From Ashes, New Life

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(No Transcript)
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From Ashes
New Life
In 1991, the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the
Philippines spewed ash and lava over a large area
of the island of Luzon. It disrupted the lives of
many people, including the Aeta, an indigenous
tribe, who had to be relocated.
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Luzon is at the top of the map.
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The Volcano Unleashed
This clip can be found here http//video.google.
com/videoplay?docid2180326676769391945
The destruction of the eruption can be viewed
online at Volcano Unleashed
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Today, the Aeta face a brighter future, partly
through the miracle of mushrooms, like those in
this bowl of soup.
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The green leaves in the soup are from the
moringa, or malunggay, tree and are very rich in
protein, calcium, and various vitamins and
minerals. Mushrooms and moringa are important in
the lives of some Aeta communities.
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Mushroom omelets are breakfast favorites. In the
village of Camachilem, where these pictures were
taken, everyone participates in mushroom
production, eats mushrooms, works mushrooms, and
talks mushrooms.
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Many villages were totally destroyed by the
volcanic eruption hundreds of people lost their
lives. Some of the survivors came to Camachile,
in the province of Pampanga, where they now live
in homes such as these.
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Indigenous People

• The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
  identified four elements that distinguish
  indigenous peoples from the rest of the
  national population, namely
• (1) their special relationship with their
  ancestral lands
• (2) the conservation, to some extent, of their
  vernacular languages, traditional social and
  economic institutions, and cultural and religious
  practices
• (3) their subsistence-oriented economies, and,
• (4) their self-identification as distinct
  societies and others perception of them as such.

The Aeta are among the "indigenous" people of the
Philippines. The United Nations defines
indigenous with these characteristics. The Aeta
dislocated by the Mount Pinatubo eruption are
among the most economically disadvantaged in the
country.
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Missionary Marion Walker
Missionary Marion Walker pioneered ministry among
the Aetas in the 1950s. She had a passion for
providing educational opportunities for young
people. Following her death, the Manila Episcopal
Area began to develop programs focused on
education, livelihood assistance, and health and
nutrition.
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Leslie Casupanan de la Cruz
Today, the Rev. Leslie Casupanan de la Cruz is
assigned by the church to work with the Aeta in
the Camachile area. The Camachile United
Methodist Church is a mushroom-growing
congregation. "Pastor Leslie" and her work are
supported in part through a Person in Mission
program of Global Ministries.
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Albert de la Cruz Agriculturist
Pastor Leslie's husband, Albert de la Cruz, an
agriculturalist, assists with the cultivation he
teaches people how to cultivate the crop and make
mushroom bags.
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Part of the process of cultivating mushrooms.
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More production.
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The product. Who buys the mushroom products? They
are sold locally in Angeles City. Filipinos
enjoy mushrooms and so does the growing
population of Koreans in the area.
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Ready for market. "The Korean people like our
mushrooms because they are free from chemicals,"
says Pastor Leslie.
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Ministry is integrated at the Camachile United
Methodist Church, combining worship, education,
and economic initiatives. Deaconess Jam Morales
works with the children.
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Medical mission teams also come to work with the
children and their families. Some of these
youngsters may someday themselves be nurses,
doctors, dentists, or pastors.
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Or musicians.
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Celebration is an important part of the life of
Pastor Leslie and her congregation.
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Faithfulness and hope are key components of the
Camachile church story.
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• To God be the Glory!
• Amen.