April 6,

I awoke around 0715, and Jeff said he’d been awake since 0600. We both slept decently – sleep can be such a blessing.

We are in a little “villa” as the receptionist called it last night. It is the size of a hotel room, but it is one of nine huts around a nice sized pool. We went to the entrance hall, which is the reception, bar, and restaurant area for some breakfast. I had the American Plate- bacon; sunny-side eggs; toast with butter and jam; and coffee. Jeff had Omelet Plate- which was an omelet with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, & cheese; and toast with butter and jam; and hot chocolate. Breakfast is not included, but we can run a tally and pay later. I don’t remember the cost. When we finished, we went back to our place and readied for church. The pastor said he’d pick us up at nine. He showed up just as we were heading out to wait for him- he was early. His wife and granddaughter accompanied him. After introductions were made we all got in their son’s vehicle and went to Touched By Grace Fellowship. Along the way the minister asked us if it was okay that he speak in Tagalog as well as English. We both were insistent that he not change.

Once there, he and his wife introduced us to many of the leaders of the church, but so many just came up to us and introduced themselves. There’s no way I can remember all their names. So friendly are the Filipino people! This congregation seems a fairly young church, but it is a natural, healthy mix of generations. It was great to see. The service was 25 minutes of praise and worship, again only 3 songs. One song I did not recognize, but liked very well. I looked it up later. It’s a Hillsong Worship song – Through It All. Then we had the sermon, Unwavering Love; followed by a last song where an offering was taken. Another two hour service, but it did not seem that long. 

After the service, the minister showed us the whole building they are leasing. The members run a learning disabilities school here, teaching disabled children and young adults life skills. The lease they have expires in five years, and they won’t be able to renew it. The minister is concerned about the future of the school. It is definitely something to pray for.

Then we were invited to lunch with a group. It was mostly the minister’s family – their two sons, a daughter-in-law, and another young lady, who actually set us up for an outing tomorrow, as she is affiliated with/works with the place. We went to Winnie’s Place Restaurant. They all had Grilled Chicken Wing (which included like ¼ of breast); Jeff and I had the Grilled Chicken Leg. Each plate had rice (which we did not know and ordered chicken smoke fried rice), a slice of yellow watermelon, and a slice of cucumber with a garnish of lemon peel. The minister, unbeknownst to us, ordered a coconut water for each of us – that came in a huge coconut. We had ordered a mango and a pineapple shake, as well. We had plenty. Someone in the family had ordered a grilled squid dish & a big plate of plain rice, and passed it around. We tried it – good caramelizing but the squid itself is still rubbery – not fans. Anyway, they had also ordered a broth type soup with meat parts and bok choy. I had some of the bok choy with the great broth. Overall, I am surprised by the lack of vegetables that seem available on the menus.🤔 Jeff caught the waiter as he was bringing the bill and paid for everyone. The Minister said he had planned on paying for us… It was time for us to ‘pay it forward’.

We all left, loading into different vehicles. The minister, his wife, the young lady and Jeff & I in one vehicle. Along the way, we saw the young lady’s twin sister, and took her to their place. She is an ER nurse and pulls an early shift tomorrow. The church has a second service at 1500 for the community, so they have to get back. We arrived back at our place and took some photos with them. We thanked him, well all of them. We had a pleasant day – such nice people!

Now we had a siesta, knowing well they don’t! Then about five we went out. Jeff had found a scooter rental place. We got a black Yamaha Mio for two days. It cost 500 PHP/day, which is $8.72/day. We took off and went to a mall supermarket for stuff, got gas, and then a small local convenience store for ice.

Back at our place, we unloaded. We had a light dinner of a local “Cheetos”, curry flavored; BBQ Doritos, and a local banana each. We talked with my mom on WhatsApp. As we unwound we were exhausted and texted our local church back home that we would not be on Zoom. We crashed around 2130. We have early plans for tomorrow.