Leaving behind a piece of your heart in Mailla

Well its the last day, my bags are packed and the shopping is done after two hours of torture wandering around, up and down the shopping mall..urrhh.

We went for our farewell presentation at the Malate Children's home, the generosity of the people is overwhelming we all were given gifts, I certainly felt an unworthy recipient. The Power of Gods transforming love here is indescribable, as we worshipped together being hugged by Children who have been saved from the most horrendous situations imaginable, your heart is poured out, broken and sliced out in gracious thanks to the Lord for his love and Grace. I,m sure all of have left a piece of our hearts here with these children maybe to pick it up again in the future or a reminder to care, love and pray for them. I want to end my blogging with a poem which is found in all the Kanlugan centres.

My Child I've often heard your question: This is my answer.

Your concerned about the the hungry in the world, millions who are starving and you ask what can I do?

FEED ONE

You grieve for all the unborn children murdered every day... and you ask what can I do?

SAVE ONE

Your haunted by the homeless poor who wander city streets.. and you ask what can I do?

SHELTER ONE

You feel compassion for those who suffer, pain sorrow and despair and you ask what can I do?

COMFORT ONE

Your heart goes out to the lonely, the abused and the imprisoned...and you ask what can I do?

LOVE ONE

Remember this my child...two thousand years ago the world was filled with those in need, just as it is today, and and when the helpless and the hopeless called out to me for mercy, I sent a saviour..

HOPE BEGAN WITH ONLY ONE!

I know this poem has helped many us to understand what is happening here. The Gospel is the hope for our world. I was chatting with Mark A After our visit to the Mall of Asia (A huge shopping centre) on the day we went to Smokey mountain(the w0rst place you can imagine ) and put in way that is so true "whether we are 20 minutes from poverty or across the Globe God calls us to do something, it is our responsibility.




See you all soon




Really looking forward to seeing family and friends

PS Emily Wilar has given you her teddy called Michael, he is my bag ready to sleep on the plane

Love to all




Mark H

home sweet home

hi everyone,
alas, it's time to go home and though we are looking forward to be back, we leave with a heavy heart knowing we will be missed by everybody here at Kanlungan. It has been a worthwhile visit and though we have worked with the project last year and know what to expect, God had shown us new things and more revelation of Himself as He work among the people here. Despite the poverty, hardships and suffering we witnessed around , His love and compassion radiate from everyone we meet and places we go. God's message is loud and clear "surely I am with you always, to the very end of the ages" Matt. 28:20
see you all soon.
mela and mary
xxx
p.s. we all miss you
kisses to harry and harley

Only in Manilla

Manilla is filled with some of the most wonderful and strangest sights you'll see anywhere, from the endless stream of Jeepneys( our stagecoach equivalent) to the street sellers selling everything from single ciggies to dvd's.

Today has been of those days where I have said "Only in Manilla". I joined Wilmar again for the day, which saw a consultation at the day centre which the children and young people were asked to particiapte in deciding the activities and how the centre will run. After we had finished i just sat down with 2 older lads who started to sing worship songs, Matt redman the heart of worship, we all just started to sing it was so easy to forget that these guys were street boys as my thoughts collected......ummmm Only in Manilla. We then set of to a new district to meet with street children and familes, I think Wilmar is related to the pied piper as he walks down the street the kids just get up from the cupboard seats, and follow him down to the plaza, about 25 children gathered for songs, bible stories and prayer. As the children stood and all closed their eyes to pray with the street bustling around them i thought ummmm "only in Manilla." The Lord has really shown me just a glimpse of his love for these families over the last few days. I pray that I will never forget.

It really is quiet humbling to pray and just be with these children.

For the funny of the day ask any of the team about grass skirts and pom poms LOL say no more about that one!

Blessings

Mark

Back in England!

Hey guys!

Back in snowy snowy England! I hope you're all missing me and my fruit loops! I am missing all of you, its too quiet. To Lou and Liz, I pray the Sid the cockroach has left your room and to Malcolm and Ian I pray you have found out what the heck is in your room.

I hope you all have had a great day and I really pray the weather clears up so you can get home!
This blog is late as normal for me, but at least this time I have a good reason. Been catching planes for the last two days :). I want to write about Tuseday, when we all split up and went the areas we felt God was calling us to. I felt such a desire to go back to Tunasan, now having learnt to spell it correctly.

