Puerto Princesa City Medical Mission

23rd – 29th October 2004

(reported by Siyin & edited by Lynda and Patrick)

Day 1 – Saturday, 23rd October

Our 1st day started off officially at 12 noon when the team arranged to meet together at Changi Airport, Terminal 2. The team members for this year’s MARCH mission to Puerto Princesa City were:

· Patrick Ong · Lynda Wee

· Lee Foon Yoong · Peggy Phua

· Chua Siew Gek, Pearlin · Joyce Kok

· Lye Siyin

We were very touched that this mission was in the prayers of many brethren and that many even came all the way to send us off. After group photo-taking and prayer, and many hugs and farewells from our well-wishers later, the team set off to go through immigration for our flight SQ 74 at 1:30pm to Manila. It was arranged for us to spend a night in Manila before catching a domestic flight to Puerto Princesa City at 8am the next morning.

We touched down safely in Manila at 4:45pm. Upon disembarking, the team was very surprised and grateful to see an airline employee holding a placard with Patrick’s name on it. This helpful lady was Ms Richesse sent by Chito’s brother (who was Manila airport general manager) to facilitate our Immigration clearance and luggage collection. Thanks to her, we cleared immigration speedily and our luggage was retrieved with minimum hassle. Before we left the terminal, we thanked God for the safe journey and the blessings He puts in our way through different people to aid us in doing His work.

At the arrival hall, Sonny and Gina picked us up in a van that they had rented to take us to their house, where we stayed the night. The drive to their house took more than an hour, with the heavy traffic after office hours. By the time we reached their house, some of us were already feeling car sick after being cooped up in the small van.

We quickly unloaded our luggage, and headed straight to St Lucia Shopping Mall for dinner. The sky gets dark earlier in the Philippines, and although it was just a little past 7pm it felt like 9pm to us. This was probably due to the sky turning dark as early as 6pm in Philippines. Dinner was at Max’s Restaurant, a popular restaurant chain similar to Pizza Hut or Swensen’s. Suddenly hungry, we ordered some local dishes like ‘lumpiah’ and fried chicken. Special mention must be made of the Halo-halo – their national dessert. Similar to our local ‘ice kachang’, it had much more ingredients, is made with ice chips and traditionally topped with a scoop of Ube ice-cream. Lynda pronounced it ‘heavenly’.

After returning home, we took turns to shower. Our hosts were so thoughtful they even provided towels for our use. After a prayer led by Patrick, everyone retired to get as much sleep as possible before our early wake-up call.

Day 2 – Sunday, 24th October

4am saw Lynda going around the team’s rooms waking us up. We heard she got up at 3am to get ready! While most of us slept well, it was a mostly sleepless night for some like Siyin and Pearlin, who tossed and turned throughout the night. Breakfast was bread with ‘bak kwa’ (courtesy of thoughtful Lynda) and Milo/coffee. By 5am, we had already loaded our luggage and together with Sonny and Gina, boarded the van to the airport. We munched on piping hot ‘pasadela’ (small buns) straight from the oven, specially bought by Sonny’s mother at 4am before we left his home.

6:15am – Reached Manila domestic airport and checked in.

8am – Boarded PR 195 (Philippine Airlines) to Puerto Princesa City

9:15am – Arrived Puerto Princesa airport. Transfer to the Legend Hotel, where we were stayed until the end of the mission.

Arriving at the hotel at 10am, we immediately joined the worship service with the local congregation and various teams from different parts of the Philippines who had already arrived for the medical mission. The worship was conducted in a mixture of Tagalog and English. Around 120 people, including the mission volunteers, were present. This was MARCH’s 25th medical, dental and spiritual mission.

After lunch, our team joined the World Bible Study (WBS) staff and other volunteers in tract distribution around Puerto Princesa City. It has been a long time since some of us engaged in tract distribution and we excitedly ventured all over town giving them out; even trespassed into people’s homes with our local interpreters. We also took this opportunity to broadcast to the locals about the date and venue for the medical and dental mission. The response from the locals was very encouraging. Some even stopped their vehicles or whatever they were doing to ask for a tract! At 4:30pm, we were finally asked to walk back to the hotel so that we could freshen up in time for dinner.

Our hotel rooms / dormitories were a God-sent. We were prepared for the worst after hearing about the lodging conditions from Peggy, who was in the previous MARCH mission. Lynda even brought her own kettle and food supplies along (which proved to be very useful). But we had good, clean rooms equipped with air-conditioning and heater; which made us feel very thankful and blessed. Most of us shared dormitories with the local volunteers.

Dinner was supposed to start at 6pm, but we got to start eating only at 7pm After dinner, it was devotion time for all the volunteers. The theme for this trip was ‘My Father and I’. After some hearty singing, there was 15-minute devotion on the relationship between Jacob and Joseph. It was very encouraging and uplifting (at least for me) to see the zeal and passion for Christ in our Filipino brethren even as they did everyday tasks such as giving grace or singing praises.

