Graduates from the Kalinga Vineyard Christian Fellowship Student Ministry!!!

we got to see 4 of our previous high school students that boarded with us the past 4 years, graduate. one of the girls was in the top 3 of all the seniors. she wants to be a doctor or accountant. we also got to see 4 of our college student boarders graduate as well as another that boarded with us previously. two of those students just graduated summer classes. most of these students (and previous students) have been with us 4 or even 5 years as they completed their studies at the local state college in midwifery, forestry, agriculture, law, and other courses of study. many are the first to graduate college in their families...a few have gone on to graduate school or seminary and other have gotten married.the tribes we work with are considered an "unreached people group" http://www.joshuaproject.net/peopctry.php?rog3=RP&rop3=101809, but that terminology is a little tricky. what i understand of the term, "unreached" is signifies that the people still need help from the outside to disciple...(they don't have enough training to be their own pastor for example). the Kalinga tribes (for the most part) have heard the gospel, some even have Bibles printed or in the process of being printed in their own dialect, and most villages have several churches. discipleship is the biggest need of the kalinga people. i believe the main spiritual need is firm, founded, rooted, solid biblical teaching/training...and many times, the ones that are most teachable, willing, and capable are the youth. i feel that as a Christian living overseas (a.k.a.-missionary), my main job is to work myself out of a job. (train a local to do what i'm doing)...preaching, teaching, or healing...our prayer is that these students are equipped with the training necessary to do these things by the time they graduate high school and college through the corporate times of prayer, teaching, preaching and fellowship.

Healed

this lady spent a month in the hospital before we met her with a very deep infection in her thumb that would not heal...after a cleaning, dead tissue removal, suturing and prayer, the thumb healed properly shortly after the medical outreach team visited her village. she visited us and was very happy that her thumb was no longer infected. even the other old ladies in the village were very happy that their friend was better and no longer had to keep visiting the hospital.

assistance needed

Name: Lucas Sacgod
Age:28
STATUS: married with children 8, 6, and 3 years old
Medical History: last month, during a medical outreach with a medic team from boise, we met Lucas. he was sitting on his porch, unable to walk. after interviewing him, we found that he had some mysterious deteriorating disease starting in september of 2008. it began in his toes and progressively moved north until he could no longer walk, stand or move his legs. by the beginning of 2009, he was completely unable to move his legs. so, in just a 3 or 4 months, he had gone from complete health, to being paralyzed.

MRI results: through donation from the team, i brought Lucas to the hospital in Manila to have MRI and consult with a neurosurgeon and orthopedic docotor. the results said...

"Disk degeneration/disk bulge at L4-5/ mild sac indentation/ facet arthrosis/ vertebral marrow changes/ T2 with para spinal and epidural soft tissue mass, causing spinal canal stenosis and spinal cord compression"

in short, Lucas has a tumor in his spine and something is causing his vertebrae to deteriorate. the neurosurgeon was extremely worried about his condition and said that "AT ANY MOMENT, THE VERTEBRAE CAN COLLAPSE CAUSING COMPLETE PARALYZATION IN ALL THE FUNCTIONS BELOW THE AFFECTED VERTEBRAE" (this would include his urinary and partial digestive functions). he said that Lucas needs to be confined in the hospital immediately and have a bone biopsy (to see if there's a virus or bacteria that's causing the severe deterioration) and he needs operation to put supports to keep the vertebrae from collapsing causing the total loss of functions in the lumbar region of his body. he can currently control his bowels and sit up, but without further support, he could loose these functions at any time.

COST of operation: anywhere between 2,500 dollars to 4,000 dollars. we knew we could not afford a private hospital, so we are using the government hospital in Manila. they are extremely overcrowded and we waited 9 hours to be seen and make an appointment for the 30th of June. at this time, lucas will be confined and prepared for the operation. lucas is selling all that he can, but needs more financial help. please email me for more information or send your tax-deductible donation with a note attached to your check that it is for operation sponsorship...thanks and God bless

