Day Trip

The senior missionaries took a field trip to see the Bataan Death March Memorial - sobering.  If you missed this in your history, here is a link: Bataan in Wikipedia or an OSU article here: Bataan. Don't read if you are looking for something light as it is all horrible.

Today in lush green meadow surrounded by 31,000 trees planted in the victims memory the land feels peaceful and serene. There is a wall of names to remind us of the atrocity of years past. A generation of young men who never had a life to grow old in and died after much suffering.

Jeffrey in contemplation of what  happened approximately 75 years ago.

Senior Missionaries and Jonah - Sister Stewart is the pink hat at the back - not that I would accuse anyone of hiding

Message from the past for the present

Today the memorial has three columns that rise up and meet together, they represent the Philippines, the Americans, and the Japanese - united

Looking up in the center

Family outing

We walked around and saw the little train carts they stuffed captives in to transport them to the Camp and walked across a suspension bridge - of course it was fully enclosed so no tourists could not fall off or over.

Later we went to visit an 1576 church which is still in operation. In fact a wedding was going on when we went to visit. This church had stood around 36 feet high but now is buried half way up from the flow caused from an eruption. It took four years for the town and church to be covered. Today half of the church is still functioning - the top half. The bell tower can be seen close to eye level and the wedding was held in a chapel that is actually the old roof.

Top half of church

Painting of the original church

If you look at the ground level you can see half windows

Good thing they built a cathedral type church or there would be nothing left. No sign of rumbling or turmoil today, all was peaceful.