My friend and former work colleague, Romeo, is a pastor at his church, so it was natural that I attended his church for Sunday worship. I opted to attend the English-language service, but surprisingly, all the songs were in Tagalog (Filipino). I had no idea how to pronounce the words and didn't recognise the tunes, so I just mumbled away throughout the verses. Then when the chorus came around I belted out 'Hallelujah' as often as necessary, before going back to mumbling. I felt like Mr Bean in his famous church sketch, where 'hallelujah' is the only bit of the song he knows.
No-one seemed to notice or mind my singing, and they all made me feel very welcome.
A few days later, several of the church members decided to do a gospel mission to a barrio (a poor village or slum). The local Catholic priest had stopped visiting the area and this group of evangelical Christians wanted to share their message. They took me along with them, which was a bit of a surprise for the barrio children, many of whom had not seen a foreigner at close quarters before. I just stood in the background while one of our group gave an empassioned gospel message to the 30 or so people gathered there. Another member of the group gave her testimony and then everyone prayed together. Finally, drinks and cakes were handed out, much to the delight of the children.
Copies of the New Testament in Tagalog were also handed out, but some people commented that they could not read them since their eyesight was so bad. The woman who had given her testimony then made a commitment to return in a few weeks with her husband, who was doctor, and give them all free medical check-ups and eye tests. She will buy glasses for all the villagers who need them, at a cost of about 60c each, but free to the villagers. Soon they'll be able to read the New Testament and anything else they like. It's amazing the difference that a small amount of money can make to the lives of some people.
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