Palawan, Philippines

It's stifling hot in the Philippines. A glance at the weather forecast will tell you all you need to know. It's partly cloudy with the humidity permanently set at 89%. The high will be 86. The low will be 74. Every day. Friendly conversations concerning the weather don't exist.

As the sweat rolls down my forehead, my back and my legs, I look at the street, where, from my North American perspective, it's a mayhem of madness. Tricycles and Isuzu vans pack the streets with almost as much variety as the weather. Tricycles are motorcycles with two benches and a roof built onto the side. Every vehicle has a name, so as we weave through the traffic, I see various names of my family speed by. There goes Beth, my mom, and Ben, my husband.

Speaking of my family, they're concerned about my trip to Palawan. Just over a year ago, terrorists linked with Osama bin Laden raided a resort on the northern part of the island, taking hostage two American missionaries. For 376 days, Americans held their breath, only to exhale when Gracia Burnham was brought home without her husband, Martin, who was killed in the rescue attempt. The Philippines are still feeling the effects of the kidnapping. Particularly the Christians who, appreciating the sacrifice missionaries make to bring the Gospel to their people, mourn the loss of those dedicated missionaries. There are also economic effects. The resorts are empty. And when tourists do visit, there is a heightened sense of security. But tourists usually just avoid the island altogether.

They are missing out. Palawan is beautiful. The road to Quezon winds up and around mountains and down to the plains, frequently touching the coastline for views of the deep blue-green waters of the South China Sea. The mountains are tall, thickly blanketed with forest. The plains are divided into large square blocks, hosting shallow rice paddies. Some paddies are full with the grassy plants, while others are being planted by farmers up to their knees in watery mud. There are nearly 800 species of orchids native to the Philippines, and Palawan has its fair share. They are bold red, pink and white against the green foliage.

The road we're on is a harsh contrast to the beauty all around us. It's anything but pretty. The frequent rains have left large potholes, and even though the driver swerves from one edge of the road to the other, he doesn't miss them all. And it's this swerving that leaves me almost seasick. I pray my life won't be cut short by the Isuzu vans and large trucks that come speeding at us, trying to avoid the same potholes. We miss each other by mere inches, but no one seems bothered but the North Americans, who hang on with white knuckles.

Luke Society pharmacist, Jambee, explains a prescription to a woman who believes she is nearly 100 years old. It is common for people not to know their ages.

After three hours of bumping along while filled with awe at God's beautiful creation, we come upon Quezon, home of the Luke Society clinic. We pull up to a brand new clinic that we've only seen in pictures. Dr. Susie Cayaon greets us warmly at the door, her broad smile seems to stretch across her whole face. She takes my hand and says, "You aren't an old woman!" covering her mouth as she laughs with a high-pitched giggle. At this point, I feel welcome.

A tour through the clinic gains approval from all of us. The rooms are spacious and clean, with neatly made beds pushed against the wall. The pharmacy is stacked floor to ceiling with white boxes of medicine. Best of all, the fans in every room seem to make it cooler. Dr. Susie has come a long way from the last clinic.

When Dr. Susie joined the staff, they were practicing in a borrowed building on borrowed land owned by the city of Quezon. They were given free use of the facility when a mayor asked them to take permanent residence for the town's sake. However, whenever an election sent a new mayor into power, they were threatened with eviction. The constant threat of being evicted weighed heavily on the minds of the staff, which seemed to lead to conflicts among themselves.

Within the past year, however, the Luke Society in Quezon has regained stamina. With a very limited budget, a new clinic was built on property owned by the ministry. With the replacement of some of the staff, Dr. Susie now works with individuals dedicated to the success of the ministry. James 1:2,3 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Dr. Susie knows she has a specific calling from God to be involved with this ministry.

Her faith under trial produced perseverance, which has led to progress in the ministry in many ways. She has seen the clinic go from being fully funded by the Luke Society to having the clinic income providing 45% of her budget. Verse four says, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Dr. Susie will continue to persevere, growing more mature and complete in her calling. Her enthusiasm for the ministry is evidence to that perseverance.

Part of this growing process is reaching beyond the city limits of the town of Quezon to the rural areas surrounding it. There are both small villages and primitive tribes that surround Quezon, needing the medical and spiritual wisdom that Dr. Susie and her husband, Pastor Ben, can provide.

Susie and Ben frequently venture out to the villages to talk with the people and provide basic health care, and Susie has taken an aggressive approach to training the rural midwives. For three days, Susie teaches 18 midwives benefits of new developments in obstetrical care verses traditional methods of delivery. Because many of the women are illiterate, Susie uses pictures and actions to make her points.

