Is There Christmas In Mt. Calavite?

"Paskong Mangyan" (The Mangyan Christmas)

Ever since we have found the Iraya-Mangyans of Agdilao we felt the passion of knowing them and their ways and discovering how we can help them. Other than their nomadic lifestyle one thing that have struck us the most is their animistic belief and practices, very typical with our indigents.

Animism is a word taken from "anima" which means soul or life. This belief is about the co-existence of the physical and the spiritual world. It is believed that there is a soul in every creature, not only in humans but also like in trees, rocks, rivers, air, etc. This belief can be found in different forms like that in Paganism, Neopaganism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. For the Mangyans they don't have any idea what others believe but all they know is that "a god" or "gods" can be created from almost anything if only one starts worshiping it or them. With this belief they tend to ways or practices that has made their condition more miserable.

Through the years of our ministry with these people we have taught and shared them new things that have helped them improve their living and have addressed some of the perennial problems happening in the tribe. The greatest thing we have shared to them that has brought true strength in times of hardships, true hope in times of trials and sufferings, and true courage in the face of adversaries is the relationship with God found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Since then things somehow changed for the better if not for the best. Since then the people have started to develop faith in them as they started to grow deeper into their personal relationship with God.

Among the great things they learned is that there's a loving Father in heaven who knows them by name, also there were stories and lessons they have heard that they cherished the most. To name a few are the story of how God delivered Israel from Egypt by passing through the Red Sea, the story of a stedfast Job, the story of courage in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and so many more. But not to forget one story that truly stood-out in them is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ into this world through a virgin birth, the true Christmas story.

Along those great Bible stories is the understanding how great God's love is for us and how we experience that love in our day to day life. We also have shown them how God uses His servants as His visible hands on earth. We reach them and serve them because we are God's love in action. That is what "PASKONG MANGYAN" is to us.

Just to share how we celebrate God's love...

The Preparation Stage
(Part 1) Founded in the Word and strengthened by prayers. 

The Preparation Stage

(Part 2) Gathering the gifts for the "Koinonia" or the community. One big challenge is not with the sorting and repacking but on where to get enough boxes and how to transport them from the town to the mountains.

Putting God first before anything. "He calls His sheep by name, and he leads them out." John 10:3

The formidable footpath to Mount Calavite.

Approaching the serene community of Agdilao in the middle of the mountain.

Setting up the place for the most awaited day of the year. Ahlie has been doing this for years now and she's always grateful for the people who works with her unconditionally.

Everyone's in for a big surprise, their favorite rice toppings... sardines!

This is not a special day thing for us for this has been a part of our routine. Training the Mangyans with proper hygiene is one of the best ways to fight disease. We have been doing this regularly as we also provide them fresh clothes to wear. 

We also monitor the progress of our work on the children's health. We regularly get their BMI (Body Mass Index) to see if our efforts are enough to eradicate undernourishment. Periodically we do deworming and provide the kids with vaccines and supplements.

We don't have the white bearded Santa here but we are sure we got presents for everyone, with their names specifically written on each package.

Mangyans can be happy too! Serving them for years has thought them many things, like how to have fun together as a family.

Afternoon delight. Our kids got hungry from running, jumping, playing and dancing around. It's noodle soup time! (Still with sardines in it.)

A few more gifts to go for the late comers. In Agdilao we try our very best to have something for everyone. 

We may not have fancy lights and decors, we may not have pine trees and singing of carols, we may not have the glamorous celebration of the city, but we are sure we understand the true meaning of Christmas here in Mt. Calavite.

"The Lord inhabits the praises of His people." Psalm 22:3

This is our way of praising God, by serving our brothers and sisters in the mountains.