"She died in my arms"

I really wasn't intending to write tonight. It's after 2am. Both our babies are in a peaceful sleep.After yestedays Monster Typhoon there are mothers mourning the loss of their children and families sleeping on the floors of evacuation centers .Here are my boys-healthy- safe.
I am thankful.
I just feel I need to tell you about another Warrior Mother. My heart can't rest tonight thinking about her.
Her name is Lorna.
She lives in the "temporary housing" within the dump site area.
She has 5 children and she also looks after her 2 young grandchildren. Their mother is a bubbly sweet girl but just a  teenager when she had both these children. The pressure got too much for her this year and she fled Tondo leaving mummy Lorna with the 2 babies. Lorna cares as best she can for all of them.

2 weeks ago Ate Lornas youngest daughter Janet passed away. She was 6 years old.

taken 2012-  Janet at her healthiest

I remember the first time we met Janet. She was  a baby. Ate Lorna told us she thought she was sick. Ron held her to pray for her and right away knew that she had something far more than a fever or a cough. Her body was limp and eyes unresponsive. After tests she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

I can witness that Ate Lorna has cared for Janet. She was always so protective of her. Only she carried her from place to place with gentleness. We had a lovely occupational therapist recently volunteer with us whom we asked to dedicate time to Janet. She was so sensitive to Janets needs, but even then Ate Lorna was a little afraid for Janet being moved in new positions. Through the years every time we delivered milk, food or medicine Ate Lorna would always be near her child. Another charity once arranged with the families permission to take Janet into long term respite, but after a few weeks Ate Lorna decided to bring her back to Tondo. She kept this child alive when looking at her tiny form, you would have thought she would have died as a baby.

A couple of nights ago I was celebrating my birthday at the dump site and noticed Ate Lorna had come in and was sitting at the back..I was surprised to see her. I went straight over and hugged her. I had no words. It wasn't time for words. But from one mother to another I felt her heart breaking over Janets loss. I cannot imagine a worse pain. I cannot even imagine. We embraced and wept together. In 6 years of knowing Ate Lorna I have never seen her cry, even through all the struggles that come with fighting to keep your children alive in that community. As tears fell from our faces, she paused and then uttered words that were so unexpected and felt so very out of place;

"Thank you. Thank you for all the big help to my family and Janet."

If I were in this woman's position I think that "Thank you" would have been the very last thing on my mind. Even now writing, the genuine tone of her broken voice echos in my ears. Lorna is a shy woman and often talks with he rhead a little down, but at this moment her eyes were piercing through mine.

"Thankyou"

She continued in a shaky voice to tell of Janets last few moments. I could tell it was important to share the details- how it happened and even the exact time of death. She was a mum telling of the moment when she was forced to let go of her baby. As I held her hand she told me;

"It was beautiful how she died. I saw in her eyes and she died in my arms. In our house"

What she was saying was- it was the best way it could have happened.

Janet took her very last breath in the arms of the one who had faithfully held her every day.

Ron and I were talking and just saying how it is impossible to even try to understand this situation. A little girl born into a dump site and enduring suffering for 6 years. I don't know why. I don't know why at the unfairness and injustice that if this little girl had been born in the UK for example she would have received much more care and Lorna more support. I don't know why Ate Lorna had to watch her daughter have a life of suffering and then die in her arms.
When our church in Tondo surrounded her and were praying for her Ron spoke out that the secret mysteries belong to God. These words from my husbands lips have been repeating in my heart.The reality is none of us have an answer for this kind of human suffering, but we have to trust that God is the giver and the taker of life. He decides when we will be born and when we will die. For any of us who has lost a loved one this is easier to say than really believe because for us, the time they were taken feels so wrong and after years feels so raw, but we need to believe that the God who breathed his very life in them, knew it was the right time that they take their last.

I just want you to know there was a little girl called Janet who was loved. And I want you to know there is a mother called Lorna who loved her.

In all the time we have known this family I only ever seen Janet respond on one occasion.
She looked at her Mama and smiled.

Please pray for Ate Lorna and the family.


"The secret things belong to the Lord Our God..." Deuteronomy 29:29

Trick or Treat?

I am anticipating some of my good friends will disagree with my feelings below but people have asked me recently my view point on Halloween and so I thought I would just scribble it down.

