Accidental Missionary: Reverse Culture Shock

Culture Shock: Is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life during immigration or a visit to a new country, or to a move between social environments. Also a simple travel to another way of life.


Since coming back I've felt something that has been described to me as "reverse culture shock."


So as most of you know I was born and raised here in Canada. Just recently I've been able to serve as a missionary in the Philippines and I also got the chance to observe the way of life there. It really made me appreciate what a great life I've lived in Canada, but it's also changed the way I think now.

Being back here in Canada.... It's tough.... I don't see things the way I used to. I definitely have a new perspective  on things and I believe its for the better. I'm not concerned with the petty things anymore. Some of the things I see around at times just kinda make me wanna cringe. I'm not being judgmental or anything like that I'm just kinda sharing what your little friend is feeling. I love my home and my hometown, I'm just simply trying to say..... I kinda feel like a stranger in my own home, if you know what I mean.

I love that I have a new outlook on life and that now I feel like I've found that direction, that purpose that I've been looking for. It's a great feeling and can't wait to get back to the Philippines to continue serving and observing. 

Thanks for reading &
Stay classy

I almost got charged with Illegal Posession

So I'm back in Canada (temporarily) but I had to post up a blog about my trip coming back. It was borderline nightmare but in hindsight a funny story to tell. Okay you ready? #Leggo

So in natural Kevin fashion, I wait till last minute to pack up my room and move some of my stuff to a friends house while I'm gone. I'm quickly but carefully putting things in to my luggage, my carry on and the bag that I will leave in the Philippines. 

The reason I was almost branded a terrorist!!

I come across my butterfly knife that I bought that I so dearly loved playing with. All my other bags were already in the car so I put the knife in my carry on and made the mental note "Hey dummy don't forget to take this out when you get to the other house..." So i put the knife in the bag and went on my way.

Some of the Youth from Youth United Philippines again wanted to escort me to the airport, so we all hung out and had some fellowship, bonding while killing time until we go to the airport. 3am.... the car... or truck service i should say arrives and we're on our way. When we get to the airport I think to myself that saying bye to these kids will be easier the second time around.... I was sadly mistaken. It was even harder this time!! I didn't cry in front of them but I was definitely sad. We said our "see you soon's" and then before I knew it, I had to go and check in.

I check my luggage and verify my seat on the flight. No problems there. At customs they tell me I have to pay a fee for exit clearance.... So I had to run to an ATM and pay the crazy fee. Then off to scan my body and bags for weapons of mass destruction. I follow the process and put all my things in a bin. I place the bin and my carry on, onto the conveyor to be scanned. I go through the human xray thing and I hear the words "Go ahead sir." So I collect my things and realize I'm missing my carry on. I'm thinking that someone picked it up by accident or something. I kindly tell the officer I 'm missing my bag and they not so kindly tell me to stay exactly where I am.

I see another dude holding my carry on and he pretty much slams it onto the metal counter.... Mind you this is in front of other passengers so i'm feeling kinda cool cause I'm thinking I aint got nothin to hide!! So the guy is taking things out of my bag and searching vigorously for something.... I'm thinking go ahead chief you aint gonna find noth... and then he pulls it out.... The butterfly knife.... I'm thinking OH shhhhhhh... The officer repeats these 2 words "Illegal Posession" He says it like 3 times and in my head I'm like shut up dude!! 

Another officer says "come with me" we walk a ways down to an area not well lit and where I can no longer see any witnesses who can verify my existence. He just stands there not saying anything. He's just playing with this knife. He says (while playing with the knife) "You know... I'm supposed to take you to a  room and interrogate you. You could be a terrorist... Are you a terrorist?" I obviously said no. Apparently I could have gone to jail cause bringing sharp object onto an airplane is frowned upon. He said you are either a terrorist that really doesn't care to hide your weapon or you might be telling me the truth. He then proceeded to ask me some more questions and finally he decided to let me go since my flight was not too long from then or because my small cute stature didn't pose a threat to homeland security.

As I passed through customs I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the good Lord. I wouldn't have gotten through there without Him. I would be in some Guantanamo type prison getting water boarded if the good Lord's blessing and grace wasn't upon me. Thank you Lord!!

PS. mental notes are not good if you forget them. lol

Stay classy

& don't bring sharp objects on airplanes ;)

This one time at band camp.....

Good morning/afternoon/evening!! Whatever time you get to read this.

So I know I suck at communication, and I know I was supposed to post this one a few weeks ago but here it is.

Oh BTW before I start MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you all enjoyed the Holidays with friends and family.

So back to the story.... It's the first week of December and the youth group Youth United Philippines is asked to put together a performance for a KBCF Talent competition. So we brain stormed and finally came up with the idea to do Drum and Lyre.  The kids are really good at using the instruments.... My friend Dave can play a song on the Lyre while texting his girlfriend!! AMAZING!! Most of the kids have been using these instruments since they were very young and this is what they were most comfortable with. So it was decided that we would play Christmas songs..... But little Kev is not musically inclined....

