This is from my nephew serving in the Philippines.

Dear Rell & Carol,
Greetings from Dakuton Base. It is a sultry 89 degrees outside, the barometer is low at 28.90 inches, and big waves are rolling in from the Sulu Sea. Typhoon Quiel is a powerful category four storm, and has just passed to the North of us. Last week, Typhoon Pedring made a mess of our base, but fortunately caused no major damage. Another storm is now forming to our West. Quiel is the 17th typhoon to affect the Philippines this year, and the season doesn’t end until December!
Some pretty amazing things have happened in our area in connection with these storms. Two weeks ago, the residents of a village to the north of us, awoke to discover that twelve Vietnamese fisherman had washed up on their beach. The fishermen’s boat had sunk during a typhoon and they were very fortunate to have survived. Last week we awoke around daybreak, and were astonished to see a huge waterspout (tornado over the ocean) descending from the clouds. We have seen dozens of these waterspouts but never one so big or occurring so early in the morning. For several weeks now, Billy and Christine have been working with the reality TV show,” Survivor Philippines.” The show’s cast experienced more reality than they bargained for, when the boat they were riding in, sank in huge seas generated by Typhoon Pedring.
On September 10th, we received the news of the passing of Karen’s father. He had been in poor health for some time, and passed away peacefully at his home in Wisconsin. Open Door Bible Church graciously provided the funds for Karen to fly home to be with her family. I am sure they would all appreciate your prayers during this time.
This month we will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the founding of The Youth Center. It hardly seems possible that we began a decade ago, teaching a small group of children, gathered on an overturned fishing boat. Government officials advised us,” to focus on the children of the village because of the rampant drunkenness and violence common among the adults.” They confided in us,” that they were seriously considering demolishing the entire village.” Through the years, we have continually marveled at how God has worked in the lives of the fishermen of the village Pagkakaisa. As individual lives have been transformed, our village has also changed dramatically. It is now considered a model of development, and we have seen an explosion in growth these past several years. We continue to call ourselves,” The Youth Center” but are actually a functioning church; with as many adults attending as youth.
In our last newsletter, we mentioned that the son of our opponent in our court cases had begun attending church at The Youth Center. Many of our members were apprehensive because some of them had had violent encounters with Bisoy in the past; including a shooting incident. Some of them had also been present when he had slapped Pastor Ongcal, only two weeks earlier. Well, Bisoy has not only faithfully attended church these past three months, but has been an extremely positive influence. Men of our village that we have been unsuccessfully urging to attend church for years are now are regulars, because Bisoy ordered them to come! We are currently having record attendance in our adult Sunday school.
We are also celebrating the tenth anniversary of our Dakuton Base and Camp ministry. Originally, our idea was to have a place to serve as a base for missionary work in Northern Palawan. At that time, the area had almost no churches, and was very wild and undeveloped. As our base developed, a pastor friend encouraged us to try hosting youth camps at our facility. At first we were hesitant. We had no funding, no experience with that type of ministry, and no one to staff it. Also, we felt we would be getting sidetracked from our normal church planting focus.
After much prayer, we decided to try hosting a small camp. It was a simple affair with the campers using tents. It was successful and fun, in spite of the disruption of having two helicopters crash nearby! The next camp we hosted attracted over 200 people. We were surprised at the amazing variety of people that came to these camps; many of which would not normally attend church.
In the following years, whenever we had extra funds, we would use it in construction of cottages. The variety of people that continues to come to these camps is remarkable. Primitive Batak tribal people, missionaries from 11 countries, numerous transvestites, members of the Tagbanwa tribe, a famous anthropologist, Muslims, a group of Chinese doctors, college students, prostitutes, Palawano tribal people, fishermen, a group of young people that arrived with their own military escort, a Dumagat tribal person, farmers, members of the Muslim Molbog tribe, hundreds of members of various street gangs from the city, and Bajao tribal people.