So apparently there are  a couple of lines of thought to the origins of Halloween- one pagan and one Christian. In my opinion there is nothing Christian about it, in fact quite the opposite. Here in the Philippines and other parts of Asia Halloween is more about visiting the graves of loved ones who have passed. There is nothing wrong with remembering them however there is in my view something wrong with praying for their souls. From my experience in Scotland I would say its more about parties and costumes. But before I dig myself a pit due to lack of cultural and historical knowledge let me just say that although I do think that there is most definatly pagan and Occult roots in Halloween my following thoughts come from simply being a concerned Mama and not a scholar!

In all honestly I just don't get it! I don't get why we would want our children to celebrate Halloween at all.

Why would we want our beautiful faced children to temporarily trade that in for a gruesome Halloween mask?

Obviously not every parent chooses to dress their kids up in a scary costume, but in the last couple of days I have seen toddlers dressed as devils, witches, goblins... and so on.  I don't really understand. Why would any of us want to dress our kids with things that are anything but light, love and laughter?


 I don't get either how it is OK for us to encourage our children to knock on the doors of strangers, or even neighbors to trick or treat. Isn't it a bit of a contradictory message when most probably every other day of the year we are telling them not to take things from from strangers or go to the homes of people they don't know?

We try to protect them from violent images on TV etc and yet it seems that on this one day we drop the standard and leave them open to visual images of blood, gruel and gore.

 I know parents just see it all as a bit fun, a chance for a party and dress up, but my mind kind of boggles as to why we would want to celebrate anywhere around images that could potentially scare our kids. And that's one of the main points of Halloween right? Too scare?

Of course it's not terrifying for us to see skeletons, Frankenstein masks or cut out cardboard of the grim reaper. But yesterday I learned taking a 2 year old to a play area that was decorated with "spooky" images that it's kind of is a big deal for a little guy who has never seen these things before.


A few random facts you may or may not know about the origins of Haloween . Now this is straight from google so don't blame me! :) I just thought it be interesting to google to see what came up! Maybe I am just being a party pooper!

-"Halloween is a celebration to remember the dead and the day when witches begin their rituals".

-"Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead."


-"The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating".

-"Jackolanturn/ Carved Pumkin-Occultists also would try to scare away the spirits by carving a scary face into a pumpkin. This horrible visage would hopefully move the spirit on to another home or village and spare that home from destruction. Sometimes the villagers would light a candle and place it within the pumpkin and use it as a lantern (hence the name, Jack-o-Lantern). This is the origin of carving pumpkins at Halloween."

-"some of the games used at Halloween parties derived from divination"


Actually there is loads of information about the origins of Halloween, I have merely picked a few at random. My point is that personally I wouldn't want my kids to be associated with any of the above even if it's "just a bit of fun"Now please I am by no means saying that anyone who dresses up their child in a cute or funny costume is intending to deliberately celebrate the actual meaning of Haloween. However while many of us collect candy at doors, play games and have a laugh over who's costume is the best , the reality is that there are witches and occultists who are celebrating in a more serious way. On this same night there is satanic rituals going on. Whether you believe it is a special holiday to those involved in the occult or not, Im afraid it is.Even in the communities we work in Manila witchcraft and occult practices are very very real.
 Here is a piece of info I came across about real Halloween-


" The Druids were in a secret place, were in satanic worship.  In their own way, they were appeasing the spirits and their god of the dead through ritual known as human sacrifice.  Every year the local high priest would select a virgin and impregnate her, making sure that the baby would be born one month before the festival of the dead.
On Halloween night the baby would be killed, its blood poured over the satanic altar and burned as a sacrifice.  The woman would then become high priestess for the next year, until this satanic ritual was carried out again.  The terrible thing about this is that it is still going on today.  Police reports show that children disappearing increase tremendously during the months of September and October."

Whether due to lack of information, tradition or not wanting our kids to be different from their classmates- Christian mothers I urge you just to re-think and ask yourself if there is really a  good reason that your children are taking part in a Halloween Celebrations.
 My personal opinion is that there is not one.

The Trick of the enemy is to have us think it's just all a big joke when in fact it's far from funny.

Let's have our kids be "followers of God as dearchildren" (Eph 5:1) and think about other creative ways we can let them dress up play games and have fun without it being related to Halloween.