The traditional way to care for the umbilical cord is to cut it with sharpened bamboo, then cover it with ashes. "They think there's nothing wrong with ashes and bamboo," Susie says. Using pictures, Susie shows the women that the cord should be cut with a sterile metal blade, explaining the risk of infection to which they are now exposing the infants. Although the women may realize the improvement of using a blade, they are reluctant to leave their traditional ways.

Ironically, there is one area the tribal women have accepted Western ways to care for their babies. They have started to buy commercial milk instead of breastfeeding. "It costs something, so they assume it's better and easier," Susie said. Susie is trying to emphasize that breast milk is more nutritious and healthier for their children.

During the Pastor's Training Seminar, Pastor Ben Cayaon leads the tribal men in singing hymns. Dr. Wrede Vogel and his father, Frank, attempt to sing with them in their language.

The conflict in differentiating which traditional practices are healthy and which are unhealthy creates a difficult avenue for Susie. She realizes that persistence, time and consistency are the tools for making this message clear. While this can be exhausting and frustrating, Susie is taking up the challenge with that same broad smile.

Pastor Ben's ministry also reaches to the far rural regions. He is actively involved in mentoring the pastors of the remote villages. Every three months, pastors begin their journey to Quezon, some starting as early as 4 a.m. All of them have felt God's call to spread the Gospel, but very few have had any formal Bible training. Ben is trying to teach them to read their Bible daily, so that the messages they bring are strictly centered on God's Word, not their own. There's also the issue of giving to the church. Many pastors don't receive much pay for their work. But the people don't want to give to the church if the pastor doesn't. So Ben is working, as a role model, to instill in their hearts the idea of giving selflessly to the church.

The pastors close their time together with testimonies. They are shy at first, but soon everyone has a story to tell. The first man to share is Pastor Silvano. Aside from his pastoral duties, he works for the government, traveling from town to town. He feels fortunate to have the job because jobs are limited, and few are held by rural tribesmen. An accident in a government vehicle with two other employees left Silvano unconscious for six days. Blood was oozing from his right ear, and he couldn't move his arm. While two other men, who were from the larger towns, were in the hospital for three months, Silvano was released after one week. He came to Dr. Susie seeking help because of his increasing pain. She was surprised that he was released from the hospital so soon and also because he was given no medicine. He was told that if he experienced more pain, he should go see a local "quack" (as Susie calls them) doctor for a massage.

Susie took charge of Silvano's care and sent food home for his family since he was hospitalized under her care. The prejudice against rural tribesmen is common. They are treated differently and valued less because of their lower economic status, and because they come from remote villages. Silvano says if it wasn't for Dr. Susie's care, he would've lost his job and possibly died. After giving his testimony, he sang, "I thank the Lord for the trials that come my way."

Because the tribal pastors are such valuable members of the Luke Society ministry, Dr. Susie makes sure they are cared for. As they attend Ben's training seminars, they are given ID cards to wear around their necks. The pastors call the ID cards "passports to discounts." When the pastors come to the clinic wearing their ID cards, Dr. Susie gives them discounts on the medicine they need for themselves and their families. Besides the discounts, the pastors are then assured quality clinical care. They wear their ID's with pride, happy to be associated with such a great ministry.

Recently, a new ministry has been added. The only radio station in Quezon approached Ben about spending some time on the air. Although hip hop and hard rock are the usual venue, Ben started taking 10 minutes a day to give a short Bible lesson and pray. He soon realized his 10 minutes were too short, so the station allowed him a half hour at the price of 10 minutes. Every day Ben is on-air from 6:30-7 a.m. He's excited about the prospect of reaching new people and far places. Future plans are to convince Susie to spend a few minutes talking about health issues. She says she's too shy. We'll see.

I mentioned the kidnapping of the Burnhams heightened security for visitors. It also created increased concern for missionary organizations operating in Palawan. The New Tribes Ministry used to be a thriving effort that spread Christianity through rural areas. However, since the missionaries were mostly American, the ministry fazed out their efforts in Palawan, and the missionaries were evacuated. Ben is now picking up the mentoring and training, which was performed by the New Tribes Ministry. Now I understand better the importance of the Luke Society's mission to seek out indigenous Christians to minister through providing physical and spiritual relief. While foreign ministries shut down to secure the safety of their missionaries, the Luke Society continues to build a community of believers.

As I sang the hymn "Power In the Blood" in Ibateng Believers Church, I was aware of the two armed guards waiting near the van. I was also aware of the language barrier that, even though we were singing to the same tune, my brothers and sisters in Christ were singing a different language. It is only that language barrier that keeps us apart. What a glorious day it will be when Christ returns, and we will talk together as a unified body.