Category: Hope Angeles

Angeles City: Unang Buwan (First Month)

I’ve been in Angeles City for a month!  We’ve rented a place for Hope Angeles to meet on Sundays.  It is located near Angeles University Foundation along Sto Entiero St. at the RCBC building (it is the white and blue building on the rotunda).  We meet up on the second floor.

Right now we are meeting Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m.  This time may sound a little weird, but it is perfect for mall employees.

We are hoping to have a Sunday morning service soon, as well as a Friday night service for students.  We are also hoping to have a worship service and/or Bible study time specifically for call center workers.

Please let me know if you are in the Angeles City area and would like to get involved.

Angeles City: Two Weeks In

I’ve been living in Angeles City for about two weeks now.  So far I’m loving it here–it’s already starting to feel like home.  I’ll share just a few of my impressions:


Chillax:

There’s something innately relaxing about this city.  I have so many of the amenities of Manila without the hassle.  Most of the stuff I need for day-to-day life (grocery store, laundry mat, gym etc) is within walking distance of my place.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to enjoy this more relaxed pace of life.

Night Life:

Angeles City is known as the “entertainment capital” of the Philippines.  We all know this has some (well-deserved) negative connotations.  That’s a spiritual stronghold I may talk about some other time.

But there is an upside to a city that prides itself on partying: most places stay open late.  The mall next to my old place (SM City Manila) usually closed around 9:00 p.m.  I know Manila has an active nightlife of its own, but I’m not really into bar hopping.  Sometimes just I wished there was just a coffee shop or restaurant near my place where I could go in the evening to hang out.  That isn’t a problem here–plenty of places stay open until midnight and beyond.

Expats Everywhere:

I used to go days without seeing another Westerner when I lived in Manila.  Here I see one every time I leave the house (many live near or in my neighborhood).  I talked to a Brit, a German, and two other Americans during my last gym visit.  This has taken some getting used to–kind of a reverse culture shock happening within my own adoptive country.

But Filipinos are still curious as to why I’m here, so I have several opportunities for outreach in day-to-day activities.

Kapampangan:

People are appreciative (and shocked) when I converse with them in Tagalog.  But there’s also a local language here in Pampanga.  I may try to learn it, but I’m not going to commit to that just yet. 

In Awe of His Divine Direction:

I happened to run across an old email I sent to a friend back in July (my 9-year anniversary here in the Philippines).  Here’s what I told him:

“I’m praying about what God wants out of me for the next few years.  I’m asking Him to show me if there’s a slightly different direction He wants me to go, such as pastoring or starting a new work here in a different part of the Philippines.”

I’m still amazed at the process that brought me here.  The Lord has been so good to me.