"....proclaim the praises of Him who called you OUT OF DARKNESS into His marvelous LIGHT..." 1 Peter 2:9

Another Warrior Mama..

Meet Luz, Viv and Minda....

6 days ago  Mama Bebe went into labor. Kuya Ronald delivered the first little girl in their 8x8 ft home in the middle of the dump site area. The baby seemed well but Ronald began to panic as his wife continued to have very strong contractions and the urge to push. He knew something was different because he has delivered their other 5 children and this has never happened. He quickly called a midwife and she arrived just in time for baby girl number 2 and 3!!!

What a miracle and brave parents!

One of our volunteers offered to accompany them to the hospital to get the triplets and Bebe checked. The parents were very reluctant as their earning from working hard collecting trash to sell at the junk shop had only accumulated to P80 (£ 1.14 that day,

Kuya Ronald like many of the fathers in Tondo is hardworking. He can be seen pushing his junk cart day and night to provide for his family. The harsh reality is no matter how many dedicated hours he does this the absolute most he has ever made for a full days work is P200 (£2.88)

They eventually agreed to go to the hospital with our volunteer and get the babies checked and vaccinated.

I spent a long time in their home the other day and it took me back to when our boys were newborn- only times three! Bebe was breast feeding while Ronald was bottle feeding another and I was enjoying cuddles from "number 3". Then one would sleep and another would wake with a tiny cry. They swapped babies while one was rocked to sleep and the other parent changed a diaper. I was tired and in awe watching them! They both still had time to gush over their newborns with smiles, talking in tagalog about how they looked different and that they never thought they were identical.

Their heads were so tiny in my big white hand! What a total God miracle.

We are thankful for partners who have helped us meet the initial needs of the family. Our heart is to help Ronald set up a small business to raise their income so that he can better provide for the now  family of 10. We would also like to bless them with a house renovation. At the moment it is a tiny one level house. As I sat with them I tried to imagine how 10 bodies would crush in here. I could not imagine in what position they were able to sleep as it was already crushed just with 4 of us in it.

I have used the term "warrior mama" on lots of occasions to describe many of our Mummy friends in Tondo and Navotas. I think anyone who gives birth is deserving of this title because it takes the maximum endurance and intense strength of heart and body to deliver a small person! How much more with no medical assistance? They have to fight for their baby every day of their pregnancy. Many of them have to fight for daily survival not only for themselves but their children. They are warrior families. Warrior Fathers who work and work at something many in the country look down on. They wade through rotton garbage, sell it and provide for their families because they don't want a hand out. They want to work. In all our time in Tondo I can honestly say that not one of the men there has asked us for money or begged. These men are hardworking men.

How good to know that we have The supreme warrior servant King- Jesus fighting for us. There are times when we get tired and weak just as the families living on the dump site. They go through times when physically , mentally, emotionally and spiritually they are exhausted. If we have put our trust in Jesus these are the moments I can imagine Him picking up his sons and daughters, throwing them firmly but with tender care  over His strong shoulders and carrying them till they can walk again- until we have the strength of heart to get back in the fight again.

"God will fight for us" Nehemiah 4:20

Please would you pray for the triplets , Mama Bebe and Papa Ronald. The ages of the other children are 2, 8,10,14 and 15.

Glitter on my face. Love in my heart.

Before I gave birth to our sweet Baby Eli I wondered if I would love both our babies the same.I wondered how my heart could hold any more love since it was already bursting with love for our first born. Did you wonder this aswell when you just had one? Please tell me im not the only one?! For 18 months I had focused pretty much all my energy on our Josiah.. I was elated we were having another boy. I had hoped we would have 2 boys close in age. But I also wondered what the uncharted territory of having 2 and loving 2 would be like.
But after 2 and half hours of intense pain, I gave birth on the floor to our baby and right there amidst the mess (child birth is seriously messy) I fell in love with Eli Domingo. Chubby cheeks and black spikey hair. I was smitten all over again. Tiny eyes locked onto mine for the first time
.I loved him before he was born but now  I SO loved him.

And then it happened- my heart grew.

I loved two.

I couldn't explain it. But I KNEW and I could tell my teary eyes husband felt the same. Our hearts had most definatly expanded and we loved another little amazing person. The creator of the universe had fashioned and formed our baby son exactly how He wanted him. I cannot even think of words to describe my feelings about that. It's overwhelming.