OUR MANILA ADVENTURE

i got back from manila on friday. i didn't have much of a break. it seemed everything took 3 times as long as it should have (literally) or broke in the time being...first, the van (that we just had a top-end overhaul and wiring work done) broke down 2 hours into the trip. forcing us (lucas, his cousin, and myself) to spend the night in the van, waiting for the morning so the electrician could fix the van. so, we were ready to go by 11am...but traffic and heat were already bad. by the time we got to manila (27 hours later) it was pouring rain (and continued to everyday we were there). we had no problem with the MRI, but when we went to see the neurosurgeon for consultation, he said that "this is a condition for the rich"...in other words, you can't afford to be treated at THIS hospital...so he advised us to go to the government hospital, PGH. so, in between, i met with dr. francis to get the wheelchair and was surprised to see a plastic chair with the legs cut off and bicycle tires with a hand rail bolted on...i almost wanted to laugh, but i said, maybe we better make sure all the parts are with it...and sure enough, there were many parts missing, so francis said he'd find one with all the parts and send it...next time...

so that night, upon request of the doctor, we took lucas to the ER for confinement at PGH. what a bad mistake that was. while waiting there, the sick and very severe cases kept coming in, people who were in extreme pain, or unconscious, or barely breathing were all made to wait in line. when i asked for a wheelchair, they told me to "go find my own". we waited a bit and when the doctor came, (a fresh graduate), he started scolding us because lucas wasn't an acute case...nor was he dying...and kept scolding me, until i "accidentally" told him, that he didn't have to be a jerk about it. i guess i was just thinking aloud...

so, the next morning at 6am, we fell into line at the OPD...there must have been about 200 people or more there at 6am!!! we were fortunate that the guard didn't make us go upstairs to the end of the line since lucas had a wheelchair. so, we get our number and wait...and wait...and wait...until 1pm. then we are seen by the ortho doctor, who then gets the history and has us get back in line until 3pm when another doctor sees him and makes the follow-up appointment for confinement on the 30th! so 9 hours of waiting for a history and appointment! can you imagine...

anyway, on the 30th, i think they will confine lucas and do an operation for his bone biopsy and try to put a stainless brace on the deteriorated vertebrae. they think it's a bacteria or virus eating his bone as well as a tumor on his spine.

then...on the way back from the 9 hour wait at the hospital, we were driving back to the hotel to check out and i took a wrong turn to the busy part of manila. the van kept cutting off, until it would no longer start. so we're broke down with literally 5 lanes of traffic around us beeping and trying to pass us, and we have to recurit some people on the street to help us push and stop traffic. all said and done (and another 3 hours passing), we find out the van had a hose break and all the old poured out, completely ruining the engine. we had a trici pull the van to a local mechanic shop and we all just got on the bus and went home...i'd had enough of manila. today, i called the shop where the van was and was told that it would cost me 7,500 for the labor, 8,000 for the machine shop, and 15,000 for the parts...that's like 30,500 peosos or $650!!!

playing harmonica

Boise Mission Medics

the month of May we had the privilege of hosting the Boise Mission Medic team. during the 2.5 weeks they were here, we planned 3 different outreaches. since i get to coordinate these outreaches, i experiment a little sometimes. usually, in the philippines, when someone hears the term "medical mission" or "medical outreach", they usually have the same picture in their heads...a team of foreigners or doctors from the city come to the poor village and do check ups. these check-ups usually consist of long, assembly-type, lines where patients wait in line for most of the day, see the doctor or health worker for a few minutes, go to another line to get their free meds and continue back to their house (at times, disappointed). sometimes a certain church, organization or politican uses these events to self-promote.

so, in thinking how we could avoid this, we decided we would go door-to-door and primarily do TB assessments...and if we happen across any emergencies or sick individuals, we would get them the meds they needed. this helped us avoid the long lines, the numerous request for (what i call) "poor lifestyle meds", and people being disappointed that they did not get some kind of meds.

i also wanted to work with a specific tribe that we had not concentrated on before. so we took the students to the resettlement villages and mountain village of Basao. The basao people have a feared reputation among the kalinga population for being vengeful and dangerous (most of this is exaggerated). even people from other tribes would warn us when they heard we were going there.

when we entered the resettlement and mountain villages of basao, we weren't met with fanfare or people offering to carry our boxes of supplies (as i have seen in the places where we are familiar). maybe the people were a little curious or suspicious why we were going there. when we went to the mountain village, i drove for most of the day in a vehicle manufactured from galvanized iron sheets, really bad suspension and no power steering. (halfway through the trip i realized that our vehicle was not suited for carrying 15 people plus luggage up steep dirt/rocky roads up and down the mountains, as i noticed oil leaking, all my clutch fluid pouring out, and our vehicle slamming the front suspension on rocks.) after the exhausting drive, i went with my work partner, Arturo, to talk with the barangay captain. after a serious of events (plus being physically tired), it seemed nothing was prepared for our arrival and i assumed were were not welcome there. the next couple of days we were met with a mixture of some very kind and gentle people, and also with people a little more "difficult"...drunk community leaders, pushy patients demanding medicines, and even gun fire one night right outside the clinic where part of the team was sleeping...

