The Philippines

We have arrived! Actually, it was over a week ago now (after a night in Sydney - Opera House and all!). Our time to departure is now just two days away.

The expereince is something that words and images will never adequetly describe. Any expectations that we did have (I don't know of many really) were blown away. If we ended our journey after just this first stop than that would be enough I think to transform how we look at the world through the eyse that we arrived here with. I will share a few things now, but hopefully the experiences will not leave my brain and stories of these times will last for years (or at least months) to come.

We have spent the time here in the Philippines in the northern part of Manila at a place called Paradise Heights in the area of Tondo. It is a site of a former trash dump for the city of Manila. The trash dump currently in use is just across the street. The residents of this Paradise Heights (an ironic name in so many ways if ever there was one!) formally had resided in either/both shanties surrounding the dumpsite or temporory house provided by the government.

The residents of the Heights are living in permanent housing - a compound of 28 buildings (not all buildings are apartment structures) houses an estimated population of 15,000 (my estimate, high I think, but residents say 20,000). The flats are simple, maybe 8 feet wide by 16 deep , two story with simple comfort room (toilet with shower nozzle). Rarely would you find a flat that houses less then three people, many have large families. This is a culture removed from that which any Western society would know or be comfortable with.

Many residents still subsist off of scavenging, that is, finding what they can at the nearby dumpsite. Others have small street or flat stores, and still others have been able to find work doing something else, usually service oriented. And then, there are those who are able to attend school (not a high percentage of children do) and some even go onto university through sponsered programs. It strikes me as an environment and life of survival.

In the midst of what we may think of as less than desirable conditions there thirves community and family relationships. Our time here has been absolutley blessed. Our hosts are amazing people, local Filipinos, and have treated us with hospitatity, care, and love that blows us away. We are well fed, looked after with a careful eye, and treated with respect that we certainly don't feel we deserve. Our hosts exemplify the Christ's love and the love that Christians should show towards one another. In the midst of a rugged and raw environment we have been blessed with so much more than we ever could have expected.

My time at this internet cafe is ending! Thus spell check will not be employed and I will sign off hurridely. Our time here doing ministry has involved children's activities, youth recreation, Sunday service, home visitation, vistation to the dumpsite, children feeding program, open-air evangelism, small group bible study, and a prayer meeting. The time has been full, much of it ministry but also days of rest. Today we visited a missionary kids school in another part of Manila - quite a tour of a blessed facitily.

We have one full day and then a day of packing and travel. I don't know when I will post again, but trust that all is well out there in the rest of the world. Hit up some of the fellow friends on the right sidebar to read about other experiences. God is good. Love m