i am alive ... the last 7 days
Posted by Sara Stuart on Thursday, August 14, 2014
Under: a new adventure ... philippines
So sorry for being so delayed in this next post. The internet has been pretty spotty everywhere we go, so I finally gave in and went to an internet cafe, which is where I am sending this to you from. Here is the low down of the last few days.
Wednesday (Aug 6)
Last time I just told you about the morning of Wednesday. That afternoon I helped Ate Lorna prepare the food for the feeding program. My help consisted on peeling many eggs that had been boiled and dividing up the food between 49 containers. As we waited for the food to cook, I asked Ate Lorna about her family. This set her off on an hour long description of her children and how much she does to try to make their lives better. She has three children, one is 25, one is 18 and the other is 13. She opened my eyes to just how much effort parents here go to to provide for their children and give them a better life. That night we went to the feeding program. It was more lively because the weather had been better that day. After, Karin and I took the dishes back to her place again to wash them. After that we packed for the retreat that we were going on the next day.
Thursday -> Saturday (Aug 7->9)
This was my mom's birthday, so I made sure to say Happy Birthday to her from the Philippines. The team met at the IT Tender center at 9am to leave for a retreat that was graciously being paid for us by a team from Coast Hills Community Church in California. After a 2 hour van ride, we arrived at Rizal Recreation Center (website: http://www.re-creationcenter.com/). It was a lovely location, cooler than Manila and littered with palm trees. We enjoyed buffet food, mostly filipino, and much relaxation and recreation. The Coast Hills team did a couple sessions on perseverance and how God is always with His children, especially in the hard times. This was a great encouragement to the filipino workers, as they are always bending over backwards for others. I met many lovely people, both American and Filipino, and used the free time to get to know the IT Tender staff better. There was a pool at the center which was very refreshing. During the course of the retreat, I got many questions about Canada in comparison to the US from the American's. It was funny, hearing their stereotypical views of Canada.
We arrived home from the retreat just after lunch time on Saturday. Karin and I took our time unpacking and getting organized again. Then we went out to Festival Mall for dinner, groceries and a movie (Guardians of the Galaxy). It was a very fun last bonding time with just the two of us as another woman from the UK arrived the next day.
Sunday (Aug 10)
I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Jam's (John Coffey's fiance) church. She and John met me close to our house and we made our way across Manila to church. Jam's family lives around the corner from the church, and I was able to meet them before the service. Jam is the eldest of three daughters, who are all gorgeous and her parents are very sweet and kind. We went to the service, which is held in the main floor of the pastor's house. There were around 25 people in attendance, including children. The pastor gave a message on the barriers in our lives that get in the way of God's blessing us. It was a really good and thought provoking sermon. The pastor was very accommodating and did his best to speak as much English as he could, even though I was the only foreign visitor. When he spoke in Tagalog, John translated the main points to me. The pastor even had me come up and read a passage. The service was very involved, as there were around 8 of us called on to read passages. The kids didn't make a peep during the whole 2.5 hour service and I was very impressed. John said that he had never heard the pastor speak that much English ever, so it was clear the he was making an effort to make me feel comfortable. It was a lovely service and a very welcoming experience. After church we went back to Jam's house and her family served us a delicious pork meal. I enjoyed time getting to know both John and Jam better and seeing how a filipino family tries their best to make a living in their crazy and overpopulated city. I heard John's side of the story of how he and Jam met, it was quite romantic.
After this, John and Jam took me home where Ate Lorna and her 13 year old daughter Aileen were doing some cleaning. This is just one way that Ate Lorna makes a bit of extra cash to help provide for her family. Her daughter was very cute and fun, a but shy at first, but once we started singing "Let It Go" the ice was broken and we had a good time. A while later, Karin arrived from the airport with Janet, the new visitor from the UK. She is only staying one week and leaves this coming Monday morning. We then had a chill evening of helping Janet get settled in and getting to know each other better.
Monday (Aug 11)
The morning was a bit awkward as there were now 3 of us in the house, and my routine was a bit unsettled. But we made it through and went to the team meeting at the center. It was quite a busy meeting that mostly discussed the sports fest that was happening the next day. Gabby (an IT Tender staff who helps with the ALS) and Jizza (the IT Tender Social Worker) are getting married in November. As a way to raise money for their wedding, Gabby designs shirts, and they are having one design that will be sold at a slightly higher price to raise money to pay for the catering of their wedding. It is a great idea and I have purchased a few from him. After the meeting, Karin, Janet and myself treated the IT Tender staff to lunch at the near by Star Mall. It was fun to have that time with the whole team. After that Janet and I went to a market in Makati to purchase some "rubber shoes" (running shoes) for some of the youth who were coming to the basketball day the next day. It took us a while to find a vendor who had all the sizes we needed and would sell them to us at a decent price. While at the market, I was able to pick up a gift for Chloe, which I know that she will love. After a long day at the this market, we finally made it home around 8:30pm. It was fun but exhausting.
