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Making Paradise Better
Making paradise even better
In tropical haven, medical outreach to Muslims kindles friendship
BORACAY ISLAND, Philippines—In a place whose beauty is matched only by the West’s relative ignorance of it, a friendship has bloomed that illustrates the same disparity.
Nestled in the middle of the Philippines, Boracay’s powdery beaches and stunningly clear water (PHOTOS) have made it an A-list getaway for Filipinos, Australians and tourists from other nearby countries. To look at the thick row of resorts along 3-km White Beach, “mission field” likely isn’t the first phrase that comes to mind.
But Boracay is home to 18,000 year-round residents, including 3,000 to 4,000 Muslims from the Maranao and Marawi tribes. The island’s population is about 70 percent Catholic, 15 percent evangelical Christian and 10 percent Muslim.
Muslims make up the bulk of street merchants here. About 90 percent of local Muslim adults work as vendors, selling almost everything a tourist could want: T-shirts, sunglasses, hats, pearls, watches, even carved wooden water buffaloes.
Where many people see commercial opportunities, local pastors Rolando and Teresa Atienza see ministry opportunities—especially among the Muslims (see Sidebar). But the special relationship they enjoy with their Muslim neighbors was a long time coming.
Clinic is the cure
Not long after Rolando and Teresa were assigned as missionaries to Boracay in 1996 by their denomination that they began looking for ways to befriend the Muslims around them. When the brother of a local businessman they knew donated the funds to construct a new church building, the Atienzas secured a lot right next to the local Muslim neighborhood. Their Church on the Rock ministry center stands only 20 meters from the local mosque.
The Atienzas finished construction of the church in December 1997. But it wasn’t until November 2004, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, that the breakthrough to the Muslim neighborhood came—a free dental clinic organized jointly by Church on the Rock and local Muslim leaders for the Muslim community.
Rolando and Teresa recruited local doctors, dentists, pastors and friends. They solicited donations of medicines and vitamins. And they did it exclusively for Muslims, who face discrimination from school officials, employers and other people across much of the Philippines—more than 80 percent of Filipinos are professing Roman Catholics.
“They found out who the true Christians are, as opposed to the Catholics here,” says Rolando, 49. “Now, when their children get sick, they call Teresa to take them to the hospital. It’s unusual for them, because they are rejected in our society. They are branded as Muslims.”
In another setting, that rejection might be cause for major religious tension—especially given the history of religious-related violence between Christians and Muslims on the heavily Muslim island of Mindanao south of Boracay. But as a result of the clinic, where 250 Muslim residents received care, the local religious barriers came down and the church’s stock went up.
“It turned out good, because they can help the Muslim community,” says Faisal Arumpac, 47, the president of the Boracay Muslim association.
Beside a basketball court busy with a spirited game, Faisal talks about his ambitions for his community: steering Muslim young people away from drugs through organized sports; building good relationships with the people of Boracay; and hoping that respect can overcome old animosities.
“I want to prove that religion cannot destroy relationships between good leaders,” says Faisal, who moved to Boracay 12 years ago. “I treat them not just as religious leaders, but as friends.”
The feeling is mutual.
“Faisal is a good person; he’s a good leader,” Rolando says. “There is no barrier. We can minister to them. From now on it’s no big problem.”
Looking ahead
Which makes the Atienzas’ desire to continue what worked so well the first time so strong. If one clinic can build that kind of trust and respect, they can only imagine what more might do.
“When we have a Sunday morning or evening service, they are silent,” says Teresa, 44, of the respect they get from their neighbors (Friday is the Muslim Sabbath day). “If they get a new imam, they introduce him to us. That’s why we are praying to repeat the clinic. They are here for the commercial area, but we grabbed that opportunity to show the love the God through us.
