I received this note from Fr Paul via facebook today:
Brooke, thank you so much for your support.
We have been helping in particular about 60 families in Payatas. There are of course many more than that but we have been focussing on one area in particular (you might want to look at the facebook site of Miguel Paolo Rivera to see some pictures).
If we get more funds we are considering helping others as well as those 60 families.
Another thing that I am considering, again if we get enough funds, is whether we will be able to help any of the victims of the typhoon from Payatas in a longer term way. They are extremely poor people most of whom get their livelihood from scavenging on the rubbish dump.
Just after the typhoon I was with them as they were eating food picked up from the rubbish dump (meat thrown away on the garbage which they rescue and eat), actually even before the disaster this is what some of them eat. Maybe this disaster in their lives can be an opprtunity, if enough funds arrive, for them to recieve some longer term help (for example for a tutor for their children since without education they will almost certanly stay in poverty for the rest of their lives).
Anyway thanks for remembering and more than remembering. Please continue to keep everyone in your prayers even after the immediate news of everything dies down and most people forget.
GOD BLESS
Fr Paul
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Typhoon Ondoy
I am not entirely certain if this still works; we haven't updated this blog since returning to the US almost two years ago. However, I just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who have responded to our pleas for financial assistance for our friends in Manila who were devastated by last week's typhoon and ensuing floods. Through your responsiveness and generosity, we were able to double the amount of money that we intended to send on our own.
Our friends in Manila, especially those we worked with in Payatas, were hit especially hard by the flooding. I have recently been in contact with both Mhel and Father Paul. Father Paul's small hovel in Payatas was flooded to the ceiling and his neighbors and many of the people he's worked with for years have been displaced. Mhel tells us that the people we worked with in Payatas are living in a school right now. Most of them have lost whatever meager possessions they had; all that is left is the clothes they were wearing when the storm hit. The funds we have raised will go to help meet these immediate needs - food and clothing.
Again, I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Between this typhoon and the recent earthquakes and tsunami, it's so easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the urgent need and, ultimately, helpless. It means something to look that helplessness square in the face and give
what you can anyway, even as you feel that it can't possibly matter or make a dent in the sea of need.
It does.
Our friends in Manila, especially those we worked with in Payatas, were hit especially hard by the flooding. I have recently been in contact with both Mhel and Father Paul. Father Paul's small hovel in Payatas was flooded to the ceiling and his neighbors and many of the people he's worked with for years have been displaced. Mhel tells us that the people we worked with in Payatas are living in a school right now. Most of them have lost whatever meager possessions they had; all that is left is the clothes they were wearing when the storm hit. The funds we have raised will go to help meet these immediate needs - food and clothing.
Again, I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Between this typhoon and the recent earthquakes and tsunami, it's so easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the urgent need and, ultimately, helpless. It means something to look that helplessness square in the face and give
what you can anyway, even as you feel that it can't possibly matter or make a dent in the sea of need.
It does.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Among the Fray
Well, the journey is almost over. It feels like we’ve been here forever and leaving will be bittersweet. We’re so eager to see our friends and family again and that will be wonderful. But it’ll be hard leaving the people and communities we’ve formed bonds with. Especially the one’s like Dakutan and Payatas where we know the kinds of lives they have to return to.
Let me apologize for not updating this thing more regularly. Life gets in the way all too often. Anyway, this will be the last update for now. As we remain in contact, once we return to the States, with people we’ve met here, we’ll use this blogspace to post updates.
In other news, I AM DONE SCHOOL!!! I recently finished my two final projects and received A’s on both of them (ok, an A minus on one but Dr. Mtika can be tough). Anyway, so, I officially have my masters degree. That’s weird because international development is a field which seems impossible to “master” considering its ever-changing landscape. Anyway, I’m done, for now, and its Brooke’s turn. She will be returning to Eastern University in January to finish out her undergraduate degree in Anthropology.
There have been several highlights since I last posted an update. I really want to focus on one as we can fill you in on the rest when we get home.
Imagine you’re driving through and beyond the outskirts of a bustling, densely populated Asian metropolis. As you begin to exit the city limits, the mountains, once in the distance, begin to come into focus and to the fore. I remember thinking, “wow, you can see the mountains clearly today.” As you get closer and closer, it becomes clear that what you presumed were mountains were nothing more than massive mounds of waste at Payatas, Manila’s largest landfill.
