Balikbayan (Part 3)

(Day 7) Friday, June 4, 2009

It was a little sad to say farewell to our brothers from MCC. They were men whom we had seen everyday since we arrived at the Philippines; you could only imagine how difficult it was to part ways. After we had said our goodbyes, we hopped onto the "Transporter's" jeep and were finally Cavite bound.


CAVITE

It was a long drive to Cavite but we made the most of it. Each car ride was a highlight in itself due to the passengers that filled the Pajero. Bong usually sat shotgun, three of us sat in the middle, and one would be stuck in the back. But there was one problem. The person who was sitting in the back had to always slouch due to the seats being raised too high. We had one instance where Jeremy just put the seats away and, straight up, slept on the floor (I took a picture). Aside from those hilarious occurrences, the ride would mainly consist of eating, sleeping, joking, and laughing. We would occasionally listen to the radio too even though Fred, Jeremy, and I couldn't understand anything (I actually could understand a bit... much much more than them). And of course, we would get into our typical theological discussions which would always end with someone saying "Pastor Felix, what do you think?" Just kidding.

Okay, enough of the car rides. We finally arrived at Fred's relative's place in Cavite City for lunch. There we met Fred's lolo and lola who were very hospitable, very nice, and very catholic. Though we differed in our beliefs, I still praised the Lord for them because they were very accepting to us and were even open to listening to Pastor Felix.

It was at this house where I finally got to see my uncle whom I had not seen in about 12 years. He was my mother's oldest brother (who use to babysit me by the way) came to see me. I didn't even think I would even see him, but when he came through the door, I was really glad I did. Here is where it gets funny. The last time I saw my uncle, he was much taller than me. So to his amazement, the kid he use to feed cereal to was now a Filipino skyscraper.

After the greeting, we would sit down and catch on old times and talk about family. Eventually, the team would be gracious enough to allow me to go visit my family for a bit in a different part of Cavite. We agreed that we would meet up again the following morning.

I was really to finally meet/see family who I heard so much about. We did a lot of eating and talking and it was great to know I had relatives who were so kind. Oh yah, I was able to see Amy too! Funny thing, when we saw each other, it had only been a week since we last saw one another but we acted as if we hadn't seen each other in forever. We both agreed that seeing each other in that part of the world was just very different. It was very encouraging to have her there as we got to reminisce about family with family.

Going around and meeting relatives was a really something. It was bitter-sweet to finally meet my lola's sister who was younger than my lola but still very sick. Coming home from the PI, I would hear the news that she had passed away during my flight home. My only prayer is that she held to Christ as her greatest treasure.

Family was refreshing, but I failed to share the Gospel. It was easy to get caught up in the hype of seeing new faces yet so quickly forget the reason why I came to the PI which was to share the good news of Christ. Yes, my family will claim Christianity, but what I want is for them to worship Christ not out of compulsion or culture but out of genuine love. Time with family was great, but why did I have to separate my mission time and my family time? Why couldn't my family be the mission field? Guys, don't do what I did. Utilize every opportunity for the Gospel. Because when you are doing that, you are loving them.

Father, forgive me for not loving my family enough to give them the truth of your Son Jesus Christ. If given the opportunity, I pray that you give me the boldness to share the next time. I can only ask that my testimony, conduct, and character reflected Christ in every way.

Until next time loved ones..

-Micah
The chiefest of sinners...