Anabel: The Little Village on a Hill

Anyone who has visited or done ministry within villages will speak of how different and magical the experience was. There is something about being removed from the rest of civilization and being placed into remote, quiet, peaceful surroundings. Anabel was just that. You can read about the journey there in this post: The Road to Anabel. We arrived at the entrance to Anabel and had to cross an awesome handmade old suspension bridge that would get us over the river. For some that had a fear of heights this in and of itself was the first challenge they would face during our weekend visit.

Bella enjoyed it and was stoked when it rocked back and forth. I see adventures such as bungee jumping and skydiving in our future! After we crossed the bridge we hiked into the village- it literally sits on top of a hill surrounded by rice terraces and a fast flowing river. It was incredibly picturesque- and the ones I took don't even begin to capture the true beauty it holds. 

Upon arrival in Anabel we were told they would be holding a Thanksgiving feast for the blessing of getting a trike to use in Bontoc for income. They were roasting a whole pig in preparation and for those of you who really know me- you know I was freaking out when I saw this:

But the community that came together to eat the roasted pork and rice was beautiful, and I got over my pork-aversion to enjoy it. I opened the meeting time with a prayer & shared in why we should give thanksgiving to God. Then everyone ate and visited and I found myself just looking around asking "is this for real?!"

Bella LOVED the Thanksgiving meal!

A family hosted our group within their home for the weekend. They were so lovely- Jerome & Agnes, and they're 4 young daughters- including a brand new baby girl. Our team slept on the floor of a loft-style room..and we had some visitors that night. (not all are pictured!)

Once again if you know me you know that spiders are or should I say *were* my greatest fear but, apparently God wanted me to face them, and with his grace, I can say today that my spider fear has been cured! 

The first evening in Anabel one of my dreams came true. Being a born and raised Oregonian I had never witnessed fireflies in flight, and didn't realize that there were fireflies in the Philippines. The night sky was so incredibly clear and the stars were visible so Bella and I stood on the deck and stargazed. I noticed these little glowing things hovering around the palm trees..when I realized they were fireflies I started crying. They were beautiful- there were so many of them. I felt like it was a little packaged gift from God to Bella and I- sounds cheesy but it was such a special moment- and I can now say that I have seen fireflies! I wish I had been able to capture a photo of them. 

The next day we worked within the Christian church in Anabel. I was supposed to head up kids church but was dehydrated and feeling awful so my team members helped me out. At the end we all went into the church and while Bella fell asleep in my arms I closed my eyes and listened to the joyful worship taking place...and in that moment I said to myself this IS real. You ARE in the middle of a Filipino jungle in this special little village where absolutely everything happening is something new and unexperienced. And Bells is taking it all in too! Surreal reality. 

The fun continued when we went to another community gathering after church where the kids got to play with puppies, make music with bamboo shoots, and eat fresh sugar cane. 

Reality really stuck that the people of Anabel are in the midst of very different spiritual struggles than we face in the States. The pastor of the church walked us through a high place at the top of the hill where villagers make animal sacrifices throughout the year for harvest times or if an individual is gravely ill. I couldn't believe that we were standing in the place where sacrifices are still happening. Where the people don't recognize or understand the grace of God- where they don't have any comprehension of who Jesus Christ is and what he did just for them. Instead they rely upon appeasement and superstition. I tried to explain all of this as best as I could to Belle and our team prayed. I felt heartbroken but hopeful for truth to flood that village. 

When we returned from praying I had a conversation with our host, Ate Agnes and asked her just how Christians within the small village function in the midst of animism.. I was curious to see if they mixed both the pagan traditions with Christianity-this is the assumption that I made in my own mind. I was shocked when she told me that the Christian church that we worked with refuses to take part in the sacrifices- meaning they do not attend and the do not give any items that would be used to fulfill the sacrifice. This is a bold stand because everyone within the community is expected to give something. Because of this, the Christians are persecuted and somewhat shunned from the rest of the village. Wow. Within two weeks from the time in Anabel I would be back at my home church freely worshipping God with like minded believers and absolutely no persecution. This conversation made me so much more appreciative of the freedom to believe and worship that we have. And to fight and fervently pray for those who do not have the same luxury within their lives. 

Oh Anabel, you will forever be on my heart. Thank you for all the beauty you provided with both your landscapes and your people. Thank you Lord for the eye -opening and perspective-changing experiences!

****If you have a moment pray for Anabel. That there would be cohesion amongst the village in the form of truth and recognition as brothers and sisters in Christ. Most of all for freedom from the spiritual bondage that holds many places within the Philippines.****