It wasn’t long after this realization that a member of our team informed us that the little tents running up and down the sides of the trash heap were actually people’s homes. People live and feed off of the waste of one of the largest cities in the world. We entered Payatas. It was one of the locations the British team, with which I was working at the time, had a vested interest in so we were there to sponsor the building of a roof for a community center. There, I met father Paul, one of the founders of Heart of the Father, an England based Christian NGO. Father Paul is an extraordinary man who has actually made the move to Payatas, in and among the poorest of the poor. It is heroes like this, among the fray, who deserve the recognition they’ll never receive.
Father Paul has options, but he chooses to value the lives of the people of Payatas as he does his own, compelling him to become one of them. This is what it means to truly live. This is the abundant life Jesus offers; to value the lives of others, regardless of socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual preference, ethnicity, habits, occupation, et cetera, as we do our own. None of us are more or less a “sinner” than anyone else. Sin is something that stains us from birth, no exception. But everyone…everyone is created in the image of God.
Shane Claiborne, in his book the Irresistible Revolution, tells a story that captures how significant an understanding of this concept is to our faith. He recounts an incident where he and some friends were hanging out. His friend says nonchalantly, “Shane, Jesus never talked to a prostitute.” Naturally, Shane became defensive and began to reach for his bible claiming, “Yes he did, I’ll show you where it is.” As he began flipping through the pages, his friend stops him and says, “Shane, Jesus never spoke to a prostitute because he never saw a prostitute. He saw a child of God whom he was madly in love with.”
I know it sounds cliché but, spending time in a developing country changes you. It can’t help but to. You begin to realize what matters in life. You begin to realize what is essential for living, for working, for having fun…for faith. We’ve met people from all walks of life here. Tradesman, government officials, wealthy landowners, the homeless, street kids, subsistence farmers and fisherman, priests, pastors, Catholics, Protestants, children, the elderly, the rich, the poor, prominent public speakers, et cetera. I’ve met Catholics desperately in love with God and Protestants simply going through the motions…and vice versa. Why? (And just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t true or worth restating) because the true Church is not confined by a physical structure.
Just to leave you with one last thought. Rob Bell points out that in the Hebrew language, there’s no word for spiritual. It simply doesn’t translate or exist. So if you were to ask a 1st century Jew or even Jesus, a prominent Jewish rabbi, a question like, “How is your spiritual life?”, you would likely be given a peculiar gaze and a “What are you talking about?” in response. Why? Because there was no separation between life and faith, between theory and praxis, between what one believes and what one does. So when we feed the hungry, care for the oppressed, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, et cetera, this…is…Christ.
See you soon!! We love you all.
Let me apologize for not updating this thing more regularly. Life gets in the way all too often. Anyway, this will be the last update for now. As we remain in contact, once we return to the States, with people we’ve met here, we’ll use this blogspace to post updates.
In other news, I AM DONE SCHOOL!!! I recently finished my two final projects and received A’s on both of them (ok, an A minus on one but Dr. Mtika can be tough). Anyway, so, I officially have my masters degree. That’s weird because international development is a field which seems impossible to “master” considering its ever-changing landscape. Anyway, I’m done, for now, and its Brooke’s turn. She will be returning to Eastern University in January to finish out her undergraduate degree in Anthropology.
There have been several highlights since I last posted an update. I really want to focus on one as we can fill you in on the rest when we get home.
Imagine you’re driving through and beyond the outskirts of a bustling, densely populated Asian metropolis. As you begin to exit the city limits, the mountains, once in the distance, begin to come into focus and to the fore. I remember thinking, “wow, you can see the mountains clearly today.” As you get closer and closer, it becomes clear that what you presumed were mountains were nothing more than massive mounds of waste at Payatas, Manila’s largest landfill.
It wasn’t long after this realization that a member of our team informed us that the little tents running up and down the sides of the trash heap were actually people’s homes. People live and feed off of the waste of one of the largest cities in the world. We entered Payatas. It was one of the locations the British team, with which I was working at the time, had a vested interest in so we were there to sponsor the building of a roof for a community center. There, I met father Paul, one of the founders of Heart of the Father, an England based Christian NGO. Father Paul is an extraordinary man who has actually made the move to Payatas, in and among the poorest of the poor. It is heroes like this, among the fray, who deserve the recognition they’ll never receive.
