well...here we are, living in the slums of Manila. We've only been here for a day, but it has definitely been an interesting one. We got here a little before supper and it didn't take long for the Filipino hospitality to shine. Even though we are in the slums they treat us very well. Lots of food, they sleep on the floor while we sleep in their beds, and they always make sure we are alright and comfortable. Yesterday evening, after supper, we got to meet all the youth that attend the local church that we are helping out. There are a lot of them, and many of them have amazing talents in singing or playing instruments.
Today we got up bright and early so that we could start building a house that they want to use for future visitors and prayer meetings and the like. An extremely hot day spent tying rebar together and mixing cement. We got to see a picture of what the house is supposed to look like when they're done and it's going to be a beautiful home for the church.
We have been greatly blessed while being here, the food is amazing, the people are super friendly, the children are adorable, and the growth taking place will affect our lives forever.
Jen
We arrived in Salvador yesterday afternoon. We were all a little apprehensive of staying in the slums. We didn't really know what our time working with the urban poor would look like - where we would be staying, what we would be doing, who we would bew meeting, how clean would it be? I can't say that all of our fears have been put to rest, but at least for myself, there is a lot more peace inside. My initial impression was that we would be living in something that resembles more of a garbage dump than anything else. Though the houses are small cinderblock buildings with simple corrugated tin roofs, they are on the most part clean and relativly cozy. Learning the bathroom had been a new experience for all of us. No toilet paper, and pouring buckets of water down the bowl to flush. They also have windows that, if you were a small filippino it would be the perfect height to not be seen, but as tall Canadians, we can be clearly seen. I can get used to this part... but the cockroach that I saw running accross the floor last night is still haunting me. There are no windows and the roof doesn't close properly, so bugs are free to come and go as they please. And we awoke (very early) in the morning to the constant sound of roosters. Animals like cats, dogs, hens, ducks, and roosters wander freely through the streets. The area looks like we are living in the jungle, huge palm trees and banana trees everywhere, and everything is so green. It is very humid, and on the most part, smells beautifully tropical.
We met up with some of the youth last night. That was very encouraging. Some of the girls sang a song for us (Hosanna bu Hillsong), and they did such a beautiful job. A lot of them speak english very well, too, so I think we will have the opportunity to build some great relationships with them this week. Coming from San Jose, where the english was minimal and the talent was only so-so, I was expecting to come to the slums and find that they would be behind those in the city we hsad just come from. But I have been blown away with the skills that these kids posess. They are so well educated, and it makes me so sad to think that, because they come from the slums, many of them stand very little chance to make it out. We also heard some of their testimonies, and it was so encouraging to listen to them talk about how they came to know Jesus, and what great joy and faith they have, even though they have so little. They are excited to know Jesus, and they have been showing that love and joy to us this past day and a half.
We helped them build a missionary guest house today. We tied rebar together for the foundation. It won't be completed for aniother year still, but they kept telling us that, when we come back next year, that is the house that we can stay in. It seems so odd that they would want us to come back. I feel like more of a burden to them than anything, taking over their small homes (Crystelle and I got to sleep on the only bed in the house, while the kids slept at the neighbors and our host sept on a small thin mattress on the floor). But they are so excited to have us here, and even though we are being streched out of our comfort zones in our stay, I feel so blessed to be able to be here. They treat us like royalty. We are always the ones to eat first, we are never allowed to help with dinner prep ir dishes. They would give anything to make us comfortable. It is taking some time to get used to. I can't say that I really like the special treatment just because I am white. I am on this trip so that I could serve the filippino people, yet I feel like they are doing far more for me than I could ever do for them
Continued prayer would be appreciated. We don't quite understand the culture, and it is taking some time to understand the acceptable things and unacceptable things. And this place is outside of our comfort zones. Pray that we won't let our discomfort get in the way of our ministry. Thank you so much for all of your prayers so far!
Decia
Alright, it's Lisa reporting this time. We have had limited time to access the internet here in San Jose so we have left you all hanging a little on our adventures here. We'll just call it suspense...
Life as the minority is...interesting. I was reminded of this even more today because we had the morning off and us girls went around with Ate Merly to different stores and markets. People will stop everything they are doing to stare at us and call out "Maganda" which means "beautiful." It's a strange feeling but I suppose it's the norm here. It is a little hard to get used to people standing around, taking our pictures and reaching out to touch our white skin when they get the chance.
What a jam-packed week we have had! I'll have to keep this short because we don't have much time but I hope it will wet your appetite for more of our adventures and be a good start to know how you can be praying for us as a team.
