Breaking with Traditions

The village is surrounded by beauty. Green mountains rise to the north and west, rolling hills to the south, and rice terraces to the east. Rivers and creeks cut through the valleys below. The winding dirt road that carried us there took half an hour to traverse. Me and six others were coming to attend a funeral. The lady, one of the first believers in the area, had witnessed the growth of over a dozen house churches. She had been a mentor to many. Now it was her turn to rest.

Her daughter is an active church planter who also owns a sports uniform business in the city that employees about 20 Christians. She and her family wanted their mother’s funeral to be different. This would be the first funeral in the village to be held outside of the chapel. A shelter next to her nepa home with an extended covered tarp would provide shelter for the attendees. Rather than a local priest overseeing a somber service, the family invited Christian pastors who spoke about the blessedness of one who dies in the Lord.

Family members shared tearful testimonies of treasured memories of their beloved “Onsing”, a faithful mother who followed the Lord. Some wore white, rather than dark colors, to reflect the certainty of eternal life for those who have given their life to Jesus Christ. Several spoke of mixed feelings, of sadness for Onsings absence, yet joy because of her new life with God in His eternal kingdom. Neighbors and friends were amazed as they listened, not to gloomy chants of death, but to happy hymns that spoke of our living hope in heaven.

In traditional Filipino funerals, weeks may pass before burial. The casket is placed in the home where neighbors come every night to gamble. Mahjong and card games raise money for funeral expenses. Alcohol flows amid cigarrette smoke, and drunkenness is common. The only time the gambling and alcohol stop is when the local priest drops by to sprinkle holy water on the casket. Paid criers are often employed to promote an atmosphere of grief.

But this lovely lady of Lambunao would have none of that. She had been a follower of Jesus Christ. Her family made all the arrangements, and within days of her departure she was laid to rest in the local cemetery, surrounded by Christians who had been touched by her life. Among the mourners were two ladies, Lena and Mary, who had been influenced by Onsing to make Christ known to others.

Lena had carried the gospel to a clan of her relatives in a neighboring province. Two weeks ago they baptized 5 family members as part of a newly created house church that is now witnessing to other family members. Mary, despite personal poverty and hardships, has been sharing the gospel in a nearby village. Last week they baptized 12 and grouped them into a new house church. Thus, in the hills of Lambunao, Christ’s love is being multiplied because of the witness of a faithful servant who decided years ago that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”