Preaching to Ronald





I took these pictures of some of the kids at the Kanlungan Center for Street Children in Manila, our partner ministry. I would like Mark to continue to do a series of portraits of Filipinos, since the one that we had at the show (and sold) received a lot of feedback. So, while I was taking these photos, other folks began to throw jokes at us (Filipinos are REAL JOKERS): they claimed I was training these kids in how to take mug shots so that they'll be ready once they get arrested, and that they were preparing for their future in jail!! These kid's tender spirits were already transformed by the Holy Ghost, so they all could laugh at the joke because it is less of a reality for them.















I made a nostalgic trip back to my neighbourhood in the mountains of Antipolo, a subdivision called Victoria Valley. I found these signs still hanging all over....my husband Mark painted these signs 10 years ago, in response to the widespread fires. It was our feeble attempt to stop the 'slash and burn' tactics that destroyed the land and our homes. The burning continues, but the signs remain!


My companion in the "Search of Sandy" is Manuel Quezon III, who is the grandson of President Quezon who was serving during the war and the time period that Lieutenant Nininger was killed. I am grateful for Manuel's participation and he added an incredible element to this historical yet personal documentary. Manuel is an historian, opinion columnist, and has a new television show on primetime called "The Explainer". He certainly did a lot of explaining during this filming.

I take off for the Philippines today. Please keep my family in your prayers while I'm away. It will be tough to be away from these two precious ones---I love them dearly, and they are very lovable. They wish they were going with me. Next time, God willing and finances providing, we will be together in the Philippines, ministering as a family. Join us in your prayers.
It will be this painful to leave my family for 5 weeks to head to the Philippines. In case you are wondering, this is a penitant during Holy Week, in Pangasinan, getting crucified.
As I made my travel plans today, the US Government warned me in their official posting that they are issuing a HIGH ALERT travelers warning for terrorist attacks in the Philippines. Simultaneously, I ran across this satirical, yet real, photo of me with one of the summer college students that I had when I was leading summer college teams in the late 80's-early 90's. No, I don't smoke, but I remember how incredible that cigarette (shoved in my mouth by a soldier) felt---I smoked the whole thing! The story: I took the students for a trip to "The Palace in the Sky", and little did we know that it had been taken over by soldiers to brace for an attempted coup attack. Because it was a remote area, we were under severe threat (from the soldiers) because I had a truck load of good looking college students. Think fast! To avoid rape or kidnap for ransom, I began joking with the soldiers in my limited Tagalog. Since members of the Peace Corp were being held for ransom at that time on a different island, I told the soldiers that we needed extra spending money...perhaps we should stage a mock kidnapping, take pictures of them holding us hostage (which it seemed a few of them were thinking of already!!), and we'll send photos to the parents and split the money with them. Hey, I figure you might as well face the fear and name it out loud. The leader thought about it seriously, and realized it might backfire, and didnt want to be seen in the photographs. Instead, he had all of us "model" with the firearms while they rolled around in laughter, and insisted that our driver go out and buy them a couple of crates of beer and some cigarettes. Now normally we wouldnt use "God's money" to buy beer and cigarettes. But when it's to appease soldiers who might turn on you, the answer is an easy YES SIR.
WXEL Palm Beach, is a PBS/NPR station. Here they are at the CCDF cottage in Fort Lauderdale, doing a feature for their "South Florida Today" program, which aired this year. They would like to do a full length documentary on CCDF's ministry in the sex trade industry, via the arts. We would like to leave this summer, and they will accompany us to the Philippines as a family, doing follow-up stories on some of the women who have transformed their lives. However, we are still waiting on God to supply the adequate funding. Your prayers for this are appreciated. Did you know that Oprah did a feature on June 16, "Child Sex Slaves"? This was her first time to broach this subject, and fortunately will create greater awareness and interest in this issue. Pray for our funding and God's protection during this documentary making.
This is a photo I took of women in Banaue, the rice terrace region on the island of Luzon, Philippines. Today I was looking at some of their fabric, a woven skirt, that I have hanging in the cottage as a room divider. I was curious about the current status of the steady decline in new generations giving up the garb.....everyone wants to wear tshirts and jeans now. So homogenized, all these remote tribal groups have lost centuries of traditional weaving, to the more comfortable and western tshirt and shorts.
Hidden Valley, Philippines, one of my favorite places in the world to go to. The resort has many fresh water pools, some of the water you can drink! It tastes like Calistoga water. Seen here is a painting I did on site, of the large elephant ear leaf. Mark and I did many paintings there, and sold many of them as well. We bartered some paintings with the owners of this resort, to get future stays. In this rain forest, there are some trees so large, that you have to climb over their roots.
This is my late Uncle Eddie in Detroit. He was a union boss (treasurer), sprinkler fitters union and he got my dad a job that he kept for his entire working life. Uncle Eddie used the N-word a lot. He hated them with a passion. I suppose he had his reasons. I didnt share his views, but I loved my Uncle Eddie. I lived with him and his family while I was in art school in Detroit. When I got the job at the television station for the wacky preaching show, this family--good Catholics--freaked out! But they watched every night, to hear me commentate, and when I would come home at 11:00 at night, they would pester me with inquiries about the bizarre things that they witnessed. Everything that they thought was fake healings, I would have to tell them the inside scoop. Eventually, since we knew that Uncle Ed was watching, I would have dear sweet Cleta, in her southern drawl, dedicate a song to "Brother Ed". That would make his hair curl, but I think deep down he appreciated it, even though his family would ridicule him in an uproar.
Lately I've been thinking about a superb former co-worker of mine, Bobby Chalk. Bobby played the electric organ during the tv show and the church services. He was such a classic performer, stirring up emotion right when needed, accentuating the proper emphasis of the preacher with those organ squeals, so dramatic. I wonder where Bobby Chalk is now. He was so good at what he did, and a real good "team player". Perhaps I've been thinking about Bobby Chalk because Bobby Jones is coming to town, to build a huge black gospel music center right here in Fort Lauderdale. We'll hear a lot of that type of organ music then.
Cory Aquino is one of my heroes.
This is the "Faith for Miracles" crew, minus me (I'm taking the picture). When I was in college, at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, I worked for a local Christian television show. This was the days before cable- we were UHF!! Channel 62. Notice the red velvet chairs. Much of what I know (& practice) today as a Christian had formation during that short time on the set of a faith healing enterprise. I went in as a stone cold cynic. I THOUGHT I was applying for a job as a sound tech at the local jazz station, WJZZ. But it turned out to be this television show, and when I saw the set with the king and queen chairs, I tried to back out of the whole thing, but THE REV went aside and prayed, and came back and said that God had told him to hire me, even though he was not expecting or wanting to hire a woman for the position. So, in one of the scariest moments I've experienced, my first week on the job I went on as a LIVE sound technician, and eventually the live announcer as well. "LIVE....FROM DETROIT.......IT'S THE HAPPIEST COUPLE ON TELEVISION....RICHARD AND CLETA BROOKES!!!"