BIBAK: The Baguio Trek

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15)

Last May, I joined a missions trek to Baguio. It was different from the usual missions trip of DCF. For one, the Baguio trek was a ministry to the Muslims in the Summer Capital of the Philippines.

Together with Tina, Jet, Del, Mike and Kem, I spent a week in Baguio in what Kuya Dave called a “Cross Local, Cross Cultural and Cross National Mission Trek.”

We were welcomed by the Bibak Church pastored by Kuya Demi Mier, the father of our Churchmate, Ate Jana. The church stood on top of a hill with the perfect view of Baguio in the morning and a charming one at night.

Upon arriving at Bibak, we got to eat, rest and plan for the week-long activity from the 23rd of May to the 29th. The cool Baguio climate and the numerous tourist attractions in the place made me feel at home almost instantly.

Bibak Church

Bibak Church is memorable though we only stayed there for a very short time. The place reminded me of my childhood, a part of which was spent in Baguio.

We slept in dormitories with double-deck beds warmed by the signature blankets of the place. It was a struggle to rise early because the climate was conducive for sleeping. Even bathing is difficult because of the ice-cold water.

Though the experiences were not new to me, they were, nonetheless refreshing because they broke the familiar patterns we got used to in UP Diliman.

Bibak also taught us to be independent. Different from the DCF missions trip, we were really on our own. No one commanded us to do things because leadership rotated among the trekkers. We were responsible of ourselves and of one another.

We took turns cooking breakfast, though Kuya Jing, a friend of Kuya Dave’s, offered to cook lunch and dinner for us.

At the Church, we spent the evenings for preparation, praise and prayer. While we were serving the community, we also made sure that our spiritual health was okay. We checked on one another and prayed for one another.

Bibak was our home away from home.

The Children

We enjoyed the company of two different groups of children in the trek. The first group was in a Muslim Community in Ambiong, and the second, was a group of children we treated for a day of camp in Asin.

Ambiong is our main mission field. It is a community you can reach only by foot after around 20 minutes of hiking. Muslims dominated the community but there were also a number of local Ifugaos living in the area.

Near the entrance of the community was a small daycare center with galvanized iron and plywood for walls. Around 25 children attended the school and they were taught basic reading, writing, coloring and values.

Pastor Demi started his outreach in the community through a medical mission work. Today he is known and loved by the people despite religious differences.

We did two things in Ambiong. One group taught in the daycare center and another visited families in the community. We presented two skits to the children—Noah’s ark and the Parable of the Lost Son. At the same time, we also included a simple message of the Gospel for the children.

Two things I learned. Jesus was Isa Almasi in the Qur’an and the Bible was called the Kitab.

The group which visited the families went around Ambiong just talking to people. They played with their children and spent time listening to their stories and problems. Some of our groupmates from SVCF were able to share the Gospel to some of the families they visited. The others, however, were careful because commando evangelism may offend the Muslims in the place.

The second group of children we spent time with was composed of Muslims, Roman Catholics and local believers. We brought them to Asin, to Ate Jana’s grandparents where we played games, swam in a mini pool, ate, watched a presentation and made arts and crafts.

We all enjoyed. The children especially enjoyed the pool. Mike taught a number of them how to swim. Kem, on the other hand, stayed with a child and taught him how to color and draw.

Near the end of the day-long camp, Kem shared his testimony and shared the Gospel to the children. Before leaving, they gave us bookmarks with thank you letters written on them.

Exhausted but joyful, we rode a jeep back to Bibak amidst a heavy downpour.

Islam Evangelism

The most memorable part of the trek was the visit to a mosque. Pastor Demi was able to schedule us for a tour and to listen to an Imam who will teach about Islam.

Before going to the mosque we all prayed that the Lord will grant us protection from the principalities that may attack us. We also had a couple of seminars just to familiarize us with the most common arguments of Muslims against Christians.

Pastor Demi asked us to be polite when answering or asking, but he never restrained. He said if we are convicted by the Spirit, we must speak out boldly.

Kuya Benejim was the Imam who taught us about Islam. He is also a professor of UP Baguio so he is used to being questioned about his faith and the tenets of Islam. He is very open and entertained our questions. He answered honestly and also spoke out for Islam boldly.

During the lecture, we also witnessed one of the ritual prayers of the Muslims. Kuya Benejim translated the Arabic chants and explained the gestures and movements the men were doing while praying.

During the open forum, among the debated issues were the authenticity of the Bible and the death and resurrection of Jesus. We exchanged ideas and questions. Praise God for the openness of both sides.

The visit to the mosque was cut short because of time constraints. After the experience, however, we were filled with joy for as we all agreed, “The incident only served to strengthen our faith in Jesus more.”

