Hey guys! We made it to the Philippines after a 40 hour travel day. We left Central America on Saturday morning at 3am and arrived to Manila, Philippines by noon on Monday. Needless to say, we were exhausted and many people's feet were the size of baloons from the airplane {I wore compression socks ;)}. Minus that and a little scatterbrained mistake in Hong Kong we made it without any problems. Actually, the 15 hr plane ride was pretty awesome with complimentary ammenities we hadn't seen in a while plus I got to catch up on some movies.
This month we are staying in a place called Tondo. It is a VERY primitive area where overcrowded streets and barefeet are a norm. Many of the kids have a mouth full of cavities and dirty clothes and faces. Can you imagine a movie where it seems they exaggerate the orphan look? The kids with the black face, tattered shirts, and barefeet… Yep, that is defintely what the kids look like here.
On top of that, yesterday we went and did a feeding. All 15 of us racers, plus the pastor went for a mile trek through the streets and mud. We had to push a bike and sidecar with 3 flat tires to get the food to them, but we were able to feed over 150 kids for $40. These kids live in a slum right by a charcoal factory. It is a place where people make charcoal and sell it. As you can imagine, it is so hot there. The air is thick of smoke and it feels like you are constantly in a house fire. We had to pray not to pass out… but this is how these families live… and not just one or two, HUNDREDS! They line up for hours to get battery powered lights because they don't have electricity and they have to walk to the bottom of the muddy hill to get water because, as you can guess, there is no running water. Their houses are what I would guess to be about 10ft by 10ft max.
In the charcoal factory, I'm not sure I saw one person over the age of 35. I am not sure ofthe life expectancy but my guess is their lungs can't make it too long in that situation. The kids were full of joy though. Each one had a smile on their face as they ran to hug us. I realize that feeding them food can't change much. It can change their day but probably one meal won't change their lives. We want to change their lives, so we decided teaching them about Jesus, the bread of life Who can change their lives!
This month we are going to try to go there as much as possible. Tomorrow we are going to do dramas and such and tell them about the one that loves them so much. The one whose heart breaks for them. The only one that can save them, Jesus Christ.
I will post pictures when I can. Internet here isn't as accessible as it has been other places. Also, if you are interested in feeding these kids please send me an email. For $40 a day, we can feed a whole community here! We would love for you to join us!
Also, for huge news, we got a new teammate this month. Her name is Jen and she is a teacher from North Carolina. We are so excited for her to join our team! Please pray her transition into our team is easy and smooth. Last but definitely not least, pray for the Philippines, especially the people in the Charcoal factory and Tondo. This is a place where we are sure to see God move. There is no way we can give any one credit to anything we will experience this month, except for God. Pray He shows up in huge ways for these people!! Thanks for all your support and prayer! Love you guys! Liz