Father Paul has options, but he chooses to value the lives of the people of Payatas as he does his own, compelling him to become one of them. This is what it means to truly live. This is the abundant life Jesus offers; to value the lives of others, regardless of socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual preference, ethnicity, habits, occupation, et cetera, as we do our own. None of us are more or less a “sinner” than anyone else. Sin is something that stains us from birth, no exception. But everyone…everyone is created in the image of God.
Shane Claiborne, in his book the Irresistible Revolution, tells a story that captures how significant an understanding of this concept is to our faith. He recounts an incident where he and some friends were hanging out. His friend says nonchalantly, “Shane, Jesus never talked to a prostitute.” Naturally, Shane became defensive and began to reach for his bible claiming, “Yes he did, I’ll show you where it is.” As he began flipping through the pages, his friend stops him and says, “Shane, Jesus never spoke to a prostitute because he never saw a prostitute. He saw a child of God whom he was madly in love with.”
I know it sounds cliché but, spending time in a developing country changes you. It can’t help but to. You begin to realize what matters in life. You begin to realize what is essential for living, for working, for having fun…for faith. We’ve met people from all walks of life here. Tradesman, government officials, wealthy landowners, the homeless, street kids, subsistence farmers and fisherman, priests, pastors, Catholics, Protestants, children, the elderly, the rich, the poor, prominent public speakers, et cetera. I’ve met Catholics desperately in love with God and Protestants simply going through the motions…and vice versa. Why? (And just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t true or worth restating) because the true Church is not confined by a physical structure.
Just to leave you with one last thought. Rob Bell points out that in the Hebrew language, there’s no word for spiritual. It simply doesn’t translate or exist. So if you were to ask a 1st century Jew or even Jesus, a prominent Jewish rabbi, a question like, “How is your spiritual life?”, you would likely be given a peculiar gaze and a “What are you talking about?” in response. Why? Because there was no separation between life and faith, between theory and praxis, between what one believes and what one does. So when we feed the hungry, care for the oppressed, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, et cetera, this…is…Christ.
See you soon!! We love you all.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Update
Hey everyone. Man did November go fast. I've been pretty busy lately trying to put everything together for my 2 projects. They're both due at the end of this month so, my appologies for not updating this thing more regularly. I'll try to make one more big update post in early Dec. after I get my work done. I want to tell you about a place called Peace Village we visited a couple of weeks ago and the Payatas landfill site that I forgot to tell you about last time. So, look for in update in about a week or so.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Trip to Manila
Again, sorry it’s been a while since we’ve given an update. Things have been scattered here to say the least. Ok, so I wanted to talk about a little side trip I took with Pastor Bong (above). Bong is the pastor of a small Assemblies of God church in the midst of one of the largest relocation sites, Handumanan, on Negros (some residents pictured below). There are more than 150,000 squatters who’ve been relocated to this one area. These are people from as many different backgrounds that you can imagine, all forced to live together, in community, and get along. Somehow they make it work. It’s truly amazing. I must’ve seen a dozen pickup basketball games in Handumanan, at least eleven of which I received an invitation to join.
Bong explained to me that he used to be a relatively well-to-do business man here on Negros and that while he recognized God’s call on his life a long time ago, it wasn’t until a recent brush with death that he decided to submit to God. It was refreshing to see community development work/workers who are working from the ground up as opposed to assisting from without.
While I was visiting Handumanan with Bong, one of our last stops was at Randall’s house. Randall (pictured above) is a member of Bong’s congregation. He lives in a house about the size of an average American lawnmower shed with his 3 children, wife and grandfather. He has about a half an acre of farm land where he grows rice, peppers and various other produce. He asked if we’d eaten yet and Bong told him no. He began to gather firewood and ordered his oldest son to bring him a steel pot and a machete. We proceeded out to the field where Randall harvested some local root vegetables and sweet potatoes. After peeling them, he boiled them in the steel pot along with two fresh duck eggs. Bong explained to me that the root vegetables contained high traces of cyanide and that if not cooked properly, consuming them could be fatal. This gave me a new perspective on what it means to ask God’s blessing before we eat. I prayed His blessing on the food, Randall’s family and farm, and thanked Him for His creation that yields enough to sustain us.
