for me. Responsibilities (more of them), a new clarity on where I feel I'm being called and where I should invest myself... and new adventures to come. It feels strange that this TREK experience is over about as fast as it started and yet, in the words of a wise man called JP, the job is only half done.

Amidst "getting on with my life" I'm now somewhat endowed with some stories to tell... not about me, not about all the amazing people I've met, but about how the God who made the universe and holds it together has decided to care about the seemingly insignificant happenings of our lives and make them into something amazing.

If you would like to hear some more about "Mo's TREK" firsthand then say the word and I'd love to sit and catch up with you. God bless.

Until my next adventure...

Mo

Palawan and Back again!

Okay, okay I know what you're going to say by the end of this ... "Aren't you guys supposed to be on a missions trip?" And yes, the time in Palawan was pretty much awesome, but it was more than just a vacation! I promise! 

We started off in Puerto Princesa, where the heat, sandy beaches, and blue/green shores were a beautiful change of scenery. We found a great little Bed and Breakfast type place to stay in called Saint John Penthauz. It was quiet, very accomodating and most importantly adequately air conditioned! It really was a blessed place to have a time of RnR, but also a time to just sit down a process all the stuff that's been going on in the last couple months! 

We started our time there just taking in some sites around Puerto Princesa as well as meeting Pastor Sam's twin brother Jonathan! They certainly have their similarities but they're also definitely different. On our 3rd day we hit up Honda Bay and went island hopping! It was gorgeous... We snorkeled, read on the beach, and even had a massage! To top it all off we had an encounter with a couple jellyfish which left their mark (literally) on Brittany, and then Chris. Due to their excruciating pain (this may or may not be exaggerated) we sought to utilize the one remedy we knew to treat jelly fish stings. It happened. Yeah, that's team unity.

After a team to have a retreat in Puerto, we moved on to our blitz visit of Brooke's Point, the home of Pastor Sam. There was some hesitation at first to going there because of a couple risks. These included reports of a "fund-raising" campaign that was going on by the local Muslim extremist group (of whom targets foreigners) as well as a nearby outbreak of Cholera. We heeded the advice of Pastor Sam and Jonathan though who decided it would be safe enough for us to go, and boy we are glad we did. Even with a bumpy 4 hour van ride, and only staying in town for about 24 hours we had a fruitful time there. We were able to share with a group of youth, that to be honest we had no idea what to expect. We thought maybe a few kids would show up but there were something like 30 who came out! We shared on the beach of Tagusao where Pastor Jonathan's church is located and it was such a blessing to be able to encourage some young people with the little time we had there. We wanted the words we shared to build up the existing believers, but we were told that some youth in the are were also Muslims. And so I felt compelled to really tell them about who the person of Jesus is and also emphasize the love of God that is shown through him. All in all it was an great time to share with each other our hopes and dreams, where we felt we were being called, and just pray together. Good times.

Afterwards we had the chance to meet a whole bunch of Pastor Sam's family including his mom, sister, and some other family friends. We had an awesome dinner with them with tons of fresh seafood and rice cooked in atleast 4 different ways. After a great time of fellowshipping and eating with our hands we rolled ourselves back to the hotel and took a much needed rest. The next day we had the idea to catch a sunrise in the morning which was a great way to wake up and see the town start to buzz and come alive. It was a pretty small town all in but we had a blast. 

We headed once again back to Puerto and we were all eager to go on this subterranean river tour we had heard so much about. We were not dissappointed! We made a stop on the way to go spulunking in a place called Ugong Rock that was pretty amazing. The caves were known to "hum" and they did! We trekked our way through to the top... and took a zipline on the way down =)

We then made our way to Sabang beach where we chilled out on the beach a little and then got onto a boat to the underground river tour. The place was just gorgeous and we couldn't really ask for more. It's crazy how there's just an endless list of things on this earth where you just look at it and say "Only God could have made this" and "He did a real good job!" This underground river was one of them. We took a boat down into these caves that had bats flying around everywhere and rock formations that were pretty bizarre to look at! It's really hard to describe in good detail but stay posted for some pictures... most likely to appear on facebook haha. 

With that we took the 2 hours van ride back to our hotel and the next day made our way back to Baguio. It's funny how at the beginning of this whole TREK experience we were a little uncertain of what it would be like to live in a hours with 9 other people. By the end of a 1 week trip we were already missing the whole house and the community. Can't believe that 3 weeks from now we'll be heading back home... 

