THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC UPLIFT, LITERACY, ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES
LALAG January - March 2017
twice as
10
page
much
SULADS Mass Jamboree
Instrument of Kindness
The Unseen Herdman
6
12
15
SULADS
reaching the unreached feature 10 COVER STORY
TWICE AS MUCH Roldan Lantoria
7 SOAR EYES RA NI
(IT’S JUST SOAR EYES) Mailyn Calago & Dyan Awe
12 INSTRUMENT OF
KINDNESS Don Missionaire Andin-o
15 THE UNSEEN
HERDSMAN Janeth Lantoria
columns 3 EDITOR’S NOTE
Readjusting Our Lenses
4 SULADS NEWS 14 H.E.A.L. CORNER Carabao
17 STAFF SPACE
The Children’s Tears
19 PRAYER LIST 20 SNAPSHOT
connect with us www.suladsasia.org suladsasia@gmail.com SULADS, Inc. Mountain View College Mt. Nebo, Valencia City, Bukidnon 8709 (+63) 905-426-7637 (G) (+63) 907-330-9388 (TNT)
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Editor
Sweet Willie Joy Rosalita, Jr.
Layout Artist
Liz Darnelle Ang
Contributors
Roldan Lantoria Mailyn Calago Dyan Awe Don Missionaire Andin-o Janeth Lantoria Bethel Jane Taglos
EDITOR’S NOTE Sweet Willie Joy Rosalita, Jr. Editor
readjusting our lenses
Often times we spend much of our effort focusing on the things which we view from a distance and forget to appreciate those that are right in front of us. We raise our eyes and awe at the vast starry skies but forget to marvel at the flowers that bloom at our feet; we are astounded by the gaudy and well adorned mansions and forget to see the beauty of our own abodes. In our case, we have focused on the stories from afar and have forgotten to value the miracles which happen right before our eyes. Looking back, Lalag have featured stories from the different clusters in SULADS but have often left out the Bukidnon Cluster. This time, we will be putting the SULADS original home front and center. Bukidnon is a landlocked province in Northern Mindanao. “Bukidnon” literally means mountain dweller as the region is known for its forests and mountain ranges where its local inhabitants reside. Bukidnon is the SULADS cradle of origin and is home to 7 different Lumad tribes; the Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon. This quarter’s Lalag will take you to the heart of the SULADS Volunteers’ lives and experiences while they continue to reach the unreached people with whom the SULADS Mission began with.
about the cover Carabaos (water buffaloes) love to wallow in the mud as it keeps their bodies cool in the heat of the day and keeps bugs away. Cara and her baby calf, Pipay, enjoy their quality time together.
LALAG (Manobo term meaning Message) is a journal published triannually by SULADS, Inc., a nongovernment charitable educational institution in the Philippines which aims to educate and inspire the unreached people groups. SULADS come from the Manobo term sulad which means brother or sister. It is also an acronym for Socio-ecomic Uplift, Literacy, Anthropological and Developmental Services.
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NEWS New People Join the SULADS Team Sweet Willie Joy Rosalita, Jr. is a SULADS kid as her mother was a SULADS Missionary during her college years in MVC. She currently is in the process of finishing her masters degree in CMU majoring in English. She comes to volunteer in SULADS to help with the editing work of the stories and assist in the office work. Lizzie Aufrac R. Ramas and Sammy Guirigay, both Business graduates of MVC, come to volunteer and assist in the Finance Department of SULADS in Accounting and Bookkeeping. We are thankful for the helpful hands God has brought to the office.
Lizzie Aufranc R. Ramas
Sweet Willie Joy Rosalita, Jr.
Sammy Guirigay
G.O. Seminar Held in MVC Dr. Fred & Mrs. Arlene Webb came to visit MVC and assist in the Gospel Outreach Seminar for the Gospel Outreach workers of Visayas and Mindanao on February 19 - 24, 2017. The seminar featured lectures on health, agriculture, and story-telling that would assist the workers in the field as they reach out to the unreached people groups.