Tuesday (Aug 12)
This was the basketball day. We woke up at 5:15 am to arrive at the center at 7am and then all went over to the complex we had rented for the day to set up. Then the Coast Hills team arrived for an IT Tender orientation and a run down of the day. Their church had funded the entire day, including the jersey's the boys had (and got to keep) and the t-shirts the rest of us got as well. Once the boys arrived, the day began and everything was a blur after that. The boys at the event were clients of the IT Tender Night Life program that ministers to out of school street youth. It was obvious throughout the day that they were enjoying themselves and the interaction with the boys from America, was so exciting for them.
After this event we packed up and went back to the center for a bit of a cool down and break. Shortly after, however, we loaded on to a bus and went to the going away party for the Coast Hills team. They had been such a blessing to many ministries in Manila, and all the people from the retreat were at this party. It was a fun night, but us from IT Tender were exhausted. The filipino's had fun getting the American's to eat balut, soup #5 and male cow parts. They all made our room smell bad, but we kept the doors shut to keep the air conditioning in. Saying goodbye to the team was a sad moment, and you could tell that each ministry deeply appreciated the work they had done for all of them. Once we got back to Karin's place, the three of us just passed out in bed.
Wednesday (Aug 13)
This brings me to yesterday. Karin had a morning class at Tagalog language school, so Janet and I made it to the center on our own. We joined Cecille in the SLC pre-school program. The kids remembered me and were excited to see me. It was nice to watch them learn and help them through their practise exercises. After the lesson, Cecille took Janet to the community behind the center and under the nearby bridge while I stayed back to journal and rest. After this, Janet and I took Cecille out for lunch at Star Mall before we went back to help Ate Lorna buy and prepare the food for the feeding. The local Alabang market was a fun trip and Janet and I were able to buy some food for our own dinner.
The feeding that night was a bit crazy as Ate Lorna was the only filipina with us. But we did our best to play games with the kids, and we went without the lesson for the night. After the feeding we went back to the house to again do the dishes. Janet was very gracious and did the feeding dishes while Karin and I rinsed the sweat from the day off and cooked dinner. After dinner, she even did the dishes from dinner. Then we sat and chatted a bit about Janet's experiences of the day.
Thursday (Aug 14)
Finally this brings me to today. The three of us went to the center for 10am for Janet and I to meet Jizza for another community visit. We went to Sucat, the pilot area for many of the IT Tender programs, especially the sponsorship program. It was eye opening to see the tiny houses that these families live in and also exciting to hear about the effect that the IT Tender sponsorship program has begun to have on their lives. We met one girl who is currently a sponsor child, and she was lovely. All the families let us pray for them before we left each house. We had lunch in Sucat and then went back to the center. This brings me to this moment. Tonight we have the feeding program tonight and are about to go back to the center and help Ate Lorna prep the food.
Wednesday (Aug 6)
Last time I just told you about the morning of Wednesday. That afternoon I helped Ate Lorna prepare the food for the feeding program. My help consisted on peeling many eggs that had been boiled and dividing up the food between 49 containers. As we waited for the food to cook, I asked Ate Lorna about her family. This set her off on an hour long description of her children and how much she does to try to make their lives better. She has three children, one is 25, one is 18 and the other is 13. She opened my eyes to just how much effort parents here go to to provide for their children and give them a better life. That night we went to the feeding program. It was more lively because the weather had been better that day. After, Karin and I took the dishes back to her place again to wash them. After that we packed for the retreat that we were going on the next day.
Thursday -> Saturday (Aug 7->9)
This was my mom's birthday, so I made sure to say Happy Birthday to her from the Philippines. The team met at the IT Tender center at 9am to leave for a retreat that was graciously being paid for us by a team from Coast Hills Community Church in California. After a 2 hour van ride, we arrived at Rizal Recreation Center (website: http://www.re-creationcenter.com/). It was a lovely location, cooler than Manila and littered with palm trees. We enjoyed buffet food, mostly filipino, and much relaxation and recreation. The Coast Hills team did a couple sessions on perseverance and how God is always with His children, especially in the hard times. This was a great encouragement to the filipino workers, as they are always bending over backwards for others. I met many lovely people, both American and Filipino, and used the free time to get to know the IT Tender staff better. There was a pool at the center which was very refreshing. During the course of the retreat, I got many questions about Canada in comparison to the US from the American's. It was funny, hearing their stereotypical views of Canada.
We arrived home from the retreat just after lunch time on Saturday. Karin and I took our time unpacking and getting organized again. Then we went out to Festival Mall for dinner, groceries and a movie (Guardians of the Galaxy). It was a very fun last bonding time with just the two of us as another woman from the UK arrived the next day.
