Smokey Mountain
Another very hot day in Manila – they say it is going to be 37 degrees today. It is very warm and muggy.
We had a very good day yesterday visiting the rubbish tip called Smokey Mountain. This is where the children live and rummage through the rubbish to find stuff to sell so that they can eat. It was a very sad experience – I have never seen so much need and poverty in one place, so many people without the very basic necessities of life. All of the team where greatly impacted by what we saw and experienced, the photos we will bring back with us will speak much louder than any words I could use to describe what we experienced.
We were so blessed by the work of an organization called The Philippino Community Fund. This is a ministry set up by a lady from Southampton, called Jane Walker, who had been touched by the need of the people. She has accomplished so much to help these poor people: schools, medical centres and so much more. The impact she is having is truly amazing and an inspiration.
As we walked through the rubbish tips we were greeted by naked children caked in mud and filth, yet there smiles could melt the hardest of hearts. All the people can do to try and earn some money is daily sift through the filth of the rubbish to find things that can be sold for recycling. They also make charcoal, which causes them to become really sick with breathing-related problems. A few miles down the road is one of the nicest hotels you can imagine – we popped in to use their toilets; the contrast between rich and poor was so extreme it left you uneasy.
We were all so impacted by the need these people have, and were inspired to find ways to partner with this organisation we had the priviledge to spend the afternoon with –it is making such a profound impact to an area that is deprived beyond what you could ever imagine. It made each of us think: our very worst day would be a great day for someone living in this area.
We then drove again across Manila to an area near Alabang for a leadership training night with the Good Shepherd Church. This was a great night where many leaders were inspired to be the best leaders they could be.
We finally got to bed after midnight. Have risen early again and as I write this we are on our way to the area where there is a live, but dormant, volcano. We are on the home run now and are all looking forward to coming home and seeing our families. The trip has been a great time, a life-changing time. Will speak again soon.
Andy and the team.
