Walking school children, a few little motor bikes carrying single riders or as much as a small family, and moisture filled tropical clouds passed our cottage at Hallel Integrated Ministries on the first morning. We are located on Panay Island, about a two-hour drive north of Iloilo City. The tropical mountains that surround Hallel are green with rice paddies on the flat land and corn on many of the lower hill slopes.
By the third day our biological clocks had mostly adjusted to halfway around the world as we were arranging work in our one-room cottage at the ministry. There are gardens around each of the cabins and small fields of other crops. All of this is part of Hallel’s vision to be an agricultural-tourism location, but it also reaches the poor in the area with school helps and the message of the Gospel. They also support several college students of the staff. In our local area, a few roads are partially paved. Little paths mark where the motor bikes go to simple homes. It looks very rural, but the local churches have many children, who often outnumber adults.
The latitude and topography change from North Carolina winter to the tropical conditions in the Philippines is always an adjustment that takes a little time. It did not slow the work schedule, however, as we set up our cottage workstation and assembled/tested telescope desk mounts and optics for several refractors. We were prepared and trained nine adults with Astronomical Observing from a Biblical View. The training was successfully completed but the practice sessions continue. The equipment kits and references are now in the custody of a local pastor, a Christian school in Iloilo, and Hallel. Hallel is where most of the instruments and backup materials are located. They also have a small observing area, where the night training was conducted. When the ministry is in full operation, they plan to use the observing tools and observing pad as a method of outreach and expose the public to the created heavens.
Other meetings continued during the training. I preached at a local church; Faylene shared with the women; we shared with Hallel staff. There were special meetings for college students and youth. Preparation for other things does not stop in the meantime as documents, presentations, and papers are prepared for the upcoming biblical creation seminar for 100 church pastors and leaders. We squeeze in a little writing (like this) and post a view things on social media. Some of the most important exchanges are personal as we meet with individual staff, college students, and the director, Pat Capwell.
We live semi-independently when we are here, so we prepare most meals for ourselves, keep things clean, and frequently change the open one-room cottage into temporary workspace to get tasks accomplished. Our hosts have blessed us with air conditioning in the little cottage, ways to get supplies through friends, and even obtain some fresh produce from the gardens. We often have guests. As our friends know, biblical hospitality opens doors to substantive conversations and builds relationships.
We are at the point of the last few major events. With only 27 days on the island for the whole trip, the schedule keeps us engaged with those we love, but we also make new friends. There will be, as there have been, many brief but important conversations, where we speak of the Creator, the Gospel, or address other biblical issues as they pertain to brothers and sisters we are seeking to encourage.
We will post other pictures in the final report when we return to the US. While we have internet, its capacity for upload or download is limited. To see a few pictures now, one can find them on my Facebook profile or Faylene’s profile (under Joyce Beard).
We thank our supporting church (Manna Sanford) and other friends for their various helps. It helps us accomplish our tasks, which are quite varied but can affect many people. Thanks to Hallel staff as well, who have been gracious friends in our short stay.
Onward….
Roland Beard
