Hello Sutton road. Your toothbrushes have safely arrived in the Philippines. At the day centre where the street children go during the day there is a big jar of toothbrushes and each has a child's name written on the handle. Everyday the children come to the centre and clean their teeth in clean water. I have taken some photos to show you . Soon they will be using your toothbrushes. Thank you very much.
Zac
Saturday, June 5, 2010
weekend away
Blogging on the phone is not easy for me but we have wifi at the moment so I'll do my best. We are having a family weekend in an amazing tropical island about an hours boat ride from the mainland. Palm trees and bananas and the bluest sea ever. But zac is working hard miss Beaumont he can now swim and breath at the same time and has mastered tumble turns. It's very different from the city but fantastic to get away and it is raining here now it's all Paradise. Just damp Paradise!!!
Love to you all
Helen
Love to you all
Helen
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Numb backside but uplifted heart....
Today has been very long but very uplifting.
We've been out in the minibus (I was allowed to go in the front so I didn't get sick) to visit the Farm, the boys home and Laguna (The residential home in the suburbs). We've spent many hours in the van but it has been worth the discomfort.
At each stop we have been greeted by laughing and singing children and young people who know that they are cared for and loved by committed adults as well as being loved and accepted by their heavenly father. All the children are studying and have aspirations to make a life for themselves despite the start they have had in life. I have many individual stories to bring back with me to go with the 100's of photos.
Zac has been overwhelmed by attention being considered very white and very cute, although Mike was getting his far share of attention from the older girls at Laguna. I don't think I've seen any other white children in Manila at all!
The boys have been fantastic but it has been a lot for them to take in and we are looking forward to some family time for the next few days at the seaside!!..
Ate Sol is taking us to the ferry tomorrow morning (I don't think she trusts us to get therer by ourselves)
I'm sure we will find an internet cafe to blog from but we'll try not to mention the white sand beaches and the snorkeling. This is a mission trip after all.
God bless for now.
Helen
We've been out in the minibus (I was allowed to go in the front so I didn't get sick) to visit the Farm, the boys home and Laguna (The residential home in the suburbs). We've spent many hours in the van but it has been worth the discomfort.
At each stop we have been greeted by laughing and singing children and young people who know that they are cared for and loved by committed adults as well as being loved and accepted by their heavenly father. All the children are studying and have aspirations to make a life for themselves despite the start they have had in life. I have many individual stories to bring back with me to go with the 100's of photos.
Zac has been overwhelmed by attention being considered very white and very cute, although Mike was getting his far share of attention from the older girls at Laguna. I don't think I've seen any other white children in Manila at all!
The boys have been fantastic but it has been a lot for them to take in and we are looking forward to some family time for the next few days at the seaside!!..
Ate Sol is taking us to the ferry tomorrow morning (I don't think she trusts us to get therer by ourselves)
I'm sure we will find an internet cafe to blog from but we'll try not to mention the white sand beaches and the snorkeling. This is a mission trip after all.
God bless for now.
Helen
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Highs and Lows
Today has, as usual been a day of extremes.
After visiting Smokey Mountain yesterday I had, kind of, assumed that everything else would be better! Then today we were taken to a bump site where Kanlungan have only recently started work. About 50 little shacks have been thrown together in a valley in the middle of a disused bump site (Closed because it didn't meet the city council's standards!) we visited as the rain was washing the mud and rubbish into the valley. Those of you who visited at Easter saw the other extreme of heat and dust. There is no power, water or sanitation and the community has been pretty much hidden from the world for about 8 years. Smokey mountain should not exist but at least there are signs of hope and regeneration there in the community. This place was so bleak. Kanlungan are currently feeding the 150 children twice a week but can not get permission from the landowner to build anything or do anymore. it's a start and something tells me that once Kanlungan gets teeth into the problem they won't rest untill things improve.