These past ten years, the ministry at our base has evolved into something that is not easy to describe. We thought of using random statistics to give a glimpse of some of what has occurred here.
Number of people that have participated in the camp ministry: 20,000+. Number of meals cooked using firewood: 300,000+. Number of languages and dialects that have been spoken here: 19. Nationalities of visitors: 17. Unreached People Groups taught: 4. Number of people that have entered our facility carrying automatic weapons: 50+. Number of hours spent by campers in Worship and Bible teaching: 15,000+. Units of medicine (tablets, capsules, suspensions, etc.) dispensed from our medical clinic: 60,000+. Number of terrorist attacks that have occurred within a mile of our base: 3. Number of basketballs and volleyballs worn out: 11. Number of live pigs that have been brought to the facility: 23. Number of live pigs that have left the facility: 0. Number of death threats Scott has received: 3. Attempts by individuals, to cause our facility to close: 8. Criminal cases filed against our workers: 12. Number of mission works we have assisted in starting in Northern Palawan: 14. Number of times our facility has been seriously damaged by typhoons: 3. Number of full time workers working with the camp ministry: 0. Number of people that have died at our clinic: 2. Cost to use our facility: 0. Christian bands that have performed here: 50+. Maximum number we are allowed to host per camp: 250.
We are eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Ariel, her husband Robert, and new baby Kaelyn, in November. We are excited not only about seeing family again but also welcoming co-workers.
In spite of the fact that the work here has grown so much in size these past ten years, we have only been able to add one full time worker. None of our six ministries has workers that can focus solely on their specific work. On Sundays, Pastor Oncgal travels to teach in three separate places! As in the time of Christ,” The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.” Our camp ministry in particular is only reaching a fraction of its potential, because of having no full time workers. Please pray for Robert, Ariel, and Kaelyn as they prepare to join us.
What’s the latest from Hanging Dog? Rell, it was good to hear that you have some prospects for new houses. Because of the guys we have had come here to do projects, we hear from all over the country about construction. You are the only one we have heard from that has new building prospects.
Rell you asked about the lady that is harassing us. She is 62 and definitely not mellowing much with age. It is like dealing with a very naughty, but dangerous child. She addresses me as Pastor Demonio and loves to stomp on my foot, when she gets a chance, in court! Yes, her kids (except for the one that attends church at The Youth Center) are also opposed to us, and in addition are regular users of methamphetamine. Amazingly, the one attending church with us was at one time, the worst of them all; there is hope.
Carol, that was a nice picture of Taz on your Blog sight. It is amazing how attached you can get to a dog you have had a long time. While we were on furlough, someone (probably our neighbor) poisoned one of our dogs, and he died on Christmas Eve. The dog we have now is in very bad health after being poisoned twice. Speaking of your blog sight, we recently received an e-mail from a guy that read about us there.
Well, I’ve got to sign off and get back to work. We are trying to get a new roof put on the house Ariel will be living in, in between storms. Rell, the roof is made up of shingles, consisting of palm leaves sewed onto bamboo. The shingles are attached using split rattan. A roof for a small house costs about $30 and lasts for about three years. We are also trying to get the mowing done. We have about an acre and a half that has to be mowed weekly, with a small push mower. The lady that is mowing right now has thirteen kids!
Because of the financial crisis in the U.S., giving to the work here had fallen by half in the previous two months. Normally, such a shortfall would be would be devastating to an organization, but by God’s Grace, we are doing just fine. It is so encouraging to all of us here, when God touches people like yourselves to meet our needs. Everyone sends their love.

