I’ve Got A Lot of Rice to Eat Still

No, I’m not trying to gain weight. Actually, this is a Tagalog idiom I learned recently. The context in which I first heard this was with regard to Sheila’s mathematics from her tutor. “Marami pa siyang Kakaining bigas.” (She has a lot of rice to eat still.) I understood the words but I had no idea what she meant. I thought to myself, “Is she saying my daughter is skinny? What does that have to do with her learning math?” Seeing the dumbfounded look on my face (which is pretty common for me as I study Tagalog) she politely explained the meaning for me. Its North American counterpart is, “She has a long road ahead of her still…” or “She has a lot to learn still.” By the way, Sheila has improved a great deal since then.

The next Sunday in church someone was complimenting me on the progress I was making in Tagalog so I thought I would practice the usage of this new idiom saying, “Gumagaling na ang Tagalog ko pero marami pa akong kakaining bigas.” (My Tagalog is getting better now but I still have a lot of rice to eat.) Without hesitation the reply came, “Yes, that’s true. But just keep practicing & you’ll get better.”

We are so grateful for the relationships we are building here and for the opportunity for me to come and learn more of this language and culture than I ever thought I would. God may have confused the languages (Gen.11:7-9), but I am also convinced that if we humble ourselves before Him (James 4:10) He will be faithful to allow us to learn that which is not without meaning (1Cor.14:9-10) for His glory.

Praise & Prayer:

1. Praise God for a great Couples Fellowship Night this past month at Manda Bible Christian Church. Cirena played a big role in helping to organize this event but truly it was the body working together to help make this event a success.

2. MBCC is a member of ABCCOP (Alliance of Bible Christian Communities of the Philippines). We are praising God that recently Smitty was given the opportunity to attend their 38th Natl. Convention along with another member of the church.

3. We are praising God too for how Sheila has progressed so quickly with her mathematics since we hired a tutor for her to help get her caught up. We have seen a marked improvement in her ability and confidence.

4. With our pastor at MBCC having resigned recently, this has meant a great deal of extra effort on the part of its members. Please pray for us as we do our part to help see the church “Still Growing, Still Going in 2011” as per our theme for the year.

5. On the home front, please be in prayer for Cirena’s sister Josephine in Albuquerque who recently underwent a hysterectomy to remove a cancerous tumor the size of an orange. She is recovering nicely and praise God, additional biopsies found no other cancer.

6. Please pray for continued progress in Tagalog and for wise discernment as to where we might serve beyond National Culture and Language Acquisition.  For now we are grateful to serve within the local church but we remain steadfast in our desire to make disciples among the unreached people groups of the Philippines.