February 19, 2025 – Into the Mountains of the Isle

    I woke up on Sunday morning and prepared to meet Johanna for church. I packed extra clothes and toiletries for Johanna and I were planning to go to Antipolo City and further on into a small village in the mountains. I met Johanna at the Grace Mall around 7:30am or so. The Grace Mall is part of the same property as the Grace Residences that I am staying at., We hugged, held hands, smiled and gazed into each other's eyes...our love continues to blossom this whole time. We tried a special drink/dessert for breakfast (what is the name of the dessert?) that we bought from a side-liner at the entrance to Grace Makk. It was somekind of soy paste with syrup mixed in with it. I didn't like it too much, so I gave the rest of mine to johanna. We continued walking down the city streets until we came to a small passenger bus. We boarded the bus, and we were dropped off in Bonifacio Global City (BGC). We walked through a market, then we walked through a huge mall, and finally we walked to Every Nation Victory Church. This is the church Johanna attends most regularly. The service believe it or not was about love and the music was out of this world. Johanna and I also partook of our first communion together and we worshipped and praised the Lord in spirit and in truth. After the service, we met a couple that Johanna knows: Allie and Mark. Johanna talked for a while and then we all took a selfie together.

    After the church service, we went into the courtyard of the church which was a large plaza with marble ledges and a flourishing garden. Johanna opened up her daily letter (Day 5: 'Love's Knockin' On Your Door'), and I played the song for her on the compact speaker that I carried here to the Philippines. We then enjoyed a small lunch that Johanna packed (two sandwiches on wheat bread—one peanut butter sandwich and one cheese sandwich). We split the sandwiches in half, and we shared the two sandwiches. Afterward, we walked back to the huge mall we passed by earlier. We walked inside the mall this time. The mall is huge! It is a five story mall. It would take you a couple days to walk through it all. It was absolutely amazing. I've never seen anything like it.

    After walking though the mall, Kuya Marvin picked us up, and we were off to Antipolo City. Onward to a village in the mountains. I had no idea we were going into the mountains, so it was a sweet, pleasant surprise when we arrived there. We went to a small village that had nothing but dirt roads and mostly shacks for homes. It is a poor village, but they seem content to live a life in this province of the Philippines. We went to Mountain Quest ATV Tours, and Johanna and I booked a tour of the falls. They taught us how to ride the ATVs and Johanna and I were on separate ATVs. Johanna was quite nervous and timid on the ATV, so she went slow and steady for the whole time she drove the ATV. Nonetheless, she did a very good job for her first time driving an ATV. We went along zig-zagging trails back into the backwoods mountains. Breathtaking views of the mountains were all around. It was the most wonderful experience. We arrived at a small trailhead in the back country. Two boys, B.J. And Jakim, walked us down the trail (maybe a one mile long hike) to a waterfalls surrounded by the forest. I went for a dip in the water (there was a large summing hole there) and was completely refreshed. Johanna doesn't know how to swim, but she was still able to into the water with my help. We put our heads underneath the waterfalls, then we held each other tightly like there was no tomorrow. We stayed there, under the waterfall, holding one another, offering each other sweet endearments for quite some time. We were still growing and growing in love. It was one of the best times of my life; of our lives.

    It started raining, so all our stuff got wet. Not to mention, I went swimming with my wallet still in my back pocket. Thank God I didn't have too many Filipino pesos bills in there. The wallet and its contents dried out, so no worries. We followed the boys back up the trail as they were playing, making different types of bird calls with their hands and mouth. We made it back to the ATVs and we mounted them. We started riding back up hill. We rode for a while, but Johanna was having trouble getting up the hill because of the muddy roads due to the rain. Since she was so timid with the ATV, she decided to ride with me, and then we really picked up speed. I gave the ATV some gas, and then we started flying after getting up the muddy hill. We had the time of our lives. Mud was flying everywhere, rain was falling, and we were soaring. It was so much fun, especially because Johanna was holding me oh so tightly around the waist. We then pulled up to a cafe and lookout point. The lookout looks out at the Upper Wawa Dam and the lush forested island mountains. There was a butterfly seat and Johanna got a picture in the seat since she is Butterflyhanna. The view was mesmerizing and spectacular. We held each other tightly there as well. I felt as though we were already on the honeymoon. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to hold her in my arms forever. She is such a beautiful person. What a heart-melting experience.

    After looking at the view for quite a while and taking pictures, our guides took us back out onto the trails. We rode with reckless abandon back to the Mountain ATV Quest headquarters. I gave all the guides tips, including the two boys. I forgot to mention. B.J. Jumped off a 50 foot cliff into the swimming hole at the waterfalls. I asked his age and he said he was 13. He didn't look much older than 8 years old, but boy oh boy, he is courageous and brave. We thanked them, changed clothes, cleaned up, and we set off for our cottage in the mountain. The cottage was also booked through Mountain Quest ATV Adventures—they have several cottages up in the mountains for rent. When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised and amazed. When entering in to the resort area, there is a huge Ten Commandments of God, reminiscent of the stone tablets given to Moses. These cast stone tablets are 30 feet tall, and they are located beside a lookout overlooking the Rizal mountain countryside and the valley below. The cottages were quaint, clean, and cozy. Kuya Marvin, Johanna, and I took our stuff into the cabin and checked it out. Then, we went to a small cafe in the cottage resort. They served us Topsilog (a Filipino dish with tapas (beef steak), over-hard eff, and plenty of white rice. It was a very delicious meal, and the whole time Marvin and Johanna were speaking in Tagalog. I didn't know what they were saying but the food sure was delicious. We thanked the owners of the establishment (or simply workers—cashier and cook) for the meal and staying open later than their closing time. We left the small cafe and went back to the cottage. Kuya Marvin retired for the night while Johanna and I went up to a pavilion to start our Bible Study in the book entitled “Know Your Self Before Loving Someone Else,” by John Coblentz. Afterward, Johanna and I retired for the night. What a joyous day it was. I haven't felt this good in a very, very long time. Thank you, good Lord up above. Amen!