I think most, if not all, of us were excited to finally get into ministry, the reason why we came. As fun as it was to fall off a Caribao and chase after a cute little piglet, this past week has been where the real challenges have come in. Our mission: music and arts workshop for around 30 youth. This was something that none of us had done before but the Lord gave us strength to make it through each day and we are all excited that we were able to teach the youth the different skills we have learned in keyboard, guitar, drums, voice, and dance.
After two cooler days of Typhoon rain, the sun shone yesterday for the mini-concert for family and friends and the kids performed the song and the dance we taught them. It was really beautiful to see the final product of all our work. I think my favourite part is hearing them singing our songs on their own time! I am confident that the talent we saw here in San Jose will be used to glorify God as they continue to develop these abilities.
Of course, this week hasn't come without its challenges. How do you relate to giddy girls who speak little English and only giggle when they are around you? How do we interact sensitively with the youth when homosexuality is often the norm in this culture? It presents quite touchy situations and as a team and individually, we have had to make a lot of sacrifices to be acceptable in the culture here so our ministry is still effective.
This coming week we are anticipating different challenges and we have been warned by our Filipino friends here in San Jose that we will struggle a lot this week. The reason: we get to spend a week in ministry in the slums of Manila! We need your prayers!
Please don't forget to pray for us when you think of us. It is the Lord that sustains us in this heat and culture shock and nothing else. Continue to pray for team unity because of the effect it has on our ministry. We love you and miss you all!
Hey everyone, this is Curt here...
Time for me to write down my thoughts... hmmm... where to start.
It is so good to be back in the Philippines, to enjoy this culture with its beautiful people, wonderful food, and stifling heat. OK, the last part is taking some time getting used to, especially since May is the hottest time of year for the Philippines. Our team is staying in a small(ish) town of San Jose, we are spending this week working alongside a recent church-plant, helping them with their ministry. The guys are staying with the pastor couple, Pastor Titoy and Ate Diding. They are such gracious, wonderful hosts. We have been spoiled with many delicious, fresh mangoes. :)
Yesterday, Ptr. Titoy and Ate Diding took us to a rural farm (yes, there is such a thing as an urban farm, lol) a few miles out of town. It was such a beautiful place, with a gorgeous view of the moutains (some might call them foothills, but they looked like mountains to me). We had a blast! We took turns riding a carabao, which is basically a domesticated water buffalo, with some pretty nasty looking horns. The last time I was in the Philippines, my carabao ride was quite uneventful, and somewhat boring. This time was different. I was one of the last members of the team to ride the carabao, and Lisa had already fallen off because the carabao felt like taking her on a run. Thankfully, Lisa was OK, and we all got a good laugh out of it (Lisa, I hope it's OK that I'm telling the world your story :)
My ride began without much incident. I was having a good time posing for pictures and rocking out on the carabao, when suddenly ol' Bessy (I just named her that) decided she had an itch. She swung her massive carabao horns backwards, aiming for that one particular flea on her right shoulder, and instead of destroying the flea, connected very solidly with my shin. This was a shocking and somewhat painful experience for me, and so I burst forth in exclamation. Poor Bessy became very startled and decided to run away from this awful noise. Well, I wasn't ready for that, and I lost my balance. My feet were in the air, and I was in a very precarious position on Bessy's back. I ended up falling/jumping off, and everything turned out OK. Crystelle got it all on her camera, so be sure to see the video if you ever get the chance.
Another cool thing that we got to experience was climbing a coconut tree and breaking off coconuts. Andrew, Brett, and Haley all succeeded in climbing to the top and throwing coconuts down. We got to chop them open and drink the fresh coconut milk, and eat some coconut!
Last night, we officially met the youth group and had a really good evening with them. We played a lot of games, laughed a lot, and I had the priviledge of sharing a short devotional with them. I think we're all excited for the workshops we get to do with them, and the big concert we're doing together with them on Friday. Please pray for us this week as we teach the youth some basic musical and artistic skills, so that they can serve their church and community with these gifts. It is exciting to think about the lasting effect this kind of ministry will have on the local church and community.
We'd also appreciate all your prayers for the continued health and energy of the team. The heat is so physically draining and exhuasting, it's a challenge to maintain energy and focus in our ministry. Please pray for us in that. In other areas, we have enjoyed good health and miminal jet-lag, praise God for that!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. It's awesome to know we have such a huge group of people back home, praying for us and supporting us. You are vital to our ministry. God bless you all!
Curt
Well, here goes post number two. Its Haley reporting this time. It's 6:30pm (About 4:30am for most of you) At this moment most of the team is strewn around the common room allowing supper to digest. Soon we will begin our practice for this coming week, preparing for the music workshop we will be running, brushing up on some skits and illusions, and preparing some items to teach the youth here. With any hope there will be time for a cold shower and to bed at a decent hour. 10 would be nice. The heat takes it out of you here and the hot nights make it slightly difficult to sleep. I think most of us are beginning to adjust.