Scott

Focus on the Philippines

A letter from my niece and nephew Scott and Karen Taylor who have been serving faithfully in the Philippines for twenty years.

Dear Rell & Carol,
The thermometer is pegged at 90 degrees, the Northeast trade winds are blowing steadily, the waves are pounding the seawall, and a typhoon is forming to the South of us. This kind of weather can only mean that Christmas is near!

We now are entering into our busiest and most productive time of year. The people of the Philippines are very receptive to things of a spiritual nature during the holidays. In addition, the holiday season is very long. It begins in November and continues thru New Years. In February, the Chinese community will usher in the year of the Rabbit and the Vietnamese here will celebrate the Tet New Year.

Two days from now, we will be holding our annual Christmas celebration with the Batak. We are expecting around 100 people. How different it will be, from our first Christmas celebration with them, twenty years ago. At that time, there were only 19 people in our entire village. Because of our very limited language ability back then, we could not explain to them why we were celebrating. There were no churches in any of the Batak villages in spite of sixty years of missionary work. Happily, God in His goodness has been working in the hearts and minds of the Batak. Today, there are probably more Batak believers per capita than there are American.

After the Batak celebration, we will be hosting a Korean Missionary group as part of our camp ministry. They are currently working with three tribal groups found here in Palawan, and campers will be coming from as far as 150 miles away, to attend the three day event.

These past months have been very eventful ones for our Youth Center ministry. It continues to grow and the church members are maturing in the Faith. You might remember a story we wrote about some years ago. The children of one large family had earned Bibles and proudly took them home to show their father. Sadly, the father took the Bibles and threw them out the front door, where they landed in the mud. He said, “Bibles were not allowed in his house and the children were forbidden to attend church.” Last week the same father confessed,” he now sits outside every Sunday and listens to our worship service. For years, his wife and children have been regular members and his oldest daughter helps with children’s Sunday school. She would also like to attend Bible school next year.

Please pray for the safety of the fisherman, of our Youth Center ministry. Recently, they have been experiencing very violent storms that seem to come out of nowhere. We personally experienced one of these storms just last week. Sudden, gale force winds littered our base with coconuts and broken tree limbs. A bathroom door blew off, which then tore out a section of fence! The rain was blowing so horizontally, it actually traveled up the tailpipe of our jeep and filled the muffler with water! At The Youth Center, several trees were blown down.

Also last week, one of our fishermen came upon three men, clinging to the wreckage of their fishing boat, about 100 miles offshore. There was also a body tied to the wreckage.

Three days earlier, the men had been fishing when their boat was struck by lightning, and sank. One of the men was killed instantly. The survivors spent the following three days and nights, drifting without food or water. They were also forced to fight off the fish that were consuming the body of their friend.

Recently, a group arrived at our Youth Center saying,” The land where our Center is located belongs to them, and they were going to take it.” We took the threat very seriously because this group is known for its violent, land grabbing activities. A member of this group is the same person responsible for Scott being called before a grand jury several years ago, accusing him of being head of a criminal syndicate! While we were trying to figure out what to do, the brother of Scott’s former accuser, stabbed and killed someone while attending a wake. The family of the victim decided not to press charges, and the murderer was released from jail. As soon as he was released, a member of the victim’s family killed him! It is not likely that this group will be bothering us, as long as they are busy fighting one another.

Things continue to go well for us on the legal front. In spite of our nine cases continuing throughout 2010, the prosecution scored no major victories. We are thankful that one case was dismissed, when the plaintiff fail to appear for three consecutive hearings.

We are astonished at the development currently taking place around our Dakuton Base. When we arrived in the area ten years ago, it was a wild, sparsely populated place. Today, we are surrounded by resorts and more are being built. A group of investors from mainland China recently bought a nearby resort and plan to develop it. There is now a large, Korean school within walking distance of our house, where wealthy Koreans come to learn the English language. In spite of all of this development, most of the local people in our area still live in grinding poverty, and are controlled by superstition. Recently, in spite of the fact that a typhoon was threatening, the top story locally was about a family of vampires that was supposedly in the area. The radio was actually urging people to remain calm!

