Visiting The Philippines

Greetings from the Craft coffeeshop in Manila, The Philippines! This is the first of several posts on various groups and experiences. 

                  

I'm here and staying at The Episcopal Diocese of Central Philippines as part of a multi-faceted grant project that was accepted by the Seminary Consultation on Mission and also supported by the office of Global Missions for the Episcopal Church! My project involves learning about The Episcopal Church of The Philippines, its e-Care program, visiting communities working in that program, and being as helpful as I can in any aspect of any work here. 

Joyce Roman works for the e-Care Foundation at Cafe Galilea

I arrived last Sunday night, April 30, and went to Atok and Cafe Galilea on Monday, May 1st. There, I stayed two nights. I met the beautiful people who work at the cafe, learned about the products they sell, and visited the Diocese of North Central Philippines in Baguio City. There, I met Bishop Pachao and staff, visited The Cathedral of The Resirrection, and explored the town. Wednesday through Saturday, I visited the remote mountain village of Cabacab in Benguet province and learned about the community's way of life, their farming, the products they create and sell, and had an amazing and marvelously informative time.

               

Thirteen municipalities and 140 barangays (small divisions into villages) make up the province of Benguet. I will be sharing stories from Cabacab and other places / events in separate posts that follow.