Im sure they all felt bad for me and that's probably why they gave me cymbals.... I'm guessing that it is the equivillent to playing the Triangle in music class lol. Anyhow I gratefully accepted and we began practice. I didn't think that it would be fun but banging 2 pieces of whatever those cymbals are made of have never been more fun!! I don't even know if I was on beat but I just let the animal in me come out!! hahahaha!!

We practice for 1 or 2 days and I think I've got the hang of it. Just to make sure I was super ready I downloaded the movie Drumline with Nick Canon just to get inspired. In hindsight it didn't help me cause the movie had nothing to do with the instrument I was playing but hey it's still a favorite of mine and my dude Brian Aquino.

Its game day. Everyone is a bit nervous and when I say everyone I mean ME!! Doing it for fun was cool but now people are gonna watch me. Now I feel like Eminem in 8 Mile when he throws up right before the rap battle.... I suck it up and say to the kids " Hey let's just have fun" What I really meant was "LET'S CRUSH THEM!!"

When we get to the Church we find out that we are the last performance. We watch the other performances and they were also very good. It's time.... we line up and wait to be called. "And now please welcome the Youth United Philippines!!" We marched out there and banged the cheese out of our instruments....

In the end we didn't win but I think the kids learned a lesson in team strength. We practiced hard, played hard and lost.... but we did it together. Win, lose, we did it together. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this group the Youth United Philippines!!

PS. There are things in the works to try and take this Drum and Lyre group on some sort of Asia Tour.... Please keep the youth in your prayers as they take on new responsibilities in the group and experience new adventures on their walk with Christ.

All Glory to Him!!
God Bless and.....
Stay Classy

Update Blog

Hello beautiful people,It's been a while since we last chatted but i'm getting back on board the blog train and I just want to fill you in on what's been happening in the last few months.

The Youth that I'm working with are doing amazing. Leaders are starting to emerge and its amazing to see how much they have grown in just over a year. I'm going to blog separately more about this later :) Please keep them in your prayers as they are experiencing the hardships of leadership.

The OpenTable group (ministry for young professionals) @ Technohub is also doing well. Since many of them work the graveyard shift, many of them are unable to attend church on Sunday mornings, so what we've done is we've brought the service to them. Every Saturday morning at 8am we have a service and I have been blessed with the opportunity to preach at most of the services. It is a blessing to be a part of this ministry.

Every Thursday we hold a bible study for the staff at The Old Spaghetti House or TOSH as we refer to it as. Usually my partner Diana handles them because I don't speak Tagalog very well but the few time that I have facilitated it, the staff were very gracious and understanding. For a while we had to stop our studies due to the management but they took the initiative and called us to set up a new time and date. Please keep the employees in your prayers as most of them have been either let go or have left because of one reason or another. Please pray that God grant them the provisions they need to provide for their families.

I've slowly been trying to learn the language of Tagalog. Since i've gotten here, there have been some improvements and I've even been able to incorporate some of that into the few sermons I had a chance to do at church. It's a tough language to learn. so much so that it actually hurts my throat after the lessons that I get.

Speaking of me I'm still surviving.... barely but God doesn't let me go hungry. Months are stretched financially to the brink of non-existence. It is tough mentally, physically and emotionally but in those times I come to God and give it all up to Him. Then i'm overcome with a sense of peace and I'm reminded that He will never leave nor forsake me. He has worked in my life in ways no blog can describe and I am so grateful for the grace and awesomeness that He has revealed to me.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!! I hope you enjoy the holidays with your families and friends. My Christmas wish is that you keep me in your prayers and hey if you're feeling like you want to help donate to help me out while i'm down here that would be awesome and amazing and it would mean so much to me. I'll add a link down below if you feel like giving any amount at all.

God bless you all and Merry Christmas!!
Love
Kev

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fchurchplantingministries.ca%2Findex.php%2Fdonate%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGEAzke1eVFtKOol1_5HJrsrnaXcg

Accidental Missionary: We Are Young, So Let's Set the World on Fire

I love that song by the way....
It's been a while since I last blogged but now I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

Lots has been going on since the last time I blogged. I'm gonna try not to overwhelm you with it all at once, so i'll try my best to pace myself.

Coloring after the lesson

I'm super proud of the youth, Youth United Philippines for really stepping up their game. A few of our leaders went to a seminar on how to teach younger children about stories in the bible. After they received their certificates they wanted to get started right away. They were so inspired that they took the initiative to set up 4 different areas in the community where they could go and teach the little kids about the bible. First they started with the creation story, then they moved onto Noah's Ark.



These awesome and amazing kids have really inspired me. They go to church on Sunday, then after that they take a couple of hours to prepare the materials, grab a little something to eat and then they're off to teach. Some of these places aren't very far but they are also not that close either. Rain or shine they will take any form of transportation even if it means walking.





