Hello! So as I told you guys last time, we are working in a few dump communities here in Manila. There are actually three to be exact but this week we have spent almost all of our time in the main dump site called Tondo. Here, they have a Christian school and a church and youth program that runs out of it. The school actually runs on sponsorship and includes two meals a day as well as medical coverage for the whole family among other benefits…so its pretty awesome. Just as an aside, not even close to all the kids who attend the school are sponsored so if you would like to help out this amazing community go to www.p-c-f.org and check it out.
I wish you guys could all be here because there is no way to describe these communities in a way to make someone fully understand. You have to be here to smell the stenches of garbage and human and animal crap mixed with all the other life smells of the day. You wouldn’t believe the housing conditions until you walked among them and had to squeeze and duck to navigate your way through. Every time they would take us to a new community it would be the worst place I had ever seen. So its crazy.
Here’s the happy part, the people are so full of joy and hope you would think they lived in mansions. They are so awesome so it makes you love them and their homes so much more! The last few days we have been given the task of clearing out the “road” in front of the school (another thing you can’t truly understand unless your face is inhaling the crap you are shoveling into countless bags) and it has been absolutely disgusting. I could go into detail, but I think y’all can trust me that this is a job you never want…sloshing and shoveling trash and human feces all day isn’t awesome. BUT the kids and some adults from the community keep coming out to help us and they work so hard. It’s just amazing!
