#Hallelujah

Happy Easter to all!  We are grateful for the Empty Tomb!

This week was Holy Week, and it has been very interesting to observe the activities in the Philippines.  Holy Week is very important in the Philippines. Schools are out, the government shuts down and most businesses are closed on Thursday and Friday, but open on Saturday and Sunday.

Each neighborhood, or barangay, erects a tent that serves as a mini chapel, where, over loudspeakers, they do a reading, or "Pagbasa" 24/7 for the entire week.  They sing the reading, and it is loud, repetitive, and really annoying to be honest. We could hear multiple readings at the same time, and most of the singing was flat.  Think of really bad karaoke.

Besides the chanting, there were groups of men who would re enact Christ carrying the cross to Calvary.  That was interesting, but what was disturbing were the groups of young men following and whipping themselves with whips dipped in goat blood to make them look really bloody.  When we passed one group, we actually had blood spattered onto our car. They think they will be forgive of all their sins for doing this. We passed eight large groups on Friday alone as we traveled from our house to the mission office.  Apparently Tarlac and Pampanga provinces, which are both in the mission are the only areas in the Philippines that do this.  In Pampanga they perform crucifixions as well.  Our Filipino missionaries from other areas are as shocked as we were. On our way home Friday evening, we got behind thousands of people participating in the Stations of the Cross ritual.  It took a while to get home. We are grateful we celebrate the living Christ rather than the dying Christ.

To contrast this experience, Saturday we hiked, and it was quite a hike, back into Pisapongang with the elders, where Elder Whiting was privileged to baptize the chief, Juanito, and his wife Teresita.  Juanito requested that Elder Whiting baptize him and he was honored to do so. So we drove 15 miles to the end of the pavement and then walked a couple of miles to the village, where we met Juanito and Teresita, and the Burgos branch president and members. Then we walked another mile or two to the Pisapongang River.  We crowded into a member's two room house where we sat on bags of rice for the baptism program; then Elder Whiting baptized them in the river.  He had worked all week memorizing the baptismal prayer in Tagalog and said it perfectly, right down to "syanawa" (shanawa) which is amen in Tagalog. They were so happy and the tears flowed freely.  When Teresita came up out of the water she waved her hands with joy as if to say "at last I am baptized". It was such a wonderful experience, well worth the hike, the heat, and the interesting lunch we ate afterwards.

We leave you with some of the most glorious words ever spoken to man ... "why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, for He is risen".... --Luke 24:5, 6--

Mahal Kita
Elder and Sister Whiting

Jeepney of the Week

Hiking into Pisapongang

A really sturdy bridge, haha

Down the hill to the river

Elder Whiting

L-R: Elder Sam, Elder Whiting, Juanito Fallorin, Teresita Fallorin, Elder Bartolome

Ready for the baptism

Walking to the river

Teresita Fallorin

She did it!

Overcome with emotion

Elder Whiting and Juanito after the baptism

Elder Whiting is all wet and all smiles

Elder and Sister Whiting

We finally met a Caribaou up close and personal. The Burgos Branch President in the background

Elder Whiting and members of the Burgos Branch

A member's  two room home.  Tin, plywood, concrete block, concrete floor, no glass in the window, the living room doubles as the bedroom. But it was neat and clean, the walls are covered in gospel art, and the scriptures are well used.

Stations of the Cross processional

Stations of the Cross processional

Young men whipping themselves