Commando Evangelism

Though our main ministry in Baguio was reaching out to the Muslims, we also went out and shared the Gospel in Burnham Park, the community around Bibak Church and the SM City Baguio. This is classic commando evangelism.

I am more experienced in this activity because we had been doing it in UP and in the Church. It was unfortunate, however, that I was not able to join the Burnham Gospel sharing because I got bed-ridden because of flu. I can still walk and share, but Kuya Dave barred me from joining. He said it was better if I rested.

The rest of the team, however, went to Burnham and shared to people. For around two hours, they shared Jesus to tourists, locals, and foreigners, old and young. In the evening, there were wonderful stories from my fellow trekkers about people who listened to the Gospel. There were also a number who shared about their experiences with closed and reluctant people.

I was able to join in the community Gospel sharing and visitation. The group was divided into around five and we went into the different streets and houses around Bibak. I found out that the area, because of its proximity to SLU, was full of boarding houses. That means, there are a lot of students from different parts of the country.

I was with Bethel from SVCF and a worker of Bibak. We went to several houses following up on people. And one memorable thing for me was my chance to share the Gospel for the first time using my native tongue—Ilocano. It was a different experience and it gave me joy to speak God’s truth in Ilocano.

One of the last things we did in Baguio was to share to the mall-goers in SM. 

This is again a new experience for us and we all agreed that sharing in the mall is more difficult. Everyone was busy and it’s difficult to find people who have the time to listen.

I was partnered with Jet and I praise God that even if the atmosphere was really difficult to penetrate, He led us to people with whom we can share the Gospel with. Once more I found myself sharing Jesus in Ilocano. We even saw a student of UP Baguio and Jet shared to her.

Overall, we might not feel complete without the classic commando evangelism in the trek.

Challenges and Lessons

The urgency of sharing the Gospel struck me in this trek. We were commissioned by Christ so we must not keep quiet but boldly proclaim Him. When we left, that is one challenge we left with the youth of Bibak Church.

Our team is only temporary, but they live in the place. They can do much more if they will keep on proclaiming Jesus.

I went home after the camp with much joy in my heart. The message was really clear:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28: 19-20)

You’re gon’na rhyme and jive for me

It was a tableau—three rows of shadowy figures distorted by green and blue floodlights. Arms were stretched, and heads canted left and right. Bodies leaned sideways, stooped, bent and stood motionless. A faceless crowd bawled in excitement.

Shrieks and screams blared from the sea of people. He hunched in front of them, a made-up crown cutting into his forehead. Sores, gashes, blood, flesh and bruises crawled all over his body. He stared at the crowd, dimly lit by torches and half-hidden in shadows.

The floodlights beamed brighter. Red light flooded the stage. The rigid figures flowed with the rhythm and the beat. Arms and hands jigged; feet pranced around the stage. Bodies tumbled and glided, then, there was a pause.

He stumbled for the third time, his load too much for him. His hands and legs shook, and his body quivered from exhaustion. His wounds screamed as another lash scourged his back. It was noon, dust filled the air, and the sun blazed overhead.

The excitement was at its peak. Alternate flashes of green, red, blue and yellow signaled the climax. The shadowy figures now had faces dripping in sweat. Chests rose and fell violently as adrenaline filled the body. The beat grew faster, louder. The crowd, too, cheered louder. Movements heightened. Then, the lights faded, the music silenced, the movements ceased, only the roaring crowd remained.

They mocked him at his feet, cursing and taunting him. He hung by his hands and feet, his eyes overlooking the thinning crowd. He looked at his mother who was crying and spoke to her. He asked for a drink, and they gave him wine vinegar. When he spoke his last, the earth trembled, the sun darkened and the curtain of the temple tore from top to bottom.

“We dance primarily for God using Christian hip-hop,” Dan Ramos said, his words echoing the belief of millions of Christian hip-hop dancers like himself. “Without God, we are useless dancers.”

“God’s excellence is reflected in our dances,” David Catab added. He and Dan are members of the University of the Philippines Street Dance Club, a Christian organization of hip-hop dancers in the university.

The contemporary hip-hop genre and Christianity, however, are polemical in values, philosophies and morals, making the two an ironic combination.

Hip-hop music and dance with roots from African-American and Western African cultures have originally provided peaceful release for negative emotions. With rapid strings of words in rhythm and rhyme, and a wide range of movements from the jerky to the fluid, they turn confusion into art forms. They are also credited for the reduction of gang conflicts in 1970s New York, with hip-hop competitions—dance, music, MCing and graffiti—replacing gang wars.

