Day 2 in the Philippines: Manila

We had good flights and arrived in Manila last evening. Traffic from the airport to the hotel was very light since it was a national holiday – Labor Day! Our taxi driver told us that two foods we must try while we are in the Philippines are Kare-Kare or ox tail and Pata which is pork knuckles (I didn’t know pigs had knuckles!). 🙂 We met up with Dan Dovidio at the hotel and spent the evening talking about the Filipino church and some of the things we hope to accomplish this week.

Today Neilson and I walked the streets of Manila sampling the Filipino culture. It is very hot and humid, but the breeze from the Bay helps make it tolarable. The Filipino people are very friendly and hospitable. It feels good to be in another culture, meeting new people and seeking to understand them from an anthropology or missiological perspective. Neilson and I talked about the cultural bias we have as westerners and how that affects the gospel message we carry into another cultures. After praying and reviewing our sermons this afternoon, we will visit the local restaurants and an amusement park along the Manila Bay piers tonight.

Early tomorrow (Saturday) we fly to Oroqueta City and will spend most of the day with Pastor Nathan, Pastor Dan and their families. On Sunday Neilson and I will each be preaching in a small village church (think jungle).

I tried to upload some pics for you but the wifi connection isn’t cooperating.