About this time last year, we experienced major flooding at our base. One of the vivid memories we have was that of one of our neighbor’s children walking by, as we surveyed the damage to our place. The ten year old girl had been forced to abandon her flooded house. She was walking alone, carrying all of her possessions in one, small plastic bag. Six months after the flooding, this same child was the victim of a violent rape. In addition, the girl’s mother began having serious emotional problems, and disappeared. With no relatives in the area, the child has been living with our Youth Center workers for about a month now. Please remember her in your prayers.

In January, we will have a new addition to our team of workers here. Mallory Oliff is from Tallahassee, Florida, and will be joining us for six months. Please pray for him as he adjusts to major changes in climate, food, and culture. Also pray for wisdom and patience as he attempts to learn a new language.

What’s the latest from Hanging Dog? Sorry it has been a while sense I have written. The motherboard went out in my computer and they had to send all the way to China for another one.
Yes, our neighbor has really been something. Just last night, I was playing my guitar, getting ready for the rehearsal of our Praise band. I hear this horrible screaming, and it was her telling me to turn my guitar down! Many nights, I have fallen asleep to the sound of drunken prostitutes and their customers, singing karaoke at her resort! If you come for a visit, I will make sure I introduce you.

I don’t know if you have heard the news that Ariel is expecting. We are really excited. Ariel continues to work in Waukesha while her husband finishes Bible school. I am having a lot of fun at the motocross track. When I beat a loud mouth, hotshot teenager in a race, I now get to kid him about getting beat by a Grand paw!

I might have told you before, that the courthouse where I spend so much of my time, is located right next to the motocross track. After a stressful day in court, I de-stress out at the track. Lots of court cases = lots of practice. The Philippine National Motocross season just concluded and I ended up 14th in points standing for 2010, in the veteran division.

This year, the price of postage has sky rocketed here. There has also been a big increase in the number of people that are experiencing hunger right now. What we decided to do is: instead of sending you a Christmas card this year, we took the amount of the postage saved and threw a big Christmas blow out. We are sending a picture of the child you sponsored. She received a big meal, a small gift, and was a happy camper!

Well, I’ve got to sign off and get back to work. Everyone sends their love.

Scott

If the Lord would lead you to contribute to this ministry the address for contributions is:
The Taylors (this is the only address to send contributions)

C/O Glenda Norris
25665 Nightingale Drive
Lebanon, MO 65536
Their Field Address:
Scott and Karen Taylor
P.O. Box 113
Puerto Princessa City
5300 Palawan, Philippines
email: scottkarentaylor@yahoo.com

Update From Philippines

Received this a few minutes ago. An update from my nephew who is a missionary to the Philippines. Please pray for them, Kordong, and for the people trying to recover from the last typhoon.

Dear Friends,

We are now in the city helping with one of our Youth Center teenagers who was the victim of a stabbing. He is from the same family that was flooded out of their home last week and living at our Dakuton Base. He is in the hospital but in stable condition. Please pray for Kordong as he recovers.

The typhoon we asked you to pray about has been quite a story. It was headed right towards the Philippines and had intensified into a category 5 storm. In comparison, Hurricane Katrina was a category 3. People here were in despair as they watched this new storm develop. Many of the dead from the last two storms still remain unburied and over 1 million people have been displaced. The president here called for a day of prayer,” that God would protect the Philippines.” Pastors in Manila were reporting that their churches were packed with people. Amazingly, the massive storm (600 miles wide) began going in small circles and then took an s-shaped course. It also weakened into a category 3 storm. It was supposed to make landfall last Monday, but yesterday was still about 500 miles away. It is also veering much farther to the North of us.

We were set to cancel a camp that was originally planned for October 23rd, but the group begged us to allow them to come as scheduled. Imagine, on the highway side of our camp, we can see Red Cross and military vehicles going to stricken areas; on the ocean side, we can see huge, U.S. Marine helicopters (700 marines are in The Philippines helping with the relief effort) ferrying in supplies; the ocean is eerily still and quiet (the calm before the storm) and 150 people want to do a camp! We told them that they could come but needed to be prepared to leave in a hurry.

