Inter-tribal Youth Conference
The organisers were expecting 300-400 young people but the meeting room was sufficient for only about 80 people! Seeing this when we arrived in Saglag in Eastern Mindoro for the Mangyan Intertribal Youth Conference, made me quite apprehensive.
The benches were wooden, with no backs. At the back of the building and down the sides "extensions" had been created. There were bamboo props with wooden planks across for seating at the back, and down the sides, rows of sturdy bamboo were strapped together to sit on. It’s a great discipline to sit on the hard backless seats for hours at a time.
Rain pounded on the tin roof, making it difficult to listen and restricting the sporting activities of the youth which disappointed them. However, one of their leaders pointed out that rather than getting out and playing sports to help make their bodies strong and healthy, the rain created an opportunity for a different type of discipline. An opportunity to focus on the Word and build themselves up spiritually.
The teaching sessions were very good and a blessing. Along with the messages, there were testimonies and many, many singing items. The different teams are asked to sing, and then they are asked to sing by tribe, and so it goes on. There is no sense of hurriedness. The teaching sessions don’t start until the seats are occupied and when finished, there is no desire to rush away – more singing and more patience required while the various groups organise themselves, choose a song, choose who will lead by singing into the one and only microphone and waiting until everyone in the group is included. Those listening wait patiently, from time to time offering a round of applause to encourage the feeble hearted.
This year included a set of drums and an electric guitar and the musicians strike up as many times as is required. Everyone is happy. The singing is mediocre; not in time; usually unrehearsed; but these things are not important. What is important is the sense of belonging and having had the opportunity to bring your offering of praise to the Lord together with the group.
The Mangyan home we stayed in turned out to be a lot more spacious than we had imagined and the host family put a small room aside for us. There was a split bamboo bed, one window with no glass but a shutter, and plenty of nails in the walls for hanging up our things. We travelled to the venue by motorbike and so chose carefully what we took. We opted for our sleeping bags instead of taking our thin air mattresses. (We didn’t want to look too different from others if we ended up sharing a room). Sleeping on top of the sleeping bags cushioned us a fraction and certainly provided comfort and warm from the cold, as there was a typhoon in close proximity bringing lots of rain and cool temperatures. We were also thankful for our mosquito net.
John was speaking in the morning and awoke early in a sweat, sick with fever. He took some medicine and we prayed for healing. We thank the Lord for his faithfulness, John fully recovered in time to speak.
One special joy took place on the last day. I was able to share the Gospel with a group of young people and several children. Using my colourful chronological jigsaw puzzle I walked them through the main Biblical themes and prayed with them all before we left for home.
Dozens of youngsters clambered into five huge dump trucks normally used for collecting garbage. Some had as far as six hours to travel. Others were walking home, some taking a different route as the river crossings were too deep and fast due to the constant rain. Our prayer was that the rain would stop on the last day so that the young people could journey home without being drenched. Wonderfully, the Lord sent the sun.
At last, on the way home...
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