SULADS with Dr. Fred & Mrs. Arlene Webb
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NEWS
SULADS Quartet Jr.
Pastor Pitogo Preaches
Ortiz Couple Sings
Special Sabbath in Bangontaas & Concert for a Cause SULADS spent their Sabbath morning of February 18, 2017 at Bangontaas Seventh-day Adventist Church where SULADS Quartet Junior and other SULADS Volunteers shared music and stories of God’s dealings in their lives. Pastor Ephraim Pitogo shared about the powerful value to have the heart for missions during the divine service. That evening, a Concert for a Cause was held for the SULADS Ministry in Central Bukidnon Institute in Bagontaas, Valencia City, Bukidnon with special musicians from Davao - Steffi Marata (soprano), Dhalcedony Villamor-Simyunn (violin), Dharixblue Villamor (soprano saxophone), Diamondray Villamor (alto saxophone), SULADS Quartet Junior, and SULADS Deaf Students shared their talents. The concert was done in the effort to raise funds for the SULADS Training. “It was more than music, was but a beautiful time of experiencing God through the people who had their hearts for the Sulads Asia’s Ministry. An experience that would be added to Sulads Asia’s treasury of God’s faithfulness and goodness,” Bethel Jane Taglos, emcee of the event, testifies.
SULADS Deaf Signs the Song
Emcees of the Program
Davao Musicians
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NEWS SULADS Mass Jamboree Held in MVC SULADS held the first mass Mindanao-wide Pathfinder Jamboree in MVC on March 5 - 12, 2017 with the theme: “Breaking the Walls of Differences” where the 53 SULADS Volunteers brought 203 campers from Bukidnon, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao, Tawi-Tawi, and Deaf to experience what it means to love the other children from other tribes. Mayor Regie Shali-Generale and Captain Aldazier Hamjan from Tawi-Tawi came to witness the parade and opening program held in the Florence Kern Auditorium. Mayor stated how important it is to keep going forward in the children’s education and that she fully supports SULADS work 110%. The success of the week long program would not have been possible without God’s leadings, the countless donors, support from MVC, leadership of Deonnel Peren, and the Chevron group. What a memorable experience these precious children will never forget.
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sore M
am, naa’y klase? Mam, naa’y klase? Mam, naa’y klase? Mam, mangag-ag mi, Mam. (Ma’am, do we have class? Ma’am, do we have class? Ma’am, do we have class? Ma’am, we will glean, Ma’am.) It was yet early morning when the students of our little Zubiri Village came to me, excitedly asking legitimate questions as to whether we will be having class or will the classes be suspended because of the rice harvest. In the communities of the Lumad, whenever farmers scheduled rice harvests, the Lumad children wait for the field workers to finish harvesting so they can glean for rice. After the workers cut down the crop, they would manually haul everything to a portable threshing machine. While some of the workers feed the rice stalks to the threshing machine, other workers would sack the rice husks which the threshing machine removes from the stalks. However, the machine is designed to separate the heavier and lighter grains as lighter grains tend to be empty husks. Because of the set-up of the machine, only the grains of
ra ni heavier husks would get sacked and the lighter ones will be left behind wherever the threshing took place. This tiny mounds of husks are what the children glean from. They take handfuls of husks and hold it up against the wind. The gusts of wind will basically blow away the chaff and the husks with a bit of grain inside will be left behind. This is what the Filipinos call ag-ag. After the children do ag-ag for a day, they will then gather all they have gleaned and take it back to the village. The women of the village will then use mortar and pestle to separate the grain from its husk. The children happily tackle this task although tiring as it is only through this act that they can help provide food for their families. With this in mind, we let the children take a one-day break from school so they can do ag-ag. But when classes resumed the following day, we noticed that one student had reddened eyes. When I talked to him about it, he simply brushed off my concern and confidently said,
