Friday morning was a little more relaxing. We didn’t get up to an alarm and our bodies actually let us sleep until 7. We were kind of lazy getting around to eat breakfast. We found JP after breakfast and asked him to put a tour together for us. Five other Mission Office people and five others that traveled with our group rented a van. JP’s roommate, Mar, came with us. Several of us had certain places we wanted to go or things to see. JP also had a few recommendations.
Our first stop was on the edge of the island. We could see some small islands off shore but not too far. Mark said one was where they take their lepers. They have some nurses and small hospitals on the island for them. Another is where they take pick-pockets and thieves during festivals or other special events. Of course, they can’t gather them all, but they try. We then went to Fort San Pedro. It was a place where they fought against the Spanish. There were old cannons on top of the wall. The center courtyard was beautiful with green grass, lots of tall trees, and plenty of flowers and bushes. Mark said it was a great place to bring a date ;)
We then went to Magellan’s Cross. Since Chris and I had been earlier in the week, we chose to stay in the van. When the other part of the group returned, there were several children following them. They were begging for money. They were also trying to block the group from getting back into the van. Several of the kids finally left but a few were persistent. One in particular wouldn’t get out of the way of the door so we could close it. Mark finally got him pulled away and we got the door closes only for a few seconds before the child reopened it again and again and again. We were eventually able to lock the door and he began to knock on the side of the van. As the van started to move he ran along side of the van knocking harder and harder on the door begging for money. As we gained speed, he stopped and just yelled. The biggest heart break for me was seeing the man sitting on the wall on the back side of the sidewalk and knocking he was probably in charge of the group of kids taking everything they had gained in the day. None of those kids were wearing shoes. Some only had shirts and no pants or shorts. They were all filthy from head to toe as if they had never experienced a bath or shower. They were somewhere between the ages of 7 and 10. We had many beggars approach in our time there, but this was the most persistent, most life-impacting.
We had another stop or two that were Cebu City historical sites. Our last tourist stop was the Taoist Temple. It was everything I expected and more. There were signs everywhere to observe silence and respect for their gods. Idols were incased in glass. Special idols had their own hut while others were grouped together. In each hut were small kneeling benches so you could say your prayers or ask for blessings. There was incense and candles burning in several spots. Proper attire was required to enter a hut; no sleeveless tops, no shorts. All tourists were asked not to video or take pictures of their gods as that was disrespectful. One posted sign especially caught my eye. It said something to the effect that if you asked a god for something you had to be prepared for his answer. If he says yes or no, you accept it. If he says wait, then you may have to return another day. If he says maybe, then you may need to simplify your question. I’m so glad my God doesn’t need me to simplify my questions. My God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think. My God knows what I’m thinking before I even ask. What a great God we serve. The view of the town and surrounding mountains from the top of the temple was beautiful. I had never visited a temple of that kind before. I had only seen them on TV and read about them in books. The feeling I had there was like no other.
We left the temple and went for lunch back at the SM Mall where most of us chose to eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I had fettuccini alfredo and a slice of pizza that was quite good. We got back to the hotel with just enough time to do the Sky Experience at the top of our hotel.
We did the edge roller coaster together. I thought I would be really scared, but because you are strapped in so tight from the waist down there’s no possibility of moving. It was another beautiful view of the town and just a great time to enjoy being alone with my husband. Chris also did the Sky Walk which he said was not scary. Basically, you put on a space-looking suit and are strapped to a harness that hooks to some bars above your head and then you are able to walk along the edge of the hotel looking several hundred feet down. We finished a few minutes later than we thought and ran to the elevator and to our room quickly to change clothes.
We met the Mission Office group in the lobby where Pastor Jun escorted us to a local Filipino restaurant. The whole way, I was thinking to myself. I’m already sick. It can’t get any worse but I’m not sure I can eat anything that looks weird. Then, I thought, well that’s rude, I have to eat. My thoughts transferred between being rude and well, at least I can eat the rice. I finally just set my mind on giving everything a chance. No one knew what to order so Pastor Jun just ordered for everyone. They brought out individual empty plates for us all and then sat the foot in the middle. We had garlic shrimp, grilled tuna, stuffed crab, two kinds of beef soup, chicken, pork egg rolls, and rice. He also ordered each of us a mango shake…delicious! I tried everything except the chicken. When the chicken came out, it was the last thing. I had already stuffed myself with everything else and the chicken was so dark, when they sat it on the table I honestly thought it was beef. I decided that would be the one thing I would “chicken” out eating. I guess I wasn’t the only one because there was a whole plate of it on the table when we left the restaurant. Pastor Jun and his wife, Ma’am Judy, were wonderful hosts and we had great discussion at the table over the meeting and the possibility of another global meeting in five years.
We got back to the hotel and Chris was responsible for calling all traveling with us the next day. He had to tell each about the terminal fees, check-out time, departure information, and other stuff. He stayed in the lobby while I headed to the room to begin the chore of re-packing. I quickly learned that I had to lay dirty clothes flat or actually fold them to get them to fit back into the suitcases easily. I had almost everything finished when Chris got to the room. We finished a few things together and crawled into bed at a decent time. Again, I think we both slept well.
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