The vegetables and fresh duck eggs were wonderful and needless to say, Randall was able to adequately remove enough of the cyanide that the potatoes didn’t kill me. It wasn’t until we were leaving that I realized what a special and holy moment I had just experienced. From Randall’s perspective, I was treated like a king. Bong explained to me that every week Randall gives him ten percent of his harvest. That’s all he has. The previous week he managed to harvest twenty sacks of rice, so he gave Bong two. It wasn’t often that his ducks laid fresh eggs and Randall was more than happy to offer them to Bong and I as a gift. Though Randall had little, he was selfless with what he had. I’ll never forget that meal.
Moving ahead. We spent this past week in Manila (400 miles north of where we’re staying in Bacolod City). Our flight arrived early Saturday morning and we spent all day at the Mall of Asia, the site of the GK Expo. The expo was exciting. There was a parade, live music, representatives from nearly every GK village, vendors, concessions, games, children’s activities, et cetera. There was something for everyone.
Far and away, my favorite part of the expo was a real, live monkey. Yes, a monkey. We were able to get pretty close to him and he looked at Brooke and me as curiously as we did him.
At the expo I was able to meet several interesting people. I met Tony Meloto, the founder and former executive director of Gawad Kalinga. I was also able to have an interesting conversation about microfinance with Tony’s successor, Tito Luis. The President of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, was also at the expo to demonstrate her support for GK’s development efforts.
In Manila, we were hosted by Tito Bong and Tita Leony Susara. Along with their two children Jamie and Richard, they provided us with wonderful hospitality. I’m not sure what it was, but Sunday night I got really sick…again. Similar symptoms to what I had a few weeks back. I couldn’t eat a thing all week. Needless to say, Brooke and I really miss home cooking.
Conveniently, Tita Leony used to work for the Department of Tourism in Manila so she was able to show us around the city a bit. We toured a few universities and caught the sunset in the Manila bay. The Old City is beautiful and rife with Spanish influence from the colonial period. There were beautiful cathedrals and cobblestone streets and the policeman still dressed in the ancient garb. In some places, it is easy to forget you’re in Asia as it has more of a European feel.
On Thursday, we were able to celebrate All Saints' Day with the Susaras. All Saints' Day is a unique national holiday where everyone gathers around the graves of their loved ones. There are games, food, music, dancing, et cetera. Admittedly, I felt a little out of place considering I had just met the Susaras four days prior and now I was celebrating a significant holiday with them. But, to them, Brooke and I may as well have been members of the family. In fact, we’ve made arrangements to stay with them the week before we return home as they want to help Brooke locate any traces of her family in La Union, in the north.
We have plenty of pictures to show everyone when we return and we appreciate all who take the time to check out the blog to see how we’re doing. Continue to pray for us until we return. We continue to miss everyone and think about you often. Until next time…
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Hey everyone. I know it's been a couple of weeks since we've updated the blog but I can assure you, we haven't forgotten about it. We flew into Manila on Saturday and will be here until the end of the week. We'll do our best to provide you with an update this coming weekend. For now, know that we're doing well and look forward to sharing more of trip with you in the coming weeks. Highlights include a real live monkey, almost meeting the president (of the Philippines), our trip to Payatas (where people make their homes at Manila's largest landfill), lunch at Randall's farm - a truly holy moment and much more. To be continued...
Monday, October 15, 2007
This past week and a half has been pretty hectic. We went up to stay with Tito Mon for a few days last week. Mon is doing some amazing things with self-sustained, organic, waste-free farms that could drastically impact the landscape of poverty here in the Philippines and throughout the world. I’ll spare you the details as you probably aren’t as fascinated by them as me. Mon is a very wealthy landowner here with a heart for seeing poverty alleviated. He had a near death experience a few years back that changed his heart and perspective toward friends, family, wealth, the environment and life in general.
