From Elaine: Hope for the Island Canada
Although it has been some time since my trip to Hope for the Island, I continue to get requests for a personal report. I used to write an update after each trip and apparently you enjoy it.
Can this really be the 14th time I have been to Asia? Sleep eludes me when I travel so I am most often awake for over 50 hours with little more than a catnap on a plane or airport bench. This grueling trip has consisted of 12 flights and 4 boat rides. I am finally convinced that my efforts to save money will be my demise if I insist on taking this route again.
The Philippines either works its way into your heart or you struggle with it. Needless to say, there is a special place in my heart for this country. I arrived with my husband Brian and Hope for the Island board members and friends Dennis & Charlene. Very soon after returning home, I would be requested to accompany a mission team of 17 from Cross Church. Trip #15! It was a joy to be a part of this group who served with passion!
Brian and I, as well as Dennis and Charlene, have been on this journey many times together. We comfortably eased into the bustling port of Surigao City. The buzz of the local transportation, which is little more than a converted motorcycle, brought back memories that made us smile and filled my heart with a strange comfort. Even the never-ending roosters crowing remind me of where I am and how much I love it.
One of our boat rides is now docking and I have not had to use the 
airplane sickness bag yet! The ocean is calmer at this time of year, which is a blessing. We now head down a bumpy road that meanders along the island coastline. Island life is comforting and familiar as villagers smile and greet us as we pass by.
Hope for the Island has been ministering here since 2001. We are well known and our ministry is considered an oasis in the midst of the island called Siargao. Locals visit Hope for the Island with ease. For many, it is their second home. Youth and children come daily to this place they have grown to love and affectionately refer to as HOPE. Smiles break out quickly. The sounds of children and youth, who know they are accepted and loved here, fill the air.
I am grateful and in awe of my God who continues to give us favor here in our 15th year on the island.
The island continues to evolve. Roadside resorts and restaurants have sprung up. The sight of a foreigner is not something that causes the children to run screaming into their mother’s arms as it did in my early years here.
My visits here have often been as part of various teams that came to serve alongside Hope staff. Trip #14 would be different. We saw what only those who have served long term here would see, the day-to-day operation of this ministry and all that it entails.
The blessing of Brian’s financial career was apparent as he spent hours in meetings with Derek. They poured over the books, planned and looked at the vision for the ministry. Dennis & Charlene in her words, ” Lived the island life effortlessly.”
Rising above the coconut trees, as a testimony to God’s provision and goodness, is our new Mission House. How I wish many of you could have been there to see it. For those who have visited Hope for the Island, you would be aware of the significance of the Mission House and all that God has done in that structure over the years.
After a few weeks into our visit, on what was to be a routine trip to load up supplies for the roofing construction, Derek was injured. A large load of neepa (thatch roofing) fell from the truck and in the process Derek’s foot was injured.
We were not prepared for how a two-hour job turned into a daylong trip. We had no food, were out of water and the day would not end for a very long time. We drove over an hour in the extreme tropical heat hoping to get a doctor to examine him. Bumpy roads only made the pain worse.
We pulled up to a local hospital, but no one was available to check his injury. He cleaned his own wound and we walked to a local vendor looking for ice to reduce the swelling.
It became apparent we would have to be innovative to get medical attenti
on. It was Good Friday and the local churches were overflowing with villagers. The nurse who could examine Derek was part of a long procession that wound through the town and was now entering the church. Through word of mouth and with my limited vocabulary and much persuasion, we found him and made contact. He followed us back to the hospital to reset what was thought to be a broken toe.
A few days after returning home, Derek had a raging infection. He needed immediate care. We were up at 3 a.m., as is the custom when taking a boat. We were headed for Surigao City located on another island. My patience would be tested as I watched Derek routinely get shuffled around and delay after delay occurred. An x-ray was finally taken, but was not done correctly so we requested a second one. Antibiotics were then prescribed. They were not working.
We knew it was time to fly to Cebu City and be examined at a larger hospital. The expenses kept mounting. We received a hefty bill for each piece of gauze, sterile glove, additional antibiotics or any service rendered. As many of you saw, the pictures were alarming as the infection progressed. More surgeries were needed. With permission operating room pictures and visitors were allowed?!?!
I continue to thank God for His guidance during this lengthy ordeal. Many of you prayed and emailed. Healing and the recovery were slow but Derek eventually healed nicely and was able to walk without crutches.
I was humbled as I recognized that most who lived there would be unable to afford these services. A chat with one of the nurses who prepped Derek for his third surgery revealed that she earned 350 pesos per day/$8 as a nurse following four years of schooling. A security guard we chatted with at one of the malls earned 605 pesos/$15 for a 12 hours shift.
During this trip we shopped at a large home depot type store for Mission House lighting fixtures. I marveled at how 8 employees spent the majority of the time with us. There is very definitely a high ratio of employees to customers! As Derek sat in his wheelchair one hour lead to another. I was at the end of my patience. We had been there 5-½ hours. The island pace stretched me big time that day! We purchased 5 light fixtures and 23 light bulbs. We would then spend 1-½ hours at the check out counter with the cashier. They slowly and methodically fashioned, as only a Filipino can, a large cardboard box out of smaller boxes. The painstaking process included plenty of social interaction and chatting. String is then used to tie up the box and hopefully keep the contents intact. When we boarded the plane days later, in spite of the fragile and right side up instructions we clearly wrote on the box, it was tossed around. I knew protesting would only reveal I was a westerner.
My time would soon come to a close once again. It would be time to say goodbye to many I love there. Family goodbyes are especially difficult and do not get easier. Each year looks different and God continues to reveal Himself in new ways. I don’t know if I will ever get to the point where I will be comfortable with the poverty and unsanitary conditions, but I can say that the incredible joy of the Filipino culture despite their circumstances is so unbelievable and unexpected. I continue to be inspired by these amazing people.
My challenge when I return to the western world is to be ready to share the vision back home in Canada. There are so many needs and we do need more monthly donors. I would ask you to please consider partnering with us financially and in prayer this year.
As we look at our calling and all that God has done, we are grateful and humbled.
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