NB We will add more photos when we can!
We left Auckland on Jetstar to Singapore on Tuesday 8th Jan.
Arrived in Singapore after our long plane journey, and as we were rising to leave the plane, Karen noticed that the girl who had been sitting next to Aimee for the entire 11 hour flight looked very familiar ... a younger version of Jocelyn, niece of Yvonne Childers. Looking a bit further, Karen spotted Jocelyn, whom she knew from 30 years ago, along with her husband Chris. We were to be with them in Bambang in a week’s time, and it was absolutely remarkable that we were not only on the same plane, but adjacent to in the same row of seats. We were to be accommodated with them up in Bambang, then travel with them back to stay a further night with them at Hebron, in Baliuag.
This was just a little sign that our Heavenly Father is with us and letting us know He truly has our steps ordered. We had no idea that they were catching the same plane as us, and only Karen had ever met Jocelyn before. So to be seated right next to them in a plane load of 300+ people was more than coincidence.
We had planned to stay at the Singapore airport at which we had a 17 hour wait for our Tiger flight to Clark AirBase in Philippines The intent was to rest in a comfortable spot in the transit lounge, but had not thought through that we had to leave the transit lounge to pick up our checked baggage. So we found ourselves wandering around with no resting place, at 7pm Singapore time (Midnight NZ, after rising about 5am), and unable to re-enter the transit lounge because it was too early to check in for our next flight. Rod went searching, found the Plaza Hotel on site, where we luxuriated and felt thoroughly spoiled. An exotic buffet breakfast was part of the deal. This would not have been our choice because of the cost, but it was greatly appreciated by these three weary travellers.
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| The Crowne Plaza, Singapore Airport |
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| Breakfast at the Hotel Restaurant |
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| In the Orchid Garden Singapore Airport |
Wed 9th
Flew out of Singapore on Tiger Airlines, arrived at Clark airbase (was the American airbase in the 2nd world war) where we were met by Dianne Bayley and Pastor Rio in their jeep. Pastor Rio is the one in charge of the Bible College a Hebron. Stopped for lunch at Jollibee, arriving at the Hebron base at around 5pm.
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| Arrival at Clark Airbase |
Dianne Bayley took us on a tour of the base; several of the SPED classes with autistic and deaf children, in one case the teacher was deaf, showed us some of the high-school facilities and specialist rooms, including the newly refurbished science lab. Here the science teacher showed us exhibits of some of the students’ projects, all of which used recycled materials, demonstrating outstanding ingenuity and creativity with little cost. These included a ferris wheel made from an old bicycle wheel with plastic from bottles for the seats, a jar of cheap solvent with polystyrene dissolved in it which could be used for patching holes in roofs (useful in a rainy climate), displays in plastic boxes of animal ecosystems using plastic toy animals, … I had to reflect on how much we in New Zealand take for granted the resources that we have, and pondered on how effectively we are using the resources that we do have.
Fri 11th
No sleep in this morning! Dianne had suggested we might like to go in the school jeepney with the orphanage children, leaving at 6:30am (the govt school they all attended began at 7am) So we set out, 30+ of us crammed in, then upon arriving at the children’s school, we were each grabbed by the hand of one of the children and proudly shown around to their classes.
Back to Hebron school, which started at 8am, to attend assembly which began with pledges of allegiance to God, and the Philippines. We were welcomed and introduced, then Aimee shared a short testimony with an interpreter to the 300 students. The juniors were dismissed, while the seniors then did exercises. While this was going on, Grace, the principal came and shared her heart on some of the challenges she was facing with staffing. Teachers in Hebron school are paid not much more than a third of the wage teachers in government schools receive, although they are equally qualified, simply because, like NZ, the main source of income for private schools is from school fees. Family financial pressure on a couple of staff she was reluctant to lose meant they would probably have to leave.
After this we set off to the Hebron Bible College class of four 2nd year students who each shared a brief testimony with us. We learnt of the hardship and sacrifice some of them had made to be there. A beautiful lunch brought to us in our guesthouse, with lovely company of tireless Dianne, and Nimfa who is in charge of the orphanage. Herself an orphan she has come through the ministry of Hebron to now be serving on staff. This is true of quite a few of the staff members here.
Sat 12th
This is the morning of the outreaches for the Bible college students. When we were here in July 2012, this was the thing that we were so sorry to have missed. The Bible College students go in pairs to already established Bible Clubs in the poorer and often squatter areas. The pairs also take with them a couple of children from the Children’s Home. To see the operation of these is so overwhelming.
We followed Sylvia, a preschool teacher who also lectures in the Bible College, around the various Bible clubs held among lean-to shacks along a river bank that also seems to serve as a dump. It had been raining, and Karen and Aimee who had on jandals got totally splattered with mud + ?? on our pants as we picked our way through the mud, animal faeces, scrawny half dead cats and dogs, to the interested stares of the local inhabitants. Although I know we stood out with our white faces, we felt amazingly safe. But the incredible poverty was certainly impacting. Each little Bible club had a gathering of young children. Sylvia was clearly known by quite a few of the local people, she reminded us of Heidi Baker, she just bowls up to people and loves them. She introduced us to one old lady outside a hovel, that she said had been recently widowed, and she always gives her a hug each week when she goes into the area. The harvest field is just so ripe. These people have no home, they are squatters, the govt turns a blind eye to them as they have nowhere to go.
Sun 13th
We went to Grace’s church, leaving at about 7.30 am.. Grace is the principal of the 300 member Christian school during the week, but also pastors a church on Sundays. So we got dressed up for Sunday, then taken to her church. It was not what we expected. The church building was open on the tops of the side walls, adjacent to a barely flowing, stagnant looking pool, in the midst of another poor area. The congregation we discovered was nearly all children from homes (shacks) under a big bridge. We sang a couple of songs from an ancient hymnal, then a tall very skinny girl (name Pinky) got up and started to pray passionately. We found out later that she was the product of a Bible club, very, very poor, mother dead, and during the week is permitted with her younger siblings to stay in the church building. This building is really just a roof with a bit of a wall – certainly not secure, but better than what they would otherwise have. You could tell the hand of God is on her, so passionate in her prayers and then later in her worship leading – I filmed a little as discreetly as I could.
Grace’s husband goes back and forth with his jeep to the bridge and picks up as many loads of the children as want to come, because for them to walk it would be dangerous (from the traffic) and they are so keen to come (they also get fed) that they would walk if he didn’t.
There is so much to tell, our time has been so amazing and touched our hearts.
Mon 14th
Back at Hebron we have had wonderful times with 2 classes of Bible college students, prophesying over each, and recording it – mainly Rod and Aimee who is a “hit” with them. We also went to the senior school class and had a wonderful time with them (age 15). Blessing indeed. Holy Spirit has really been at work!
We are leaving tomorrow, catching a bus by flagging it down as it passes Hebron and hoping we get off at the right place 5-6 hours later, have been told to get off by a Shell service station then catch one of the trikes and ask for “Pentecost”. Then we’ll meet up with John and Yvonne, and 3 of Yvonnes relatives (Aimee is going to be sharing a room with Yvonne’s great-niece that we met very amazingly in the plane from Auck to Singapore – have told about it in our blog. Will then return to Hebron from Bambang with Yvonne’s relatives and a Filippino driver before going to catch our plane home.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support.
