New Year, Birthdays, Vacationing

It seems like five days ago.
Gloria and I flew to Cebu for a five week long most awaited vacation last December 29, 2008. After that more than five hours flying from Incheon airport to Mactan, we finally arrived there past midnight. We were glad that Mike and Rose Camba picked us up from the airport and allowed us to stay at the VCMC guest room.

Because year 2008 was almost over, we decided to buy a ticket for a boat trip to Maasin Leyte on the evening of the 30th and we finally reached Maasin at dawn of the December 31st. After few hours of rest at home in Laboon, it was New Year's Eve. The worship service was at 10:00 P.M. and was followed by pot luck meal and the congregation met the new year 2009 inside the church. It feels good to be home and to be reunited with family members and friends in Laboon. The taste of bread, biko and hot chocholate was just delightful. Conversations were convivial and the people around were all happy to see us joining them in meeting another year in their lives.

Four days after we planned to go back to cebu to prepare for the resplendent nurture program for the korean teenagers from Singal Church. However due to a storm in northern Samar, our trip was postponed two days after. Eventually we reached Cebu and met the staff of Cendet and West Visayas Jurisdiction and discussed with them the program. We all agreed on the details and were all willing to go another mile in open mindedness just to make the program meaningful for the children. The Korean kids arrived on January 9th and we met them at Mactan Airport and brought them to Cendet where they were billeted for a month.

On January 14th we left Cebu for Iloilo. We flew with a smaller airplane and it feels a bit scary to ride in that 80 seater airplane, although the weather was generally good. We reached Iloilo airport in Sta. Barbara toward noontime and we decided to proceed to Mrs.Carmen Rio's pension house. Gloria and me were very eager to see Tita Carmen because we lost touch with her for two years or more. She looks thinner and a bit weak and she's already 76 years old?? The same day we attended the funeral service of Auntie Erlinda Hernando, half sister of my father. The worship service was held in a nearby Foursquare Church and Pastor June Frances Gange preached. My mother was there in the church and she looks good but a wee bit weak. Instead of going to the Tanza Cemetery for the internment we accompanied mother home in San Juan.

The house in San Juan has further deteriorated since the last Typhoon Frank that turned over the roof. It was in early evening the same day when sisters, brothers, nephews and nieces gather for dinner at San Juan but we left them for a dinner appointment with Tita Carmen, Pastor June Fances and Manay Vicky Gacutan. We enjoyed our stay in Iloilo and on Sunday January 18 I preached in the morning service at UCCP Iloilo City. It was a time to meet old friends and relatives in Iloilo. We had lunch with Tita Carmen and Many Vicky, sumptuous pinoy delicacies. We stayed in Iloilo for five days and went back to Cebu on the 19th and continue to join the Korean kids in their various learning experiences.

On the 22nd I had an apppointment with a doctor at the VCMC for the removal of a small cyst on my forehead. Few days after we left Cebu for Ormoc City. We took a day boat trip and arrived in Ormoc almost four o'clock. Tito Gloria's younger brother picked us up from the pier. We stayed there overnight and the following day we journeyed to Maasin. It was about four-hour bus travel from Ormoc to Maasin. The bus travel gave us the chance to see the sceneries in Leyte Island and refamiliarized the towns and villages we passed by.

On the 26th of January we offered lunch to friends as part of the extended birthday celebration given to me. It is was interesting to note that on the 28th another birthday co-celebration with Bishop Ben Camino took place where the Korean kids joined in the dinner. We flew to Manila on the 30th of January and when we arrived at Shalom Center we met Ate Winnie Barloso and greeted her. We had the chance to visit the project of UCCP tondo in the Smokey Mountain-2. We also visited Bishop Bolocon and Bishop Jessie Suarez in Cubao and saw the Durebang-Sinag Kababaihan and the Youth Development Center in Filinvest, Quezon City.

Time flies so fast and were back to Seoul since February 2nd and once again adjust to the cold weather and the warm and balmy philippines is once again a memory that can come to reality only on vacation time and probably retirement. Thanks be to God for God's mercies and love in our travel to the Philippines.