A lovely friend who also has 2 boys close in ages said to me "Don't worry Jo, the best gift you could give them is each other"

... and it's true

. Don't get me wrong there have been times and are times when one hugs the other a little (or a lot) too vigorously! A few bite marks and jealous yells! However the younger is now starting to defend himself by hair pulling! (why did no one tell me about this bit??!!) But even in the moments of chaos- I see how close the two are becoming and it just fills up my heart. Being a mum has allowed me to experience Gods love in a new way. So many many ways. I am forever grateful.

The other day we were playing with craft materials.As Ron walked in the door from work the 3 of us were covered with blue and yellow glitter. Just another precious, messy memory I don't want to forget.

Glitter on my face. Love in my heart :)

A short blog inspired by a singing toddler :)

This morning I got woken up by our bare foot, sleep in his eyes toddler singing sweetly in the hallway;
"God is so good Josiah
God is so good Josiah
God is so good Josiah
He's so good to me Josiah..."

Oh I pray that our children would truly know the goodness of God in their heart and through their whole life.

When I got out of bed, tripped over some building blocks I began thinking of really how good our God is. But do I sing about it often enough? Do I talk about it as much as I should? Is it the first thing that comes to my lips every morning?

It should be.

At what point do we start to over think? Worry about things? Lose some of that instinctive childlike trust? Remember when you first put your trust in Jesus? You probably never had much doctrinal knowledge. You probably never knew that much apart from the amazing new reality that you were SAVED- that Jesus LOVED you and that God is GOOD.

My 2 year old reminded me that when I open my eyes in the morning, before the business of the day, before the schedules,  before anything I should speak out (or sing)  that my God is indeed so very GOOD to me. :)

A kind of an update!

I need to start by really apologizing to all our partner churches, groups and individuals that we have not sent out a newsletter since we returned in June! I will quickly tell you the honest excuse and then proceed with a short update!.
The truth is since we returned with 2 babies I have have found it difficult to find the time to sit down and write a "proper newsletter"!We have just been doing quick updates on Facebook and emails here and there! As for my busy hubby, well he is gifted writing songs- not newsletters :)
So I thought I would take advantage while our 2 boys are napping to write something. I went to find the newsletter template to remember that it was on my lap top which recently crashed and nothing could be retrieved. So I figured from now on we will just use the blog  for quickness sake. Thank you so much for every individual who continues to partner with us and the ministry in prayer, giving and volunteering.

Our New Home
So many of the Churches we visited were praying about us finding the right home so will just quickly tell how God answered they prayers....
When we returned in June kind friends let us stay in their home for one month. In that month it felt like we looked at every apartment and house in Manila. We had 3 days to go and still had no place to live. We just had no peace about the ones we saw. They were either too far from Tondo or too expensive. That day we looked at an apartment and decided that if we couldn't find anywhere else then we would take the one bedroom apartment, with good space and in a safe area. It had a little play area near by and was about one hour drive from Tondo. It was nice but we had specifically been praying for somewhere to meet other mum friends and some kind of outdoor for the boys to get let loose in. The next day a friend of Ron's text and offered to show us around an area just at the border of Manila. When we got there the first thing I noticed was a swing park- an actual swing park! In living here 6 years I have only ever seen one proper swing park in Manila! Our friend took us to a house which had been for sale but that had just been put up for rent. A 3 bedroom house in a good area with a mini garden and...  the swing park at the end of the street!! The owner brought down the price to within our budget so easily and the next day we moved in!!
It's just a house, somewhere to live but I got so blessed thinking about how our Father God even cares about the small things. I feel so thankful every time I see Josiah playing out in the street with other children. God even answered our prayer to get connected with other mums in the area. We had no clue that when we moved here that there are lots of other missionary couples who live close by. We have even had a few play dates :)


Thank you Visitors
Since we returned we have had lots of great overseas volunteers:
4 guys from "the Broch" Fraserburgh who came with the mission to elevate our main hall above the flood waters giving the Tondo community one flood free space. ANSWERED PRAYER.  This is the first year we have not had to cancel one single thing due to toxic waters covering feet. The water still penetrates through the floor and in the door BUT we are all ABOVE it! What a gift to all the team who for the last 6 years have continued to minister with stagnant human waste filled water squelching though our feet.

