Here on the beautiful tropical island of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines, the weather is either mild, with plenty of sunshine, a gentle breeze and constant temperatures of 78 to 90 degrees day and night, or extreme conditions, with hurricane force winds and torrential rains.
These extremes are also seen in the two seasons. The dry season can extend from October to June, with not a drop of rainfall. The rainy season usually starts in June and ends in early September, with the skies blessing us with 86.5 inches of water.
These extremes also extend to the surrounding South China Sea. Sometimes it is reflective like a mirror, while at other times it is violent with huge waves.
This year our rainy season was delayed until August. However, once the floodgate was opened, we have had almost constant rain. We are very thankful for the moisture to feed the school’s garden, pineapple, lemon and cashew orchards, and to recharge our groundwater.
Here at the headquarters and boarding academy campus, we experienced two weeks ago a grandfather of a lightning storm. The flashes occurred every 10 seconds and continued for almost an hour. Our lights flashed off and on once, but we thought we had made it through unscathed.
Not until the next day did we find all that had been damaged. An office computer and printer that were left on, the wind-generator, and three inverters from our solar system were damaged.
The lightning arrestor on the wind generator tower had the bottom blown completely out of it. I contacted the manufacturer of the arrestor and was told that the charge must have exceeded 100,000 Amps, which is the capacity of the unit. We were able to get the wind-generator going again, but without a lightning arrestor.
We were also able to get one small array of solar panels working, but our four large arrays and the three main inverters are still down.
In spite of three weeks of constant rain, we are usually able to limp along with the wind generator and the small solar array. We have had to resort to a few days of generator use, but with diesel at $2.75 per gallon, we limit its use.
We are in touch with the solar-inverter manufacturer in Germany, who estimated the cost of repairs could exceed $5,000.
What does all this have to do with mission work? Everything!!!
We want you to get a glimpse of our daily challenges as we represent Jesus in this culture.
Our challenges are many, but our God is GREAT!
Our students are doing well academically and socially, however spiritually we continue to be challenged to make Christianity practical to these young people immersed in Animism-Spiritism.
We genuinely pray that you are being practical in your ministry where you are, and we earnestly thank you for lifting us up in your prayers.
Rejoice with us that this year we will have our first native graduate from Katutubo Excel High School. She is preparing to take the college entrance test for education, so she can return as a qualified teacher to her own tribe!
Thank you for making this all possible as we work together for the glory of God and building up of our fellow man!