Their enthusiasm to teach and their love for the little children is something that I really can't explain in a blog, or that any picture can do justice. It's just one of those things that you have to watch for yourself and I have the blessed opportnity to do that. I get to watch them grow and see how God is moving in their lives.

When I think of these kids, I think of 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

The 2 kids in the front told us to come back.... Or else.

Usually, it's me who is trying to teach them a lesson, but this time they definitely taught me a thing or two.

Don't cry because it's over but smile because it happened

This is a sad time for all of us. We've lost someone who is so dear to us and there isn't anything anyone can say or do to make the hurt in our hearts go away. We have tears in our eyes because we have to saygoodbye to Abby.

It is never easy to lose someone, but in this time of pain and sorrow, we can take comfort in knowing that she is no longer in any more pain.We can take comfort in knowing that she is in a place where suffering, pain and hurt no longer exist.

I was fortunate enough to speak to Abby before she passed away. I remember waking up and checking my email to see if there was any update on her. I saw one from my mom and it said that she wasn't doingvery well. I called right away totally disregarding the time. My sister put the phone to Abby's ear and I told her everything that I wanted to say to her. I told her that she was the most amazing person I knew. I told her how proud of her I was and that I loved her so very much. I asked the whoever was there to just come together to say a
prayer for her. As I was closing the prayer, she took her final
breath.

Through her final weeks Abby had so many visitors and phone calls from
everyone who loved her. With me being in the Philippines I was unable
to do that. It was as if she had waited for me to call. We were very
close. Maybe even closer than most people think. We would always go to
each other to talk about our problems or just check up  to see how the
other one was doing. So for her to wait for me to call before she
passed is the saddest privilege I have ever had. So thank you cousin.

Abby, I cannot tell you enough how much I love you and how much you
will be missed. You have touched the lives of so many people and for
that we are eternally grateful. It pains us that we have to say
goodbye, because today some of us say goodbye to a friend.... some of
us say goodbye to a sister.... some of us say goodbye to a mother....
and one of us says goodbye to his wife. But as hard as the goodbye is,
we know that one day we can look forward to seeing you again, and the
memory of you lives on in each of us whose lives you've touched. Even
though in our own minds you left us way to early, we will trust that
God's plan for you to go home was right on time.

We are sad and we are hurting.... But as we are all here to mourn the
loss of our loved one, we are also here to celebrate her life as well.
We will celebrate the friend who came through no matter what.... The
mother who always loved her family more than anything in the world....
The sister that made life a little easier (or harder depending on
whose perspective.).... The daughter who never forgot to call on
mothers day and fathers day.... The wife, who in her life was
fortunate enough to find and marry her soulmate.

There is a quote from Dr.Seuss.... "Don't cry because it's over, but
smile because it happened."

So Abby as we are all here mourning our loss and celebrating you, we
will try our best not to cry because your life here with us is
over.... but we will smile because your life with us happened.

I Love you
Kev

The prayer Abby heard just before she passed:

Jude 1:24

ol;''./To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before
His glorious presence without fault and great joy - to the only God
our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, before all ages now and forevermore.
Amen

Accidental Missionary: Detained by Police

A couple of weeks ago I was taking a walk back to Eastwood where I once lived with Jon and Carmi. I was just gonna head over to the mall and take advantage of the free airconditioners. I go and do my thing then decide that it's time to head back home. Now usually to cross the street there are numerous overpasses or bridges that you can use. The particular bridge that I should have used was very far away and I was in a very lazy mood at that point, so I decided to cross the busy street. It was like I was the frog in the game Frogger.

As I finally made it to the other side, there sitting in a police squad car were two officers. They shouted "Sir come here!!" (They said that in Tagalog but I don't know how to write it)
So I walk over and they tell me that jaywalking is a crime. I said I was sorry but I didn't know (I knew)
They then asked for my identification but I didn't have it on me. So they tell me to get into the back seat. I'm kinda thinking 2 things at this point. Either they are gonna ask for money or they're gonna take me to jail. If they ask for money jokes on them cause I ain't got none!! And if they take me to jail.... that's gonna be a pretty sick blog if I ever get out....

Anyway one of the officers says "Sir jaywalking is illegal and you have to pay a fine." I ask how much I have to pay and he tells me 10,000 Pesos.... The equivilant to well over $200. I began to tell him that I was just a missionary from Canada and that I didn't have much money. The sympathy was clearly not there. The I told them that I was working closely with Pastor Alex and Bishop Ef Tendero. They looked at eachother for a moment, then looked forward.... without even looking back at me they said "Okay Sir goodbye." As I got out I thanked God!!

The moral of the story is don't jaywalk and if you are ever in trouble, always always NAME DROP!!

Be blessed and stay classy