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“Okay ra, Mam. Sore eyes ra ni. Gitambalan naman ni nilang Mama ug duga sa gabi nga pula. (It’s okay, Ma’am. It’s just sore eyes. My Mother already treated this with red taro sap.)” We let the matter go as the child and his family were very confident that they already had everything under control. But, our concern grew when the child was not able to attend class for the weeks that followed. Alarmed, we decided to visit the home of the child. We found out from his mother that despite the traditional remedies they did to treat the child’s sore eyes, one of his eyes became swollen and was causing him severe pain. Due to the intensity of the pain, the child lost his appetite and refused to eat. He was also unable to rest or sleep because of the constant throbbing he felt in his eyes. Our ap-
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prehension quickly escalated when we heard this news. Luckily, that same week a schedule for visitation from Pastor Pitogo was set. The Pastor together with Sir Ranny de Vera, Pastor Monggaya, Sir Novo Sabas, and Mr. and Mrs. Llamera arrived in the helicopter piloted by Sir Daniel. We quickly brought the child to them to ask for their opinion as to how the child might be treated. However, the visitors quickly realized that the child was already in dire need of medical attention. They planned to transport the child to the nearest hospital but the helicopter’s fuel was not enough to complete the trip. Therefore, the visitors had to settle with giving the child and his family the finances needed to get the child treated. When we brought the child to the doctor, the doctor found out
that the child’s cornea was severely damaged due to an infected cut in the child’s eye. A portion of the chaffing must have gotten caught in the child’s eye while he was out that fateful day doing ag-ag. Because of the severity of the condition of the infection, the child was in danger of going totally blind in one eye. Taking the chance that the child’s eye might still be saved, the doctor gave us an antibiotic eye drop which we were to administer to the child every hour for the week that followed. The kind doctor also told us that what the child needed more of, was prayers for healing since the doctor personally felt like it was going to be a lost cause. We cannot say how thankful we were when week after week, the child’s eye showed signs of healing. Awed by the child’s quick recovery,
the doctor happily gave us more eye drops that would help protect the child’s eyes and also aid the child’s cornea regeneration. Truly, we have a wonderful God who has power over anything in this world, we simply have to trust in His name and believe in His faithfulness. As the doctor said, the child’s speedy recuperation could only be made possible because of God’s answer to everyone’s prayers for the child.
Mailyn Calago & Dyan Awe serves in Zubiri Village, Valencia, Bukidnon.
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COVER STORY
I
as much
have been serving at the SULADS Comprehensive High School for the Lumads (SCHSL) as a farm supervisor for the past 2 years. Part of my job is to budget the crop and estimate the whether our produce can sustain the needed food supply for the year. On many instances, the food supply have been challenged by bad harvests and unfavourable weather conditions. Such was the predicament that the school faced earlier this school year. The crops were doing very badly due to the unfavorable amount of rainwater that fell for the past months. As a result the corn grits supply in the school’s storehouse was already running low. The corn cobs were still on the stalks but they were already moldy and the ears of corn were either starting to crumble from getting soaked 24/7 or parts of it were
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already starting to grow leaves and roots. The students prayed that hopefully, the next harvest would be better. However, the next harvest will yet be another 4 months away, and I feared that our corn grits supply cannot last that long. In their effort to help out, the children volunteered to share small portions of their supply of corn from their farm harvests. The children took turns to climb down the mountain every week to get their corn shares milled so they can contribute corn grits for the school. It was amazing to watch the children strive to help the school. Moreover, the school’s storehouse never ran out of corn grits and the supply lasted just in time for the school’s following harvest!
