Just got done with out hugest assignment yet-96 pages! Now all of us first years are getting ready for the midwterm on March 12. On feb 25-28 Abigail, Erin, and I went on outreach to Talaingod, a village about three hours drive from Mercy. Josephine, one of the Filipina midwives who works at the clininc and teaches us, comes from Talaingod and wnat to go back to her people at some point as a missionary. We went to stay at a dormitory build in the little village by Mariane and Dolphy, Swiss missionaries who have been here for 25 years, most of which they have lived in the mountains with tribal people. The dormitory houses highschool students from the mountains who live too far away to be able to go to school otherwise. They are taught Enlgish and discipled and fed at the dormitory, it ws really fun talking to some of them and getting to know them a little.
We rode to the village in the bakc of Dolphy's truck with all our backpacks and two other Filipina ladies who were coming to teach an eye screening class. It was so fun to feel the wind and get a little sunburned for three hours, reminds me of home. The first evening at the village we spent eating dinner and learning how to use tha water pump, take a water bath, and warm off the determined mosquitoes. The next morning we had the eye screening class where the two nurses who had come in from the city taught us and about 15 health workers who live and work in the surrounding areas. Their goal was to teach the health workers to identify eye diseases before they cause blindness and help the patients to get treatment. The teahcing was all in Visayan, so that was interesting, but we understood enough to get the hang of it. The next day, we all the health workers invited patients and we had sooo many. Not just eye problems either-everyone came. So we listened to everyone's lungs and took everyone's vitals, then Mariane gave medicine to the ones that needed it. It was hard to see how many had already gone to a clinic somewhere and gotten meds for some chronic problem, but had stopped taking htem becuase they were too expensive--there is kind of nothing you can do but pray and try to encourage them.

On sunday we rode another hour or so up into the mountains through the banana plantations to church. Josephine showed us where she was born and how long she used to have to walk to school-about two hours. We went to a tiny little grass church where we had to sit in the front seats of honor-awkward. Then the kids sang some songs in their Monodo language and we sang a song in Visayan and then the dads and the moms and the young people, and another visitor each sang their own song. After that we had a snack of kasava goo and potatoes. Next Mariane taught the kids a story in Manobo and Dolphy preached a sermon and then we all loaded back up and headed down again. We stopped so many times to say hello and visit people. We had lunch at the house of the tribal Datu, or leader, and of course they just watched us eat--awkward again, but funny.

I learned a lot on the trip about what it means to devote a whole life to serving people. After 25 yrs. the people who are so shy and timid with me are so comfortable with Mariane and Dolphy and trust them so completely. That is something to work toward. I think so much is knowing the language, but also just living with the people and understanding them means so much.

The ride back home was really nice. Erin and I sat in the back and watched the sunset and chatted. We even got a little chilly! God knew just what I needed-a little rest in the country and a good reminder of why I am here.