6 young women from Kilmarnock  got involved in everything from murals, wound care, hospital trips, outings with toddler, community concerts, teaching English...... and you get the picture- pretty much all rounders :)

We were so thankful and encouraged by friends from Peterhead. The Philppines is their second home and they understand the culture and the heart of mission so well. The Strachans came at the right time to pray with us and spend time with us.God really used them to minister strength and encouragement to us. It always amazes us how God makes paths cross. Friendship is a precious thing

New Things
- Food For School/Packed Lunch Program
Daily feeding for 100 extra children a day in Tondo and Navotas. This feeding is specifically for children and young people struggling to stay in school because the family cannot afford to buy them lunch.It is answered prayer for us to be able to daily provide 100 packed lunches to help them get through school.

- Daily Wound care
EVERY DAY around the dump site area there are children who get wounds on their feet from walking on glass and other sharp objects hidden in the garbage. Wounds on their hands from working on or playing in it. Wounds on their heads from cuts or insect bites that get infected from the dirt and intense heat. This week we are starting to offer wound care 2 hours every day in the community instead of just on the weekends. We pray to extend it even more, but we feel God asking us to start what we can do.... 

 Young Leaders
Every Thursday we have started more intensive training with young leaders. One of our main challenges just now is needing more full time workers. A Thursday session is specifically for young people who are not in school but who we see leadership potential in. The aim is simply to equip them more to lead in various areas of the work. We have been so encouraged by the way they have responded.

These leaders along with our other volunteers have re-launched our kids clubs. We got feed back from them that it was becoming to difficult to deliver high quality activities because of the problem of "too many children". Often between 300- 400 children. So a few weeks ago we made a decision to put an age limit on the clubs as we use to back in the early days! 5-7s and 8-12s (just the Saturday session) It has been working well so far. Less children but the team have been able to deliver more focused activities and more importantly build relationships.

This year we came to a point that in ourselves we really didn't want to start anything new as we wanted to concentrate on sustaining what was already going on. But as always our Abba knows the needs in the community much more than us and sometimes we find just a deep urgency  to meet a particular need. This has happened on a few occasions over the last couple of months. Who are we to say " its not a great time Lord" or "we are all already so busy"?!! We are truly thankful and blessed at how God directs us often through the members of the  community leaders. The reality is we can never fully understand what life is like there. Our staff and volunteers live it and when we leave at the end of the day, they stay. Its is not only their work, mission or community. It is their home. It is there life. There are many days when we weep when they weep and laugh when they laugh, but only God fully sees what each one faces. We are just to proud not only to call them team, but family. They are the heros. We want to shout and boast about how God is using them in their communities.

Our prayer is that he continues to lead all of us to show his love to the Ones who need it most.


Fires and floods
Within a month of each other both Tondo and Navotas suffered fires and floods. We focused more on Navotas this time since there were many other organizations and government help for the Tondo fire victims. We were the only ones assisting in the Navotas Community. 53 families ran from there homes as a raging fire tore through their homes. Most of them lost everything.
We responded by doing daily feeding at the evacuation centre, relief bags of clothes, shoes and toiletries, grocery giving. As of now there are still 17 families living at the evacuation area. They have just been informed that they have to leave there by the end of October. Our plan is to help build their houses. If you feel led to give into this project or want information on how you could help sponsor a house build please email us kalayaancommunityminsitries@hotmail.com
Because we felt these needs were immediate we decided to postpone our annual October youth camp until December. The youth graciously agreed!

In spite of the loss we met some amongst the fire victims who mentioned nothing of their lack, but instead praised and thanked Jesus for everything they had in Him. Mind blowing and challenging!

At the first evacuation site for the families from Navotas we met a lady who had a huge stomach. We thought she was 9 months pregnant.After Ron spent time with her we found it was a tumor. The doctors told her she needed an operation that would cost P40,000- almost 600 pounds. Ron and Ptr Dodong prayed by faith that in the name of Jesus she would be healed. Her belly began to shrink 2 weeks later and she returned to the doctors who gave her the all clear and told her "there is nothing wrong with you" God still heals!



