Participants: Jeff Reich
Series Code: LM
Program Code: LM000149A
|
00:38 On this program we are once again
00:40 taking you to the country of The Philippines. 00:45 For years Laymen Ministries has used boats as our lifeline, 00:48 to get the needed supplies to people and patients 00:51 to and from the remote villages of Mindoro. 00:55 We have three projects in remote villages, 00:58 Binuangan, Pinagbyanan, and Agbalite. 01:02 Taking a boat from the port in Mamburao 01:04 to the first village Binuangan can take three hours, 01:07 but if you have to walk which is the only other option, 01:10 it can take six to eight hours 01:12 depending on weather and personal stamina. 01:16 Around 17 years ago 01:18 our first boat was the smallest gift 01:20 powered by a five horsepower Briggs 01:22 and Stratton engine. 01:24 Taking people and supplies out in a boat 01:26 like this on the open South China Sea 01:28 was extremely dangerous to say the least. 01:31 So we modified it, 01:32 putting in more wave protection on the front and sides, 01:35 just try to make it safer. 01:37 But since the boat was so small 01:39 we can only carry a handful of people 01:42 and a few supplies. 01:44 We finally had to build the new boat, 01:46 this boat started out as a used fishing boat, 01:49 but after sometime we realized 01:50 we needed to make some other improvements. 01:53 So we raised the captain seat for better visibility 01:56 and upgraded the engine, 01:58 powered by a 4-cylinder Isuzu diesel engine. 02:01 This faithful boat 02:03 over the years halt thousands of pounds of food, 02:06 building supplies and missionaries 02:08 back and forth over the open South China Sea. 02:12 We're standing on the Mamburao River 02:15 and then in front of us here 02:16 is the Laymen Ministries Express II Boat. 02:20 We use this boat 02:22 because it is the only link 02:25 between the headquarters here in Mamburao 02:28 and our remote villages out in the mountain, 02:31 we can by using this boat, 02:33 we can deliver supplies 02:35 and missionaries 02:38 to the villages and we pick up patients. 02:43 And in this case 02:44 we brought back two missionary patients. 02:48 The boat is extremely valuable 02:52 for the work that we are doing here. 02:55 And it has served us well since 2005, 03:01 we purchased it as a used fishing boat 03:05 and remodeled it to use for our purpose. 03:10 However we've patched all we can patch 03:13 and we patch patches. 03:15 So we're now in the process of constructing a new boat 03:21 which should be finished by November of this year. 03:27 The boat as I mentioned was a surplus fishing boat, 03:32 we have a surplus 4-cylinder diesel engine 03:37 that drives it. 03:39 And we're extremely thankful 03:43 for the safe use 03:45 that we have received from this boat 03:48 on the South China Sea, 03:49 which itself is very treacherous, 03:53 especially the route that we have to take 03:55 around the island 03:58 goes in an area called the Cavity Passage. 04:03 The Cavity Passages is wicked. 04:07 Many times we encounter gale force winds 04:12 and three, four or more meter waves. 04:17 Many people don't like to travel there 04:22 but God has protected us for these last 18 years. 04:26 And we have never had an incident 04:32 that was dangerous. 04:44 We're operating 04:46 in a very critical salt water environment 04:50 which is hard on the boat. 04:53 Our boats are all handmade locally. 04:58 And the pounding of the waves 05:01 and the abuse the boat takes 05:04 from the South China Sea wears on it. 05:08 As you can see we have 05:09 some very serious problems here. 05:14 Thank God, these are all above the waterline. 05:18 And we have fiberglass 05:22 the outside of the plywood 05:25 on this boat but it's getting to the point of danger. 05:30 And we're hauling families, 05:33 patients and we do this trip every two weeks. 05:38 So it is not safe anymore 05:41 for us to operate Laymen Ministries Express II. 05:45 And we are extremely grateful that we can build our new boat, 05:51 this one was a surplus. 05:53 But we're building a new boat, 05:55 bigger and stronger than the existing boat 06:00 because our number of co-workers, 06:03 teachers in the village continues to expand. 06:06 So we're hauling more things back and forth, 06:11 both people and supplies. 