After a Long Silence

One of my highlights as a teacher, always, is watching my students do what I taught them to do. This is one of the reasons I love to visit our alumni on the field. But occasionaly I get to see it while they are still in IGSL. In September-October I taught a 5-week class in our Partners in Ministry Program called "Choosing Life -- Trainers' Training". I had nine students from seven countries: Philippines, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Thailand. I created a 45-minute presentation called "Life Before Birth" that explains how a baby develops from conception to birth, and why abortion is wrong.
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I wanted to equip them to do the presentation in their own language, and to have enough background knowledge and confidence to be able to teach others. In order to get credit for the class, they had to do the presentation in their own language, for their own people, with me watching.
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It was really exciting to study about how life begins and how God develops a baby up till the moment of birth. We looked at the Biblical view of life from many different angles. All of us felt a sense of awe at how God created us and how precious we are to him.
. We looked at the statistics and laws about abortion around Asia. We also discovered that abortion is often done for the purpose of gender selection, resulting in millions of missing girls in India, China and other parts of Asia.
. And my students became passionate!! That was the amazing part. There is nothing more thrilling than seeing your students "get it," and I saw it happen. As they prepared their presentations in their own languages, they went far beyond what I expected. They all did an outstanding job.
. They weren't my students any more, they were teachers with a passion to equip others. It has been so awesome to see THEIR students become passionate about getting this message out.
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Skills I Have Acquired

One thing about living in a cross-cultural environment like ours is that you pick up a variety of skills as you go through life. I have noticed that most Americans, Canadians and Filipinos (the three kinds of people I know best) drink from a bottle by putting the bottle to their lips. This means no one else can use your bottle. South Asians don't drink that way. They tilt their head back and pour the water (or whatever) into their mouth, and the bottle never touches their mouth. A very handy skill to have when there are more people than bottles. I have been practicing, usually ending up with water dribbling down my chin, and soaking the front of my shirt. But I am happy to report that I have finally perfected this skill, and I decided to teach it to Michelle on our way to Bangladesh last August. Here we are in a restaurant in the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during one of our training sessions. Real life discipleship!

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Sparkling

Last week I went back again to the Correctional Institute for Women, the prison that I told you about in September.  We are continuing to go there as a team for ministry each month.  On Friday, the prison officials had an appreciation lunch for all the “Religious Volunteers” (that’s what they call us).  There are all kinds of Religious Volunteers – Catholic, Evangelical, Muslim, etc.  So it was very interesting to meet and talk with the other volunteers and the prison officials.

One fascinating lady I met is called “Nanay Sophie” by all the prisoners.  (“Nanay” means “Mama” in Tagalog).  She is an American missionary.  But before I tell you about Nanay Sophie, I have to explain a little about my own context.  At IGSL, I am considered “old”.  James and I (and one other colleague) have been in the Philippines for 31 years, so we are the longest-serving missionaries in the school.  Sometimes when our students hear that I came to the Philippines in 1979, they shake their heads in amazement and say, “I wasn’t even BORN yet then!”  I am truly certified as an elderly fossil.  I have reached the ripe old age of 55 and I think I have lots of experience.

But yesterday, when I was introduced to Nanay Sophie, I was told that she is 87 years old!  Can you imagine!?  She is still very healthy, strong, and active, both physically and mentally.  She told me that she has been a missionary in the Philippines since 1950.  So it was my turn to say, with wide eyes and open jaw, “I wasn’t even BORN yet then!”  Then I said, “That means you have been a missionary for sixty years already!” 

She answered, “Well, the Philippines was not our first assignment.  My husband and I went to China in 1948, but when the Communists took over we were forced to leave.  So we came to the Philippines.”  So this dear lady has been a missionary for 62 years, and is showing no signs of slowing down.  Her husband died 25 years ago, and she decided to just stay here and keep serving God.  She has five children, who are all in their sixties and retired already, and many more grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  They all live in the U.S.  They are happy about her decision to stay here and serve God, as long as she comes home every December and spends Christmas with them.  So that’s what she does.

Her passion for God just sparkles, and is absolutely contagious.  She works in the prison four days a week.  She loves to teach the Bible, and has a deep zeal for encouraging other missionaries.  When I had to say goodbye (reluctantly), she said, “Wait!  I need to hug you first!”   Wow.  I would love to be like her in my old age.  I’ve always said that I don’t believe in retirement, but it was sort of theoretical.  Now I can just say that my goal is to be like Nanay Sophie.

And so, as I was leaving, I said to her, “I want to be like you when I’m 87!”  

She said, “Oh, Honey, you won’t live to be 87.  The Lord will surely be back to get us before that!”  And she smiled that sparkly smile.  My heart sparkled for the rest of the day every time I remembered her.