However, when the next harvest neared I visited the crops and was again faced with another concern. The crops weren’t doing really well. As a result, I was only able to predict that we might only be able to harvest an estimate of 30 sacks of corn. Furthermore, those 30 sacks of corn will still be lessened because whenever the high school harvested, people from the nearby community would also volunteer to help out in exchange for a share
It was truly amazing to witness God’s goodness as He gave us twice as much as we expected! of the harvest. We understand that it is not only the high school that needs a supply of corn grits for the students and teachers but also the people around needed corn so they can get it milled and have corn grits to supply food for their own families. After taking things into consideration, the school and the people of the community agreed that for every 6 sacks of harvested corn that an individual would be able to get, 5 sacks will go to the school and 1 sack will be the
worker’s share. With an estimated harvest of 30 sacks, that would mean that the school will only have a total of 25 sacks as 5 sacks will go to community harvesters. When harvest came, it was a bright and sunny day, it was the perfect weather for a harvest. People proceeded doing the task with much vigor and energy. The workers’ pace was impressive that it came as a huge surprise when the harvest was not finished in a single day! The harvest lasted for two days despite the number of workers who joined in and the full hours that we spent harvesting as was permitted by the favorable weather. However, the biggest surprise was when after the local harvesters had already gotten their share of the harvest, the school’s share reached 60 sacks of corn! It was truly amazing to witness God’s goodness as He gave us twice as much as we expected! Despite our apprehensions and fear, God truly provides our needs! Roldan Lantoria serves as a teacher in SCHSL, Sto. Domingo, Lumintao, Quezon, Bukidnon.
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instrument of kindness
A
s I was sitting on top of a stack of rice sack one bright and sunny morning, I watched the children of Mambuntuan play. I noticed that the children had no footwear as they happily walked and ran around barefoot. The children’s tiny feet were dust-encrusted and were often caked up with mud. I was very caught up at watching the children and planning how to find a sponsor that I did not notice that there was an old lady standing in the edge of the field, who was also watching the children. I was shocked when the following
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day, the old lady approached me, bringing sacks filled with brand new slippers. I found out that the old lady owned a small Sari-Sari store in Digongan. Upon seeing the little children run around barefoot, she made up her mind to bring them slippers. Together with her friend, they carried the sacks of slippers from Digongan all the way up to our village of Mambuntuan. She then entrusted me with the task of distributing the slippers because she did not want people to know that she was responsible for providing
the footwear. As she very much insisted, one should not blow their own trumpet when doing the work for the Lord. It turned out that the old lady used to be an Adventist. However, due to circumstance, she eventually stopped going to church and became a backslider. But in spite of her divergence from the church, it was apparent that she still had a heart willing to become God’s instrument of kindness who brought a lot of joy to the children in the village. Let us continue praying for our brothers and sisters who have gone astray from the fold of God, that while remaining willing to be His instruments of kindness, they might find their way back to the Savior.
Don Missionaire Andin-o serves with Raymund Bunuan in Mambuntuan, Kitaotao, Bukidnon.
In a special sense, Christ has laid upon His church the duty of caring for the needy among its own members. He permits His poor to be in every church. They are always to be among us, and He places upon the members of the church a personal responsibility to care for them.� Ministry of Healing, p. 201
GOT INSPIRING EXPERIENCES TO SHARE? Are you a Sulad too? We would be glad to read your mission stories, comments, and suggestions! You can share it with us at suladsasia@gmail.com
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H.E.A.L. CORNER
Health | Education Agriculture | Livelihood
carabao
Carabao Bubalus bubalis is a water buffalo and the national animal of the Philippines that is well adjusted to hot and humid tropical weather. Farmers highly depend on the carabaos for heavy labor for plowing the fields and transporting goods. The tourists love to take pictures of these hard-working, strong, reliable creatures commonly found in the countryside because they are exotic to the rest of the world. References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabao http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/animals8.htm http://www.pcc.gov.ph/
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H.E.A.L. CORNER
the
T
he Sulads Comprehensive High School for the Lumads (SCHSL) owns three water buffalos. Locally called carabaos, water buffalos, perform an important task in the school’s farm as the carabaos were the only means of plowing the field because it was impossible for tractors to reach the high school. Hiring a local farmer who owned a cow or carabao to plow the field was also an option but that would mean additional expense that the school cannot afford, which was why the carabaos served a crucial role in the SULADS High School’s Agricultural Department. Caring for the carabaos was a tasking job; one had to transfer them to a grazing field in the morning, transfer them to a watering hole by noon so they could cool themselves by soaking themselves in mud, then transfer them again by afternoon to another grazing area, and finally bring them in to the shed before evening fell. This was my husband’s task which he did every day. However, one particular Wednesday afternoon, my husband came running back to our home with a panicked looked painted all over his face. “Two of the carabaos are lost!” he cried.