After devotion, all the volunteers split to the various sections for briefing in preparation for the mission work. Patrick went to the Dentists section as a ‘head-holder’, Lynda to the Doctors section, Peggy & Foon Yoong to the Nurses section, and Siew Gek, Siyin and Joyce contributed their services at the Pharmacy section. In addition, Brother Don, a coordinator for this mission, was encouraging volunteers to sign up for as a ‘Prayer Warrior’. Volunteers who signed up for it took 30-minutes during working hours to pray earnestly; either in a quiet corner or while doing their work. After a briefing on their duties for the next 2 days, everyone retired to their respective rooms for an early rest. While Siyin went straight to bed (as she had no sleep the night before), the rest of the team gathered in Lynda & Foon Yoong’s room for the daily debrief, prayer, and to prepare for Wednesday Talent night presentation.

Day 3 – Monday, 25th October

6am saw most of us up and about getting ready for the long day ahead of us. After breakfast, all the mission volunteers set off in a bus to City Coliseum building where the medical and dental mission was held. As the bus turned into the building, we could already see hundreds of locals queuing and crowding at the building grounds. This heart-warming scene made us determined to give our best in providing the medical and spiritual care that they needed.

Everyone dispersed to help in the various areas they were assigned to. The place was already partially prepared before our arrival. A patient would first go through the Registration, then Spiritual Counseling, before they got to the Nurses section to take their vital signs. Then they went for either Dental, Medical or Surgical treatment depending on their need. Their last stop would be to the Pharmacy, to collect their prescription.

All day long, patients streamed in. It was so busy that some of us could hardly find the time to take a break. The organizers of M.A.R.C.H were extremely thoughtful as they kept distributing drinks and snacks to us throughout the day to sustain us. Meanwhile, those who have signed up for the Prayer Warrior lists were reminded by Brother Don when their prayer time was approaching, and he gave each a list of prayer requests. At 4:30pm, the flow of patients had lessened and by 5, everyone began clearing up as the clinic closed.

At 5:30pm, our team set off from the site by ourselves with some local brethren and volunteers to have dinner at Chow King, a popular Filipino-Chinese fast food chain outlet. The ladies, not wishing to miss any chance of getting to shop (no matter how short the time may be), had a quick tour of NCCC, the only departmental store in the province after dinner. Shops in this city closed at 7pm! We got back to the hotel and had time to freshen up before devotion.

8pm – Joyous and whole-hearted singing with a short devotion by Brother Larry Buck (Fort Worth, Texas) on our relationship with God. Although short, it left a deep impression. One phrase that he said really left us pondering.

“How sad to have gone through life, if we do not have the freedom in Christ, to believe that Jesus paid the price with His blood.”

At the devotion, we were told that we had served 1143 people on the first day! After devotion, our team stayed back in Lynda and Foon Yoong’s room for the day’s debrief and to rehearse further for the skit. Our skit was titled ‘A visit from Jesus’. Siyin was the Narrator, Peggy was Ruth (lead actress), Foon Yong & Joyce acted as the poor couple, and Lynda gave the introduction, while Patrick, the mission leader, was to give the conclusion. Siew Gek was the coordinator. After some rehearsing (with a lot of laughter in between) and prayer, we finally went back to catch some sleep at around midnight.

Day 4 – Tuesday, 26th October

The 2nd day of the medical and dental clinic saw us being swamped with even more patients than the first day. Word had spread after the 1st day Mission. Though exhausting, it was such a joy to serve! Throughout the day, people kept flowing in, even after the registration hours. If we had little time to take breaks on the first day, most of us had to force ourselves to rest for short periods before we collapsed. Although the clinic was to close at 5:30pm, we actually ended at 6 plus. The Prayer Warriors also continued praying. At least one person praying at any time during the clinic’s operation hours. Like on the first day, our considerate organizers supplied us with Jollibee burgers and delicious local buns. We were extremely grateful for that. (Someone told us that brother Kian Hwee’s favorite is Jollibee burgers!!)

After dinner of curry chicken, Singing and devotion started at 8pm. The devotion was led by Brother Don Buo (Cebu Bible College). He shared about the spiritual father and son relationship between Paul and Timothy. He paid tribute to various mentors who had taken care of him, and inspired him during his youth. This young preacher is 33 years old, but looks like 20 years only.

We were told that today’s clinic saw a record number of 1525 people! After devotion, everyone trooped back to our usual gathering room for debriefing and our final skit rehearsal. It was already close to midnight by the time we had our nightly prayer and retired to our respective beds.

