Again I find myself writing this much later than I would have hoped. I'd love to be one of those people who could write something every two or three weeks at least, but with the amount of writing that I do for my studies here, my brain can't always find useful or exciting things to say when it comes to blogging. Words often fail the experience of this place.
Today we celebrated Kalinga Day! Well, it's officially tomorrow, but today we were able to see a parade and the playing of 1000 gongs. It was amazing. Made me fall in love with Kalinga even more. Different tribes from all over the province of Kalinga came together today to celebrate unity and reconciliation. This celebration involved tribal dancing and the playing of the gongs. It was cool to see each tribe pass in the parade, each looking similar with their dress in beautiful Kalinga colors and fabrics, and also similar in their playing of the gongs and dancing; yet, there was still something that set each tribe apart. After the parade, everyone assembled at the Capital (it's like a huge dirt arena). They had a ceremony, sang some songs, then had all the gong players come into the center of the arena. As ALL the gongs played together, they moved the formation to say Kalinga Shines. To finish things off, they lit a torch in the middle of the area to signify unity of the tribes. It was awesome to watch (and it was almost consolation for not being able to watch any of the Olympics)!
Dancers and Gong Players
Walking with what felt like all of Tabuk up to the Capital...
Something that has been on my heart in the past couple months has been the idea of living simply... what does that mean, and how does it look? The fact that I should write about it was solidified today when a lady sat down beside me at the Kalinga ceremony. After comparing our skin colors and asking if we could trade, she asked me all the other usual questions... "How long are you here for?" "Did you marry here?" "How old are you?" and, most importantly "Do you like Kalinga?" My response to that is always an enthusiastic "Yes! I love it!", because I really do. This place is amazing and I'm thankful to be here. She responded to me with beautiful words "We live a simple life here, but we are very happy".
It is a simple life here. It's true. But the longer I am here, the more I realize that that is the best possible life I could choose for myself. Don't get me wrong though, I don't believe that living simply is measured by material possessions or lack there of, but rather, the importance that is placed on those possessions vs. other, more lasting things. From what I have come to see here, people don't define their lives based on what they are lacking, but instead what they are RICH in. They are rich in family, rich in friendships, rich in quality time, rich in sharing their lives. The kids of our neighborhood are not always whining and complaining for a new toy, instead they recognize that they have two flip flops and many flip flops between them and their friends, and thus, a game is born! Would a new toy be welcomed, of course! But it is not the focus. This isn't a want vs. need discussion as I am sure if we are all honest with ourselves, we understand where that line is drawn (even though we rarely draw it), but more a question of what is important to you? For the kids, playing with their friends is MUCH more important than the prospect of a new toy. For me, living the life that God has placed in front of me fully is much more important than the financial or material security that I find when I am home (as appealing as a splurge at JoeFresh may be!). Financial security is not wrong, it's actually quite valuable (which is something I can say with a LOT of experience to back it), but has it become your main priority? Material possessions are not bad, but what drives you to them? I'm not trying to drastically change the way you think as I don't believe that is my place. But in sharing what is on my heart, I hope that it provokes thought. I hope that when I do come back to Canada, that I will be able to say "I live a simple life here, but I am very happy".
(Take a read of Matthew 6:19-21... it's a great reminder).
I'll leave you with a little update on Birth Sponsorships :) January was a wonderful, productive month, made even better by the response to birth sponsorships. I'm thrilled to say that 17 births of my goal of 26 were sponsored. How great is that. It is so fun to be able to send little footprints across the ocean to those who have sponsored, and from what I hear, it is also fun for them to be received. Thank you for continually being a part of the things happening here at Abundant. It is such a blessing. If at any point you would like to sponsor a birth, it is always welcomed. The cost is $80-100 CDN and, as said before, I will send you footprints and a little story about the birth you sponsored. When you donate, please specify "birth sponsorship" in the PayPal message.
As always, fundraising is an ongoing thing in my life for the next year and a half still. It is not my favorite part of this journey. In fact, it's my least favorite. However, it is absolutely amazing to see God provide in some crazy ways. I have no doubt that that will continue as time goes on. If at any point, you feel that you would like to donate to my time here and the things happening at Abundant, it will always be welcomed with immense gratitude. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions at all regarding specifics.
Much love to you!
A
OH! How could I forget.. such exciting news. I booked my trip home for the summer! Thankful for God's provision of a great flight. Can't wait to see everyone and a bit of a Canadian summer!!
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