06:19 We are now at the home of Sawlie, 06:21 the master boat builder 06:23 who's been building fishing boats here 06:25 in Occidental Mindoro for the last 30 years. 06:28 And we just stopped here at the house 06:30 before we go to the building site. 06:33 We have workers who are applying epoxy. 06:38 So the plywood 06:41 is being prepared here, 06:46 in preparation for applying to the boat. 06:50 Soon as the ribbing is finished, 06:52 we'll find out as soon as we get there. 06:55 We are on our way now 06:56 to the actual boat construction site 07:00 and with me is our boat captain and Mario Hernandez 07:06 who's been with us now 17 years. 07:10 And Mario is also overseeing 07:14 the construction of our new boat. 07:21 Okay... 07:26 Yeah. 07:28 Our new boat will be 30, 07:31 will be 11 meters long, 07:34 plus the extension... 07:39 Oh goodness, I forgot now 07:40 what the extensions are called in English. 07:42 In Tagalog. 07:44 Yeah, in Tagalog..., 07:46 but in English it's the stern and the bow, right? 07:51 So this is going to give us quite a bit more capacity. 07:57 Sometimes now when we go to the village 07:59 to deliver the teachers at the beginning of the year 08:02 or pick them up, 08:04 we have to make two trips. 08:06 With this we should be able to make it 08:07 all in one trip 08:09 as well as hauling supplies for, 08:11 and it appears that ribbing 08:16 is approaching a completion. 08:19 So we should be putting on the siding very soon. 08:24 The bottom of our boat is 40 inches wide, 08:29 it's one tree, 08:31 that was one hardwood tree that was dug out 08:36 and it forms the bottom of the boat foundation, 08:41 and then on the bottom of that 08:44 we have a 3/5 inch, 08:49 4/5 inch... 08:55 Coral protection in the event 08:59 we should ever run into coral, 09:02 it will hit on the, 09:06 the wooden 4/5 inch that runs the entire 33 feet. 09:11 Very important we learned from our old boat. 09:15 It had a very deep V bowl. 09:21 So that the boat sit deeper in the water. 09:25 This boat on purpose 09:27 we have a very wide base at the bottom. 09:31 So that the boat will sit up higher, 09:33 especially when we load it down 09:35 with building materials and people in it, 09:40 but what's very important for people to understand 09:43 is everything here started as a tree. 09:48 All of the lumber you see here started as a tree taken 09:52 out of the forest, 09:53 and cut to whatever size is needed, 09:58 and all of the work is handwork. 10:01 We can't go to a store here 10:03 and say I want this size lumber, 10:07 it doesn't exist. 10:08 So we set the engine in the boat 10:11 before we started the ribbing 10:13 because it's so heavy and bulky, 10:18 it's dangerous to move it in and out. 10:22 We are very thankful that we have had donations come in 10:27 for the construction of the boat 10:29 and we have very faithful supporters 10:33 who understand the work we're doing here, 10:35 the necessity of having a boat, 10:38 so we genuinely appreciate people 10:41 praying about and if God leads them 10:44 to help us complete the construction. 10:54 And donations did come in, 10:56 and the boat construction moved forward. 10:58 Soon the workers had the sides on 11:00 and started the finishing touches. 11:04 The New Lifeline Laymen Ministries Express 11:07 would be ready to launch. 11:09 It has ample seating 11:10 and a large storage area for cargo. 11:13 The day of the launch took a large front end loader 11:16 to move the boat to the water. 11:18 Soon the boat was home free and running smoothly. 11:21 We want to thank all of you who made this miracle possible. 11:25 A new era for Laymen Ministries has begun. 11:29 This lifeline involves a lot more work to keep 11:32 all the food orders and supplies box labeled 11:35 and packed properly, 11:36 so they can be shipped to the villages. 11:39 All the supplies have to be put in reverse order. 11:41 So when they get unloaded at the boat 11:43 they're in the right order, 11:45 this way the right supplies for the right villages 11:47 is in its proper sequencing for each village. 11:51 Otherwise the supplies 11:52 for one village will be on top of the supplies 11:54 for another village. 11:56 Confused, well it can be 11:58 without a good systematic method. 12:01 As you can see there's a lot of work 12:02 to keep the missionary stocked with their needed supplies. 