The Bohol Province is in the southern part of the Philippines, in the Visayan region. It consists of the Bohol mainland (tenth largest island in the country) and 73 smaller islands. Bohol is about 400 miles south of Manila.

We have several churches or church plants on the Bohol mainland and on President Garcia's Island (one of those 73 smaller islands in Bohol). Our home and the leadership school are in the town of Lourdes, about ten miles from Tagbilaran City, on the Bohol mainland. We also minister to children in the small sea-village of Totolan on Panglao Island; it's only 1.5 miles from Tagbilaran City, across a bridge.

The Bohol Province is home to almost one million Boholanos, who live mostly in rural areas. About 40% of Bohol's population is below age 15 years. Bohol's primary sources of employment are agriculture (employs almost half of all workers) and services (a third of all workers). The major crops are rice, corn, root crops, and coconut (the biggest cash crop in Bohol). This photo (at right) shows an Eskaya tribe's rice terrace in the Bohol mountains. Tourism is also significant here; over 15,000 international tourists annually provide employment in restaurants and hotels in the beach resort areas.

We live and minister in the poorer areas, where housing is in small grass nipa huts; electricity and plumbing are scarce; there are few schools for local children; and the nearest medical facility may be far away, even on another island. In this photo of the Bohol shoreline at low tide (at left), you can see that some of the houses are built on stilts over the water; at high tide, the water then carries away their sewage. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be rather smelly.

Transportation between islands in Bohol is by pumpboat, which can take one or two hours; this photo (at right) shows one of the larger pumpboats. There are also larger commercial ferries available for longer trips, such as the day-long trip from Bohol to Manila.

On land, we travel by motorcycles or tricycles (photo at left); a tricycle is a motorcycle taxi with a covered side car that holds three adults, although we sometimes squeeze in all six of us. There are also jeepneys (they resemble long extended Jeeps) and buses. In Bohol, a 35-passenger bus will often hold 75 to 80! There are only a handful of automobile taxis; only the wealthy have vehicles.

To give you an idea about how some folks make a living in Bohol, in this photo, you see large bags filled with big rocks. Our neighbor is paid 20 cents per bag to break these big rocks into small pebbles; for tools, she uses other rocks or a tiny hammer. She finishes three or four bags a day. [$1 U.S. = about 45 pesos]