On the up side we visited the settlement which has been build for the community who used to live on the railway. It's a town of hundreds of identical little brick block rooms but there is a school and a feel of safety up there. We visited the homes of Tunasan children who have moved away from the railway and are now attending the school.
Spending time at Tunasan playing with the kids and watching the older boys at work producing Christmas cards was so encouraging. We've got a great selection of cards to bring back for sale in the UK. The income the boys get from the cards is going towards buying them shoes and school supplies for the coming term. They are so industrious, only stopping long enough to take part in presentation the whole group put on for us. We did another Adams family rendition of 'Shine'.
So it's bedtime now and tomorrow we do the out of town residential home, the farm and the boys home so it's going to be a long, long day.
love to you all,
Helen
After visiting Smokey Mountain yesterday I had, kind of, assumed that everything else would be better! Then today we were taken to a bump site where Kanlungan have only recently started work. About 50 little shacks have been thrown together in a valley in the middle of a disused bump site (Closed because it didn't meet the city council's standards!) we visited as the rain was washing the mud and rubbish into the valley. Those of you who visited at Easter saw the other extreme of heat and dust. There is no power, water or sanitation and the community has been pretty much hidden from the world for about 8 years. Smokey mountain should not exist but at least there are signs of hope and regeneration there in the community. This place was so bleak. Kanlungan are currently feeding the 150 children twice a week but can not get permission from the landowner to build anything or do anymore. it's a start and something tells me that once Kanlungan gets teeth into the problem they won't rest untill things improve.
On the up side we visited the settlement which has been build for the community who used to live on the railway. It's a town of hundreds of identical little brick block rooms but there is a school and a feel of safety up there. We visited the homes of Tunasan children who have moved away from the railway and are now attending the school.
Spending time at Tunasan playing with the kids and watching the older boys at work producing Christmas cards was so encouraging. We've got a great selection of cards to bring back for sale in the UK. The income the boys get from the cards is going towards buying them shoes and school supplies for the coming term. They are so industrious, only stopping long enough to take part in presentation the whole group put on for us. We did another Adams family rendition of 'Shine'.
So it's bedtime now and tomorrow we do the out of town residential home, the farm and the boys home so it's going to be a long, long day.
love to you all,
Helen
more from the mind of michael
today we went to the tunasan center outside the main city with Willie. first we went to a sort of town like place where all the people who used to live by the railway have been relocated to. it was a bit odd but it was probably better than the railway they used to live on.then we went to this other dump site which was a bit like smokey mountain but worse. then we went back to tunasan and played basketball for a bit then we came back to the shallom.
michael
michael
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
from the mind of mike
today we went to smokey mountain and saw all the people living on the rubbish. we went to the church on the heap which is just being rebuilt. we met the pastor and his wife who showed us around. it is weird seeing people do things on the rubbish. there are people sweeping up and doin there washing whilst surrounded by rubbish. now we are at the open day centre and we have done some songs and eaten a wierd fried banana thing.
michael
michael
A Quick Update
Mark here with a quick update:
We went to Smokey Mountain this morning, which is always a difficult experience. Great to see the work that is being done there though ... and it is better there than the last time I visited. They have seperated the dumping site from where the families actually live, which is an improvement.
Then back to Malate Centre for lunch (which was delicious as usual) and we've spent the afternoon at the Drop in Centre. Its great to see how much this work has developed over the last couple of years. Oh ... and we taught them all the song 'Shine' as well!
Helen will update more later ...
Thanks for your love and prayers.
Mark
We went to Smokey Mountain this morning, which is always a difficult experience. Great to see the work that is being done there though ... and it is better there than the last time I visited. They have seperated the dumping site from where the families actually live, which is an improvement.
Then back to Malate Centre for lunch (which was delicious as usual) and we've spent the afternoon at the Drop in Centre. Its great to see how much this work has developed over the last couple of years. Oh ... and we taught them all the song 'Shine' as well!
Helen will update more later ...
Thanks for your love and prayers.
Mark
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