Taal, Batangas :: May 30, 2017

Second day of a proposed 55 day shoot for an ongoing production. I left the house at 4 AM so I wouldn't get caught in traffic and made a stop over at the office to get some sleep before driving out again. Arrived on set around 12 noon and inspected the green screens that will be used for the shot which to my surprise was done in such a short period. I was informed afterwards that the director still needed me for the night shots. When I checked the schedule, it wouldn't be until around 10 PM. I had a lot of time to kill. I thought to myself, "so that's why I brought the cross today." I also loaded an extra stash of tracts than usual.

I decided to go out to the town plaza to first observe the people, trying to look for a good spot where to stand and place my camera. This is a very tight place with a lot of people in close proximity, just an arm's reach away. A procession just went by celebrating the month of May as the month of flower devotion to the Catholic Mary so the food plaza was packed. The usual fear and apprehension kicked in. I don't think I'll ever get used to this. There was no person of authority to ask permission from, so I thought I'd risk it. (I always make it a point to find a person of authority and ask permission first before doing anything.)

The town is a largely Catholic area, with centuries old cathedrals and Spanish stone houses beautifully preserved to this day. This was the first time I would be witnessing on my own without my wife and children to back me up. But I knew it had to be done, for the Lord's sake, and for his people amidst the crowd. All I needed to do is raise up Christ and he will do the rest.

After asking a stall owner if I can place my car's dashboard camera on top of his roof I proceeded to stand in the center with the cross, and raised my arm out with a tract. I can honestly say, that it was the cross that made an impression, not the fool carrying it. (which is how it should be.)

The people of Batangas are beautiful people. All smiles and extremely friendly and accommodating. As with most Filipinos though, the shy traits are evident. It appears they're apprehensive about whether or not I am asking for money. Either that or they're embarrassed to be seen taking a tract from my hand. Most of them just stared, which is quite the common reaction. 48 tracts were handed out in a period of a little over an hour. I remember each face who got a tract, especially those who returned my smile and "God bless, good afternoon!" greeting.

After a long while my knees started to buckle, arms were numbing, I lifted the cross for all to see. There was a moment after that I was asking the Lord if I should speak, but this time it was a gentle "no". I simply gave way for the Lord to draw the right people to himself, to work in his way and time. So I stood there a bit longer, folded it after, and walked back to the set - bursting with joy inside. Its nowhere near an accomplishment for me though, other than it succeeds in killing the flesh. This isn't some point system. The Lord will not thank me for it. It was my duty to obey. It was a privilege to stand there and make a fool of myself. I may be shy about it but I certainly am not ashamed of it. We who hold the light have much more to fear from the Lord than those who do not believe. One puritan put it correctly into words: THIS GENERATION OF CHRISTIANS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS GENERATION OF LOST PEOPLE.