We, Malcolm, Lou and I, arrived to empty drop in centre. However this was good news as it meant parents had enough food to feed the children before school and that they had actually gone to school. In Manila, the amount of children wanting to go school and the lack of schools mean that the children go to school in shifts. The shifts are from 6 am to 1pm and then 1 pm to 6 pm. A couple of children did up later as they needed their lunch before going to school. It was great to be there as we had the van so we could give them a lift to school. The school is quite a walk away and they are having to walk when the sun is at its hottest. We then went on a tour of the school and gave the children a lift back to the drop in centre.

Well then they were flooded with children who had just finished school. I think there was around 24 children. We played games, dodgeball and this one where you are in circle and all have to do stupid dance moves. Malcolm, Lou, Kathy (the social worker at Tunasan) and I went on a shopping trip! It was brilliant having Kathy there as she knew exactly what the children needed and what she wanted for the centre. She was touched and so happy, it was fanstastic! We brought her a world map something she had wanted for ages! As we were leaving the mall, we wanted the buy the children ice cream but Kathy suggested brownies from the Brownie shop instead as the children were always staring at them and had never had brownies before! To be honest I think although we were buying stuff for the children, the true enjoyment was for us as we saw how happy they were. We arrived back at the centre with massive bags of stuff but the children never tried to peep in and see what we had brought. They were all doing their homework when we arrived and we did distract them but they stayed in their seats. When we got the brownies out they didn't rush us or fight and argue. They formed an orderly line, no pushing or shoving and just patiently waited till it was their turn. But what really got me, was there was a little boy, around 2 who was to shy to come and get brownies so the children grabbed my hands and brought me to him so he could have a brownie as well. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness and selflessness.

As the day progressed, we coloured in, Lou helped them to make bracelets and rings out of the beads we had brought, but they were already very clever at making everything. At the end of the day me and Lou were covered. We both had bracelets, rings, ankle chains, necklaces and flowers in our hair. Even Malcolm had a bracelet on! Then we played games, similar to British bull dog, the children had their dinner and then we brought them ice cream. We spolit them rotten but they deserve it! The girls made me and Lou valentine's card, as in the Philippines its a celebration of love for everyone not just partners.

They are the most delightful, selfless people I have ever met. The love of one another and their acceptance of anyone new is something we should all try to replicate. I thank God for all the work He is doing and thank you for letting me see it.

Thank you all for reading the blog!
Emily x

Let the children come

Hi
I have been out with Wilmar( the street educator) on the streets, we have put together some tricks, testimonies bible stories and songs. After gathering about 15 children and mothers, including waking some of the older girls from around the bay area. Wilmar had the children and mums stood with a prayer to start. It was almost like a little street church!We sang some songs,as I was stood there in front of them looking at the joy on their faces as they sang and clapped the Lord just gave me a glimpse of his heart for these people, it began to break mine. After some gospel magic, testimony and the story of the lost son, Wilamar bought everyone food and drink and we had some play time. As we left I knelt to pray with my arms around some of the children and the mums and just knew Jesus was there, my question that has been in my mind all week, Just where is Jesus in all this? was finally answered. The prayer flowed from my lips with simply requests food for the day, protection, love to surround them, Jesus was there those words of his echoed round my mind "let the children come" he said as he blessed them.

Thankyou for following the blog it has helped me to think through the enourmous things we have seen and and experienced and special thanks to Mark A, Ian and malc for giving me the prividge of seeing God's work here. It is an experince that Has changed me for life.

Blessings

Mark

Time to find rest in God's shelter says Jen!

Before I came to the Philippines God told me that I would have an 'appointment' with him here. I felt I would learn something of the power of his love. The unconditional outpouring of love that continues in the Kanlungan work has demonstrated this again and again and the powerful transforming consequences in the children's lives.
God wraps the children in a wonderful 'duvet' of love as they arrive and holds them for however long it takes, till they are ready to engage with the wonderful workers as they support them and help them in the healing process that God has started.

My first 'appointment' was the day we took them all to this lovely outdoor swimming pool complex. There was a warm pool attached to hotsprings that I decided towards the end of our time to take a dip in. There was a young man of about 18/19 there with his parents who had had a stroke. I said to Mela that maybe I could support him in the water. She spoke to the parents and told them I was a physio. They hesitated and I held back feeling I didn't want to pushy, as it was only that I could see they were struggling. She told me they thought I would want money, but when they knew that wasn't so they smiled and I just gently helped him stand, sit, relax. He could understand but couldn't speak. He was in the navy and had been attacked by a toxic substance that had obviously hurt his central nervous system somehow. he sttled with me and smiled a lot. As I shook hands to go, Mary and mela said, shall we pray and then Mela asked if we could pray with the family. This we did, I felt so empassioned as I prayed for him for his healing, his smile turned to tears, then I knew I just had to tell him how much Jesus loved him, and then it was over and we left them there. They had brought him out of hospital for the day to see if the spinngs would heal him and instead he met Jesus!!! Thank you Lord, what a blessing for me too.

