Issue 5 August 2014

Una Muna: Maraming Salamat! 1!PhilAm Cooking with Kevin SockMonkey 2!I Didn’t See That Coming… 3-4!Sit Down 5!Daily Smiles 6!Everything Happens for a Purpose 7-8!Contending for Joy 9!Stay Connected & Partner 10

Una Muna: Maraming Salamat! “First and Foremost: Thank You Very Much!” Your prayers and financial support are extremely appreciated. Your prayers are vital to what we (including you!) are doing here. It is God who does all these good things and unto Him be all the Glory! Dear partners, I pray for you all regularly and I’d love to give you all a big hug. Your financial support, prayers, calls, emails and even just taking the time to read this publication encourage me more than you know.

Sayote (asian pear) !Empalaya

Out of the Blue is a publication written by Christian missionary, Catie Smith, living in the Philippines for full-time ministry. You will find essays about God, cultures, and people. In addition to the mind munchies, you’ll also find humorous and heartwarming stories, recipes, art work, and more. For you couch adventurers, out-of-the-box thinkers, Jesus freaks, God seekers, and internationally curious folks, this publication is dedicated to you.

PhilAm Cooking

Filipino Fun Food Facts: !• If there is no rice at the

meal, it’s a snack. That means hamburgers, pasta, pizza are all good snack selections here.

• “Masarap!” is what you say here to compliment the food. Always say masarap even if you don’t like it, but that’s not a problem cause food really is masarap here!

• For special occasions, we like to serve food on banana leaves and eat with just our hands.

• We always eat with a spoon in our right hand and a fork in our left.

• Fact: Seafood is amazing here!

One of my favorite places to go is the market, where you can buy anything from 1 egg, to exotic fruits, to chicken feet, to a cow’s head. Issue 5 is brought to you by two of my favorite new green veggies: sayote and empalaya. Both taste great when added to soup or chili. You can sauté them or boil them. The empalaya can be rather bitter, but if you boil it first, it takes the edge off. Sayote is mellow in flavor and is like a carrot in texture. If you can’t find these where you live, buy something that you’ve never eaten or cooked before and just experiment with it. Take on the attitude of a learner and explore tasting new foods!

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with Kevin Sockmonkey

i didn’t see that coming…

Expectations are unavoidable. They can be a source of hope and joy or frustration and discouragement depending on where we place our expectations. I’ve had the honor of experiencing a lot of diversity in life and travels, and sometimes I mistakenly think not much can surprise me anymore. Yet I am indeed mistaken, for I find myself constantly saying to myself, “I didn’t see that coming…” The following are some amusing and sweet surprises I’ve experienced as of late.

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Caution: Falling Bones. I was having dinner with a fellow Filipino missionary at a popular Filipino restaurant chain here. The appearance of the place is very modern and clean, just like any popular restaurant in the US. My friend felt a drop of water from a leaky pipe, so we changed tables. Then I felt a drop of water towards the end of the meal, but I didn’t say anything. I found my voice when I was startled by something hard falling on me. Looking down, I found the surprise to be a chicken bone which fell from the ceiling. How did it get there? Your guess is as good as mine. I didn’t see that coming…

Running Out of Prayer Requests. Within weeks upon arrival in the Philippines, though arriving with very little plan, I found a place to live, great connections with new and old friends, an amazing language school, and a local home church. I didn’t expect the swiftness of so many little details clicking together. I honestly started to have trouble thinking of what else to ask for, all I could think was “thank you, Lord.” He just orchestrated things so perfectly, and I didn’t see His generosity coming…

Arrival: March 8th

“Walang Masakit, Ate Catie” I visited a local ministry in a garbage dump community. While there, a girl asked me to pray for her mom who was pregnant and was needing a c-section in a few days if the baby

Diversity City. Between school, visiting other ministries and church, I regularly socialize with a slew of people from other nations: Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania and obviously, Americans and the ever wonderful Filipinos! I didn’t see this beautiful daily smorgasbord coming…

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didn’t turn around (pictured). There were other complications I didn’t fully understand. I prayed, felt the baby move while I was laying hands on her, and that same day she gave birth naturally to a happy, healthy baby. Praise God! I relayed this story to some kids in my neighborhood. Excitedly, one of the boys asked me to pray for pain in his back. I prayed and several hours later he came to me alone saying, “Walang Masakit, Ate Catie. Salamat! (No pain, big sister Catie. Thank you!)” I replied, “Salamat kay Jesus!” A few days later, another boy was similarly healed from an ear infection. And again, another boy learned that God listens to him, too, when he prayed to Jesus himself for his younger brother’s tooth pain to go away and it did. I’ll never stop wondering at God’s incredibly kind nature, and sometimes I just don’t see it coming…

