Saw the Hands and Feet of God (March 24 update)

Thought I would share about two places I have visited recently in my quest to find what God wants me to do here in Manila (now that most of the waiting for people and things to set up our home is FINALLY done!)

Let me introduce you to Jen Chrystman (who Louise Bell and Faith Holwyn know).  She is a Canadian who has been here since the early '90s.  Currently she works with Dawn for the Poor, an amazing holistic organization.  Click http://www.dawnforthepoor.org/ for their information.  On this day I tagged along as she brought a STM from Waterloo, Iowa (seriously!) through Welfareville (seriously, that is the official name of this neighbourhood)

During this walk, we stopped at a daycare center that is run by Lisa (in this picture).  She has four children of her own, and her husband is the care taker of six different places of ministry for Dawn for the Poor.    The pictures below are of Edna who helps in a livelihood center.  They were bundling up an order fo 300 bookmarks that were heading to Winnipeg, Canada.  If you need any gifts, go to their website!

In this center they also do healthcare, mentoring for home church leaders and much more.  For all our friends who are in the medical field, have a look at their medicine cabinet...that is it for thousands of people.

Oh, and here is the view out the window so that you get an idea of the area. (and I thought you would enjoy the electrical, Bill!)  So many people in so little space.....

I have also gone with our church on Thursdays for Others to a work done by Youth With a Mission called the Balut Project.  Go to their website http://www.ywambalut.org/ to see what wonderful work they are doing. We brought lunch to a daycare in the Smokey Mountain area (given that name because the area is literally dump and always smokey) Here is the daycare center, and some shots of the neighbourhood around it.

As soon as we arrived, the kids started coming with plate in hand - a few had a spoon too.  We sang songs with them, and then dished out the pasta soup and juice and cookies.  The little ones had mothers with them, and as you will see in these picture, these moms care deeply for their children.  I think I will let these pictures speak for themselves....

After the meal, they all headed back to their homes....down these streets.....

Yes, my heart has been broken again by what God has revealed to me in these two places...I know there are countless pockets like this in Manila.  And yes, the words of God through Micah 6:8, James 2:14-16, Matthew 25:31-40 (plus many others) is calling me.  Pray that I will hear God clearly when he starts to reveal where he want me to serve and how.  I will keep you up on the journey my friends.

Life in Manila....March 13

Some have asked about how I am, as Linda appears to be the Chief Editor on this Blog. I can assure you that we view this as a joint venture that generally works best with Linda controlling the keyboard and mouse and me rambling on about the world around me. For a change of pace I thought that I would contribute a solo update on this beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon.

Big update.... it actually rained this week. Not a lot and not for very long but it actually did. I'm sure that my perspective will change when the rainy season arrives, but for now it was a very pleasant change. Once the rain stopped it instantly contributed to the humidity. The Filipino store owners instantly start sweeping the water off the sidewalks with their large straw brooms (they love to sweep here... a lot). This is the real first rain I have seen since arriving and was welcomed to an increasingly dry Manila.


Linda and I have now completed our Scuba Certification and are officially able to dive anywhere on the planet. The test was a combination of demonstrated skills such as removing your mask under water, replacing it and clearing the water out. We also studied hard and passed the 50 question exam with flying colours. Here is a picture of our latest Scuba adventure. We promise to send some pictures from under the ocean as well in future postings.

Work has been going well but I certainly have had to make some adjustments in the way I work. Asia, in general, starts the day later and ends the day later. This is due to the interaction with North America that tends to drift into the evenings when the west is waking up and getting into the office. I have spent many years getting into the office at the crack of dawn and getting home for family supper and sports events..... that does not work well here. Contributing to the change I have been given an office on the 3rd floor of our building.... the 3rd floor is very busy and full in the middle of the night (servicing Canada and US Daytime) but is dark and empty during the Philippine day. Over the past years I have worked in offices where there is generally a queue of people outside my office wanting to talk with me. Today, other than a few Canadian or US Expats, I am fortunate to have a visitor at all and they are usually terrified that I have asked them to my office to talk. This will get better over time as the local staff get to know me a bit and can relax. Things all move slowly.... still waiting for my real furniture to arrive and I am promised that the air conditioning will be on in my office this week. As long as the blinds are closed it is only 28 degrees....


A few more oddities and interesting observations.....

1. Licorice (Red and Black) is non-existent in the Philippines - When I asked my Filipino friend about it her response was "what is that"... this leads to number 2
   
2. It is really hard to describe what licorice is to someone that has never seen it (try it!)
   
3. We discovered that heating up frozen corn in the microwave was not a good idea.... when it started to pop. We have moved to heating it in boiling water.... It was an exciting few minutes!
   
4. They have Musical ATMs here. As I approached an ATM today it blasted out a groovy tune that said something about shopping.... I was too surprised and shocked to really get the full gist of the song. It was really loud!
   