 Prayer Points:

-The Kalayaan team of staff and volunteers
-Raising up of more leaders
-Provision for the sustainability of all our programs
-Continued recovery for Ate Vivean one of our volunteers who was hit by a truck and left for dead. She is now out of hospital but still unable to move her arm and in a lot of pain
-Wisdom while we plan an extension of our feeding program to the most malnourished in the Tondo Community


Recently we have met some families where they have need greater than we have ever seen. More than the physical needs, which we must respond to, we have been struck by the hopelessness in their words and even body language. We KNOW that Jesus is the answer.
We are desperate to see Gods love and light just explode in that place.

This is a kind of all over the place update, but please feel free to email us anytime for updates on any particular area of the ministry. We can't always respond as fast as we would like but we really love hearing from you!


"Then the Children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of bondage, so God heard their groaning and God remembered" Exodus 2:2-3



           

 

Crying for Justice

I have so many unfinished blogs and half written updates and newsletters. It's been such a busy time and we hope everyone understands. But I just feel the need to capture the feelings in my heart this morning

Last week I was home with our babies while Ron worked in Tondo. I received a harrowing text from him that a little boy who regularly joins our kids clubs and kids church died.
His name was Alexa. He was 6 years old.
A family member cleaned his ear with rusty metal and he died with tetanus.

I cried and cried with sadness and with anger at the injustice. So many injustices in that place. A built up cry to God at the many injustices we have seen recently.
God loves justice. He loves to make wrong- right. He delights in filling hopelessness with hope.

Oh God pour your beautiful justice on Tondo.

Most weeks there is some kind of tragedy within the community and we watch as people we love go through pain upon pain. Sometimes we can help. Sometimes we cannot.
I always have that sick to my to my stomach feeling when people come to ask to "borrow the nice choir outfits". It means someone has died and has no clothes to wear inside the casket. We have given away too many choir dresses and barongs (Filipino styled shirts) to dress friends who's life came to an end far too early.

Amidst the darkest of the dark situations there are people from within the communities RISING UP with a love for Jesus and a heart to see change in their own community. Community leaders come to us and share their ideas, even dreams and visions of the future. Young people that used to say their hope was to be a "good scavenger" growing into amazing men and woman who are realizing the HOPE AND FUTURE Jesus wants them to have.

Just the other day we experienced them minister to us once again. We both were really heavy hearted and burdened. As we began leaders training the young leaders began by sharing their testimonies with one and other. We laughed with them. We cried with them. We thanked God for them. They each spoke strength and encouragement to our very souls. They declared to each other stories of what Jesus had done in their lives. We saw Jesus in them. What an amazing privilege to have watched these young children develop into young adults who love God and their community.

The last few weeks have been difficult. We have felt real attacks of the enemy on the ministry as well as our family. Believing God is about to do something new and that His light is about to make something change in the spiritual atmosphere of the place. The enemy is god of this world-- of poverty and all the strongholds that come with it, BUT greater is HE who is IN US (AND IN HS CHILDREN IN THE COMMUNITY) than he who is in the world. As more on the dump site give their lives to Jesus and show true fruit in their lives- MORE HOPE- MORE JOY and MORE CRIES FOR JUSTICE ARE BORN- chipping away at the despair and hopelessness that the father of lies would try to bind people in.

Please would you pray for our team as we prepare to do a gospel outreach outside in the community- in the middle of the open dump site. The youth have prepared drama and music presentations, we will do a film showing and share the good news.The young man named Jerric who was supposed to be shot dead by a Tondo gang and got his leg amputated has written a rap about his testimony and how God even used the shooting to give him a second life in Christ is performing.

 Would you pray for him and the other from the Tondo/Navotas community who are involved. It is a massive thing for them to stand in the middle of that place and declare the goodness of Jesus. Would you pray that God would move in a special way.

We are not the answer. Jesus Is.

The never ending pot of spaghetti

                                                                Today I ate 3 times.

                                         Today these children ate once. They ate pag pag.

Pag Pag literally means to "shake the dirt off"

-To shake dirt, maggots and stuff from the food you are about to eat....

Pag Pag is left over food, recycled and eaten again. It's some body else's waste food.Some one else's garbage.

It costs around 5p a bag and is the staple of many of the children we work with.

Food. Something so simple.

Ron reminded me of an incident that happened way back when we had just started the kids club at the dump site.
We brought PVA glue in to do an art activity. The room erupted with excited screams.I guessed the children were happy to be doing crafts again.The enthused sea of big brown eyes locked onto the glue and waited with anticipation as we opened it.

