From the October 20th PM News . . .

As I mentioned in the most recent PM News, the clinic faced a major hurdle in October. While applying for a renewal of the clinic’s business/medical license and my Philippine Medical license, we came under close governmental scrutiny. This kind of scrutiny is not a judgement of how well you treat patients or a measure of the quality of care given; rather, it is often whether one person finds you favorable (or willing to pay to be found favorable). Our "roadblock" person was one of the local medical officials (the equivalent of a County medical society). She had previously indicated that she was very concerned that we were “foreigners” treating Filipino patients who would be better served by Filipino doctors. She was particularly concerned about any surgical procedures and the amount of follow-up that occurs after procedures. After much prayer, that official finally visited our clinic and was favorably impressed. Of course, the fact that we had a mutual physician friend who spoke with her prior to her visit helped, also. Not only did she give her approval but she offered to build cooperation between her Filipino indigent care and our clinic. She is a plastic surgeon and offers to repair cleft palates for the cost of the hospital supplies/fees. The total for an adult cleft palate repair being around $150 - 200. I view this as a positive event since I had hoped to build some types of relationship within the Filipino medical community.
You can alway download current and past issues of "The PM News" at:
http://philippinemission.com/services.html

A Few Days of Fun!

The kids are off from school for 13 days for fall break! While a lot of missionaries take this time to leave the smog and pollution of Metro Manila, we decided to stay home and do some things around here. Because the kids are used to being home for school I think they have actually enjoyed a few days of doing nothing but relaxing at home. Monday we went bowling. They love to bowl and we rarely did that in the states. Here it is very cheap--30 cents for shoe rental and about $1.05 per game. The alley was very nice and updated. We had a great time despite being in a fish bowl. We were the center of attention as many Filipinos sat at the tall tables behind us and watched the white people bowl. I am sure we provided a few laughs, especially me. I bowled the worst game of my adult life. Both kids beat me(of course they did have gutter guards and I did not). It was really pitiful and a little humiliating. I really just didn't want Will to feel he was the worst bowler in the family. At least that's my excuse and I am sticking to it. We rounded out our afternoon with lunch at Shakey's pizza. Remember that old chain? It is alive and well here in the Philippines along with Kenny Rodger's Roasters; another American flop.
Yesterday, we went to a "resort" near our home. There are many of these type places here. Developers build amenities to attract wealthy people to buy homes in their subdivisions. After a while they open these places up to the public to use for a daily fee. This resort, Club Manila East, actually has Cabanas and Cottages so you can stay over night. I am not really sure who wants to stay in TayTay Philippines, but maybe men on business. The kids had heard about this place when we were here last fall and have been wanting to go there since then. It was a lot of fun. They have 2 large pools, a big slide, a shallow pool with kidsplayground, and another larger pool with 1 person kayaks. One of the larger pools had a sun shade over it and that was a nice break from the sun for us pasty white people. The Filipinos like it too because they don't want to get darker. The kids had a blast. It was worth the wait. Emily invited Keisha, a Filipino girl friend from school, to go along with us. The only downside is somewhere along the way a few of us got a touch of food poisoning. Emily had it the worst. This is only the second incidence of this for us since we have been here as far as we know. Not too bad. Next time we will pack a picnic, although we could have gotten sick from our own dinner last night.
In case you are wondering about the above pictures, we seem to have a problem. We never remember to take our camera anywhere. The bowling picture is from Greenwood last January. We (except for Will)haven't really worn long sleeves and long pants here. The picture of Club Mania East was taken from their websight. I thought you might like to see what it looks like. The pools come together to form the shape of Laguna de Bay (a big lake near TayTay that we can see from our house) including Talim Island.
Ginger

It's beginning to look a lot like.....Christmas???

This afternoon I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things. When I drove up, the store had been decked out for Christmas--It is a "ber" month after all and that is when you begin celebrating Christmas in the Philippines. Over that last month, we had already heard a Christmas song or two and seen some stores selling decorations, but even Wal-mart usually starts selling Christmas stuff just after they get rid of school supplies. This on the other hand is a whole other ball game. The outside of the store had big plastic decorations mounted on the building. Pink glittery ribbons with cute animals in Santa hats and big lime green stars. (OK so not your traditional Christmas colors) It looks like the whole thing will glow from the inside at night. The kids and I will have to go check it out. The grocery stores at home might put up a wreath or 2, but this is like the outside of a mall would be in the States.
I was greeted with a "Merry Christmas, M'am!" when I entered into a Christmas wonderland. Glowing 3 foot stars and the same cute critters hung from the ceiling about every 10 feet. Christmas displays of food and decorations abounded. Blaring over the store's PA system were classic American Christmas songs. I found myself humming and singing along to the 12 days of Christmas, Rudolph, and It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I got into the spirit of things and returned my cashiers greeting of "Merry Christmas!" I walked from the cool airconditioned winter wonderland feeling the spirit of Christmas and into the 90 degree humidity of the Philippines. I stepped quickly back into the reality that it is only October and it feels like July! We are supposed to have cooler weather as we move towards the month of December, but Im not sure the low80s will feel much different. I guess if you live in Florida this is what Christmas feels like, not that it's much cooler in S. Carolina,Georgia or Alabama either. It will be fun to see all the decorations as the Philippines prepares for the biggest holiday of the year.
Ginger

