Wow, what an amazing and crazy week I have had. Being in the tribe by myself is a lot of work, and there are good and bad elements to it. To recap –
- I had a great visit with the downriver pastor and his wife about the school they have set up for their area. It is really doing a great service for the tribal people there in that area. They are receiving a Christian education, which enhances and strengthens the church, as well as helping to break the cycle of animism that keeps them in bondage.
- A guy way up river fell out of a tree, broke his femur, broke an arm, and his lower back. This was about 10 days before I arrived. They said that his lower abdomen had already started to smell bad (indicating gangrene, I suppose). I asked them why they didn’t take him to the hospital in Brooke’s Point, which is only about a 2 or 3 hour walk for them, and the messenger didn’t know.They said that they don’t have any money, but the interesting thing is, they can get money when they really want it. They typically only are willing to do that for themselves. They can haul begtik, or go into debt with someone, or sell land, or something. But they typically don’t do that for their neighbor, only for their own children or spouse.
- A kid dumped a pot of boiling hot rice over his leg, causing 2nd degree burns. I gave first aid, and then the next day when the blisters came out I treated it with burn cream and the gauze banadages.
- Another guy who fell out of a tree 2 years ago, and is now crippled, moved into the tribal house next to us. He is having to live under someone else’s roof, which is a bit of a burden for them, so he is trying to build his own house just a few feet down the trail. However, he is crippled and cannot walk without crutches, so he cannot build himself. The other Palawanos, who build houses all the time, won’t help him or build a house for him unless he pays them. He cannot get money, because he cannot work, so that is also a problem.
- Since our partners will be preaching the Gospel soon, hopefully this guy will be someone who will be available to listen to all the messages. After all, he is not going anywhere.
- I had one good language session with my helpers. I got lots and lots of recordings, more than I usually do, knowing that I would have time to process the recordings once I returned to Manila. They are having to split time with their families also, by putting their kids in a downriver school, and hiking back up to the tribe once or twice a week to take care of weeding their rice fields and other work at home.
When I flew back to Manila on Saturday, Sarah was having a soccer game at the international school. I took the taxi there first, dropped off my heavy bag with Ginny, and then took the taxi to the place where I received my motorcycle I had shipped (yong pinagkuhaan ng ipinadala kong motor - that is easier to say in Tagalog). Then I rode my motorcycle back to the game, and after that back home to our apartment.
Now that the Lord has moved us out of being full time in the tribe and up to Manila for the time being (with regular short term returns to the tribe), we are settled in an apartment. It is such a totally different life here in Manila. I am thankful for the Lord working things out for us to be able to take care of some family needs at this time. He is good.