12:06 As I looked at this boat, 12:08 I was reminded how bad its condition is. 12:11 This is going to be the second to the last trip 12:13 before this boat would be retired. 12:16 I just hope it makes it to the villages 12:18 and back with no incidents. 12:20 The next trick is getting this boat 12:22 out of this crowded harbor. 12:24 There's a lot of boats packed in here 12:26 with their anchor rope sprawling all over the place 12:29 and the last thing you want to have happen 12:30 is to have a rope 12:32 get tangled up in your propeller. 12:34 The boat crew often have to jump into the water 12:36 to ensure the boat does not get tangled up 12:38 with the other boats. 12:40 The fishermen in these ports are often rough characters, 12:43 often sporting hangover 12:45 so you want to prevent any tempers from flaring. 12:49 Soon we are off headed for the South China Sea. 12:53 Even though this was typhoon season, 12:55 we were blessed with a relatively calm day. 13:00 It's a three to four hour boat trip 13:02 depending on weather from the port of Mamburao 13:04 crossing Paluan Bay to the first village Binuangan. 13:10 We were again blessed 13:11 because the water at the beach 13:13 was relatively calm. 13:14 Sometimes the waves can be 12 feet high, 13:17 pounding on the shore, 13:18 literally make unloading the boat impossible. 13:23 After we anchored the boat, 13:24 we started the unloading process. 13:29 In this village we have an active school 13:31 for the Iraya tribe. 13:33 We have K through seventh grades 13:35 in this village. 13:36 The graduating students from the seventh grade 13:38 then moved to our boarding academy in Mumburao. 13:42 Many of the buildings here are older. 13:44 Staff housing and classrooms are right next to each other. 13:47 On the top of the hill behind these buildings 13:49 we have two more classrooms. 13:51 The students start their day with some exercises 13:54 and then group worship. 13:56 Following the melody of God 14:00 Following the melody of God 14:06 The students memorize Bible text 14:08 and answer Bible questions. 14:16 After worship all the students are required 14:18 to brush their teeth. 14:19 They're all encouraged to have good hygiene. 14:26 We have teachers that come from many places 14:28 around the Philippines and other countries as well. 14:47 Sing! 14:58 Okay, now. 14:59 I originally was born in Haiti and I migrated, if you will, 15:04 to America 1n 1974. 15:07 And so that's where I grew up. 15:09 And that's where I live currently, 15:13 but, actually now I live here in the Philippines 15:17 being part of one of the team members of LMP. 15:20 Okay, now I leave. 15:26 Leaf? 15:27 How did I come about with Laymen Ministries? 15:30 Seems like its a full circle. 15:32 In 2006-2007, in there, 15:37 I applied with Laymen Ministries 15:39 and for some reason at the time I was searching 15:43 because I really desired to be a missionary 15:45 but at the time I wasn't too sure what to do. 15:48 And then I also applied at a place called Wild Wood, 15:53 that's for medical training. 15:55 So, I decided to go there 15:58 because I figured 16:00 if I have some kind of medical background, 16:02 I would be better used in a mission field. 16:04 So I went on to do that. 16:06 Then shortly after Wild Wood, I went to my first mission, 16:11 my first long term mission trip in Thailand and then there, 16:16 right before coming to... 16:18 going to America I met a Filipino pastor 16:21 and he invited me to come to the Philippines. 16:24 And so I came, I was doing my own thing 16:27 as a medical missionary visiting many people 16:30 doing blood pressure and whatnot, 16:32 and all of a sudden, it's like, 16:34 I was not satisfied enough 16:36 and I felt very lonely to tell you the truth, 16:39 because I am going solo. 16:41 So now right before... 16:44 I'm trying to, not really giving up, 16:46 but a friend of mine, 16:48 I asked for a phone number to some friends 16:50 I wanted to just get some American connection, 16:54 or some English connection, 16:56 she gave me the friends email address, 16:59 and also the email address of Jim and Moni Webb. 17:06 And basically I'm like "Jim and Moni Webb"? 17:08 Who are they? 17:09 And they're with Laymen Ministries. 17:11 I said, "Laymen Ministries!" 