“Welcome Adventures In Missions USA”. This was the sign being held up by the three
pastors (Robert, Dong and Dodoy) who met us and picked us up from the Manila
airport. Once again, we were on
unfamiliar territory so it felt so nice to have people welcoming us with such
enthusiasm.
Immediately, the eight of us were split into three groups as
previously discussed. Scott and Linnea
would spend the next four days together while Amy, Alissa and Josh were now a team
as Rusty, Leah and I were. We were
dropped off in the slums of Manilia. The
“squatter” village that we were to call home for the next couple of
days was called Talaba II. One thousand
four hundred families built their tin shacks near and on the river and called
it home. The stench of the sewage, standing water and rotting garbage permeated
this land. Children ran througout the
streets and some even played in the swamp water to cool themselves from the hot
sun and humid climate.
The night we arrived, Pastor Ronnel was waiting for us at
the preschool – a little cement room that Mission Ministries Philippines (MMP)
built to serve this squatter village.
Cement was laid on about three-fourths of the floor of this room. The other quarter of the room was opened to
the outside so the floor was just dirt and soil. Because of this opening, rats and cockroaches
would frequently visit us. We slept on
top of the children’s tables which would triple as our dining table and food
prep table. What broke my heart was that
we lived in a place that was far better than most of the other homes.
The next morning, we made house visits with Pastor
Ronnel. The most unforgettable home was
that of a man named Mang Lorenzo. He was
a crippled man who lived with his wife and five children. When we entered the house, we came into a
very small dingy room, which appeared to be their living room and as we walked
toward the back of the house, we reached his “bedroom”. It was built right above the dirty river, on
stilts. The flooring were rows of bamboo
attached together with large gaps in-between so one can see the murky
dark-green water below. They had clothes
and various other possessions hanging overhead and draping in-between the
bamboo walls.
Pastor Ronnel introduced us and Mang Lorenzo greeted us
enthusiastically with a big smile. Then
he said, “Look at this (referring to his living condition), is this God’s
will?” These are the poorest of the
poor. These people are victims; victims
of society and perhaps a less than favorable government.
Their situation actually gets worse. Because this area is considered unsafe, the
government has issued them an eviction notice.
The homes that are built in this area are slated to be demolished. The good news is that MMP is building this
family a more permanent home in the area.
The bad news is that they have run out of funding so the construction is
on hold until funds are available.
As we visit these people, I can see the sympathy in Pastor’s
eyes. His heart is truly for the poorest of the poor and in order for him to minister
effectively to them, he has sacrificed his time and resources. He has a wife and four children but does not
have a job. Like me, he needs to raise
support by asking people to sponsor him.
And like me, he feels uncomfortable doing that but he puts away his
pride and does it anyway. Unlike me, his
friends and family judges him and wonders why he doesn’t get a job and make a
living to support his family like everyone else. His supportive wife worries about where they
will get money for their next meal but Pastor is convinced that he is to be in
the ministry full time. I could see how
torn he was. This is where God wants him and he has faith that God will
provide. In this process of following
God and being obedient they have become poor as well but not in their
spirit. Like Paul said in 1 Cor 9:22
“to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I
might be all means save some.”
Some fault the government and accuses it of corruption but
perhaps we might all share some responsibility.
Not too far away from the slums stands the Mall of Asia. This past weekend was their “Big, Big
Sale of Asia”. Scores and scores of
people were there shopping, buying nice things and eating well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that
people shouldn’t enjoy themselves but Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need,
but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
This is not an uncommon sight while riding through the cities. Starving children looking for some food…
