Last Stop on the Bus

I can’t believe it, but I’m officially in my last location: the Philippines!!! I honestly love it here (the tropics is definitely my style). During these five weeks, the other gappies and I are working with a ministry called International Care Ministries. One of the most well-run NGOs I've ever encountered, the ministry has a program called Transform to improve the lives of those living in slum communities by teaching simple lessons about Virtues, Health, and Livelihood (VHL). What I love most about this program is that the communities themselves ask ICM to engage. Instead of implying our superiority through unsolicited classes, we are equals. Further provoking this theme, the local pastor is the one to teach the “virtues” portion of the program. That way, the relationships, small groups, and church setting is unchanged once ICM leaves the area. We foster an environment that can hopefully be sustained long after our departure. (Creating dependence should always be avoided). The program also includes micro-loans to the families to help them set up and support their own businesses such as farming, cooking, fishing etc. For my internship, I accompany various staff members into the rural villages three times weekly and work in the office the remaining two days. In the villages, we help teach the lessons, visit the homes of the participants (to check for the implementation of the lessons such as clean water, family gardens etc), and track the progress of malnourished children in the community (we provide Manna Packs- rice fortified with about a body builder’s shelf worth of vitamins- to all participants for the duration of our program). Depending on how far we travel, our work days can range from 9-12 hours long. Although it can be tiring (especially because of the heat), I find it rewarding because of the great staff we accompany and the inspiring and fun-loving attitudes of the locals. 

Driving back to the hotel after a long day teaching VHL, I reflect on my life here. I wouldn't mind living in a bamboo hut in a rural village on the coast. These people- the poorest of the poor- are genuinely happy to the point where I want to join them. Today, I traveled 2 hours both ways into a village to aid 2 staff members (my new friends) as they taught a lesson about God’s forgiveness, safe motherhood, and cheap and healthy cooking. As the token foreigner, I generally attract some attention/curiosity from the locals; nothing screams "American" like a tall blonde in a short, brown culture. However, while they studied me, I, too, observed them. What I saw made me genuinely forget that these are the people that are considered the ultra poor- living on less than 50 cents daily. Yes, there was quite a bit of trash around, and everyone was wearing dirty clothes that were probably donated. However, I barely even noticed that because of the true relational community I saw. They were interacting with each other with enthusiasm and joy. I saw a young couple flirting. There were mothers breast feeding and kids playing some sort of game with a hackey sack. This isn't the dark and despairing third world that one might imagine. Interestingly, I remember having the exact same thought process about the foothill farmers in Rwanda. One of the things I’ve learned from my internships and traveling is that life is life everywhere. This doesn’t minimize the fact that there are those who are more vulnerable and need empowerment or the love of Christ, but nonetheless they are the same as us. We are all just human, and maybe that's why I seem to love every place so much.