2019 Hawaii District Marriage Retreat

We were home from the Philippines for a little over two weeks before returning to Hawaii.  We are in a new to us condo and did not have internet for over a week so I got a little behind on my posts!  We're up and running now and I have several posts that I'll be working on in the days ahead.

This past weekend we enjoyed the Hawaii District Marriage Retreat.  Our speakers were Bro. and Sis. James Hughes who were here three years ago.  (I wrote about that here and here.)  I am still processing everything we heard.  I took four pictures and THIRTY pages of notes!  I'll try to make sense of them and share here in the days ahead.

Friday night started off with dinner and then a fun ice breaker.  Each couple had a notebook and was told to write "Remember when we met."  We ladies went first, then handed the notebooks over to our husbands.  Couples were asked to volunteer to tell their stories and Les raised his hand.  Our story is funny because Les does not remember meeting me the first time we met.  Les started by saying we first met on two different nights.  He then read what he had written:

He said,
I first remember seeing Kathy coming out of her brother's car Friday night of camp meeting, August 18, 1989.  I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.  I didn't meet her then, but after church service I was introduced to her.  Later that evening we went out to eat as a group and were at the restaurant at midnight when it became my birthday and Kathy and the group sang "Happy birthday to me."  What a lady, what a night!

My "she said" was much longer.  You can read the full story here.  Long story short, we were introduced at Youth Convention in March of 1989, but I was already going out with someone else and totally blew Les off!  I'll just say this - I'm so glad I got a second chance to make a good first impression!

This was a fun kickoff to a very enriching weekend.

Guest Post: I Have No Words

I'm wrapping up my posts about our trip to the Philippines with a special guest post by Les today.  While I was helping at the Messner House, Les was on an incredible journey...

On our first full day on Mindanao, I was able to participate in one of the most memorable, beautiful, moving and powerfully impacting services I’ve ever experienced. When Pastor White asked me if I wanted to go with him to a “service” in a remote mountainous area of central Mindanao, I eagerly jumped at the chance. I had heard and read about churches in the jungles of the Philippine Islands since I was a young teenager in the 70s, thanks in part to my mother’s first full length book, Born with a Mission, which spurred my juvenile imagination with scenes of apostolic congregants assembling in exotic tropical settings. Little did I know back then that years later I would have a chance to bring these imaginations to life. But in no way did those imaginations include the surprise of Pastor White asking me to preach during the service. What exactly does an English-only speaking urban technology professional from Big Cities, USA, have to offer Cebuano speaking villagers who arrived for service in Sulindawan on foot via dirt roads and footpaths? This question would occupy my thoughts and prayers for several days prior.

A group of about 8 of us ventured out from the Mindanao church campgrounds (here) in the Tambaboan barangay of the Claveria municipality: 4 by van, 2 by jeep and 2 by motorcycle. The trek was only about 11 miles (route here), but took us a full hour due to the condition of the roads.

We went from a two-lane paved road, to a one-lane paved road, to a double-wide dirt road, and finally to a single-wide dirt road, arriving in Sulindawan (here) a bit jostled, but none the worse for wear, and ready for church.

Once we arrived at the church, we left the vehicles and followed a footpath past chickens, pigs and cattle, through a banana tree field and up a small hill to the church. When we stepped out from the banana tree grove, I got my first glimpse of the Sulindawan Apostolic Pentecostal Church. I was introduced to Pastor Playto of Sulindawan, we took a few pictures, and then were ushered to our seats as service began.

I was curious about having a mid-morning church service on a Tuesday, and when I asked Pastor White what the occasion was, he replied that the occasion was us. Since our schedule only permitted us to be there that Tuesday, the congregation had a special impromptu service at a time convenient for us. This was my first real sense of how much the Filipinos value visitations from “American missionaries”.

The Sulindawan church sits in an area that had been recently controlled by various insurrectionist Muslim and communist groups against the Filipino government. Part of the ongoing Moro conflict, the government had strongly warned non-Filipinos from venturing into this area for fear of kidnapping and execution. As a result there was a 15 year period (2001-2016) during which no outside missionaries were able to visit.

