Reports from the Philippines

By Father DAVID EPPS
Contributing Writer

Father David Epps is Rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church which meets at 8 and 10 a.m. Sundays at 4881 E. Hwy. 34. He may be contacted at 770-252-2428, or at frepps@ctkcec.org

MANILA, JULY 3 — Greetings from an Internet cubicle in Manila! We left Atlanta June 23.

Last Sunday, we experienced worship at the Cathedral of the King CEC in Manila with 3,000 worshippers. I have never been in such a worship service! Believers from Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America all praising God in an awesome sacramental, evangelical, charismatic service. Frankly, it is the closest to heavenly worship I have been where John saw in Revelation a "multitude that no man could number ... of every tribe, nation, and people ... worshipping before the Lamb on the throne." I have a new vision of how great the church can be!

And the Filipino people put us to shame in their love for God's people and in the demonstration of the servant's heart. If servanthood is the mark of a deacon then every Filipino should be a deacon. We have been impressed and humbled.

Last Saturday, three Islamic terrorists with links to Osama bin Laden were killed by Philippine forces on an island off the coast of Mindanao. Then, on Monday, we read that 6 members of al-Qaeda were arrested in Manila. They were armed with explosive devices and were planning to detonate them at the presidential swearing-in which occurred on Wednesday just two miles from our hotel. These men were trained at a terrorist camp in Mindanao. The security people at our hotel check every incoming vehicle for bombs 24 hours a day. Makes you stop and think.

A typhoon swept across the Philippines a few days ago. We saw a LOT of rain and high waves, since we are RIGHT on the ocean, but we were unaffected except for minor power blackouts. In Mindanao, at least 14 people were killed by the storm and several more are missing.Ê Has anyone mentioned that it's HOT here? I look forward to getting back to the cool and pleasant Georgia summer!

UPDATE — MANILA, JULY 6 — Almost all the Americans have left our hotel and have been replaced by a large number of Japanese tourists. Last week, because of all the CEC people, we felt right at home. Now, we truly feel the weight of being "strangers" in a land that is not our own. English was the prevalent language being spoken in our hotel last week. Now we cannot understand anyone but ourselves and the Filipino staff here.

We shipped the medicines to the "clinic for the poor" in Mindanao today. Bishop Gene Lilly said that, normally, when medicines come to the Philippines, the major island, where we are now, takes their share and sends the remainder to the next major island, where they do the same. By the time vital medicines reach the poverty-stricken island of Mindanao, almost nothing is left. We are shipping about $5,000 worth of vital medicines directly to Mindanao where they will be used at the clinic for the poor.

In Mindanao, if you have a medical condition, such as emergency surgery, you have to buy the sutures, the medicines, the antibiotics, the anesthesia all yourself BEFORE you can get into the hospital, such is the poverty of Mindanao. People die from the most common conditions because the people are too poor to buy the medicine and equipment, even if it is available. The medicines from the people of Christ the King WILL save lives.

Manila has a population of about 12.5 million in a city that is equipped for 4 million at most. I think all of the 12.5 million were at the mall yesterday! I use the term "mall" loosely. It was really more like a giant indoor flea market with hundreds and hundreds of vendors hawking everything from wallets made of frogs, to food featuring animal parts that made me retch, to pearls.

When an American walks in it's like everyone in the shops is on "rich, gullible, American alert!" Women, children. and men are begging and pulling on you to buy their wares. It's a bit claustrophobic and a pickpocket's dream. I told Cindy that people who hate to shop and live a bad life will die and go to the mall in Manila. "Mall hell," I called it. Of course, there is no air-conditioning but, if diversity is your thing, you might be in your element. Every culture and religion in the area will be found in the "mall." There is even a very nice Roman Catholic Chapel in the "mall" that offers Mass several times a day.

You don't see any OBVIOUS evidences of vice here (no X-rated theaters, street prostitution, sex shops, pornographic magazines), or at least we haven't seen them if they are here, but today news came that the authorities here arrested 7 adults and took into custody 70 minor children between the ages of 7 and 16 who were engaged in child prostitution, child pornography, including books and movies, and child rape.

And, in an another town, several police officers and others were killed when they got into a gunfight with the mayor's private army. And you thought politics was bad in your town?

UPDATE — GEORGIA, July 8 — Hooray! We are home from the Philippines. We encountered a bit of a culture shock on arriving back in the States. After almost two weeks of being among extremely polite and helpful Filipinos, it was a shock to be home and come to the realization that most Americans, by comparison, are horribly rude and self-absorbed. In the airport, at the hotel, and again at the airport this morning, it was sobering to realize that most of us are prone to be obnoxious. This morning, Cindy and I were both wide awake at 4 a.m. so we decided to go ahead and go to the airport. Our flight from Los Angeles was scheduled to leave at 8:45 a.m. but, thanks to a very nice lady in ticketing, who was not at all rude or self-absorbed, we booked a flight on the 7:20 a.m. flight. However, due to air conditioning problems in the aircraft, we didn't take off until 8:15 a.m., after boarding the plane at 6:45 a.m.

The flight was uneventful but when we arrived in Atlanta, we sat at the gate for nearly 20 minutes waiting to unload. It seems that the airport person responsible for hooking the off-loading ramp (or whatever you call it) to the aircraft door was nowhere to be found. When he or she was finally found, someone had taken the power cord so the ramp-thing wouldn't work. I thought I was back in Africa, except that Ugandan Airways and Air Kenya were much more efficient.

After finally locating our car, we drove home, enjoying the cool 92-degree temperature in Atlanta where the humidity was only 54 percent. It's good to be home.