17:12 And that brought back 2006-2007, 17:15 so I sent him an email and then he wrote, 17:19 I sent him an email just to say "Hi!" 17:21 and left him my email address, and if he would like, 17:25 if he had time to please contact me 17:28 because I just wanted some American connection. 17:30 And he called in, 17:32 would you know that God had great plans 17:34 and after many, several conversation here I am, 17:40 5 months later back in, Laymen Ministries, 17:45 so I am very excited to be here. 17:48 Mom, one, two, three. 17:51 Mom. Hmm. 17:53 Okay, the next word, 17:55 the next letter is the letter N, 17:59 and what sound does the N make? 18:02 Mae Celestre works with the older students. 18:05 It's amazing to see these older students 18:07 who have come from an illiterate background 18:09 advancing in their comprehension. 18:13 Mae and her husband Boying 18:15 have been with our ministry for many years. 18:23 It's time to say goodbye 18:24 to the missionaries at Binuangan, 18:26 pull up anchor and head to the next village. 18:38 It takes about one hour in good weather 18:40 to go from Binuangan to the village of Pinagbyanan. 18:47 Edith and Lowell Ramos 18:48 are village leaders in Pinagbyanan. 18:51 This village has a small protected harbor. 18:54 Again the same thing is repeated, 18:56 the supplies for the missionaries 18:58 are unloaded. 19:03 Okay, this is the village of Pinagbyanan. 19:06 This was the second village Laymen Ministries entered 19:08 after we started to work here in the Philippines. 19:10 We came here about 17 years ago to this location, 19:13 and somebody attempted to start 19:15 trying to build a school over here in this area, 19:18 and there was two like two partial walls erected 19:20 when we came and they looked like they had been there 19:22 for quite a while. 19:24 Nothing was really happening. 19:25 And I remember Jim and Moni Webb and I came here 19:28 and we looked over the village, 19:30 and looked over the school property 19:31 and thought about starting a project here. 19:35 There was a lot of challenges 19:36 with getting this particular village up and running, 19:38 and by God's grace 19:39 that building that was started there 19:42 turned into one of our first mission houses 19:44 and classrooms here. 19:45 And since then we've expanded into a really beautiful campus. 19:48 The land is deeded to Laymen Ministries, 19:52 Philippines for the purpose of working with the Katatubo. 19:55 So the Katutubo and Laymen Ministries 19:58 has kind like joint agreement on this land as a lease. 20:01 And a lot of things have happened 20:04 in the last 17 years. 20:06 The village used to be a small simple village. 20:09 We had challenges with the school at first 20:11 because a lot of the students 20:13 like in Agbalite were older students 20:16 that came there and so they only like made it 20:18 through a few years, 20:19 but then the village started to really grow 20:21 and there was not only Katutubo that moved into the village 20:25 but some Visayan and Tagalog Filipinos 20:28 and some of those people brought in alcohol, tobacco, 20:32 movies and some very less than desirable type of movies. 20:37 And so there was a lot of like worldly influences 20:41 started coming into the village. 20:42 The government built a public school 20:44 right close to our school over here. 20:46 The teacher shows up about half of the time 20:49 but the parents don't really understand 20:51 the value of education, 20:53 so whether going to a school like ours 20:55 which has a really high standard, 20:56 we expect a good attendance versus just going over there, 21:00 you get pass, the teacher shows up half the time. 21:03 Some of the parents have sent their students 21:05 over to the public school. 21:07 And what's happened is some of them 21:09 actually come back now and are going to school 21:11 because they said, you know, 21:12 the teachers here really love us 21:14 and this school is more serious the one that we're operating. 21:19 All the villages have a flag raising ceremony every morning. 21:33 The teachers do a lot of one-on-one 21:35 with the younger students. 21:36 Edith being a college level teacher 21:39 knows the importance of the groundwork 21:41 that needs to be done with these younger students 21:43 to get them started in English, 21:45 her husband Lowell was testing some of the older students 21:48 while we were there. 