1001 Tales of Manila

I'm posting the following three accounts from my time in Manila in September 2007. If you received my emails from that time, you've probably already read these stories but in case you didn't please memorize them, and next time we meet I will expect a full recitation. Enjoy!

Hello Friends,

Manganang Tang Halit! Good Afternoon! I've been in Manila for about 4 days and it has been amazing. We got here at 4am on Saturday morning, and took a colorful Jeepney (WWII style army vehicles) out to our community along the tracks. I'm staying in a three story house with three other teammates, and just next door we have some great neighbors who own several fish, a pet duck, and a rooster that wakes us up at 5:30 am every morning. Our house has running water when we plug in the pump, but we still take bucket showers and make sure that we don't drink the tap. The community is built along the railroad tracks, and several of the houses are only a few feet away from the trains the come by every couple of hours. To get to Aaron and Ema's house, the Servant Partners missionaries who live and work here, we cross over the tracks that span the river. Its a little precarious, because there are large gaps with boards nailed over the holes, and I have to be careful not to slip or drop anything. So far we're had hot and humid weather; but its not too bad inside in front of a fan.

One of my favorite things to do here is play with the kids, who love to ask us our names and play "down by the banks" a hand-slap game. They're really adorable and have beautiful smiles even though they live in a slum community full of garbage. People regularly bathe and wash clothes outside, and some cook their food outside on smoldering fires between the tracks. Dogs and cats are everywhere, and some even have hutches of chickens. It has been challenging to wrestle with my faith when I see such desperate poverty, and wonder why such a place exists. Yet, people here are genuinely filled with the spirit, and seem hopeful and I loved being able to worship with them in they're one room chuch that meets every sunday.

One major issue that hangs over the whole place is its imminent destruction because the railroad company is paying people to relocate because they want to improve the tracks, but first must peacefully relocate all the squatters who have been living here for more than 15 years. Several homes have already been torn down, but it is uncertain when it will be completely destroyed but we are praying that it won't be until next summer so that the kids can continue to go to school. Please pray for people to be able to transition to another place, and the the government would be just as it seeks to uproot all of these families that have nowhere else to go.

Yesteday, we took a train out to another more rural squatter community called Cogeo, where Ema's mother works with the local church. She sells powdered milk and soap to support herself and is like a traveling minister, doctor, and psychiatrist who helps the people with everything from paying doctor's bills to delivering children. It is amazing to me that someone who has so little is still able to give so generously, and her love of God is apparent in the way she interacts with people. Many of the people who will have to relocate, will end up moving out to the other squatter community but it will be difficult since it is so much farther from the center of the city.

Personally, I am having a great time bonding with my teammates, learning Tagalog, and playing with the kids. Later this week we will have homestays with some of the local families which will give us a chance to see what an average day looks like, and hopefully have more meaningful relationships develop. Please pray for good health on our team, and that we would continue to dialogue with God about what it means to be learning about urban ministry in a slum community. This trip is supposed to be a retreat and give us an opportunity to reflect and learn as much as possible. Its not far from the internet cafe, so I hope to be able to keep in touch. Please write back with your address, especially if you'd like me to send you a postcard!

Love,

Jessica

Update #3-Loving Balic-Balic

Hello Friends,

Maganang Gabi! Good Evening! Its already been over a week since we got here, and so much has happened since my last update. I have come to love the people that live here on the tracks, especially my host family. They live less than three feet from the train tracks and operate a little convenience store that sells soap, candy, soda, cooking supplies, and other items. Ate Joanne (the mom) has three kids: Gellie Anne, Iren, and James (aka Jam-Jam) and they all live in a small two story house with clever places for hanging clothes, storing items, and it is incredible to me how so many people live in such a small space. Iren is an exceptionally smart 8 year old and speaks English so well that sometimes I forget that it isn't her first language. Her little brother Jam-Jam is a rambunctious 5 year old who loves to climb and hang from the ceiling on towels hung out to dry. They're both lots of fun to play with, and Iren is getting me to teach her Chinese while she teaches me Tagalog. Ate Joanne makes excellent meals for us and is always willing for us to come by and talk about anything.