The 'appointment' we said we needed prayer for was the detention centre visit. It went well as Mark has written. Leta and Mela and myself were able to pray individually for about 10 of the boys. Some shared, they are fearful, they want to be with family and wanted to pray for their family members, many not being visited by anyone! They are so lovely, so vulnerable, so scared. Just imagine how you feel sometimes standing before someone in the prayer team who wants to pray for you. You quietly step out and share what you want prayer for because it is precious or fearful for you and then the Holy Spirit comes, and light penetrates the darkness. We prayed and then we left all the burdens with GOd, theirs and ours. One boy had been there for 4 years and still not come to trial, several of them for a year already. Such a privelege to do what we were allowed to do.

God was so gracious, he led us and held us in that dark place, otherwise it would have been so hard to go back. I trust that God has penetrated the darkness as we prayed- light over darkness-may the darkness flee in Jesus' name. Sol's team are going to begin to do more there. This is fantastic. Pray for the system that rules it to be cracked, broken and changed in Jesus' name.
Thanks for your comments. I was so pleased to hear that Kate (my daughter) went with Fred to the funeral, I was worried about him going alone, so that was an answer to prayer. This is my last blog and along enough one too I hear you say! Looking forward to coming home! Love to you all
Jen

Lola Leta's final blog

Hi everyone,

- thank you Zac for your message - it was good to hear from you - but so sorry to hear you had to go to school in the snow and Michael didn't!! Life is so unfair!

Thank you Inge for your verse of scripture, and thasnk you all for your thoughts and words of encouragement

Well, yesterday morning Jen, Mela, Mark(H) and I went back to the 'prison' where we met with 21 boys between 14 and 19. They came in after their lunch and we sang Our God is a Great Big God with actions ten times!! It's a good slimming exercise you should try it!
Then Mark told the story of the Prodigal Son/LOving Father while Wilmer from the home translated - they were a really good double act and the boys seemed to enjoy it.
For the next part, we divided into two groups and Jen and Mela and myself had the wonderful privilege of praying with each boy seperately - sometimes Mela translated what Jen and I prayed , but sometimes she didn't but then it didn't matter, because these boys knew we were there for them and that God was there in our midst and at that moment that was their special time for meeting with GOd. There were a mixture of emotions and feelings flying around from the boys being frightened, sad, worried about their family back home. Some of the boys only had an elderly grandparent who cared about them and maybe visited now and again and some had no-one at all. SOme of the lads had been in a month, some 6 months, some a year, and someone had been detained for 4years and none of these cases had still not been heard!!!! WE shed a few tears that morning I can tell you. There was a feeling of despair amongst the boys
THere's lovely old hymn called
Brother, let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you

And that is, I believe, what we are doing, being as Christ to those who need a touch of His love
And we leave the rest to God now and trust He will water the seed that has been sown in that place and believe that Light of Christ will bring hope to those who hsve lost all hope. There are a lovelt couple of young people from Denmark who are staying in Manila after we have returned to the UK and they will be going into the prison and carrying on where we have left off and help establish a weekly meeting for prayer etc>>>> WONDERFUL!!!

God always provides his people to carry on His work...

This morning went out with one of the street evengelists and met a families living in a container parked by the side of the road. The mother was washing her 4 week old baby form a bucket of water and laid him on a towel on the pavement!! She was so tender with him.....it was really moving.
Another young mother told me whe wantesd to come to England
I said (politely) "Don't bother, because there is no work and no money, and you have all the love you need here in your container lorry home!! She said that the sides of the container got so hot in the day time you could put your bread on the walls of the container and it would turn into toast!! In all their poverty, they still maintain a lovely sense of humour. The people from the Kanlungan homes are going to establish a link with them so they will not be without hope!
I feel really chuffed that I have blogged for the first time ever, with encouragement, I have to add , getting their slowly!! not quite into illustrating yet....maybe another time. This had been such an amazing time in every way - I don't think any of us can return the same as when we came out, and that is how it should be. So much food for thought I shall be chewing and digesting for monthts. Thanks again for all your prayerful support and wonderful comments GOd bless you Leta