Patricia Engler's 360 in 180 Adventure Around the World
Filipinos, Jews and Greeks
Season 1, Episode 8
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01-May-2020
“Ma’am,” a voice called from somewhere overhead, “time to move. We’re starting mass.”
I rolled over to see an officer’s face floating above me. Mass at the airport? Religion must be more central to Filipino culture than I’d expected.
Emerging from my sleeping bag, I deflated the $4 neon pool mat on which I’d spent the night behind a statue of Jesus. I’d wondered at the statue’s presence in the airport, but hey—it made for a safe-looking place to sleep.
Several hours and one flight later, I arrived in another Filipino city. There, I’d be spending a week with local students and campus ministry leaders as part of my mission to travel 360° around the world in 180 days documenting Christian students’ experiences secular universities. How would universities here compare to those I’d visited already—and what would that mean for the future of faith in the Philippines?
Up Next in Season 1
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In the Land of the Rising Sun
“What’s in this one?” I asked, lifting the lid of the tiny porcelain jar. The contents looked unlike anything I’d seen before—a wet mass of squishy pallor sitting in something yellow.
“It’s raw squid,” replied my Japanese friend.
Uh oh.
I hadn’t ordered this! But apparently, the mysterious le... -
What a Hamster’s Funeral Reveals Abou...
“Can I tell you a story about the challenges of being a Christian in Japan?” asked the white-shirted young man, a graduate from a local university.
“Absolutely,” I answered from across the table laden with all manner of sushi fillings, including meats both cooked and raw. A group of about 15 Ch...
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Hidden Dragons Serpent Worship in Th...
Its tongues erupting like cannon blasts from their fanged fortresses, the seven-headed serpent dragon gaped at me through 14 lifeless eyes. My gaze shifted down the scaly necks to the table where incense burned alongside flowers and drink offerings set before the beast, which locals revere as the...