Until the next time I feel compelled to sit in front of a computer for several hours,

Mo.

MY REDEEMER LIVES!

The funny thing is I'm posting this blog post before I even finished the last one I intended to put up...BUT it's because I want to tell you, world, about this past evening while the memories are fresh in my head!

We had our final concert at Malcolm Square right smack in the middle of downtown Baguio today. We had all been looking forward to this even SO much. We had 2 previous concerts but in many ways those were to prepare us for this one! We new that people would be listening... people who would be hungry to hear the Word, to be moved by music, and words that told of what Christ accomplished on the cross.

It all started with Sunday service as usual... but with a word that seemed to resonate between all of us:

Easter is a celebration. A time to rejoice over what Christ did for us, and the victory over sin.

Afterwards we spent the rest of the day just nervously/excitedly getting things ready for the concert. The funny thing is, we found out about 2 hours beforehand that another Church group had booked in the time slot RIGHT before ours... which squashed our hopes of setting up early for a 5:30 start... oh well.

We showed up and realized that a short term missions team from Hong Kong of all places had come and they were putting on a very similar program to ours. I'll be honest... there was a little, playful, tiny bit of competitive sentiment upon arrival... BUT I overcame my immaturity and we got to meet a bunch of their team members which was cool. It was interesting to see how God had cast similar visions for us and for them as well. As long as the name of JESUS was being lifted up I'm alright with that! The funny thing is there were onle 2 Chinese people in a group of like 21! They were a very multi-ethnic group...

Anyways, after they moved on (late I might add) we did our best to blitz through a set-up and soundcheck. To be honest it was probably one of the smoothest sound checks we'd done up to this point! It's been such a huge blessing to work alongside the members of this church to put on these concerts I might add... Anyways, we got the ball rolling and it was awesome to see that a small crowd was gathering. It was by no means perfect but I think we sounded great... but most importantly we were all worshipping our hearts out for Christ and so were many of the people I could see.

Pastor Sam spoke with zeal as usual, and I shared my testimony. We also did 2 "Dramas" to music which I think went really well! All in all, it was just a amazing night. Honestly, it was just an awesome time of worship, but the feeling of something that you've been working so hard for finally coming into fruition, made it that much better. After we finished up the concert to a last reprise of  "My Redeemer Lives" we had a time to pray with people in the audience. I was surprised how many people came up with prayer requests and with questions about their own salvation. We prayed and prayed, there were some tears, and there were hugs, and there were smiles and laughter. Did I mention it was an amazing night?

    

Anyways, here I am sitting here at 2 in the morning waiting for some of filipino brothers and sisters to take off to Christian Training Camp. I'll have to admit, as much as I'm looking forward to this week off, it's a little bittersweet. We'll be saying goodbye to 2 friends we have grown very fond of and have worked alongside lots. They'll be heading back to their home towns for good. I don't know if God will let us see each other again, but it's been a blessing getting to know them.

We head off to Palawan in a couple sleeps! The team and myself especially are looking forward to a little RnR after a busy month of April. Alrighty folks... i think that's all for now. Stay posted for some pictures and future posts when I'm more coherent.

Until next time... Happy Easter =)

A busy/awesome week

      

 So here we are in April... but did March ever end with a bang. After a full week at Camp 7 elementary school we're already for a little rest. With 400 kids strong, and the first time that a Christian church has had an opportunity to hold a VBS program in a public school, I think this week went amazing. Besides having a bunch of VBS songs stuck in my head, the kids were all pretty well behaved and seemed to have a great time. Me and Charity were in charge of the grade 6 class which had about 45 - 50 kids. We got home pretty beat and had tons of prep to do, but it all worked out and I think we and hope we left an impression. We prayed hard for this week and amidst the hectic schedule, and other small obstacles I think God did a good thing here.

It didn't end there. To top it all off...

Friday, after we finished the graduation of the VBS class (which was pretty long...), Pastor Sam started off a new Men's fellowship at the house which will hopefully be a good opportunity for some of the men in the community to meet together, share, and also be spiritually fed. Their work schedules don't allow them to get to church or the weekly bible studies very often.

Saturday... a little bit of a quieter morning was followed up by our Personal Evangelism day. We went out  in groups of about 4 and literally went "door to door" in the neighborhood of the Ambiong Church. It was a little nerve racking and awkward, but many of the people were still hospitable enough to have us. Maybe it's cause we're foreigners, but hey it's still an oppurtunity... Andrea, Grace, Ralph, and myself had the chance to share with a few different people. A couple more receptive than the others. It's amazing how many people are drinking mid afternoon! The night ended off with a birthday celebration at Tita Pen's place for her birthday! As usual it is always a blessing to share a meal with new friends from the community!