Day 5 – Wednesday, 27th October

With the two-day medical and dental clinic over, today was time for some R & R. After breakfast, we set out by van to Sabang jetty for our underground river tour. After almost 4 hours of an extremely bumpy ride, we finally reached the jetty. Peggy and Siew Gek, both had been sleeping very little for the past few nights, slept throughout most of the journey.

At the jetty, we slathered ourselves with sun block and mosquito repellent while we waited for the outrigger boats to take us to the island, where we were to start our underground tour. Siew Gek looked very comical in a transparent rain coat and everyone kept taking pictures with her to capture that moment. At first glance, each outrigger boat looked flimsy but challenging. Thankfully each passenger was provided a life vest and we thanked God 40 minutes later when we reached the island safely.

Getting on and off the outrigger was a pretty wet process – as we had to wade through the sea water. Thankfully there were many gallant brethren who took care of us.

The tour of the limestone underground cave lasted about 45 minutes. 8 people got into a canoe with the boatman doubling as the tour guide. We had to wear safety helmets to protect our heads from the cave dwellers’ (read: tons and tons of bats) droppings. It was pitch dark all the way when we were inside the cave and we had to rely on our torch lights to make out the way ahead. Inside the cave there was a distinct smell, which we were told came from bats. The whole cave (which was very massive) was home to a huge number of bats. They seemed not to notice our presence as they liked to swoop just above our heads, startling some of us initially. The boatman-cum-guide pointed out the different formations in the cave. There was the ‘food and vegetable’ section where we saw a series of rock formation resembling mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, bananas etc. There was even a formation that looked like the Virgin Mary!

Our group was the last to take the boat ride back to the Sabang jetty as Siew Gek felt a bit sick after the underground cave tour and had to rest for awhile. By the time we got back to the jetty, it was past 2pm and the men had already finished all the food snacks that Lynda had brought along. There was picnic lunch of noodles, rice, pork and fish cooked, prepared & brought from our hotel. After lunch, we went exploring around the small shops near the jetty and searched for souvenirs to remember today’s underground cave tour by. Some of the more adventurous volunteers did some swimming by the beach. At around 3pm, we got into our respective vans, and after another bumpy ride, reached the hotel safely thank GOD.

8pm saw the Thanksgiving & Appreciation dinner ready to begin. The usually plain hall was beautifully decorated. Even the food looked especially sumptuous. There were even 2 whole roast pigs! It seemed that everyone had dressed up for that special evening. Peggy looked like she was going to a wedding! Following the tradition of MARCH, all the hotel waiters were banished, and our only servers that night were the founder director, Ed Poblete, the senior staff of M.A.R.C.H. – President Chito Cusi, Vice President Pepi, Chief Doctor Dr. Lorie Austria, Chief Dentist Efren Colcol and others.

After dinner, the celebration started with 2 speeches made by Brother Ed Poblete (Ada, Oklahoma – Founder ex-President of M.A.R.C.H) & Brother Chito Cusi. Talent night saw performances put up by teams from the different sections in the medical and dental clinic such as Doctors, Dental, Nurses & Pharmacists, Support group, our Singapore team, and the local Palawan congregation. Performances included songs, dances, a wedding skit, our story skit, and even hilarious synchronized swimming aptly titled ‘The underground tooth’. Everybody really let their hair down and cheers and laughter was heard throughout the night. There was so much talent on show that night, and great camaraderie among the brethren. We had marvelous MCs that night – Minnie (Filipina) and Marie O’ Donovan (UK nurse – niece of brother Nathan and Marcella).

With the celebrations finally over, came the time for saying farewells and leaving contact with new-found friends. A number of them revealed that they were greatly touched and encouraged by our involvement, through our physical efforts and Pasir Panjang’s generous sponsorship. Everyone kept asking us if we were coming back for the next MARCH medical mission, and Lord willing, we hope so too. Many asked about brother Kian Nam as they remembered his energetic spirit.

Day 6 – Thursday, 28th October

Today was an additional R & R day as most of the other volunteers had already left by 11:30am to catch their ferry or flights back. We went on a city tour of Puerto Princesa City for the day, being kindly taken around by Brother Chito’s friends, Hector and Lowie Gerardo. The first stop was at the Adidas shop where we almost cleared out some of their stock as prices were much cheaper compared to Singapore. The ladies also bought bags of cashew nuts and dried fish from Lowie (following the example of the Filipino volunteers).

Patrick was hospitable and generous to invite brother Bal Lomanang, the local preacher from Palawan congregation, his family and a few other local brethren for lunch in a seafood restaurant. After lunch, the team made a visit to the local church. With over 20 members, the church’s premises was very small, and vastly different compared to Pasir Panjang’s. Made of straw, it was approximately less than 200 sq feet. There was little furniture, save for a pulpit. It was a startling revelation and all of us were deeply aware of the comforts we enjoy back home. We teased to send brother Patrick back for a two months internship in this congregation.

