Day 3

Day 3

Today started really early for us, because our plane was delayed 2 hours we got to the Ministry Centre and ended up going to bed at about 2:30pm. Early rise at 7am for breakfast at 7:30am. Breakfast consisted of mangoes, eggs, bananas and toast. After breakfast we had a tour of the Ministry Centre and the Children’s Home from Jeff Long, the American guy on the trip and we met some of the children who live their. We were also shown the building project from last year and seeing the work they had accomplished gave the team some inspiration to press through the heat and live up to the high standards set by the previous year. 

Once we had become familiar with the area we went out in our teams, my group went to do food distribution a little out of the way of where we are staying. By the way they drive on the right side of the road and the only road rule that I can understand is that if you are the bigger car you have right of way. When we arrived there wasn’t many people or children but that changed fast. The only reason it changed though was not for the food but was for the balloon animals we were making. There were children all around you, pulling at your clothes, arms, anything they could reach really just to have a balloon given to them. 

All the little ones crowd around your feet and as you try to give them a balloon the older ones reach out and grab it. Seeing that makes you realise that it is survival of the fittest in this part of the world, if you’re too slow too bad. Seeing the children and knowing that you don’t have the time and resources to help them all breaks my heart and I’m sure that this will affect all the other teams in a similar way.

When we got back from food distribution we had a lovely lunch of rice and a chicken and vegetable dish with brownies for desert. After that we had about an hour for rest because lunchtime is the hottest part of the day and everyone rests. Then once we were all rested we went to the children’s home and cleaned windows and washed chairs for the ladies who run the home. After that we went back to the centre and had a half hour rest.

So enough with the resting and back to work!  Our team went off to the work site and helped build a house. We split into little teams, some were sifting gravel for cement and moving it to the house and others were breaking up clay and clearing rubbish from the first floor. It was hard work no matter what job you were doing, everyone was sweating and tired and dirty but we were all still quite happy because we knew this house was going to bless others. 

After construction we had a shower and had dinner of spag bog with pasta and a cucumber and tomato salad. For desert was chocolate cake and it was very delicious! Once dinner had finished we went to the Children’s home to have devotions with them and sing some worship songs. It was amazing to hear our voices mix in with the voices of the children all together praising God. The children knew every song and they loved singing with us. After that we put them to bed with a book and left in vans to go to the World of Fun (WOF)!!

WOF is like a mini fun park in a shopping complex in Manila. It was so fun and we all found our inner child. We went on the Tunnel of Horror and I sat next to Kaitlin Bain. Her face was priceless when a guy jumped out onto the train right next to her, she screamed so loud and I was pretty scared myself, it was a very corny ride but that was totally unexpected!  And a couple of people rode pandas and giraffes.

Once we had our fun we went to Joliebee for some ice cream and drinks and then we were off again on our way back to the ministry centre for debrief and devotions before some well deserved rest J

By Liz Janissen