Sunday... ah yes... Sunday. This has probably been the busiest Sunday I have ever had! We started off with service in the morning at Balacbac. I played with the team for worship and we had a reflective time over communion. We then rushed off to a birthday party down the hill in Interior A at a ladies house who goes to one of the weekly bible studies. We had to eat and run, as it was off to the Ambiong Service! Another service down and were home free.... not.

We arrived home and had a short time to relax a bit before heading off to the FIRST evening service down in Interior A at a lady's place called Ate Timet. We held the service in a basketball court, unplugged, and under the stars. It was pretty amazing, especially since there was a much bigger turnout then expected. We really hope that this new ministry will bless this community and all the families. And just so Pastor Sam doesn't burn out, there's talk of myself and Chris getting onto a preaching rotation which will be an interesting but exciting experience...

Anyways that's all I have to say for now... although there's probably a lot more, but here's a little glimpse into my life...

Until Next time...

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength...

Things are really starting to pick up here for our little TREK Team and friends here in Baguio...

We had a busy weekend full of Bible Studies, Youth groups, and leading worship services! With Ralph and Sean gone, two of our go to guys we had our hands full, but we were busy in the best sense of the word. Friday evening myself, Brittany, and Grace led a bible study with a bunch of the community kids which pretty much happened spontaneously. We talked about Peter and Jesus walking on water and by the end of it two of the older boys there decided they wanted to accept Christ! Niko, one of the kids even gave me a big hug afterwards haha.

Sunday was a day that I felt pretty close to being overwhelmed, but in the end it was so fulfilling. It started with me and Chris getting up early to set up the worship service. It seems Ralph and Sean prepared us well because we got things underway pretty smoothly. I had to prepare a morning devotion for the team, as well as prepare a few little details for the service. We then remembered that we had promised earlier in the week to go to Tita Liza's house to pick up her 17-year old son named Christian and (quite literally) carry him to church. They told us that he had autism but it seems more like Cerebral Palsy, regardless he's a cool kid. Cheerfully he rode on me or Chris's back in alternating fashion.... and we found out that going up is a lot longer than going down haha. We ended up getting back in timely fashion 10 minutes before service started, just in time to get changed into some dry clothes =)

The rest of the day was again awesome but tiring. Our team led the worship singing alongside Grace who was rockin out on the drums as usual. First at Balacbac church whose appreciation for us has been a very steady encouragement. And then after at Ambiong Church where we received an energetic message from Pastor Ambuang (?). After two services we were all pretty drained... but it was on to VBS Prep!

Ah... VBS

"WE ARE CHAMPIONS! CHAMPIONS FOR GOD! I'LL FOLLOW WHERE HE LEADS, UNTIL HE COMES FOR ME!"

Probably one of the worst "tune wedgies" I have ever gotten stuck in my head, with actions and everything. Anyways, Sunday night we frantically prepared materials for the ensuing week of VBS at Camp 7 Elementary School. We were all a little tired, nervous, and yet excited all at the same time. For a little while it seemed like we would be a very understaffed, but after some praying God found us some more teachers. This has been an exciting opportunity for the Camp 7 Redeemed in Christ Church (this is the name of the Church we are a apart of here, but we are working with the Camp 7 Branch this week) because this is the first time a public school has allowed a VBS Program to be held in the public school system in Baguio! We're praying that this will leave a good impression on the teachers as well as plant some seeds in the students, and open doors for the future.

So after Day 2...
To be honest I'm really surprised at how well the kids are behaved for the most part. We started the first day with an almost 1 hour long intro sessions with everyone standing in a line! We sang through some favorite songs such as "Champions for God" and "Tendon tendon... (You and Me)" and I got to demo some actions up on the big stage along with Cha and Pastor Eric. The rest of the program ran pretty smoothly with the exception of a few schedule changes. Its kinda funny to get greeted when you walk in the class with

"HELLO TEACHER! GOOD TO SEE YOU TODAY! MABUHAY!! (long life)"

Anyways, we're trying to dig a little deeper than the VBS materials go with the whole God's Champions thing (talking about the olympic games as well as the lives of Peter, Paul, Barnabas, John Mark, and Timothy). We're hoping we don't get run down by the end this week because April is going to be a much busier week. So far God has been faithful and I have no reason to doubt that He won't continue to be...