our team met one night to have a discussion of how things were going. my tendency is to look at the things that "need improving", but once we got into the conversation, it seemed that God checked my attitude. the discussion about the barangay captain came up and i remembered that just 2 or 3 weeks previous, he had lost his 20-something year old son to kidney failure. not to excuse drunkenness, but to try to understand his condition. then we talked about the tribal war that is all-too-common in that village. we saw many men carrying spears to the rice fields for personal protection and some had automatic weapons and were posted around their homes. FEAR rules much of the lives of these people. many still believe in old rituals that include animal sacrifice and consulting witch doctors and demons. some just laugh and say "it's only superstition", but superstition is rooted in the fear of doing or not doing something to avoid a curse or gain a blessing. when we begin to look at the condition of the heart and ask God to speak, touch, and hear through us...we begin to love like God.

we then saw our mission as more than just doing assessments for tuberculosis and assessing sick patients, but shining the light of God, praying for God's mercy for this people group, and bring LIFE to sick and dying bodies and souls. during our outreach, we went to every house to see if there are people at risk for TB or other illnesses. we pray for the family and ask God to bring healing on the sicknesses and peace to their house. in short, we ask God to bring salvation, healing and peace. this is the reason Jesus died (then rose again). during Jesus ministry on earth, his main focus was to preach, teach and heal...this also was his example for us to follow.

WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE MISSIONARIES. MOST IN OUR "SECULAR" JOBS, SOME IN THE CHURCH, AND A FEW IN ANOTHER CULTURE...WE ALL HAVE THE SAME INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO LIVE OUR LIVES AND LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS.

missionary idol

sometimes i want to do my "acts of kindness" and see immediate results and receive gratitude from those i am giving to...but this is a very false image of what it means to serve. when i do "mission outreaches" where the "poorest of the poor" and weak come to me, i feel good about myself and what i have to give them and send them on their way as they are repeatedly saying "thank you, thank you" with their head bowed low...but most of the time, it turns out my own motive is very selfish and the poor and weak walk away a little poorer and weaker than before they had to present themselves before the "rich" and admit they are the "poor".

i have to be able to smile and love the lady who demands medicine for herself (even though there's no reason to give it), the man who asks money from me even though his cell phone cost more than most people earn in a year, and the man who is drunk and trying to touch on the girls in the group. i am called to be taken advantage of and used. it's easier to serve the poor and needy, but how about the annoying and demanding...or the manipulator and liar. it's a very anti-american thought in this age of lawsuit-happy-equal rights-capitalistic society, but Jesus taught something very different. if someones steals your shirt, give your coat Luke 27-36. love your enemy. turn the other cheek. forgive. give without question. love those who use and abuse you. oh how i wonder what the world would look like if we all could love like that.

From Death to Life 2

this is sagmayao. this was removed from his body today. it is a spleen that was 15 times the size it should have been. during a medical outreach, a visiting doctor identified the problem and the team is raising the funds for his operation. the surgeon said that his spleen could have burst any moment. it would bleed anytime it was touched. saymayao is in good condition now and we are thankful for God's mercy toward him. the surgeon suspects it is from TB as he removed a lymph node that looked like TB infection...continue to pray for sagmayao's complete recovery

...one month later...

From Death to Life

this is marylae. she was diagnosed with TB meningitis in september (the picture on the left). she was in a stupor for more than a month. after 2 months she showed a little recovery, but then became sick with malaria. her health digressed worse than before. she had to have surgery to place a drain tube in her head to relieve the built up pressure. during this time she was barely responsive to voices and could not talk...things were not looking well for marylae. we even tried to get a wheel chair for her, thinking she might not walk or even sit up on her own again.

BUT....

yesterday, i saw her mother and asked where marylae was...but i was looking right at her (picture on the right). i was so thankful that God had restored this little girl. she was walking and feeding her self and could understand all that was said to her. God is a God of LIFE. Jesus said "I AM the LIFE"...so thank you every one who prayed for marylae last fall/winter. God is so good.