On Sunday we went to a church in Welfareville, another squatter community located down the tracks from Balic-Balic. We rode on a cart that used the railroad tracks and is hand powered by someone pushing it from behind. We rode past several homes that have already been demolished, and it is very desolate there. Empty shells of homes that have piles of garbage inside, littered with broken glass, and in some places broken water pipes create putrid pools of water. It reminds me of old photos of Hiroshima or Nagasaki because there is nothing left of the vibrant community that used to be there. What is worse is imagining the same thing happening to the community in Balic-Balic, but it is already underway with people moving away and destroying their own homes. The government has offered some compensation to those who move willingly, but it is still a difficult transition to make.

On a brighter note, last night we went up to the roof to worship and afterwards celebrated everyone who has a birthday in September, including me. Aaron brought Balut for us all to try, which are partially developed duck embryo eggs that have been boiled. I tried some, but couldn't get past the feathers and beak, but the part that I ate was pretty tasty. We had mango and Taro root cake for dessert, and then had a disney movie sing a long. I really am coming to love my teammates because they are a really diverse, funny, and often eccentric group of people. However, we are all starting to get sick, so please pray for health and wellness for all of us. That's about all for now but I hope to write at least once more before I leave. Hope you are all well and thank you for writing back,

Much Love,

Jessica

Update #4-Final Greetings from Balic-Balic

Hello Friends,

Its my last full day here in Manila, and its difficult to think about leaving this place because I know that in less than a couple of months it will be demolished and it will only live on in my memory. The people that I have come to love and care for will be scattered to other communities, and the Balic-Balic church will be no more. Yet it is not a complete calamity because even Jesus says that in order for his church to grow and prosper we must be scattered over the earth to be salt and light in places of darkness. In other words, though this particular community will be destroyed, each leader within the church will go on to lead others to Christ. This morning when I said good morning to Ate Joanne she told me that she plans to remain in Manila and rent a room with her husband and three kids, but that she will be glad to move away from the railroad tracks since they are so dangerous. The other friends that I have met here will relocate as well, but hopefully they will be able form a new chuch out in Cogeo (a more rural squatter community) where several people are moving to.

On Monday, we rode a railroad cart out to Pandacan, which is further down the tracks from Balic-Balic where several homes have already been demolished. We saw several people hacking away with large mallets at broken walls, and bulldozers clearing piles of rubble away. In several places, people wandered forlornly through the garbage searching for anything they could sell or eat. We crossed over the Pasig River, a turbid, murky green river with swamp cabbage and garbage floating by. The bridge is made of wooden blocks with the rails nailed on top, and we passed quickly hoping that we wouldn't meet an oncoming train or hit a rough spot on the tracks and have to get off the cart, since we were up about 40 feet over the water. Thankfully we made it safely there, and saw another squatter community that is built at the base of several petroleum tanks. Every election year, politicians will sponsor some sort of community improvement project, and in 1995 they built a nice stone river walkway with painted railings and swings along the river. The irony is that this is just a cosmetic improvement that really does nothing to help the squatters who live there, except make it marginally prettier. It is frustrating to see how politics works here, with so many empty promises and still no real change happening.
This morning, we rode a Jeepney to the Divisoria which is strikingly like the street markets in Hong Kong with thousands of vendors hawking their wares. I found some really great towels and pot holders, and learned how to be fearless in crossing the street in between Jeepneys and motorcycle taxis. As we were heading home, Joseph waved down a street vendor selling fried bananas, and he chased down our Jeepney through traffic to sell them to us. I am really going to miss all people and activity that is happening at any given time during the day here, but it will be good to come home. Thank you for reading my updates and for keeping us in your prayers. I will keep you posted periodically on our adventures in South LA once I return.

Love,
Jessica