“We are praying for the good of their community,” she says. “Jesus is not the enemy. He is a friend to all people.”
|
FUN FACT: With a total area of only 10.3
sq. km, Boracay attracts about 500,000 local and foreign tourists a
year, compared to 2.4 million per year for the Hawaiian island of Maui,
which has an area of 1,888 sq. km. |
Making paradise even better
In tropical haven, medical outreach to Muslims kindles friendship
 | |
|
Boracay's Muslim population is growing, now numbering between 3,000 and 4,000, according to community President Faisal Arumpac.
|
By Called and Sent Staff
BORACAY ISLAND, Philippines—In a place whose beauty is matched only by the West’s relative ignorance of it, a friendship has bloomed that illustrates the same disparity.
Nestled in the middle of the Philippines, Boracay’s powdery beaches and stunningly clear water (PHOTOS) have made it an A-list getaway for Filipinos, Australians and tourists from other nearby countries. To look at the thick row of resorts along 3-km White Beach, “mission field” likely isn’t the first phrase that comes to mind.
But Boracay is home to 18,000 year-round residents, including 3,000 to 4,000 Muslims from the Maranao and Marawi tribes. The island’s population is about 70 percent Catholic, 15 percent evangelical Christian and 10 percent Muslim.
Muslims make up the bulk of street merchants here. About 90 percent of local Muslim adults work as vendors, selling almost everything a tourist could want: T-shirts, sunglasses, hats, pearls, watches, even carved wooden water buffaloes.
Where many people see commercial opportunities, local pastors Rolando and Teresa Atienza see ministry opportunities—especially among the Muslims (see Sidebar). But the special relationship they enjoy with their Muslim neighbors was a long time coming.
Clinic is the cure
Not long after Rolando and Teresa were assigned as missionaries to Boracay in 1996 by their denomination that they began looking for ways to befriend the Muslims around them. When the brother of a local businessman they knew donated the funds to construct a new church building, the Atienzas secured a lot right next to the local Muslim neighborhood. Their Church on the Rock ministry center stands only 20 meters from the local mosque.
The Atienzas finished construction of the church in December 1997. But it wasn’t until November 2004, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, that the breakthrough to the Muslim neighborhood came—a free dental clinic organized jointly by Church on the Rock and local Muslim leaders for the Muslim community.
Rolando and Teresa recruited local doctors, dentists, pastors and friends. They solicited donations of medicines and vitamins. And they did it exclusively for Muslims, who face discrimination from school officials, employers and other people across much of the Philippines—more than 80 percent of Filipinos are professing Roman Catholics.
“They found out who the true Christians are, as opposed to the Catholics here,” says Rolando, 49. “Now, when their children get sick, they call Teresa to take them to the hospital. It’s unusual for them, because they are rejected in our society. They are branded as Muslims.”
In another setting, that rejection might be cause for major religious tension—especially given the history of religious-related violence between Christians and Muslims on the heavily Muslim island of Mindanao south of Boracay. But as a result of the clinic, where 250 Muslim residents received care, the local religious barriers came down and the church’s stock went up.
“It turned out good, because they can help the Muslim community,” says Faisal Arumpac, 47, the president of the Boracay Muslim association.
Beside a basketball court busy with a spirited game, Faisal talks about his ambitions for his community: steering Muslim young people away from drugs through organized sports; building good relationships with the people of Boracay; and hoping that respect can overcome old animosities.
“I want to prove that religion cannot destroy relationships between good leaders,” says Faisal, who moved to Boracay 12 years ago. “I treat them not just as religious leaders, but as friends.”
The feeling is mutual.
“Faisal is a good person; he’s a good leader,” Rolando says. “There is no barrier. We can minister to them. From now on it’s no big problem.”
Looking ahead
Which makes the Atienzas’ desire to continue what worked so well the first time so strong. If one clinic can build that kind of trust and respect, they can only imagine what more might do.
“When we have a Sunday morning or evening service, they are silent,” says Teresa, 44, of the respect they get from their neighbors (Friday is the Muslim Sabbath day). “If they get a new imam, they introduce him to us. That’s why we are praying to repeat the clinic. They are here for the commercial area, but we grabbed that opportunity to show the love the God through us.
“We are praying for the good of their community,” she says. “Jesus is not the enemy. He is a friend to all people.”
© 2006 Called and Sent Magazine. All rights reserved.