a strange talisman

In most 3rd world countries with a history of tribal religions, often some of those old superstitions and beliefs remain in modern life. Each Wednesday Cindy Nelsen and I take turns having the clinic staff in for lunch at our houses. One Wednesday a few weeks back, we all giggled as our Filipino friends poked a little bit of fun at themselves by sharing some of what I guess we would call "old wives tales" that are still prevalent. One belief is that hurrying just after eating causes appendicitis. You should also never shower or get wet with cold water when you are hot or just after exercising or it will cause a Filipino word I think might best be translated as malaise. This is something to be avoided at all costs and also a little hard to do since it is always hot here. The rituals surrounding new borns and children are of course numerous. New mothers often squirt breast milk in their baby's eyes to prevent eye infections.
Well Friday at the clinic I was introduced to another strange superstition. While Scott was examining a 3 year old boy, Cindy and I were busy goo-gooing at his 4 month old brother. He was a strong baby and big for a Filipino baby his age. Pinned to his little yellow outfit was a little red pouch. Scott turned to me and said it was a talisman to ward off evil spirits. He then wanted me to feel the pouch and guess what was inside. I felt something smooth about the thickness of a AA battery with a point at one end. Surely they didn't have pinned to this baby what I thought I felt. I felt again and Scott asked what I thought it was. I was afraid to give my answer--"a bullet?". Unfortunately I was correct. Pinned to this little guy was a live 38 caliber bullet. I guess that is one way to ward off evil spirits. Scott then told me of another common practice that maybe I wish I had known when my own kids were little (OK so not really). People are really the same the world over and in the Philippines, just as in America, when you take your baby out in public, people, often strangers, will bend over your baby and touch his little face. I remember my sister-in-law, Chris and I discussing how we hated taking Emily and Laura out to Wal-mart for fear they were going to catch something from all the hands that touched them. A solution to that here in the Philippines is to use red lipstick or other such substance to draw a cross on the baby's forehead. This will keep the bad germs and evil spirits away when people touch him. As humorous as this sounds, it is also tragic that these beliefs are so common. It helps us to remember our main purpose in being here is not to heal the many illnesses that abound or to educate about some of these misconceptions, although we do these things. Our main purpose is to share with them the True One who can keep away all of the evil that abounds in this world. Our prayer is that they will see This One living in us as they come to the clinic and meet us in the community.
Ginger

We live in the Philippines!??!

When thinking of a typical missionary it is often not the sharing of the gospel that seems to hallmark them as such in my mind. Rather I think of the stereotypical living conditions that seem typical of those living in the rural third world--no electricity, phones, or technology, dirt roads, little running water, and beautiful vistas unspoiled by urban development. While we do experience these things on an occasion they are not an everyday occurence in the urban area bordering metro Manila. You will remember that we have had a couple power and phone outages. We have lost contact with the outside and inside worlds on 2 somewhat long occasions. Our backyard is a beautiful oasis in an otherwise concrete jungle, and daily I get to drive on a unpaved road filed with pot hole as I drive the kids to school. While these make me realize that I live in a place far different from the US they haven't made me think--"Oh you're finally a missionary!" Until now....
Unfortunately, we have woken up to the 4th day without water. There seems to be no apparent reason except that we live in the Philippines and that seems reason enough. If we are lucky it seems to come back in the evening though. I skipped a shower the first day because I had taken one the night before, but on day 2 I took my first bucket bath. There is nothing more refreshing than standing in the bathtub dumping a bucket of cold water over your head to rinse out shampoo. bbbuurrrr! Did I say I haven't been cold here?? Well here is the way to cool off! We have even had to teach the children how to do this. That was an experience.
Ginger

It's a small world after all! Part 2

Early on in our time here, I posted a blog about Will's teacher having gone to Auburn. The coincidences keep growing the more we get to know them. First off, She is from Birmingham and so is Allan. Secondly her husband Dan grew up in Pensacola and lived there at the same time we did. Ok so these aren't such odd things--just wait. At Auburn Dan and Ellen met through the ministry of the BSU(Baptist Student Union now called BCM- Baptist Campus Ministries) Same as Allan and myself. We all attended the same church, and Allan and Dan both went to a class led by the pastor on Thursday mornings for guys interested in full time ministry. Commonly refered to as the preacher boy class. Ok so all these things could very well be said of many students to pass through the hallowed gates of Auburn in the last 20 years. Here is where the similarites begin to get bizarre. It turns out that on a campus of 25,000 in which 80% live off campus mainly in some hundreds of apartment complexes that Ellen and I lived in the same complex. Not only did we live in the same complex, but the same unit, and....not only the same unit, but the same bedroom. Just 11 years apart(boy do I feel old) Kind of freaky huh that here we would meet on the other side of the world. We are enjoying having our WarEagle Club Mainla branch with the 3 AU familes. Friday night we got together to watch the AU Miss. State game. It takes a while for the games to arrive so we are seriously delayed. In fact the first game against GA Tech has been floating out there for over a month now and no sign of it arriving. My sister-in-law said the big loss is painful to watch and it may be for the best if it never arrives!
War Eagle! Ginger