Thank-you so much for your prayers. Many have said,” they were not able to open the attachment we sent along with our newsletter. “ If you want to see a good, up-to-date Satellite picture of the typhoon, go to: typhoon2000.com. Our island is the long, thin one, closest to Viet Nam.

Scott

Here is our latest news from the Philippines. Please pray for Scott, his family and ministry to the people there.

Dear Friends,
Just a short letter to bring you up-to-date on what it happening here, and to ask for your prayers.
About two weeks ago, a powerful typhoon passed to the North of us, displacing over 1 million people and causing around 300 deaths. We received only slight damage here at our base, and after three days were able to get things cleaned up in time to host a group of 130 people at our camp ministry. Despite the president declaring the entire country a disaster area, everyone had a good time.
We spent the next two days, celebrating the eighth anniversary of the founding of our Youth Center. About 200 people participated, and we had a fine time of worship, fellowship, eating, and sports. The Batak from Riyan Dakan, came down from our tribal village to join in the festivities. As the celebration was concluding, a young Batak mother brought her four year old child to our medical clinic. It quickly became apparent that the child was extremely ill, and needed to be hospitalized. Unfortunately, it was late in the day, heavy rains had begun to fall from yet another typhoon, and we felt it wasn’t safe to start out for the city. We decided to leave for the hospital early the next morning, and the Batak would spend the night in the lowland village of Maoyon .
Early the next morning, we were shocked to discover that flooding the night before had caused major damage to our Dakuton Base. Leaving for the village of Maoyon, we were amazed to see that the flooding had caused three rivers to overflow their banks, and merge into one huge torrent. The only two access roads into the village were deep under water. Over 2000 people were trapped inside surrounded by rising flood waters! We were the first on the scene of this impending disaster and at a loss as to what to do. We decided to return to our base and try to get help using our two-way radio.
We soon learned that help was already on the way to the village and also that a landslide had occurred to the North of us. The heavy rains had caused the side of a mountain to come down, killing six nurses working at a rural health clinic. In addition, we received word that flooding was also threatening our Youth Center . Fortunately, we were able to round up a number of volunteers, fill a bunch of sandbags, and prevent any water from reaching the inside the Center. Next, it was back to Maoyon to help in the rescue/relief effort. Thankfully, the floodwaters began to recede, and we were the first vehicle into the village. About 100 families had been displaced, but there were no deaths, and only minor injuries. The Batak were actually having a great time. They had just finished being interviewed at length by a T.V. news reporter (he had reached the village by boat). During the interview, they had complained about the quality of the rescue effort, and were assured that plenty of relief goods were on the way. The Batak ended up having a full two minutes on the evening news! We left medicine with the sick child and promised to try again to make the trip to the city, the following day.
Back at The Youth Center, the waters had also receded, and damage was limited to the basketball and volleyball courts. At our Dakuton Base, the floodwaters continued to rage across our property. A place where campers had played kickball the week before was now a kilometer wide spot of muddy water out in the Sulu Sea. Left, was a gaping hole that was rapidly getting larger. We watched in amazement as our seawall, which had withstood two previous, powerful typhoons, started breaking apart, and was carried away. Our neighbors arrived after evacuating their flooded house, and asked if they could move into one of our cottages. The their ten year old daughter was carrying all of her early possessions in a small, plastic bag.
The next day, we were finally able to get the Batak child to the hospital. He was found to have pneumonia and confined for five days. At the same time the death toll from the most recent typhoon surpassed 300. The area of devastation was so large, U.S. marines were called in to help with the rescue and relief efforts.
Back at our Dakuton Base, we began the process of repairing the damage caused by the typhoon. We had an extreme sense of urgency because another very powerful typhoon was already moving towards the Philippines. As Red Cross and military vehicles sped past our Base, we were once again able to mobilize a large group of volunteers. Using mostly women and children and without the aid of heavy equipment, we moved tons of earth and rock and placed it in the hole left by the flooding. It was backbreaking work but was completed in six days. We were also able to rebuild the seawall in two days. We had an added time of excitement when a big water spout touched down not far from where we were working.
Please pray that the Philippines will be spared from the effects of this new typhoon. The country has already suffered over 600 dead in the past two weeks. Also pray for us. We are just now entering into the peak typhoon season and have suffered major damage the previous two Novembers. We will be sending out a newsletter soon
Scott