"Gatas, Gatas"  (MILK_ MILK)

Oh no! They thought it was milk!! I felt so awful. That moment was a trigger for us to feel the urgency to start some kind of  feeding programme. There was only one issue.We had no funds to start one, but still we felt like it was something God was asking us to step out in faith and just do.We were reminded of when God asked Moses "what do you have in your hand"? In other words- what did he have?Moses old rod might not have seemed like much to anyone else, but when he obeyed God and stepped out in faith- God done mighty things through it.
So we asked ourselves what we could do? What did we have?
At that time we had enough to buy a big box of crackers and some powdered orange juice. So we would buy them and take them to kids club each Saturday. Every week chaos broke out as we tried to make the snacks fit around all the children. Quite often we would have to half them in 2 just so everyone could at least get something!

Many of the children we work with eat one small meal a day. It would usually consist of rice covered in soya sauce or maybe come with a small dried fish on the side. For some of the children its just normal to go without any food for 2-3days. One of the shocking things I learned was that infants grew so hungry they would even been seen eating mud and cockroaches. It broke our hearts, how much more did it break the heart of the God who created them? We began to pray with urgency about developing the feeding. After a few weeks of crackers, we were able to then serve chocolate rice- then soup- the porridge with a little chicken- then full meals of rice, meat and vegetables.

I will never forget the first time we saw food multiply.

It was our first year at the dump site and we decided to throw a party. We expected around 200 children. Games were planned and a big pot of spaghetti and bread cooked. We arrived early to set up to find hundreds of children waiting at the gates of the old warehouse that we now call church. What could we do? We didn't have enough food to feed them all and we couldn't turn them away either.

We had food for 200. The head count came to 600 plus!

So we prayed.

The wonderful mummy volunteers from the dump site community began to dish out the spaghetti. They were a little panicked to say the least! In all honestly so were we, but we trusted God would help us out. He did.

The pot of spaghetti that was meant  to feed 200, fed every child a good sized portion with enough left for staff and volunteers. I know some people reading this may say "phft! what a load of nonsense" but I am telling you the truth. I believe God multiplied that big pot of spaghetti to fill all the hungry bellies. Why wouldn't He?

I believe he has multiplied food on many an occasion. There have been times that we have had more children than food and yet they have been fed. Coincidence? I don't think so. I think God loves them so much they he didn't want them to go away still feeling hungry. Why has He not multiplied food at every feeding session? Why sometimes do we get to the end of the long line of faces and have to tell them there is no more? I don't know. It is the worst feeling to tell hungry children there is no more food.

My heart fills with thanks to Jesus as I can  write that the Kalayaan Community Ministries team are now able to feed on average 1570 full meals every week. This does not include all the extra "mirendas" (snacks of bread and extras) that are served at various activities.All glory to God and we thank him for providing through the kindness of our partners.
But you know, it's still not enough and I hope that doesn't sound ungrateful. But when you are eye to eye with beautiful children that are so hungry that some of them sniff glue to try and kill the hunger- the truth is no matter how many you have fed that day- it has not been enough.
Our amazing feeding team are all mothers from the Tondo and Navotas Community and we are so blessed by the way they prepare healthy meals. They live within the communities that they also serve and they know that the children rarely eat fruit and veg and so they cook what will be filling and what is also good for the children.
This is a typical meal of what is served:
Rice, meat, veg, fruit and clean water.

This meal of pork, veg, rice, watermelon and water cost P11 (17pence)

Recently a mother came to us and told us that if it were not for our feeding her children would hardly ever eat.That particular week her children had not eaten for 3 days. This is not me over dramatizing or trying to make you sad enough to give. I'm sad to say this is just a fact.

Thank you so so much to everyone who faithfully partners with us to make the feeding programs possible.If you feel you could sponsor more meals or just want more info please mail kalayaancommunityministries@hotmail.com

(above are some of the feeding team- warrior mams from the dump site area who faithfully buy ingredients, cook serve and clean up at every feeding session. They see it as a ministry, and that is exactly what it is.Yes the food is vital- completely, but we also want the children to know with every plate of food given that we care, but more importantly Jesus cares.
We love these women and the others who are dedicated to helping their own community)

The RICHEST of the POOR

I have been thinking about the term "the poorest of the poor". Many organizations use it to describe the people group they work with. I have used it a lot. But I think that sometimes the term "the RICHEST of the poor" is a better term.