5. Our neighbourhood is so safe that we even have crossing guards.... seriously... grown men with stop signs that will halt approaching traffic so we can cross at our leisure. They are armed which makes it even more silly... I suppose they could shoot the people that don't yield to the awesome signs.
   
6. Rooster Update: We have discovered what happens to Roosters that do not fair well in the fighting... As you travel along the streets of Manila there are people walking between the cars selling anything you can possibly imagine... including Feather Dusters (you guessed it) made from Rooster Feathers. A little disturbing....

Bye for now... Jeff

Tuesdays Away - Feb 15, 23 and more to come

Let me introduce you to a few of the Aeta people.  This is a group of indigenous people who for many years were forgotten by the Filipino government.  In 1991 Mt Pinatubo erupted, destroying the homes, livelihood and way of life of many of the Aeta.  They had no homes and no way to live as they always had - hunting, gathering and agriculture.  In the midst of their devastation came EVACF, started by Jenny Wallum.  Click here to read more info on their website. 

She recognized the need the people had to find a way of life that would sustain them while their land recovered.  These mothers and children are at a seminar on health for their families, one of the many programs for the Aeta people.  They were healthy before, but with their land destroyed, all of their traditional methods, foods and medicines were destroyed.  EVACF has introduced livelihood training, micro credits for businesses, has built schools and centers of traditional training to retain their culture. 

I have been fortunate to join Jenny on visits to the area the past two Tuesdays.  We have visited one of the schools in Bangkal, Abusay, Bataan, and distributed some school supplies that had been donated.  Here are some pictures from that visit.  we also visited one of the traditional training centers.

Kids are the same everywhere, so I hope you enjoy these pictures...I don't really have to say much about them other than - do you notice any difference between many of the Aeta children and what you would expect in the Philippines?

If you noticed how curly some of the hair is, and that they are a darker colour, you are very observant! This has kept them separate and forgotten for many years. EVACF has built over 40 schools, and only then has the government taken responsibility for the education.  They send certified teachers and a few books for the teachers, but school supplies for the children are all from donations.  The people here do not have the means to buy their own pencils and notebooks.

and yes, for those of you who know me, I had a WONDERFUL time! 

So wonderful in fact that I sat in gum while I was chatting and laughing with the children.....which made us all laugh even harder.  This is me in the midst of them when we were about to leave.

I cannot say enough good things about this organization.  On the left is Dr. Catherine Ramos (who is a dentist by profession) who is the link for EVACF for the NCIP (National Coalition for Indigenous People) in this area.  On the right is my friend Jenny Wallum (we sing low alto together in a small choir called Asia Minor).  She stared this organization and is still the leader of it.  They are holding up school uniforms that have been donated by a group in Hong Kong for the students who may need some clothes to wear.

This is the area of the school - beautiful, remote and a hard life.  The land is slowly recovering from the volcano, and so are the people.  The struggle is to ensure they recover in a manner that blends their traditional way of life with the environment they have been thrust into.  I encourage you to have a look at the EVACF website by clicking here and remember the Aeta people in your prayers. 

Enough for now....many more stories to share including pictures from Bacolor which was covered by 7 feet of lahar (lava) flow from the volcano...but I will leave you wanting more.  Love you all, Linda

Real Life in Manila - Feb 21

It really is the little things about real life in Manila that remind you that you are not in Kansas anymore. Here are few examples we thought you might enjoy:

1. If you happen to be a mall as it opens (10 or 11 am), you will hear an announcement over the intercom. This may seem any other North American practice to welcome shoppers, however in Manila they are opening their malls with prayer.


2. The ultimate in worship convenience and Sunday shopping is that every mall has mass in the middle of it a few times every Sunday. Buy your groceries and flip flops, and stop for a quick blessing and eucharist.


3. We have discovered that there is such a thing as too many people serving you. Quite often in Canada you will stand in a department store and ask yourself the question "Does anyone actually work here?" This is not the case in Manila. There is one person for every little shelving display, and they do not move from their display or product. Their shirts even display both the store name and the brand name they are selling. Can you imagine spending eight hours in front of a rack of T-Fal frying pans unable to move two meters to the left to sell another brand of frying pans? As you are walking through the store, everybody greets you with a smile and "hello Ma'm, hello Sir" at each rack. We think they are just craving human contact!


4. Once you have selected something, like a toaster, as we did, the overwhelming service continues. First, they leave to go get the toaster you want from storage. When they return, they bring you to a table, unpack the toaster and test it in front of you so that you know it works (no toast, but Jeff had to put his hand over the toaster to verify that there was heat). Then they bring you and your grand purchase that has been carefully reboxed over to the cash area. At this point, three other people take over and the toaster disappears down to the claims area. Yes, three beautiful women spend some time stamping and circling many things on the reciept. When you finally get the couple of reciepts you need (payment by Visa often requires three separate signatures), you head to the claims area. Another beautiful woman brings the toaster to you, followed by more stamping and circling on the reciepts. The final circle and initial is by thefully armed security guard who verifies it all, and lets you finally leave with your toaster. Whew, we are exhausted just remembering the experience! This is a similar experience for everything, including lightbulbs.