We had the privilege of seeing some more of Manila today. Alex, one of our SEND hosts took us to some points of interest. Probably the most interesting was the Church of the Black Nazarene. A huge Catholic church filled with many statues of Christ depicted as a Black man. A very interesting, and in many ways heartbreaking scene. Outside is strewn with people selling trinkets and doing fortune telling. Alex explained to us that it was a 21st century depiction of what Christ would most likely have seen when he overturned the temple in the book of Mathew.
We also visited a HUGE catholic church, witnessed a bit of a wedding and saw a lot of really cool historical items. It was certainly an educational day. Personally I am getting excited to start with the reality of why we are here. To begin doing ministry. For the past two days I have mostly felt like an obnoxious tourist. Its been a good experience, helpful for understanding the ppl but I am stoked or what is comming now.
Tommorow morning we will start our day with a 5 hour bus ride to San Jose, we will meet our billets and the next day we will jump in with two feet. I'm sure you will hear more of what that is like once it has begun.
I am quickly fallin gin love with the People of the Philipines, they are so hospitible and friendly. I am excited to see what God has in store in teh next days and weeks to come. We have already seen His faithfulness through our safe arival here. I feel so blessed to be experienceing this different culture, I am stoked to see how God is going to use this to stretch our team. I am also excited for how He is going to use this to further prepare me for what is to come in my life with youth.
Well, I know there will be more updates later, so for now I'll sign off. Thus far I have steered clear of balut, I feel as though this next week will introduce me to the opprotunity of eating it. Hopefully my solid "no" on that one will hold up! ITs off to a team meeting for me.
With love in Him
I, Crystelle, am sitting here under the cool air of the ceiling fan at the SEND Guest House in the middle of Manila, in the middle of the Philippines! I can hear tagalog chatter coming from the nearby kitchen and the sound of Dustin's breathing as he's napping on the couch next to me. Decia is on the internet computer a few feet away, Jen is in her room upstairs doing accounting stuff, and I can hear occasional voices of the rest of the team who are playing poker on the balcony above us.
We have arrived quite safe and sound to our destination of the Philippines! Our journey was almost unusually uneventful (except for the fact that we misunderstood our departure time from our first flight leaving Calgary, and missed our plane - PTL we were able to board two hours later without any penalty charges and without missing our connecting flight in Vancouver)! The plane rides were fun - lots of "great" airplane food (seaweed soup and soy tofu anyone?), individual touch screen tv's to spoil us, and an 11 hour flight from Vancouver to Seoul to remind us that traveling can lose its novelty. God was gracious in that we had short layovers, flights on schedule, and no trouble getting our luggage once we reached Manila! He is good!
Manila is wonderful! As we left the Manila terminal to find our hosts, the city air hit me with delightful force! It smelled of smog, exhaust, food, and felt of humidity. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The sound of honking horns, busy traffic and officer whistles reached my ears first. Looking around, I saw beautiful brown faces and dark hair - it is wonderful to be the minority again! I have been pleasantly surprised how much Manila reminds me of Delhi, India! It's super cool! We found our hosts straight away and they brought us to their vans and loaded us up. It was kind of neat to arrive here at night - the city has a totally different night life than during the day, and you get to take in all the lit up billboards and business advertisements of the city. The entire team is staying at the SEND guest house, which was about an hour's drive from the airport. So far, our hosts have been wonderful to us! We were brought to our room's and slept quite comfortably with fans and A/C. Lol - during the middle of the night, us girls had to actually turn our A/C off because we were shivering under our thin sheets. :)
Today has been a relaxed day of orientation to the Philippines and to our ministry with Alex Marcos (a Filipino man who has been hosting short term teams with SEND for 5 plus years), lunch at Grill Queen (yeah for delicious Chicken BBQ, rice, and spicy papaya sauce), a visit to a really nice Starbucks which soon found me with a Mango Passion Fruit smoothie in hand, and then a stop at the local grocery mart, where I purchased cheap flip flops, Colgate toothpaste, mango juice, hand lotion, and tic tacs - all for 264 pasos (which would equal to about $6 Canadian). We are having supper here at the SEND guest house in about half an hour, and then we will hang out here as a team tonight - do some worship, team time, drama practice, etc. I am so proud and fond of the team - they are embracing life here so much and are quite enthusiastic about ministry and loving on the people we come in contact with. I have a real sense that God is going to work in mighty ways through us. Your prayers for focus, a sincere heart for ministry, and discernment among the leadership team would be appreciated!