Goodbye Bugallon

Monday, 17th October 2011

Our last morning in Bugallon. I can't believe it – time has flown by, it feels like only yesterday that we arrived here from Manila, accompanied by Jinky. So many things have happened, lots of stories to tell, memories to recall and friends made. We will miss all our wonderful friends, miss the long chats about the scriptures, reading the Bible together, guessing the different footsteps as people came into the hall and kitchen, the hard work and faithfulness of our brothers and sisters. May our Heavenly Father bless them all, and we pray we will very soon be together in the Kingdom, as saints, doing our Father's will.

Bro Joel should get his promised reward, as he hardly snored last night. It was very special to have so many people sleeping at the hall. Lots of mattresses on the floor, mosquito nets and mosquito coils.

We did the final packing, and wondered how we have come to accumulate so much stuff in the past weeks, or maybe we are just not as good at packing our bags anymore.

Sis Ruby left for work at Clark Airbase, we will remember those words “I'll go ahead now”.

Breakfast was shared with everyone around the large table – we will definitely miss having our meals around that table, sharing food and fellowship. Our table at home will seem rather small and lonely. Everyone wanted Matt to do the final prayer for the food.

After breakfast we had our goodbye photos and sang some hymns and Bro Ryan offered a prayer, we said our goodbyes and then we all trudged across the road to catch the bus to Manila. Everyone took our multitude of bags, so Matt had nothing to carry, but me, piggyback.

Final ride on Uncle Joel's trike

The Goodbye Group Photo

Mum and Sis Consing

The people and the stuff

Goodbyes are always bittersweet. We are really sad to leave all these people who have become so dear to us, but we need to have some time together just as our family too, which is something we are looking forward to. Warm showers are another plus.

The bus ride to Manila was uneventful. It was long, the kids were very well behaved, Noah slept for quite a while, the movies were the usual – that is something I won't miss. It was nice to look out the window at all the different stages of rice farming. The ploughing, the planting, the growing, the harvesting, the threshing, the drying, the milling (although I don't think we actually saw that part).

Noah sleeping on the bus

Crossing the Pasig River

When we arrived in Manila, and got off the bus, we were surrounded by people offering to take us to our hotel – all for a cost of course. Eventually we got into a van who charged P300 (double what a metered taxi would cost) and not long after, arrived at Shalom.

The staff at Shalom had prepared our rooms very nicely, with three extra beds in one room, so Silas quickly decided he was sleeping in with Mum and Dad and Noah. Eden gets to enjoy the peace and quiet of the other room with Grandma.

We went to Robinsons for tea, at The Old Spaghetti House, and then back to our rooms to read the Bible and off to bed for an early night – we are exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally, so looking forward to spending this week together, in a more relaxed manner – hopefully.