The UCG Baguio City and Dagupan City congregations in Northern Luzon joined in an end-of-the-year Sabbath service and church picnic in Baguio City and Benguet province.

December 25 was the last Sabbath of the year and members from Baguio City congregation, as well as the Dagupan City congregation met in one of the conference halls of the GSP-Ating Tahanan in Baguio City. This is the first time that both congregations met for a regular Sabbath service in one place. The attendance reached up to 40 persons, including Mr. Reynato Balugo’s family who came for a family re-union. The wife of Mr. Balugo (Malou) hails from Luzon and has a number of relatives in the Baguio City area. Mr. Balugo also worked for a number of years in one of the utility companies in the area. The kids Obed, Russel, Shawn, and Princess came too and they had a very exciting reunion with some of the teens who were with them during the summer camps in Davao City.

After the morning service and lunch, a Bible study was held for the teens and singles. Among the group who participated in the Bible study were a couple of girls who came with one of the daughters of a Church member from San Fabian.

The nighttime activity was bowling for the same group in one of the malls here in Baguio.

Next day, the Church members proceeded to a river east of Baguio. The trip took more than an hour but most of it was through a dry gravel road with itchy and choking dust. It was a very refreshing feeling when we all reached the river. The river is one of the waterways coming from the Ambuklao dam and at this time it is generally calm and of course cold!

The Balugos, by the way, went on their scheduled family trips to relatives and proceeded on the same day to Banawe rice terraces. They went via the famed “mountain trail” or Halsema highway.

Most of the activities during the picnic were swimming (the kids did not even mind the stinging cold water), some went on sightseeing and walking on an almost half-kilometer suspension bridge. The less brave ones stayed away from the daring activities and concentrated on fellowship and preparing and cooking the food. Some teens helped in broiling some chicken hotdogs and fish. Teens and other old members fellowshipped with each other.

At about 3:30 in the afternoon we all filed up in the two jeepneys and proceeded back to Baguio and finally to our homes.

It was a weekend well spent and we all enjoyed every minute of it. What about the more than two hours of dusty itchy choking dust? Well, everyone will say, “When you are for a higher purpose, the dusty road is just a very small speck along the road.”