5. New opportunity for service at church that you will have many volunteering for because they get to carry a gun. Church has security guards with guns, medal detectors and smiles who check everybag (maybe they are just making sure you have your Bible!)


6. Don't tell Ernie and Elaine Wolfe, but Jeff dropped into a Walk-In clinic today in a drug store in a mall to get an ear looked at. From the initial walking up to reception to walking out with perscribed drugs in hand only 30 minutes had gone by. Seriously! Oh, and the cost for the doctor visit and drugs was P 436 which is $9.84 at today's rate. Seriously!

Most importantly, rooster update from Jeff: This just in...roosters in the country have their own little houses in the field. They have little lean-to like teepees. Looking out over the vast fields there are dozens of rooster homes. How weird is that!

Once again, love you all, and we will share more later.

We've Been Off the Air

Well, a huge learning that represents the Philippines is that eventually you will get internet in your home....after almost two weeks we still do not have access at home, but are enjoying a coffee on a warm winter evening to try and connect with all of you. There is much to catch up on and share, and we will do that over the next few days.

New Home - we are thoroughly enjoying the view from the 37th floor!

The condo has beautiful high ceilings and is an open-concept with the kitchen overlooking the dining room and living room. Behind the kitchen is the laundry room / maid's quarters with their own little bathroom. No - we do not have a maid, though many do. So many people do that it was standard in every condo we saw during our search. We have put a desk in your bedroom so that when you come visit you can keep up on your email as you over look the city. We will add more pictures over time.

Scuba Diving - many have asked how this is going, and Uncle Dave and Dave Daikens were right, it is amazing! Our weekend included three dives and we are now one weekend away from certification. The "resort" we stayed at can be described as "wonderfully rustic" and really built for divers. The food was spectacular and the view was heavenly.

Just to clarify, this is not the spectacular view, but is us with Guy and Linda. Jeff works with Guy (who is British) and he is married to Linda (who is from Saskatchewan). Our new diving buddies.

While diving in the beautiful crystal blue water, we saw (amongst other things) lion fish, lots of Nemos in anemones, eels, sea slugs, sea urchins and a bizillion fish. We were not fortunate enough to see a turtle this time, but we understand they are fairly common. Maybe when we go back the first weekend in March.

So enough for now. We are still alive and continue to adjust. Miss you all, and hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day (we have never been wished a Happy Valentine's Day from a taxi driver before - Filipinos love to celebrate everything!)

Update Feb 2nd

We keep forgetting to share a few things with you.....

• the Manila congress just passed the part of the budget that is used for official porkbelly purposes (bribes and 'incentives') - how bad is it when a government does not even try and hide the fact?
• for those of you who we have mixed cement with, this country has very similar methods to Bolivia, but no altitude to deal with (just severe pollution that they keep out of their lungs by covering their mouths and noses with bandanas)
• the dancing inmate sof the Cebu provincial jail have a new YouTube video that was recently filmed. The warden instituted dance a few years ago as "a means to get inmates at Cebu's maximum security facility to participate in the daily exercixe, and also as a means to minimize if not solve the perrenial problem of gang wars inside the prison" (quote from Philippine paper), and actually, violence has greatly decreased since they started this.... Though there has been controversy over it, they do have monthly shows that the public can go to (it is on our 'to do' list). Michael Jackson's choreographer and two of his dancers came over to training and tape this video.....click here to have a look
• thank you all for your prayers ... a miracle has happened ... our house on Westvale has sold! As of March 31st we will only own one home ! Oh, and we should be in our leased apartment by Friday

We are off scuba diving on the weekend so we will chat with all of you next week!

Manila - Observations & Oddities

For those of you interested in different cultures and viewing the world though a different lens... I thought I would share some observations.

1. Roosters are at home virtually anywhere in Manila (railway tracks, streets, riding carts..). They sell them in pet stores.... cock fighting is also a past time so there are probably more than a few roosters shocked to find they are not going home to a loving family.


2. They have tiny horses here... not ponies... tiny horses. They pull carts around the Intramuros area... The men driving them "offer" a ride to visible minorities like us roughly every 10 seconds. This is quite annoying after an hour as that works out to 360 "no thank you" reponses. The tiny horses are cute though.


3. The Canadian Friendship Garden does not appear very friendly... I hope this scraggly bush flowers or something....




4. I don't think that the "Wall of Martyrs" needs a picnic ground.... this seems wrong somehow... or there is a deeper, beautiful meaning that I am incapable of getting.





5. The museum had a section with wonderful treasure from a shipwreck. It was labeled as "Junk that was found"... this seemed amusing to me.