“What?!” fear washed over
herdsman
me at the thought of losing two of the treasured cattle. Losing two carabaos would mean setting a major setback for the high school’s agriculture. Also I feared that because my husband was the caretaker of the cattle, we will be held responsible for the loss. I know the SULADS Organization does not work that way, but how can we ever get over the guilt? A single carabao would cost about twenty-five to thirty thousand pesos (approximately $500), an amount we would never come close to having. “What are we going to do?” I asked my husband. “I will have to look for them,” my husband woefully replied. “Pa, you have to be careful.” Although concerned for the lost cattle, I was more concerned for my husband. Evening was fast approaching, the high school was located far up the mountains where the neighboring communities were still miles away, and my husband will have no one to accompany him for the search. If anything happened to him during his search, it might prove fatal for him. But I knew that my husband could not rest until he has found the lost carabaos. Before my husband left, we prayed forDr. God’s protection care. Hope Aperochoand - Speaker However, after he left, fear still clutched
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H.E.A.L. CORNER my heart as I recalled that a similar event happened to the former SULADS Volunteer in Bulalang. It did not end well for the SULADS missionary who was responsible for the carabao as he ended up not only losing the cattle, but he also lost his rational mind because of worry.
creature, it was going to be Friday the next day, and Fridays were specifically set aside for Sabbath preparations.
My eager husband reached two different villages in search for the wandering beasts, but ended up with nothing. He came home late that night exhausted and dispirited. At 4 o’clock the next morning, he got up early and did not even wait for me to prepare his breakfast. He started out again in search for the carabaos. I was concerned with his wellbeing but as much as I wanted to accompany him in his search, I had to stay at home to take care for our children.
When my husband went out to fetch the two carabaos from their watering hole to transfer them to a grazing field, that afternoon, he heard a strange noise from afar. It sounded as if a stampede was taking place; there was a sound of hurried and heavy, rumbling, clops of hooves. When he looked up to see what it was, he saw the last carabao running towards him!
Unable to do much, I resorted to calling him at his phone every hour that passed. At around half past 11 o’clock that morning, my husband was overjoyed to update me that he had already found one carabao grazing in a distant field. Although we had yet to find the other carabao, it was already a huge relief for us. Tired and hungry, my husband came home for lunch that afternoon, trailing behind him was the runaway carabao. Somewhat relieved at finding the one of carabao, my husband decided to put off the search until Sunday. Although wanting to find the other
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As it turned out, he didn’t have to search for the last carabao anymore as an unexpected miracle happened that afternoon.
It was a hilarious yet calming event to see because carabaos were naturally slow, and they swayed a lot when they walked; carabaos only run when their bums are whipped, and it seemed as if an unseen herdsman was whipping the runaway carabao in a frenzy because the carabao looked to be jumping and hopping towards my husband. With a delightful heart, my husband brought the three carabaos back to their shed that afternoon before he came home full of praises for God and rejoicing for God’s miracle. Janeth Lantoria serves as a teacher in SCHSL at Sto. Domingo, Lumintao, Quezon, Bukidnon.
