“We stand here in your presence
Lifting up the name of Jesus
A strong tower meant to save us
And now nothing will defeat us
We are boldly interceding
For our children lost and bleeding
We’ll see slavery bound to freedom
And the sick restored to healing
So we fight for those who’ve fallen
And take back what’s been stolen
For my family shamed and broken
Hope will rise, hearts will open
We’ll see joy defeat depression
Liberation from addiction
For when we are at our weakest
Your power is completed”
Yesterday my team and I went with a lovely couple, Tina and Norman, to the slums of Tondo; one of the most dangerous places in Manila. We spent our morning in church listening to the pastor give a wonderful sermon, and listened to amazing worship music. Afterwards, we got on a jeepney (a type of public transportation in the Philippines) and made our way to “happy land.” When we arrived I was horrified. I literally felt like I was dreaming, something like this could never be so real, so tragic. Happy Land is a dump that trash trucks come to and dump all of the trash from all over Manila in. Not only that, but people live in this dump. They make their houses out of trash. As I walked further into Happy Land I began to sink into the trash and water from underneath all of it swept over my feet. It is rainy season here in the Philippines causing all of the trash to be wet, and the smell almost unbearable. When I looked around at all of the beautiful faces I noticed many of the kids were sick, coughing, sneezing, itching themselves, etc. Some had spider bites on their expanded bellies, some had swollen and pink eyes. Some were naked, and many had no shoes. As if my heart wasn’t already broken I feel like it completely split in two. We had a feeding there and as the kids lined up with their random cups, bowls, and plastic bags to get the food, my team mate Lyndsay began to do a very short bible study. She said “no matter the circumstances God is always with you.” I started to feel angry at God, and questioning his judgement. I had heard of dumps like this before, but never realized it was this intense. Why not them, and not me? Why was I so blessed my entire life? How could He let it get this bad? How can we tell these people that God is always with them and that he loves them? We continued to walk around Happy Land and I remember feeling like there was absolutely no way I could handle anymore, and I had only been there for an hour. “To explore the unknown and familiar, distant and near, and to record in the eyes of a child, any beauty (of the flesh otherwise) horror, irony, traces of utopia or hell.” This is a quote I got from my squad mate Anna and I felt it very fitting.
When we got back to the church I sat down and let everything I just saw sink in. I felt like my body was breaking from the inside out. We ate lunch and no one really said much, but the pastor gave his testimony. When he was young his father was physically abusive, and his family had no money so he was not able to go to school. Once he was old enough for highschool and college, he wanted a education desperately, but still did not have the money. To make money for himself he became a prostitute. We take so many things for granted, including education. He then met his wife and turned his life around and began living for Christ. It is so inspiring to hear his story.
After this we grabbed the food again and headed to a place called Smokey Mountain. It is a mountain that you have to hike up, made out of only decomposed trash. When I made it to the top of the mountain I was shocked at what I saw. Because the trash is decomposed foliage begun to grow, and the people farm on top of this trash mountain. The people live in little huts spread out on this mountain. The people have no money and no food. We brought food up to the top of the mountain and our ministry was literally to wash their face, hands, and feet. I met a little boy named Matthew who was two years old and looked like he was sixed months old because he was so malnourished. My heart again broke.
It is really hard to see all of that and be able to process it with in a day so I still am in the middle of it. I can tell you that my mindset has completely shifted. The pictures from that trip will be up on Facebook soon. I hope this story has somehow effected you like it has me. Please pray for the church in Tondo to raise enough money to begin to make a difference. Thank you.
