After 40+ hours of travel, we have arrived safely in the Philippines!
If I haven't mentioned it before, one of the things to expect on the World Race is the unexpected.
My team was told last month we would be serving in Tent City this month. Upon meeting our contact at the airport, we were told "You are no longer the Tent City team. Now you're the Tondo 2 team!" I think we all just kind of shrugged our shoulders and said, "Oh, okay. Sounds good."
So, we loaded into two vehicles with our stuff and the other team, Sweet Aroma, that we would now be working with for the month.
Tondo is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped areas in the Philippines. Many of the slums are found in this district of Manila, and we are settling right in the middle of it! We are blessed, though, as we have finished floors, a fan, bucket showers, and toilets (that do not actually flush). But, still, we are pretty comfortable, and so blessed compared to the people all around us.
We have only been here three days, but we've stayed busy and seen quite a bit of Tondo already. It is eye-opening and heart-breaking. Words can't describe it and pictures, though worth a thousand words, can't even begin to share what it is like.
Photo compliments of Noah Norooz
