Sitting in the taxi, I took the time to observe everything that was around me. Drinking in the views of this new land that was going to be my home for the moment. One thing that struck me other than the heavy traffic was the poverty that i witnessed there. Stark poverty. You may have read about it, heard about it, squatter settlements, slums, but seeing it personally spells a whole different story all together. How bad can it get you could have thought, when reading about them, but when you see them, that's how bad it can get and it can get worse. imagine living in a house made out of cardboard by the roadside. Imagine bringing up your kids and family in them. No privacy, save electricity and a source of fresh drinking water. It really makes me wonder, how are the poeple going to continue to live like this? Can they survive? What about their children? I felt my compassion grow, but feeling is one thing and doing something about it is another. I seriously do not have any idea how I as an individual can do something to help the thousands and thousands of people out of poverty. This would be something on my mind, as I grow up. How can I give back to the society, I really thank God that i was born in Singapore and do not have to live from hand to mouth.
We then arrived at our first stop, the Joyce Apartelle. We were quite excited, cuz it really looked like a nice place to live in. We sat at the floor level of the apartment waiting for Jasmine to check if there were apartments that we could rent. Alas, haha it was not to be, there were no apartments available, so we had to go to the church first then decide later our tentative venues to spend the night in. On to the church we trudged. One thing about walking on the streets in Manila. You have to be careful about your bags, especially if you are a foreigner! haha I look like a Filipino so i think i am safe lol! Next, you need the use of your ears. When you are walking and looking in front of you, you need your ears to detect the sounds of on coming traffic! the roads are very narrow so much caution is needed! It is too early to lose any member now haha!
Waiting for our apartment
When we finally arrived at Hope Manila, I heaved a sigh of relief. At last, we have reached the church! Haha! I didn't really arrive with any expectations of how the church would be like so I was quite excited with what I saw. It is a fairly huge compound. We were met by the sight of teenagers playing basketball in the basketball court cum carpark the church had. The building was a lovely sky blue. Really looked like a place of solace lol! We walked into the church and really, the church is not rundown at all. The walls were whitewashed, the floor tiled with some lovely white tiles and the stage was just like the one we have at nexus. At one end of the church, there were 4 rooms which meetings or classes were held, much like our own america room and africa room. All of them had aircons in them, including the hall too. So the church is really quite well furnished and equipped! Praise the Lord!
At the church
A toast for making it ths far!
After we settled down our stuff. we set off for our very first CG visitation. Dulce's CG! It was to take place at the Pastor's house! We took a train and 2 Jeepneys! The train concept is very similar to the one we have in Singapore, even the signs. However, we have to have our bags checked before we enter the station. this is due to a bombing incident that had occured in the past. Riding on the Jeepney was a fun experience. 'Bayan Paur' means here's my change. the jeep has 2 rows of seats facing each other. You can even choose to sit beside the driver, I was really amazed about the honesty of the Filipinos. You pay your fare by passing it in front, aided by the people who sit in front of you. The change is then passed back by the respective people too! haha great honesty! Really amazing! The driver too is amazing! He has to navigate the vehicle amidst the crazy traffic, collect the fare, count out the change and listen out for people who want to alight. A pretty amazing feat aint it?
In the Jeepney with Jasmine
I got to talk more to Jasmine and I was really impressed and encouraged by the testimonies she shared. On average, people require 1-2 hours to get to their CG venue. Little are late! There were a couple of sisters who couldn't afford the transportation fare, so they travelled to their CG venue by foot! imagine walking the distance that is covered by a vehicle in 2 hours! Amazing perseverance, really encouraged! We should think twice now before complaining about having to travel to our CG venue now aint it?
Arriving at the CG venue, we were met with very enthusiastic people who were ready to praise the Lord!!!! We did a Holy Spirit Baptism for them and I think that yeah I have loads more to grow in terms of my prayer stamina haha! The people in the group have much potential! Hope to see them rise up soon! I am really touched by Dulce's and Odete's spirit in wanting to serve!
Dulce's CG
We then travelled after a long day back to the church! We met the pastor's wife, Pastor Eunice! She is such a motherly figure! She helped us a lot in finding a place to stay for the night. The arrangement we ended up having was that the guys, me and Jingting would sleep in the church while Guan Zhen and Liyi would stay in the Ministry house! I am not scared of cockroaches or lizards or rats, infact I am filled with an urge to kill them! Haha so I was quite content with sleeping in the rooms in the church even though there might be rats and cockroaches running around. That night, I killed 2 cockroaches and ended up breaking the church's broom lol! Wells, had a good time talking to Jingting, a chance I wouldn't normally have back in Singapore! Was really blessed by it, got to know her better! My thoughts on the first night were! "Lord, I don't know how this is going to go, but I trust that this mission trip is in your hands so I shall not worry too much!" I used Zhangyushao as a pillow that night! Lolz she is useful! Wells end of part one! The next will come soon!
The broom I broke! The corpse of the cockroach is beneath!
Our bed for the night!
One of the more toned down Jeepneys
The bus
The Tricycle
Zhangyushao has been to Philippines!
Zac loves her!