STAFF SPACE
the children’s tears
A
t the birth of Isaac, there has already been bad blood between him and his older brother, Ishmael. A divergence made not by personal differences but solely because of circumstance. For a long time, the gap between the descendants of the brothers has festered and grown. The result of the separation is still apparent until this very day as we witness a seemingly unbreakable rift between the Muslims – Ishmael’s lineage, and the Christians – Isaac’s. Both groups has considered the other with disdain and subjective stigma. SULADS, being a Seventhday Adventist organization, has not escaped this fate. In the 90’s when SULADS volunteers first arrived at Tawi-Tawi, they were openly opposed by many of the communities they encountered.
The volunteers soon learned that they had to live with utter vigilance as the Muslims displayed their disapproval of the Christian people through countless attempts on the volunteers’ lives and undisguised contempt the members of the community displayed whenever dealing with the volunteers. For generations, the worldwide relationship between Muslims and Christians has only gotten worse. It was this exact issue that the first ever, SULADS Mindanao-wide Jamboree wished to overcome. During the duration of the Jamboree, March 5-12, resource speakers repeatedly emphasized to the children that whether one was a Muslim, Christian, Manobo, or Deaf, the differences does not SULADS | JAN - MAR 2017 17
STAFF SPACE have to divide us for we are all of the same Father, and we are all real brothers. Moved by the message, the children learned to enjoy the activities together. The T’boli students awed the crowd with their meticulously handcrafted headpieces, the Deaf students amazed everyone with their well-coordinated silent fancy drill, the Manobo students of Zubiri Village astounded all with their breath-taking gymnastic stunts, the Muslim students dazed the rest of the campers with their cultural costumes and dance; but everyone enjoyed the teambuilding activities and Pinoy Olympics, fire building and camp cookery, and group worships just as much as everyone else. At the end of the week, the SULADS Jamboree campers were no longer representatives of diverse tribes but instead, everyone became true brothers and sisters in their hearts. Hearts of onlookers broke as they witnessed the young students wail as they said their goodbyes for their bonds of true frienship had truly fused into one. Like Ishmael and Isaac who united in brotherly love as they paid their respect for the father, Abraham,
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the children embraced each other’s difference. There no longer existed a must for a single language, no need for hand gestures, no longer a translator; the children’s tears were proof enough that in their hearts, there were no longer the walls that once stood in between them and the other tribes. What now was infused inside their beings is God’s Love.
PRAYER LIST Prayer of Praise • Success of the Concert for a Cause held in CBI, Bagontaas, Valencia, Bukidnon. • Dr. Fred & Mrs. Arlene Webb visit to MVC for the G.O. Seminar. • Kind support to all for the 1st Mindanao-wide SULADS Jamboree in MVC where children from all walks of life became friends. • Visit of Sulad Daryl and Sarah Famisaran from Mindoro with William Tana. • God’s grace and provisions in sustaining this ministry - Donors. • Faithful Prayer Warriors and Supporters.
Prayer Request/Needs • SULADS Upcoming Training in April 23 - May 21, 2017. More Trainees Many New Villages needing SULADS Work More Sponsors • SULADS Thailand • SULADS Canada • SULADS USA (Arizona) • Building of MVC Airstrip Hanger • A new helicopter for PAMAS for Mindanao • Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
YOU TOO CAN HELP! Banco de Oro (BDO) Dollar Account Account Name: SULADS, INC Account Number: 103-2100-35355 Swift Code: BNORPHMM Banco de Oro (BDO) Peso Account Account Name: SULADS, INC Account Number: 321-001-8337 Kindly notify us at suladsasia@gmail.com about your donation details.
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SNAPSHOT
SULADS QUARTET
SULADS QUARTET JR. SULADS Quartet are known for their raw heartfelt voices from the mountains of Bukidnon. Many enjoy the God-given talent of music through this group. Now it’s not only the Seniors that sing but the next generation who also wishes to bring tidings of joy to all as they are called the SULADS Quartet Junior.
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