The Ipis on the Ceiling. Cockroaches, or “ipis”, are on average 1-2 inches long and they fly. We have lots outside, but only a few in the house usually and rarely in my room (Thank you, God!). The current score of killed ipis is 17 (housemate) - 16 (cats) - 13 (me). I’m rooting for the cats to win. My housemate was gone and I went to check on the cat in her room and there were 3 roaches around the cat food cause it was left out accidentally. I proceeded to wack ‘em and I looked up to see one on the ceiling. Obviously, it was planning to fall into my hair and lay eggs, so I bolted out of the room (yes, shrieking like a 5 year old). Take note: our bedroom “hobbit” doors are about 5’ tall (pictured). I really should have seen this moment coming since move-in day, but at that second, my poor head didn’t see that short door coming… WHAM!

Tagalog: The Creative Language. I’ve never fully studied another language before, I just know beginner material in a few languages. Honestly, I thought learning Tagalog was just a check list item. I’m finding that I absolutely love this language and studying the language is like getting a whole new personality. The “flow” of words is very important and sometimes words change just for the purpose of making the sentence have better flow. This priority in the language is also found in the culture here. It’s so important to go with the flow here. Obviously this can be a good or bad thing depending on the situation (like with any culture’s aspects). I’m so excited to be learning this language. Most of the credit for enjoying language learning goes to my amazing teachers, but I didn’t see this love of language learning coming…

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In the past few years I’ve been stricken with learning the power of resting, which I’ve written about in previous Out of the Blue issues. Moving to a new country and learning a new language and culture has put new demands on that philosophy, and I have had to again decide what is most important. It’s easy to get wrapped up in to-do lists, “ministry,” homework, and being busy. Since living here, I’ve had some weeks where I prioritize spending time with the Lord. I make sure I get enough sleep, I make music, read, write and spend time with the Lord. During those times, I find when I go out to school or in the neighborhood, things miraculously happen. I’m provided with awesome conversations, people getting physically healed, quick understanding and enjoyment of interacting with Filipino culture, and my Tagalog (the national language I’m learning) starts to flow somewhat naturally. It makes me feel like I’m cheating at life. During weeks when I’ve gotten caught up in being busy and haven’t prioritized time with Jesus, I find that I start to get annoyed with cultural differences and I struggle to communicate in Tagalog. Obviously, God doesn’t promise everything to be easy, there are lots of difficult and stressful things around me now and certain necessary tasks that are annoying, but He did promise, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” I will forever marvel at God’s ways of resting during stormy circumstances. It’s so opposite of our human ways of striving. God’s ways are so much better than ours.!Whether you’re living in a foreign country, going to school, doing formal ministry, taking care of your home, or working a 9-5 job and going home to your family every night, life gets stressful and we are all in need of encouragement and rejuvenation regularly. Sit down. As one of my Filipino friends says, “Even happy stress is stress.” Most of our busyness is just a distraction from what’s really important. I was reminded that God is close to the needy when reading John 6:10-11, “‘Have the people sit down.’… [Jesus] distributed the bread to those who were seated” (NASB). There is always a priceless, ongoing invitation to sit and eat with the Creator of the universe and we will only find regret at the end of our paths if we do anything besides accepting the invitation.

Sit Down

Manila Bay

At this point, my daily activities include getting to know my ACTION team,

attending Tagalog school, hanging out in my community, visiting

other ministries, and learning the culture. The simple

aim is to love people and share Jesus

in whatever I’m doing.

Daily Smiles

ACTION Philippines

Team

The best Tagalog teachers

(5 people above) and schoolm

ates (group to the right) at H

is Nam

e School.

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Regular visitors: “Da Boyz” (right) and some awesome neighborhood kids (below).

My housemate and I had the honor of baptizing my neighbor in a nearby pool. This is her story: !Hello! My name is Rosemarie Toledo, or Ate Monet (“ate” meaning “older sister”), and I am from Pangasinan, Philippines.!What is life like growing up before you met Jesus? I have 8 siblings. I’m adopted by my Tita and Tito (Aunt and Uncle), because my parents are poor. My Tita is very very kind and give me all my needs. Sometimes I cheat and steal, because I’m very spoiled. I love swimming. During my school days, I studied a lot. When I was young, I’m crazy and makulit (troublemaker). After my school days, I realized all the bad things I do.!How did you meet Jesus? I met Jesus during my job in Hong Kong, because I have a born again friend. I buy my first Bible, which was in English. Then she asked me if I want Bible study every