Then it was shopping, shopping and shopping till you drop. We visited the souvenir shops, bought pearls, and went back to NCCC for more purchases. The departmental store was the final stop for those who needed to buy gifts (dried mangoes especially) for their family and friends. Throughout our shopping spree, we tried local snacks such as fried bananas and sweet potatoes on sticks etc. Yummy! Everyone was exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel.

At 10:30pm, we gathered in Patrick’s room for the final debrief. There were many praises and everyone felt they had gained something, both spiritually and emotionally. Naturally there were some minor complaints, such as the food. But once we found out that the meals were paid for by the local congregation, who could barely afford the expenses, we were deeply humbled again. After much lengthy discussion, we finally got to bed at about 1am.

Day 7 – Friday, 29th October

We were very touched by Brother Bal, his wife, and Sister Nora, who came all the way to our hotel to send us off. They even went out of the way to get a special pass from the airport authorities so that they could enter the boarding area to send us off. We had a final prayer with them before boarding our flight (PR 196) to Manila at 10:30am.

Arrived in Manila at 11:45am, we hired a van to take us and our luggages from the Domestic to the International terminal. We initially thought that there would be plenty of time for us until the next flight since we had 2 ½ hours to check in. But alas the queue was so long that by the time we cleared immigration, the gates were already open for us to board the plane. We suddenly remembered Chito’s brother (who is the general manager of the airport) but it was a bit too late to call on him to assist us. After a 3 hour flight, it was finally home sweet home! We thank and praise our Almighty GOD for His travel mercy for each one of us.

REFLECTIONS OF THE MEDICAL MISSION 2004

Lynda: “I am reminded that Jesus Christ healed many people during his short ministry on earth. The role of MARCH in Christian outreach through medical, dental and spiritual mission is surely following in the footsteps of Jesus. Brother Chito in his speech said, ‘It is hard to be poor and it is even harder to be poor and sick’. This statement touches my heart and will forever be imprinted there. I count myself blessed to have participated in MARCH this year. If God wills, I definitely want to volunteer again.”

Joyce Kok: "To be part of this mission work, I was able to have first-hand experience in witnessing multitudes of poor people seeking help for their physical infirmities. And I don't think I am able to experience this in Malaysia or Singapore. When we do this good work in the name of Christ, we are glorifying Him. "

Lye Siyin: “I would like to think that this medical mission trip has benefited me as much as the multitudes of poor I have helped. I am much more aware & appreciative of the comfortable environment my life is in, and now realise that I have much more compared to the brethren there. My spiritual faith was also greatly encouraged by the Christ-like qualities displayed by the volunteers who came all over the Philippines and United States to help. This trip has inspired me to pledge more of my time, money and effort into similar mission works. "

Pearlin: “I thanked God for the privilege to aid the under privileged people. I felt very fulfilling and challenging. Truly He has reminded me of our great blessings from above and learnt contentment. Wonderful spirit of God’s love was displayed among all volunteers and spur us to do more and not grow weary. I am grateful to be part of it.”

Foon Yoong: “I want to encourage every Christian to go for medical mission at least once. The experience and benefit I gained is overwhelming to describe. Many in the poorer countries like Philippines cannot afford medical treatment. They waited patiently with their husbands and children in tow to be attended to without complaining. The Christian brothers and sisters in the Philippines demonstrated great faith, courage and love for God and his people. They took leave from their work to be a part of the M.A.R.C.H. for Christ working tirelessly from morn till dusk. I am encouraged by the young preachers (in their early twenties and thirties) zeal and the desire to serve the Lord full time. I thank God for the privilege to be a part of the M.A.R.C.H. for Christ.”

Patrick: “It’s such a great blessing & awesome experience to serve HIM in this medical mission trip. I praised and thanked GOD for the joy of serving and working with the six wonderful sisters in Christ. They have been an encouragement and blessing to me throughout the seven days together. I want to thank Joyce & Siyin for taking charge of the mission report. Thank Lynda for her selfless example & blessing to ensure each of us in physical & mental preparation for the trip. Thank Foon Yoong for helping to keep a record of the account. Lastly thank Peggy & Siew Gek for their patient and forbearance throughout the trip. It’s indeed a humbling & awesome experience for all of us. Above all, thank GOD so much for keeping us all safe and sound, to HIM be the glory.”

Summary:

· This is the 25th M.A.R.C.H medical, dental & spiritual mission. It was held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

· Approximately 95 volunteers participated in this mission – Philippines, Fort Worth, Texas; Ada, Oklahoma; UK and Singapore

· 1st day - 1143 patients, 2nd day - 1525 patients. Total, we served 2668 patients during the full 2 days. Numerous surgeries were performed under local anesthesia.

· At least 652 prospects were very interested in studying God’s Word and they were enrolled in WBS, Philippines.

There was 1 baptism into the Lord on Wednesday night, and another on Thursday.

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