A Sunday in Naga

Religion in the Philippines is 98% Roman Catholic. They follow similar practices of the Irish; it’s a cultural family tradition, not an everyday practice.

Katy’s parents are Reach Global (Evangel Free Church) missionaries living in Naga. Her father, Vance, is a teacher at a theological seminary; her mother, Carol, started a tutoring center in the neighborhood. The center offers kids a library, computer center, and a place to study and participate in enrichment activities after school.


We walked across the street to the Tutoring Center for Sunday school. Everybody came together for singing first and an introduction to a little story from the Bible. Afterwards, they broke up into gender specific age groups from toddlers all the way up to youth boys and youth girls. The mothers all met together at this time too. They learned a little Bible story and memory verse and had a snack.



All the kids that said their memory verses from the week before received a prize of choice (soap, shampoo, hair ties, mosquito repellant rings, or toothpaste).

After Sunday school, Katy, David, Mark (her younger brothers) and I walked down the road to the main church building. Pastor welcomed all of the newcomers, Katy and me, and everybody shook hands while singing a song to welcome new visitors. They sang many songs, some in Cebuano and some in English. Then Katy’s dad, Vance, preached. It was in Cebuano, but apparently it was about something in 1 Corinthians. We gave a ride home to two little neighbor boys…they were soooo cute!


After church, we came home and packed for a short vacation in Moalboal. On the way there, we stopped at Jolliebee’s for lunch. It is kind of like a Filipino KFC, but better. Fast food places in the Philippines use real silverware instead of plastic (way to be eco-friendly). Here I am with my “Jollie ‘zert”, that’s right, they shorten the names of things here. This ‘zert is a tasty peach-mango pie. Think McDonald’s dessert pie only smaller and tastier.



Another tempting treat off the menu:


I decided to go with the BBQ chicken and rice. Maybe I’ll get brave and try the Creamy Macaroni Soup next time.

To get to Moalboal, you have to drive through the mountains. At the top of the mountains we stopped at Molave Milk Station. Holstein cows aren’t common in the Philippines because it is too hot, but they seem to do ok up in the mountains where it’s cooler. Their ice cream brings all the boys and the girls to the yard as they are driving through the mountains. (You get bonus points if you know what song I’m thinkin’ right now.) People have a choice of Cow’s milk or Carabao’s milk products. Watch out, don’t leave too much space in the line or people will jump right in front of you.

Or if you are in the mood for something more savory, you can try the Happy Pig.


We hopped in the car and made our way down the other side of the mountain. One of the villages we passed was having a fiesta, but we missed the big Disco, so we didn’t stop. ;)


We made it to Moalboal in the late afternoon. This little resort town doesn’t really have much of a beach…very corally section of ocean…that means it’s great for diving and snorkeling. More on Moalboal tomorrow!