Changing cultures and social conditions in the 21st century, however, have disfigured hip-hop music and dance, making them channels of violence, obscenity, drugs, sex and liquor. Vulgar language and profane dance steps have invaded the genre, causing heavy censorship from governments worldwide, and condemnation from different civil societies.

From such scenario, the alternative Christian hip-hop music and dance emerged. The genre fuses Christian themes of salvation through Jesus Christ, and hip-hop beat, rap and moves to provide a new flavor to evangelism. It identifies itself with members of the younger generations who are "unreached" by traditional preachers, and whose lives virtually revolve around hip-hop culture.

“We need to win this young hip-hop generation for Jesus Christ, and what we use is hip-hop music,” Eddie Velez says in a feature for The Early Show of the CBS News channel. Eddie is an ordained minister at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, and he joins The Holy Hip-hop Show, a radio program using hip-hop music for evangelism.

A young dance and music genre of less than 30 years, Christian hip-hop, otherwise known as holy hip-hop, gospel or Christ rap, or Christ hop, started from a pastor in Kentucky, Rev. DeWayne GoLightly. Rev. GoLightly is popularly known as Rev. Rap, a nickname he got because of his rhythmic speaking style, suggestive of hip-hop’s quick, witty and slangy rhymes called MCing, spitting or plain rhyming.

Rev. Rap recorded gospel rap and started sharing it in the fall of 1985 in Madisonville. Today, he is considered the founding father of holy hip-hop and is the longest running Christian rapper with his 22 years of writing, recording and sharing gospel rap.

In the 90s, Christian hip-hop artists quickly grew in number. They are no different from other hip-hop rappers and dancers. They have adopted hip-hop culture, but have dropped drugs, sex, liquor, violence and obscenity from their vocabulary. They have also provided hip-hop songs and moves with rhythm, beat, hooks and flows loyal to hip-hop music and dance tradition. The only differences are seen in their song content and dance interpretations. Christian hip-hop lyrics and moves are Christ-centered, positive and value-laden, while mainstream hip-hop continues to be censored for explicit hand and body gestures and vulgar language.

The Gangstaz, one of the most successful Christian hip-hop groups and the biggest selling in 1999, is a Grammy nominee for their record, I Can See Clearly Now. Their success has proven Christian hip-hop’s influence and popularity despite criticisms and negative feedbacks from mainstream hip-hop artists.

In the last seven years, Christian hip-hop has expanded to include all conventional hip-hop styles. There are East coast Christian hip-hops influenced by the 1970s New York hip-hop invention, West coast hip-hops or the 1980s California hip-hop, Dirty South hip-hops from Houston, Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans, Miami, and Baton Rouge in the 90s, Midwest hip-hops and even the underground, often violent, prison rap.

Despite early rejection from mainstream hip-hop and more conservative Christian Churches, this genre of dance and music continue to find audiences—Christians and non-Christians—throughout the world. The three main centers are found in America, Europe and Japan in Asia.

Holy hip-hop has taken the Gospel of Jesus to the streets. A string of words coated with rhyme, rhythm and beat, and a patchwork of arm, feet and body movement are penetrating a nonconformist generation. Despite its ironies, holy hip-hop is changing the lives of artists and audiences alike. In the words of Rev. Velez, “God clearly was knocking at my door saying, ‘You’re gon’na rhyme for me.’”

Friends

For the past days, I had been contemplating on friendship, when I suddenly stumbled on the movie, "The Bridge to Terabithia."

The story is about friendship, alright, but there's a lot more to that. It is a story of a new found friendship and the pains of losing that friendship.

Death is one major theme of the movie. And this grips the heart especially when you realize how much is lost because of the evanescence of life.

I woke up with my eyes swollen from crying. The movie has moved me; it has hit my soft part. But it has made me see how God works. People come into your life; people go, all in God's creative plans. Some will etch deeply in your heart. Others will just brush through it. Still, losing people entails great trust on Him, for this can mean permanent goodbyes and points of no return. It must be very difficult. Just thinking of it makes me sad.

However, God is all-knowing. Things we don't understand, He knows perfectly. Plans we make, He alters for our good. Lessons are learned in every experience. The more painful, the more difficult experiences yield greater learnings. But before we can even understand, we need to die of this world and live in Jesus Christ.

"She brought you something special when she came here, didn't she? That's what you hold onto. That's how you keep her alive."
_________________________________________________________________

Father,
I may lose friends I treasure. They may leave me and scar my heart. But teach me to accept. Teach me to look beyond the pain and the struggle, and wield my weaknesses to strengths. Though friendship crumbles and lives end, I thank you for in my sinfulness you have allowed me to experience their joys. Lead me the cross, Father. Thank you so much for my friends.

Amen.