Great re-post from
Brett's Blog ...
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| Henry posing with the beautiful scenery |
Last week Henry was able to make a trip south of
Manila to a small fishing village and get some hands on experience with
our newest partner, Anton. I have actually been seeing Anton around
church for quite sometime, maybe even since I first arrived, since
before JKKCC was planted, I was attending his home church. After hearing
him make a presentation at church, I got up and left the service to
talk with him - I new he would a perfect partner. After approaching him
and telling him what Impact Philippines is about he was also quite
excited. Finally, after about a month and a half of preparation, Henry
was able to go and see his ministry.
After sitting down
and looking at some pictures of Henry's few days there and chatting
about the possibilities, I got very excited. Anton and his wife have
done a very good job in ministering to this community. They have built a
preschool which doubles as a church, and are working on
building livelihood programs. Anton has had a powerful affect on this
community, so much so that even local politicians have approached him to
be on the board of tourism! I have been deeply inspired by Anton and
what they have accomplished, and I believe God brought our ministries
together, and I look forward to seeing what will happen!
A
comprehensive plan will be laid out in the coming weeks, but for now
there are some points to consider and pray about. The
long-term prosperity of this community is dependent on the children
getting a good education. But there is a huge hindrance - the school is
2km away, and the high school 4km. What makes it worse is that the
children don't any food to bring for lunch so they have to walk back for
lunch! So for the young ones its 8km of walking a day, and for the high
schoolers 16km a day in the heat! It seems clear we need to get this
community a way to transport the students to school to ensure everyone
is getting there and actually able to function. Please pray that we will
be able to raise the necessary funds to get a old jeepny (a jeep with
an extended back fitted with two benches) to function as a school bus.
Be warned that this has the potential to be a huge blessing or curse. If
not done right it could create jealousy and divisions in the community,
but I have faith in Anton and also Kuya Henry to prepare them for that
kind of responsibility.
Another issue is the terrible
poverty. This community makes the informal settlers in the dumpsite look
like life in paradise. Earning money is very challenging, and we have
to overcome a lot of obstacles for the community to become
self sufficient. Urban poor have opportunities to earn money daily, one
reason why so many leave the rural areas, but these people have so few
options. A sustainable local economy needs to be developed, and that
wont be easy, or happen fast. The encouraging thing is that people in
the rural settings know how to work hard, are not dragged down with
entitlement (feeling the government needs to fix their problems), and
are generally much more honest. The potential is huge, the partners are
great, and the plans are comprehensive and built on sustainability - I
am very excited to get started.
On a personal note I am
a little jealous of kuya Henry for being able to get out of the city
and get hands on, but I know my time locked up in the library at school
is also important. I am learning and growing exponentially right now,
and though the papers and memorizing ancient greek vocabulary seems
somewhat irrelevant, but I see its value and am trying to enjoy each day
and learn as much as I can. Enjoy the pictures:
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| This is what the houses typically look like in this community. |
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| Henry and Anton with the members of their church (Anton is the on the farthest right) |
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| Life is hard, a mother is chopping wood for cooking. |
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| A typically kitchen. |
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| A fisherman working on his engine for his boat. |
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| Houses are made mostly of wood. |
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| When the students are lucky they get a ride from Anton. |
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| Playing chess during the afternoon heat. |
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| Henry sitting with a couple, probably hiding from the heat of mid-day |
