Over the river and through the woods.... to a tribal ritual?

Well this has been quite the week! Megan, our supervisor picked us up on Tuesday and we got to spend Tuesday night with a missionary couple nearby before moving to our next village (Mayong) on Wednesday.  We got some much needed rest and had time to do laundry and take real showers (aka not out of a bucket or a river).  So that was amazing!

Mayong is a beautiful village on a mountain next to the beach- so let's just say that it's gorgeous! A river runs through the middle of it, so we can do laundry there.  Laundry in a river is way easier than laundry out of a bucket, just in case you were wondering.  So that's been wonderful.  Instead of camping in this village, we're living with a family who generously opened their home to us.  So that's been really neat.  It's been really helpful for building relationships.  This town has had a lot of ministry to women and children, so we were really hoping that the guys on our team would be able to build relationships with  the men here, and God has opened doors for that to happen! So that's really exciting. 

Ok funny story- when we arrived, we were introduced to the tribal chiefton, who invited us to go with her to a tribal ritual the next day.  So Ray, one of our translators, and Donatello, Chelsea, and I went with her the next morning on one of the world's longest hikes (well it was about two and a half hours, but it was over three mountains so it felt like the world's longest).  It was literally over a river and through the woods (or maybe a jungle. or a rainforest. I'm not really sure what it's considered here).  When we arrived, everyone was really welcoming, and we got to spend some time hanging out with them before the ritual began.  It was pretty crazy to get to see a real tribal ritual.  Mostly they prayed/chanted and they had a table set up where they offered fruit and a chicken to their ancestors, the spirit of the land, and I think to God too. Then they ate the food and offered us some as their honored guests- let's just say that I never thought that the passage in 1 Corinthians about food sacrificed to idols would actually apply to me haha.  We didn't really eat anything, but our translator took a little food to be polite.  We camped out with the tribe that night and then hiked back to Mayong the next day.  The whole experience was interesting and helpful for learning about their spiritual background.  But it was sad at the same time.  These people are very religious and very ritualistic, but that was all it was- a ritual.  There was no joy or sense of a personal relationship.  Please pray for us to be able to clearly communicate the gospel to them.  God is so good to be a God who does not just want chanting and rituals, but wants a relationship with us. 

So far I've learned:
- How to do laundry Filipino style
- How to tie abaca fiber so it can be woven
- How to speak a little Tagalog and Bicol

Thank you so much for the prayers and encouragement! Please continue to pray for us as we're in this village- the people are very open to building relationships with us.  Please pray for an openness to the gospel as well.