Prayer for the Philippines

As some of you know, my nephew, Scott, and his family have lived and ministered in the Philippines for many years. I am including a prayer request from Francis Frangipane's ministy. Please pray for this country and my nephew.
Blessings,
Carol

Super-typhoon roaring toward the Philippines Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has declared a nationwide "state of calamity" as it braces for the arrival of a powerful super-typhoon, just days after another storm caused the country's worst flooding in decades.Forecasters have warned that Parma, a category five storm, will hit the islands on Saturday. This is after hundreds were killed and the city of Manila flooded by typhoon Ketsana. This is an an extremely serious situation. Please, let us stand in prayer for the Filipino people. Let's pray that the strength of this category five storm will rapidly diminish. Let us also give sacrificially to relief agencies that can get vital food, medicines and basic necessities to the people in need.Finally, let us continue to intercede for the Samoan Islands, Tonga and Indonesia, all recently devastated by earthquakes. Reuters AlertNet - World Vision Preparing for the Worst as 'Super Typhoon Parma' Bears Down on Philippines

Thank you!
Francis Frangipane

The Taylors-Reaching Tribal People in the Philippines

Always saying, "Goodbye."

Back row: Christine Taylor, Kim Taylor Johnson,

Scott Taylor, Rell Lackland, Ariel Taylor, Billy Taylor

Front row: Carol Lackland, Karen Taylor, Sarah Caudill

I have wanted for some time to share with my friends the wonderful ministry of my nephew Scott Taylor, his wife, Karen, and children Ariel, Billy, and Christine in the Philippines.

Scott had studied the Batak people of the Philippines in a sociology class. He learned that it was estimated they would be extinct as a people group by the year 2000. He and Karen lived among them providing basic medical care and love. The Batak are not extinct but growing in health and in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I intend to share their letters with you as I receive their emails. Scott and his family live simply and sacrificially. They come home infrequently. Please pray for them and their ever expanding work in the Philippines.

If the Lord would lead you to contribute to this ministry the address for contributions is:

The Taylors (this is the only address to send contributions)

C/O Glenda Norris

25665 Nightingale Drive

Lebanon, MO 65536

Their Field Address:

Scott and Karen Taylor

P.O. Box 113

Puerto Princessa City

5300 Palawan, Philippines

email: scottkarentaylor@yahoo.com

Blessings,

4/20/09
Dear Rell & Carol,
Greetings from Riyan Dakan. We are now at our home in our tribal village, enjoying the Batak and the beauty of living again in the rain forest. Our busy April/May camp season begins in several weeks, so this will be our last chance to have uninterrupted time with the people here.
Our Christmas holiday season went extremely well. We were able to minister to around 1000 people through our various works and outreaches. The Gospel was presented and others were taught to better appreciate the priceless gift of the Christ’s birth.
We continue to be astounded by the remarkable variety of people that participate in our camp ministry: Primitive Batak tribal people, a Korean millionaire businessman, a Nigerian missionary, a transvestite, members of the Tagbanwa tribe, a famous anthropologist, Muslims, a group of Chinese doctors, college students, Palawano tribal people, Korean missionaries, fisherman, a group of young people that arrived with their own military escort, armed with automatic weapons, Australian missionaries, and farmers. People from six different countries, speaking fourteen different languages and dialects, passed through the camp ministry during the Christmas Holiday season. We have been amazed that in spite of the economic crisis, people continue to come.
Something is now occurring for the first time, also in connection with our camp ministry. When we first opened, some of the young people attending camps made commitments to go into full time Christian ministry. We wondered at the time, how many would follow through with their pledges. We are now seeing some of those same young people bringing their own groups for camps. They have completed their schooling and are now Pastors or church workers.
We had a new addition to our team of workers in February. Brian is from Fresno, California and will be joining us for a year. Sarah from Wisconsin is now in her ninth month with us, and continues to be a huge blessing.
With the extra support provided by Brian and Sarah, we are now able to be involved in projects that we previously never had time for. One of these projects is ministering to tribal people with leprosy. In spite of having a medical program for many years, we have never succeeded in saving the life of a single patient suffering from leprosy. Traditionally, people with leprosy are forced to live in a leper colony located on an island far to the north of us. Such a prospect is terrifying to a Batak and they normally go into hiding in remote parts of the jungle. There, they live an incredible existence of loneliness and suffering, with no access to medical care. Normally, they only come to us when they are in the last, critical stages of their disease. By that time, there is very little we can do to help them.
The main difficulties in working with a Batak with leprosy is first finding them, and then spending many hours trying to gain their trust. They must be convinced that we can help them and are not just trying to trick them into going to the leper colony.
Recently, a Batak with leprosy attended a Batak believer’s conference held at our camp. It was heartbreaking and yet incredibly inspiring, to see him standing though the lengthy song service, tottering on feet that were mostly gone. With difficulty, he clapped his hands in time with the music. It was difficult because he has no fingers. His enthusiasm in worship and hunger for teaching was truly an inspiration to all of us.
In the months since the conference, we have managed to gain his trust and have convinced him to undergo treatment. A government doctor from the city has agreed to supply a years worth of free drugs for his treatment, and to allow us to administer them. The only condition is that the Batak must first be examined by him. Unfortunately, on the day that the examination was to take place, the Batak disappeared and was rumored to be somewhere deep in the rainforest. Pray for Busingan and his wife.
Several years ago, a group of women came to us requesting help. Because of a dwindling membership and the loss of their Pastor, their church was on the verge of closing its doors. They asked us to help them and we agreed. Carol, Marlyn, Pastor Ongcal, and Bekay, worked many hours with the church, in addition to their own ministry responsibilities. Happily, the church is now doing much better and has called a new Pastor.
One aspect of our ministry that continues to not go very well is our outreach to the local, teenage boys. Often they will attend The Youth Center (many times faithfully) but later succumb to the temptation of drinking, drugs and the violence that are so prevalent in our area. For a time, one young man faithfully attended the Youth Center. You might remember him as a boxer in one of our videos. He joined the army and was stationed in the lowland village that we pass through on the way to our home in the tribe. Several months ago, he was part of a large crowd that was taking part in our lowland village’s Foundation Day. He was not in uniform and armed, but his friend was, and they had been drinking. Later in the evening, he became involved in an altercation and soon his opponent returned with some of his friends. His armed friend felt threatened (no doubt his judgment was clouded by his drinking.) and opened fire on the crowd. A huge stampede resulted, injuring many in addition to those had been shot. Our Tribal Chieftain Marina was standing next to one of those shot, and was severely trampled. She came to our clinic for treatment and was covered with cuts and bruises. The young soldier from our Youth Center now faces charges, has ruined his military career, and brought shame on his family. Please pray for the young men in our area.
How is everything in Hanging Dog? Are you seeing any warm weather yet? The other day, we got out our pictures of the big snowstorm we experienced in Wisconsin right before Micah’s wedding. It is hard to believe that a year has gone by already. I really do miss the cold weather. It has been unusually hot here, even for the tropics. Sarah is from Northern Wisconsin and has had a difficult adjustment to the heat.
Scott