Until next time!

Ponderings in the Pilippines...

So it's been about 2 weeks now since we first arrived here in Baguio City and man has it been a awesome experience. It's hard to sum up all that's been going on, but what I'll try and share are a few of my observations of ... well a little bit of everything. I'll try my best to present in a semi-orderly manner.

DISCLAIMER: This is sharing on my own life and may or may not relate with yours, although I hope it does or will at some point.

Gifts... in particular, musical-ness. Yes, musical-ness. People are so musical here! I think it's safe to say that the family and friends that we are living with possess, especially, musical gifts. Even so you can't help but notice that every other teenage kid can either pick up a guitar and fire off a riff off of guitar hero, or tap on something and put out a beat. Oh, and people can sing too! Like really sing, and do it with a ton of joy.

What really gets me excited however, is how these gifts can be used to worship the Lord. In fact, we've been planning away for a series of 3 Evangelistic Concerts over Holy Week. (In the Philippines Easter is celebrated over the whole week, sweet I know.)

I know, I know...It sounds fun, exciting, all those things, but what really gets me is that people are using their gifts for GOD! This phrase is not unfamiliar, but how often do we put said words into action? It has really challenged me a lot to ask myself... How often are we totally and abundantly blessed by God and yet failing to take the things entrusted to us and investing them? To further welcome in the Kingdom of God?

Let me ask this...Do we want this response:

"Evil and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest!"

OR this one:

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master."
(Matthew 25:14 - 30)

I realize that often times we want to make sure that it IS in fact God's will that we are going ahead with this decision or that. However, how often is God's will for us so blatantly obvious, and yet we fail to respond or even acknowledge it because of some cowardly excuse? I'm not saying that we should rush headstrong into any or every situation with guns ablaze, but that God is working in us and through us all the time and our yielding to this is what will allow us to be "good and faithful servants". Whether it's a call into full-time ministry, to share the gospel with that non-christian relative, or even if God is calling you to be patient and grow in character and maturity. We should be living as if,

"...whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3:17)

*deep breath*

This brings me to my next thought... Evangelism. Ack.. scary I know.

Anyways, it feels as though in my 2 weeks here in the Philippines, that I've heard more stories about people sharing the gospel with someone, and PTL recieving Jesus as their saviour and Lord, than I have in the last 2 years back at home! Let me put this into perspective... God and all the angels are rejoicing up in heaven when this happens, partying better than we know how to, when a single soul is saved!

For example, I'll tell the story of a brother I've been blessed to meet  here named Ralph. I think he has the gift of evangelism. Anyways, he shared with me yesterday how as he was walking home after a final exam (Oh yeah, shudder all you university students. This was during the all-consuming EXAM PERIOD, where nothing else matters except studying and losing sleep.) As Ralph walked by a couple of beggars, one who is blind and one who is an amputee, he felt a great prompting to share the gospel with them. A few days later he decided to bring them some food and he sat down with them and shared the gospel with them. They accepted. In tears. Par-tay.

Now think for a moment here, and I can say this because I myself am guilty of this (or well not really anymore cause Jesus died for me on the cross and took away all my sins), what is more Christ-like? Sitting down and sharing who Jesus is with a poor beggar (probably with bad hygiene), or sitting in the cubicle in the corner of a library, or office, or wherever you spend the majority of your day and telling yourself "well people will see what a nice person I am and somehow know I'm a Christian, and somehow God will reach out to them!"

I know what you're thinking. Different cultural contexts, or different calling in life, or "well, Moses is on a missions trip... of COURSE he feels the need to share the gospel with people." I recognize these things too, but what I'm saying and realizing is this. If we believe that there is power in the name of Jesus Christ, it has to come out of our mouths at some point! "We are Christ's ambassador's, as if God were making his appeal through us" Let's appeal people.  It cuts me to the heart, that I haven't had very many oppurtunities to "party" like it happened when those 2 beggars were saved.

These next couple weeks we will be doing Community Bible Surveys in the hopes that we can determine who in the community has a bible, reads it, and actually believes what it says. We will then hopefully be able to arrange times to have Bible Studies with those who are willing and share the gospel with them. I'm excited.

Are you?

Some of the sights...



Current home!



Baguio Market

First Balut in the Philippines! (Partially developed duck egg ... mmm)