Elder Barrero started the service with a favorite song often sung in the churches on Mindanao and Luzon, “I’ll Be Somewhere Working for the Lord”, and with his responsibilities of pastoring three churches on Mindanao, truer words could never be sung by a man. As I took in the scene around me, I noticed the lumpy red clay dirt floor, the 15 by 30 foot size of the building, the hand-hewn wooden benches, the bamboo walls, the corrugated metal roof, the cooling system consisting of a floor fan, and a portable PA system that included in its entirety one guitar, one guitar amp and two mics. But as the interpreter, Brother Balmes, led us singing “How Great Thou Art”, the surroundings quickly faded from view and the powerful presence of the Lord filled the room.

It was truly one of the most overwhelming moments I’ve ever experienced. We had a gathering place and were gathered in the name of Jesus, and He was faithful to His promise of being in our midst. So back to the question, “What would I have to offer?” I selected the first portion of 2 Chronicles 16:9 as my text. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” I tried my best to encourage the listeners to have faith in God for the miraculous. The people so were so hungry for the Word of God and responded with fervent prayer afterwards.

It struck me that what would constitute a miracle in their lives might be quite different than what I might consider a miracle. Although the metropolitan and resort areas of the Philippines are modern by most standards, there was no trace of their modernity in this area of Mindanao. Miracles of provision and circumstance which are seldomly sought among first world societies are most precious among those of so little means. I’ll never know the impact of my words, but Pastor Playto was quite expressive of his thankfulness on multiple occasions the days following the service.

After the service, we enjoyed some fellowship and fresh fruit behind the church in the outdoor fellowship hall, but I left the freshly roasted pig for the congregants.

The children gave me a handmade card of multi-colored paper that read, “Thank you for visiting our church.” I can’t image where they were able to get colored paper, or the expense of it among so many other more pressing needs. The people were so generous and appreciative of our visit, it was humbling to receive this kind of reception and attention.

I was a bit subdued on the way back to the campgrounds, just trying to process what had transpired. When I walked into our room, Kathy asked me how it went. I looked at her, just shook my head, replied, “I have no words,” went into the bathroom to look into the mirror, and cried tears of compassion, hope and thanksgiving.

Everybody Ought to Take a Missions Trip

Do you remember singing this song as a child:

Everybody ought to go to Sunday School,
Sunday School, Sunday School.
The men and the women,
the boys and the girls,
everybody ought to go to Sunday School.

As I have relived our trip to the Philippines, I must say, "Everybody ought to take a missions trip!"  This was my third missions trip.  A trip to a mission field will change you.  You'll come home a different person.  Your eyes will be opened to so many things.  Here are a few:

A missions trip is not an international vacation
Yes, you'll travel to a foreign land.  You'll spend many hours cramped in an airplane seat.  You'll get your passport stamped.  You'll experience jet lag.  But the similarities end there.  On a missions trip you'll spend a lot of time in churches or inviting people to church.  You'll get to sing and worship with brothers and sisters you've never met.

You will benefit no matter what your age
I went to Puerto Rico and Haiti when I was 19.  I went to Hong Kong and the Philippines when I was 20.  My eyes were opened at a young age to a huge world that is in need of the gospel.  I finally made it back to the Philippines when I was 55.  My eyes were reopened to an even larger world, still in need of Jesus. 

There are people all over world who love Jesus
One of my favorite memories was from my trip to Haiti in 1983.  Our giant tour bus pulled in to a small village and promptly knocked the power out.  We gathered in a small building for service that had two lanterns - one in the front, one in the back.  This did not hinder the people from worshiping.  In fact, the service leader had a bell that he would ring when it was time to finish a song.  The people would have kept right on worshiping.

Americans are extremely blessed and don't even know it
You don't have to look far to find poverty on the mission field.  Things we take for granted on a daily basis, like food, clean water, and a place to sleep, are luxuries to many around the world.  As I wrote in my post about Lucena, the congregation sang the most beautiful version of "Because He Lives."  They know what matters - having Jesus in their lives.  Everything thing else is extra.

You are welcome and wanted
Every church on the mission field that I have visited has been filled with people who are so happy to have visitors.  It means so much that Americans will come and spend time with them.  They are gracious hosts.  I've come home feeling so unworthy of the welcome I received.

Your missionaries will be blessed
Missionaries give up a lot to live in a foreign land.  They don't see their families on a regular basis.  I'm sure they experience loneliness.  Having Americans come is a blessing to them (as long as you don't get lost or spend all your time complaining!)

You'll see your missions offerings at work
It can be easy to write a check and not really think about where your missions offerings are going.  But when you see the faces of local pastors and saints, when you see the buildings that have been built, it makes your offerings much more special.

