In addition to
working in the orphanage this month, I have been given an incredible
opportunity for a secondary ministry.
Jeepney magazine is a Filipino street paper that was started by an
American couple named Bill and Debi Shaw, and I have been blessed to get
involved with the magazine this month.
You may be wondering what a street paper is. Basically it is an incentive for the homeless population of
a particular city to earn their own living by selling magazines devoted to the
topic of poverty within that city.
Each vendor is entitled to half the proceeds of each magazine sold. Jeepney magazine is the first street
paper of the Philippines, and features high quality photos and articles
revolving around the homeless residents of Manila.
named after one of the primary modes of public transportation in the
Philippines, the Jeepney. A
jeepney is a large recycled World War II era automobile that seats twenty plus
passengers. Most jeepneys are
decorated with brightly-colored, airbrushed images and blast loud pop music
wherever they go. They certainly provide
a unique and fun way to travel about town.
Earlier this week
Debi Shaw took myself and two other racers who are interested in photography to
a place ironically named “Happyland,” a sight she will be using for the next
photo shoot for the magazine. It
is essentially a trash dump community, and home to hundreds of people. As soon as we pulled up in Debi’s red
Honda, the sights, the sounds, and the smells overwhelmed me. These were by far the worst living
conditions I had ever witnessed.
Immediately, however, I was greeted with countless bright smiles and warm
hellos. The people of Happyland
were beautiful! The three of us
racers immediately pulled out our cameras and began to shoot. It was like a photographers’ dream: vibrant
colors and stunning faces were all I could see. Never would I have imagined that people who live in such
squalid conditions could be so overwhelmingly and contagiously joyful. I left Happyland that morning with a
song in my heart, as well a strong conviction of what it truly means to be glad
in the Lord.
The next blog will contain a few of my
favorite photos from Happyland.
There will be more to come as the month continues and I have more
opportunities to work with the Jeepney staff.