Wednesday, and I answer, “yes!” First Bible study, I had so many questions because I think she teach me bad. Then she told me if you have some friends you share what you learn in the Bible study with our friends. Then I came back to home in the Philippines. I have one coworker, but she is angry to me, because she is [popular religion here] like me. She said, “If you’re born [this religion] you die [this religion].” I found out that my born again friend charge me too much for my Bible and she cheated me. But its ok because I like the Bible. After 3 years, I have no more doubts that Jesus is alive because of Bible study and church. That is why I was baptized on June 20, 2014 with my birth mom. That day I

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Everything Happens

for a Purpose

Ate Monet’s Story: God is Good!

am very happy and the video is perfect (I, Catie, made a video for her that was posted on Facebook). My mom is makulit (troublemaker), because she is always watching the video, even when I am trying to sleep. One of my sisters, she cried tears of joy when she watched the video [of the baptism].!How is life different now that you have Jesus? Before my life is crazy. I have bad things, but now I feel happy and alive. I learn to forgive people because I read it in the Bible. Then all my prayers He (Jesus) answered. I told myself, “Oh! The Jesus is Totoo (True) and Alive!” !If you could tell the whole world something, what would it be? To all the people in the world, if you know Jesus, please share to other people who don’t know Jesus. Share the blessings! But I would say this in Tagalog, because mas maganda (much more beautiful).!Please support Catie Smith because she know a lot about Jesus and she support the people, especially kids, in the Philippines. !How can people pray for you? Pray for my journey with Jesus. I am going to Hong Kong and Canada for work to support my family, especially my pamangkin (nieces and nephews).

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The post-baptism feast !with a pigs’s head!

Nanay Marina’s Baptism!

Ate Monet’s Baptism!

(left) Kerrin Small: Australian Missionary/Housemate.

Awit 139:24 (MBB)!Kung ako ay hindi tapat,

ito’y iyong nababatid,sa buhay na walang

hanggan, samahan mo atihatid.

Psalm 139:24 (NIV)!See if there is any

offensive way in me,and lead me in the

way everlasting.!9

In case it isn’t evident in this issue, I’m extremely happy. As one of my Filipino friends says, “I’m too much happy.” Some people tell me its an emotional high from the excitement of moving, which is a logical assessment. I have days here where I need to just keep to myself or days where I cut my errands short because I’m too exhausted from being “out.” Things happen that make me sad, frustrated and angry, but at the end of the day I sit with God and I contend for joy. I believe God gives joy to those who lack and I believe there is so much power in real joy. I’m resting in the fact that God knows everything, He’ll provide everything I need, and even if I’m broke and homeless, I’m still the richest person in the world because I have Jesus and His love and affections towards me never change. When sweat is cascading out of my pores, my throat feels sore from the pollution, and I see injustice all around me, I’m still full of joy, because I’m looking at what God is able and willing to do and not what exists around me. Joy isn’t something that comes and goes, but is something to contend for and it comes from studying, gazing and thinking upon the nature of God. Just today I was studying a beautiful prayer to God, Psalms 139:24, in Tagalog (below). The simplicity of faithfulness struck me, because it also means “across from” in Tagalog. Faithfulness is not to try your best not to mess up, not to say we can do anything we want, but it’s simply staying before God. When you’re dirty, confused or sad, to be faithful is to simply come before God and let Him fix us. That makes me “too much happy!”

Tapat means “faithful” and is the same word as “across from.” Thus being faithful is like being in a

fixed place across from someone or something.

Psalm 139:24 (My own literal translation from

Tagalog)If I am not faithful,

You are knowing that,Come with me and

remain with me in my life until nothing exists.

Walang hanggan literally means “until there is nothing” i.e. forever, eternity. Samahan and ibatid are two different verbs meaning “to accompany.” One means to accompany someone to a location

(like “drop someone off”) and the other is to actually remain with the person at that location.

Contending for Joy

Stay Connected & Partner

!

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All gifts are used as designated and receipted for tax purposes.!ACTION USA • PO Box 398, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043-0398 • Tel. 425-775-4800 • info@actionusa.org; ACTION Canada • 3015A 21 Street NE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 7T1 • Tel. 403-204-1421 • info@actioncanada.org; ACTION United Kingdom • PO Box 144, Wallasey, Wirral CH44 5WE •Tel. 0151-630-2451 • info@actionuk.org • UK Registered Charity 1058661 • ACTION website: www.actioninternational.org; ACTION Philippines • PO Box 110, Greenhills Post Office, 1502 Metro Manila

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