When we first got here we knew God was "calling us" to the poor. We feel he asked us to go to the poor, specifically Tondo. This is where we believe He sent us. We began going there everyday and "the poor" who before were a mass people group on a leaflet, a story on the news and pictures on the internet became real to us. We began working with them. What I really mean by that is we began knowing them. We saw there lives. We listened to their stories. Over time we got to really know them and as we knew them- we loved them.
They are no longer just the poorest of the poor. They are our friends. Our Filipino family. We love them.
Among them we found that although poor- they were rich! Really rich!
Rich because when they should be hopeless- they had hope. I have watched our friends who live on the dump site go through desperate situations upon desperate situations. They should have given up, but  I have watched them overcome. I have watched them as they sang thanks to Jesus as tears rolled down their faces.
Rich because when everything is against them and they need to literally fight daily for survival- they smile. Often heavyhearted- sometime clinging to life, but also clinging to their joy.
Poor on earth. Rich in Christ.
Rich in love.

When I think of when we came I was so naive. I thought we were coming to help them. I thought we were coming to teach them something. I thought we were coming to minister Gods love to them. In actual fact what has happened on many occasions is they have loved us, helped us, ministered to us. We have learned and continue to learn so much from "the poor". I could sit down and write stories upon stories of how many individuals have taught us something. Something about loving God, loving others. Something about what it means to really worship. Something about what is really important. Something about sacrifice. Something about compassion. So many many somethings.....

I just feel so very privileged- not only to work with the richest of the poor, but to know them. I hope I could write in a way that would honour them. I hope maybe through the ramblings of my heart that you could learn something from the RICHEST OF THE POOR too.

Kikoys smile always makes me smile!

15 and in prison.

Today we found out one of our youth has been put in prison. He grew up in our children's programme and is a lovely boy. Very involved, full of fun and once excited about Jesus. Last month he got involved with a gang for the first time.
Tonight he is in a prison cell with men who are awaiting trial for all sorts of crimes.
He is 15 years old.

It's 10.30pm right now and the rain is beating wildly on the roof. It sounds like a typhoon. Windows banging, doors rattling and thunder clanging.
My baby boy woke up with a short burst high pitch cry. I suppose the noises of a storm are ones he has never heard before. I held his chubby warm body against mine. His perfectly smoothly rounded cheeks pressed to mine. Within moments he was fast asleep again.
A few seconds later my darling boy Josiah sat bolt upright in the bed. He grabbed my hand and put it over his ears then after a cuddle he returned at peace to dream world.

While comforting my babies through the noises of the storm all I could think about was the mother of the boy who was put in the prison. Her heart must be torn and broken as she listens to the rain batter down on the tin roof of the upper level of temporary housing. As the rain continues to fall hard I wonder if right now  rain of tears are falling fast down her face as she thinks of her sons first night in prison.. She usually has such a beautiful smile- but not tonight.

I'm so sad to think how she must have held her only son through many a rain storm at the dump site  when he was little. I feel so heavy hearted for her as a mum. Her baby boy once safe in her arms now in the hands of police that left him bruised from a beating. Her mind must be tormented at she wrestles with the things that may happen in that prison cell.

We know this family well and have worked with them since we first arrived in the Philippines. They are good parents. The father works so hard as a Pedi cab driver to provide the most he can for his children. He is a gentleman. The mother really cares for her children and has a determination to see them do well in school and in life. They have raised their son well. I know they will be  asking themselves what else they could have done. The Father told Ron as he cried that he was crying because his son had not listened to his instruction. As his youth leaders we are also searching our hearts. What else could we have done? He only got into the gang a few weeks ago. What is we had been back one month earlier from Scotland. Maybe.....

I haven't mentioned any names or gone into detail because I don't want to embarrass the family but God knows this young boy. He knows all about the crime whether guilty or innocent and cares. He knows exactly what has happened and what will happen to him. He knows who you will be talking about if you pray for him even without a name to base your prayers on, so please would you pray for him and his parents.
Thank you.

*according to Philippine law is  illegal for a minor to be put in jail with adults. Police have said they are only holding him until The department of social welfare and development take over the case- It is still against the law.