Preparing for a Mission Trip

A week tomorrow Marty and I are leaving for the Philippines. This will be our first ever mission trip. Hey, we’re only 59. We’re going with Della Tyrrell of Della Tyrrell Ministries.

Above: “Stuffies by Betty Anne” going to the Philippines with us.

Della is connected with an orphanage in Mindanao called “Our Father’s House.” She is also involved with mission work in Palawan. We’ll spend about a week at each place.

I asked Della, “So, what will we be doing?”

“That is a very western question.”

“How so?”

It seems we North Americans always want to know what we will be doing.

The people in the Philippines don’t think that way. Everything is relational. You talk, you find out what is happening and then there is something to do.

I think that is why our itinerary has already changed several times. We do know that we are arriving in Manila, flying to Mindanao, staying at Our Father’s House, back to Manila and then over to Palawan.

When Della first starting going to the Philippines she met up with Pastor Lumba who happened to have some 20 children living in his home, sleeping on the floor. These was mostly children who had been abandoned by their parents.

Della helped Pastor Lumba raise the funds to build an extension on the church to set up proper dormatories for the boys and girls…rooms with actual beds in them. Now she goes back every year to see how things are going.

In Palawan, the people have set up feeding stations supplied with food from Ontario Gleaners. Della arranged things on this end. They are also building a mission house on property funded by Della Tyrrell Ministries. A mission house in the Philippines is a lot cheaper to build than here in North America. I think this one will cost about $6000. They still need some money to complete. (donations accepted, tax receipts available).

So, how do we prepare for this mission trip?

We bought suitcases and backpacks and granola bars and travel-size shampoo and deodorant and shaving cream (for Dave) and a light blankets and we visited the travel doctor where we got our tetanus and hepatitis shots and played dutch bingo with the doctor whose brother-in-law plays golf with Marty’s brother-in-law and whose mother-in-law goes to church with my mother-in-law. “Small world” we decided as we prepare to fly halfway around it.

And we’re getting our hearts ready. We want to do and say whatever it is the Lord purposes. Please pray for us.