Mon took us up to the mountains and showed us some of the rice terraces and various contour farming methods. His motto, “there is no unproductive land, only unproductive farmers.” Mon’s methods allow him to grow nearly any crop he wants, even on the top of a mountain. We joined a group of farmers from Bayawan City, which is in the south of the island we’re on (Negros). Mon could name his price to run seminars, educating farmers on his methods. Instead, he does it for free. To see hearts changed, wealth redistributed and lives molded.
Moving ahead. Last Sunday we visited Promise City Church with Emma and her daughters. The church is pastored by Rick Sutcliffe – the same Rick who runs Joyland (mentioned in Brooke’s last post) with his wife Suzet. It’s an Assemblies of God congregation –Rick is from Australia – with a penchant for exuberant worship. After service, we joined Rick and Suzet for lunch. Rick wants me to speak at Promise City in a couple of weeks. We’ll see how that goes. Suzet and I had a wonderful conversation about community development and the work they’re doing at Joyland. Brooke and I will likely be spending a few nights there this week studying their project more fully and working with some children on their conversational English.
So, on Monday I spent the day with Ricky Lacson at the Couples for Christ meeting. It was more of a “nuts and bolts” type of meeting but still, it allowed me to gain a perspective into what they are about as an organization. Couples for Christ is responsible for founding Gawad Kalinga so the two are significantly intertwined. They are very much concerned with building communities that enable people to live with dignity.
Come Tuesday, I started feeling pretty ill. I’m not sure what it was, but all week I was sick with a stomach bug of some sort. Brooke saw me through until I was better on Friday, when she began feeling sick. So, this week has been hard. A lot of complaining, aching, sleepless nights, etc. But, we’re both feeling better now and looking forward to this coming week at Joyland.
Friday, Emma and I were able to visit two more GK villages with Ricky Lacson. These were much larger than the one’s we were exposed to the initial week. They were complete with schools and worship facilities and even farmland. In November, I have agreed to stay in the two communities for a few nights, to get to know the people better and how exactly their lives have been impacted by GK.
Until next time, know that we’re doing well and attempting to serve our God by loving others. Keep us in your prayers and trust that we miss you all dearly.
Mon took us up to the mountains and showed us some of the rice terraces and various contour farming methods. His motto, “there is no unproductive land, only unproductive farmers.” Mon’s methods allow him to grow nearly any crop he wants, even on the top of a mountain. We joined a group of farmers from Bayawan City, which is in the south of the island we’re on (Negros). Mon could name his price to run seminars, educating farmers on his methods. Instead, he does it for free. To see hearts changed, wealth redistributed and lives molded.
Moving ahead. Last Sunday we visited Promise City Church with Emma and her daughters. The church is pastored by Rick Sutcliffe – the same Rick who runs Joyland (mentioned in Brooke’s last post) with his wife Suzet. It’s an Assemblies of God congregation –Rick is from Australia – with a penchant for exuberant worship. After service, we joined Rick and Suzet for lunch. Rick wants me to speak at Promise City in a couple of weeks. We’ll see how that goes. Suzet and I had a wonderful conversation about community development and the work they’re doing at Joyland. Brooke and I will likely be spending a few nights there this week studying their project more fully and working with some children on their conversational English.
So, on Monday I spent the day with Ricky Lacson at the Couples for Christ meeting. It was more of a “nuts and bolts” type of meeting but still, it allowed me to gain a perspective into what they are about as an organization. Couples for Christ is responsible for founding Gawad Kalinga so the two are significantly intertwined. They are very much concerned with building communities that enable people to live with dignity.
Come Tuesday, I started feeling pretty ill. I’m not sure what it was, but all week I was sick with a stomach bug of some sort. Brooke saw me through until I was better on Friday, when she began feeling sick. So, this week has been hard. A lot of complaining, aching, sleepless nights, etc. But, we’re both feeling better now and looking forward to this coming week at Joyland.
Friday, Emma and I were able to visit two more GK villages with Ricky Lacson. These were much larger than the one’s we were exposed to the initial week. They were complete with schools and worship facilities and even farmland. In November, I have agreed to stay in the two communities for a few nights, to get to know the people better and how exactly their lives have been impacted by GK.
Until next time, know that we’re doing well and attempting to serve our God by loving others. Keep us in your prayers and trust that we miss you all dearly.
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