You'll get pushed out of your comfort zone
On my first trip to the Philippines we were sent out in small groups to various churches.  Here is what I wrote about that experience:  "On our way to church, I started questioning everyone. Do you sing? Do you preach or play an instrument? Somehow I had ended up with a very shy group! I took it upon myself to organize everyone to testify and I sang. If you know me now, you aren't surprised. But if you had known me back then you would have been shocked! I was definitely out of my comfort zone and being stretched!!" 

It's worth every penny
While working on this post, I reread posts that I wrote almost 10 years ago about missions trips I had taken.   I wrote this: "If you EVER have the opportunity to go on a trip like one of these - DO IT!! You will never forget. I was 19 the first time and some said, "Why don't you spend the money on a car?" My response was, "There will be plenty of time for a car when I'm older, but I may never have this chance again." I don't regret a single penny!"

Go ahead and sing along:

Everybody ought to go take a Missions Trip,
A Missions Trip, a Missions Trip.
The men and the women,
the boys and the girls,
everybody ought to take a Missions Trip!

Overwhelming: Sunday Morning in Lucena

When I think back over our time in the Philippines, Sunday morning in Lucena is one of the highlights.  There were many emotions involved with that day, but the greatest was overwhelming.

Barong wearing brothers

Pastor Pabanil picked us up at our hotel at 7:45.  We were at the church by 8:00 and given the grand tour.  The sanctuary, Sunday school teachers and children were already gathering:

Up a flight of stairs and we were in the parsonage.  Pastor Pabanil's father, Elder Pabanil, gave Les this hat that he made.

Inside he wrote, "September 29, 2019. To Bro. and Sis. McElhaney.  Thank you for your visiting us. God bless you and your wife and your family. From Pastor Elder Pabanil."

He also painted this mural on the wall.

The room where summer Bible school takes place...

Up another flight of stairs to the fellowship area.  Pastor Pabanil made all the tables and benches:

Up yet another flight of stairs!  The rooftop and baptistry:

My new friend, Sis. Pabanil!  She is a sweetheart!

The view of Lucena:

And back down the stairs!

Sunday school started at 8:30.  Neighborhood children are brought and taught a lesson, sing songs, and go home with a snack.

Worship service started and I was overwhelmed.  We sang "Because He Lives" and it was just beautiful!  EVERYONE sang.  The entire church was the praise team!  These precious people, who have so little materially, sang, "life is worth the living, just because He lives," more beautifully than I have ever heard it.  Their voices rang out.  They also sang "He Set Me Free" and "Every Praise is to Our God."  It didn't matter if the song was new or old, everyone sang and worshiped.  It was incredible, indescribable, overwhelming...

They had testimony time.  This little boy did not testify in English, so I don't know what he said, but he touched me so much.

The choir sang.  These beautiful young ladies are a shining example of modesty and worship.

Pastor Pabanil then asked Les and me to come to the front.   Every single person in the church came up and greeted us.

We were given handwritten cards, notes, and flowers...

We were overwhelmed by their generosity and love.

I sang and then Les preached.  His title was "The Power of the Spoken Word of Faith."

He shared his testimony of how God healed him of Muscular Dystrophy when he was a small boy.  He had a little helper named Manasseh:

The icing on the cake happened here - in the midst of the circle of young ladies praying is a new soul being born again of the Spirit!

We had a wonderful meal with Pastor and Sister Pabanil in their home and then it was time to head back to the airport.  Our gracious hosts would be traveling to youth camp very early the following morning, but they got back in the van with us to make the three hour one way trip to Manila.  After dropping us off, they got back in the van and headed back home.  We were again overwhelmed that they would take time out of their busy schedule to ride with us.

The traffic was... well... it would have been overwhelming if I had been the driver!  It is certainly entertaining.  We saw a large number of cyclists.  I cannot imagine riding a bicycle on those roads, but we saw a lot of them!  We also saw this guy, who was sleeping in a hammock in the back of a vegetable truck - that's what you call "vegging out!"

We made it safely back to the Manila airport and checked our luggage one final time.  We had a few hours before our flight and we just kept looking at each other and marveling over the amazing time we had.  Our bodies were completely worn out, but our hearts were SO full!

We prepared for takeoff, talking of when we could return, while leaving a big chunk of our hearts in the Philippines!