21:55 This campus has been built and rebuilt over the years. 21:59 These two room schoolhouse was constructed many years ago 22:02 and was built to withstand typhoons. 22:11 Kimie teaches the class on one side, 22:13 while Johan teaches on the other side. 22:16 Every year we have student missionaries 22:18 that come to us from around the world. 22:34 My name is Johan Lachenal and I'm from France. 22:40 I'm 18 years old. 22:43 So at first I did not really know 22:45 what to expect when I came here 22:47 because I heard many different things, 22:51 but I did not really know what to expect, that, 22:58 I he knew that I would be in the remote place, 23:02 so, I was not really surprised. 23:08 So I think many people worried me so I was, 23:14 I would say ready for that. 23:17 It was still a culture shock 23:20 because it's very different from my place. 23:26 At the end of the day 23:27 there's nothing like a home cooked meal, 23:29 prepared over hot coals in your dirty kitchen. 23:32 Don't let the term dirty kitchen scare you. 23:34 It's what the Filipinos call an outdoor kitchen. 23:41 The next morning we made our way to Agbalite, 23:44 our most remote village. 23:50 Again we were blessed with calm water. 23:52 This beach is exposed to the open sea 23:54 and has a very steep and rocky shoreline. 24:01 The children at the school 24:02 were just starting their flag raising ceremonies 24:04 when we arrived. 24:10 Spirituality is a very important part of our schools. 24:14 In the villages 24:15 there are so many heartbreaking situations, 24:17 birth defects, children getting hurt, 24:20 our missionaries or doctors, 24:22 counselors encourage us as well as teachers. 24:30 So typical the child has a deep cut 24:33 but he does not cry, 24:34 he does not show much emotion 24:36 and stays calm while being treated. 24:41 The children are taught to lead out 24:43 like this girl praying before class. 24:47 This girl was born with spina bifida, 24:49 Laymen Ministries paid to have her treated 24:51 so today she can function normally. 24:55 You should be, you should be loud 24:57 and then you have the same action 25:00 that is five points. 25:10 Isabelle is another teacher 25:11 who has been with our ministry for several years 25:13 and is the village project leader. 25:16 Back in 2004 and 2005 my wife Christy, 25:20 and my youngest daughter Naselle worked in this village 25:23 for six months as missionary teachers. 25:32 Christy was now wanting to find some of her old students, 25:34 right now a girl named Naomi. 25:36 I'm looking for Naomi's house. 25:39 Some of these students dropped school years ago, 25:41 reverted to their parents' old lifestyle 25:43 but they still could speak a little English 25:45 which they learned when they were just kids. 25:48 Going into this village will give you an idea 25:50 how the Iraya tribe lives. 26:04 This lady was indeed Naomi, some 12 years earlier 26:08 she was one of my wife's students, 26:10 her short time of education had made some changes, 26:13 she and her children were clean. 26:15 But unless one embraces a God given education, 26:19 the cycle of poverty and ignorance will remain. 26:36 Christy had one more mission to find a girl named Marie 26:40 who is also a former student of hers. 26:48 Along the way we met 26:49 some of the parents of our students. 26:52 Many of these young adults were in the mountains 26:54 tending to their high land rice fields. 26:57 These people are semi-nomadic, so change comes slow. 27:01 This is Marie's house, 27:03 she was my student when I was here. 27:06 And I thought I would find her here 27:07 but it seems like she's sleeping in the mountain. 27:11 Sometimes you don't quite understand 27:13 the answers to the questions you give. 27:16 Christy prepared some plastic bins with soap, 27:18 toothpaste and simple cooking supplies 27:21 for all of her former students as a token of love. 27:26 Malany, her former student came by and pick one up. 27:30 The impact of missionaries is forever. 27:45 Laymen Ministries has projects in seven different countries. 27:49 By people like you supporting these projects, 27:51 we are able by God's grace to keep the lifeline flowing. 27:56 In our next video, 27:57 we'll show you our boarding academy 27:59 and the fruits of our labors in these remote villages. |
Revised 2023-03-02