Do Not Forget! Camiguin Island, Philippines

Five airports, a red-eye bus, tricycle, pre-dawn ferry, and car ride later I had finally made it to my brother’s new home: the little village of Sagay on Camiguin Island of the Philippines. As the ferry sailed into port, a broad rainbow spread across the island; the first sign from a Loving Father that the next few days would be umbrella'd under His Providence. The second sign was Kopiko; the Philippino version of instant coffee, pre-mixed with brown sugar and cream. With a rainbow and instant coffee in the first hour of my arrival I couldn’t wait to see what else Camiguin had to offer! Fortunately, with a brother eager to show me his home, I didn’t have to wait long…

The majestic cross marks the sunken cemetery in the village of Catarman. After Mt. Vulcan erupted in 1871 the cemetery sank into the sea. 



The rocky canoe endeavor is well worth the risk. It is hard to find a better 
view of the island, than from standing at the foot of the cross.


The cross in Catarman is striking. There is a depth to what it expresses.The memorial demands respect for the dignity of the souls whose bodies lay under the crashing waves of the Mindanao Sea. The cross is a sign, silently shouting, "do not forget!

Maybe the way that this memorial struck me, is similar to the way that Luke and Amy's hearts were moved when they heard the call to foreign missions. They both identified an urgency to be living and moving examples of what the stationary memorial in Catarman stands for. Luke and Amy are ordering their lives to show respect to all those they encounter, with the goal of helping others understand their great dignity as royal and beloved children of a King. 

The way in which the Bolle Family humbly serves on the tiny island of Camiguin is a silent shouting to the world. Their example is one which pleads with the world, "do not forget!" Do not forget who you are. Do not forget your identity. Recall the words in 1 Peter 2:9, "'But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises' of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.'" Luke, Amy and their children do not want a single soul to drown under the suffocating and violent waves of sin. This is why they are on Camiguin Island.

Just as the ocean is finite, so is our life here on earth. Yet God's love is infinite. When you gaze at the sun shining atop a waterfall, you cannot see what lies behind it, but you know that whatever it is, it must be good, otherwise it could not produce such beauty. His love is incomprehensible, it is bountiful. His love is good.



Comments

  1. Nice article! Is that the only place in the Philippines you vacationed? The water looks beautiful!

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