Sunday (Aug 10)
I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Jam's (John Coffey's fiance) church. She and John met me close to our house and we made our way across Manila to church. Jam's family lives around the corner from the church, and I was able to meet them before the service. Jam is the eldest of three daughters, who are all gorgeous and her parents are very sweet and kind. We went to the service, which is held in the main floor of the pastor's house. There were around 25 people in attendance, including children. The pastor gave a message on the barriers in our lives that get in the way of God's blessing us. It was a really good and thought provoking sermon. The pastor was very accommodating and did his best to speak as much English as he could, even though I was the only foreign visitor. When he spoke in Tagalog, John translated the main points to me. The pastor even had me come up and read a passage. The service was very involved, as there were around 8 of us called on to read passages. The kids didn't make a peep during the whole 2.5 hour service and I was very impressed. John said that he had never heard the pastor speak that much English ever, so it was clear the he was making an effort to make me feel comfortable. It was a lovely service and a very welcoming experience. After church we went back to Jam's house and her family served us a delicious pork meal. I enjoyed time getting to know both John and Jam better and seeing how a filipino family tries their best to make a living in their crazy and overpopulated city. I heard John's side of the story of how he and Jam met, it was quite romantic.
After this, John and Jam took me home where Ate Lorna and her 13 year old daughter Aileen were doing some cleaning. This is just one way that Ate Lorna makes a bit of extra cash to help provide for her family. Her daughter was very cute and fun, a but shy at first, but once we started singing "Let It Go" the ice was broken and we had a good time. A while later, Karin arrived from the airport with Janet, the new visitor from the UK. She is only staying one week and leaves this coming Monday morning. We then had a chill evening of helping Janet get settled in and getting to know each other better.
Monday (Aug 11)
The morning was a bit awkward as there were now 3 of us in the house, and my routine was a bit unsettled. But we made it through and went to the team meeting at the center. It was quite a busy meeting that mostly discussed the sports fest that was happening the next day. Gabby (an IT Tender staff who helps with the ALS) and Jizza (the IT Tender Social Worker) are getting married in November. As a way to raise money for their wedding, Gabby designs shirts, and they are having one design that will be sold at a slightly higher price to raise money to pay for the catering of their wedding. It is a great idea and I have purchased a few from him. After the meeting, Karin, Janet and myself treated the IT Tender staff to lunch at the near by Star Mall. It was fun to have that time with the whole team. After that Janet and I went to a market in Makati to purchase some "rubber shoes" (running shoes) for some of the youth who were coming to the basketball day the next day. It took us a while to find a vendor who had all the sizes we needed and would sell them to us at a decent price. While at the market, I was able to pick up a gift for Chloe, which I know that she will love. After a long day at the this market, we finally made it home around 8:30pm. It was fun but exhausting.
Tuesday (Aug 12)
This was the basketball day. We woke up at 5:15 am to arrive at the center at 7am and then all went over to the complex we had rented for the day to set up. Then the Coast Hills team arrived for an IT Tender orientation and a run down of the day. Their church had funded the entire day, including the jersey's the boys had (and got to keep) and the t-shirts the rest of us got as well. Once the boys arrived, the day began and everything was a blur after that. The boys at the event were clients of the IT Tender Night Life program that ministers to out of school street youth. It was obvious throughout the day that they were enjoying themselves and the interaction with the boys from America, was so exciting for them.
After this event we packed up and went back to the center for a bit of a cool down and break. Shortly after, however, we loaded on to a bus and went to the going away party for the Coast Hills team. They had been such a blessing to many ministries in Manila, and all the people from the retreat were at this party. It was a fun night, but us from IT Tender were exhausted. The filipino's had fun getting the American's to eat balut, soup #5 and male cow parts. They all made our room smell bad, but we kept the doors shut to keep the air conditioning in. Saying goodbye to the team was a sad moment, and you could tell that each ministry deeply appreciated the work they had done for all of them. Once we got back to Karin's place, the three of us just passed out in bed.
Wednesday (Aug 13)
This brings me to yesterday. Karin had a morning class at Tagalog language school, so Janet and I made it to the center on our own. We joined Cecille in the SLC pre-school program. The kids remembered me and were excited to see me. It was nice to watch them learn and help them through their practise exercises. After the lesson, Cecille took Janet to the community behind the center and under the nearby bridge while I stayed back to journal and rest. After this, Janet and I took Cecille out for lunch at Star Mall before we went back to help Ate Lorna buy and prepare the food for the feeding. The local Alabang market was a fun trip and Janet and I were able to buy some food for our own dinner.
The feeding that night was a bit crazy as Ate Lorna was the only filipina with us. But we did our best to play games with the kids, and we went without the lesson for the night. After the feeding we went back to the house to again do the dishes. Janet was very gracious and did the feeding dishes while Karin and I rinsed the sweat from the day off and cooked dinner. After dinner, she even did the dishes from dinner. Then we sat and chatted a bit about Janet's experiences of the day.
Thursday (Aug 14)
Finally this brings me to today. The three of us went to the center for 10am for Janet and I to meet Jizza for another community visit. We went to Sucat, the pilot area for many of the IT Tender programs, especially the sponsorship program. It was eye opening to see the tiny houses that these families live in and also exciting to hear about the effect that the IT Tender sponsorship program has begun to have on their lives. We met one girl who is currently a sponsor child, and she was lovely. All the families let us pray for them before we left each house. We had lunch in Sucat and then went back to the center. This brings me to this moment. Tonight we have the feeding program tonight and are about to go back to the center and help Ate Lorna prep the food.
In : a new adventure ... philippines
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