Day 12 began with us all being woken up by the alarm at 2.30am in order for us to leave the campsite by 3.00. This kind of went to plan and after waiting a little while, the final car got going at about 3.40. The drive between Malaybalay and Cagayan de Oro did not get any easier for some of us (namely Aaron and Huntz) even though it was the other way and in the dark. Some very interesting things can be seen on that road at that time of the day. After getting to the airport and boarding the plane, we were on our way, leaving Cagayan for Manila at 6.20am.
We were all very tired as some of us hardly got any sleep the night before, so the rest on the plane was much needed. At 7.40 we arrived in Manila, only to find Simon’s case was still in Cagayan. This was quickly sorted out and we headed straight for the nearest McDonalds for breakfast.
It was decided that after breakfast, we would all head to the Greenhills Markets. To get there, we had to negotiate our way through the Manila traffic and our thanks must go to Rollie our driver for his incredible work. For some of us, this was our first real taste of what Manila is like and it was an eye opener. Some people got some interesting things at the markets and the bargaining was certainly in full effect. Lunch was then had at a nice Italian restaurant named Fazolis.
This then brought us to the highlight of our day; the Corinthian Day Spa. We ended up staying there for about four hours, enjoying the spas, pool, showers, steam room, sauna and massage. After a week of hard work, it was nice to relax and unwind. After letting the cat out of the bag and admitting he was single, our friend Chris had an immediate marriage proposal from a masseur. This provided a bit of laughter for everyone on the way to our accommodation for the night, the guest house at the KIM base in Manila.
A very eventful day.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Day 11
Well it’s our last day in Malaybalay today. Last night Steve, Paul, Stephen M and Brandon (building supervisor) played Basketball with a few local farmers and builders. It was a great time of fun and fellowship despite our very tired legs and their willingness to keep on playing; we were able to finish after 3 hours and share a coke or two with them.
This morning after another fantastic meal of pancakes from our fantastic Filipino cooks, David Johansen from New Tribes Mission took all of us for a motorbike expedition. Dave had brought along 5 motorbikes to take us to a remote village. It was a 20km trip off the main road to the village through mountain terrain and many river crossings.
This was an awesome opportunity as we were able to see and experience first hand what it is like for missionaries that work in this hard to access places. This trip even included riding the bikes over a suspension bridge with many gaps; this was scary even for the experienced riders amongst us.
After finally making it to the village we were greeted and asked to sign a very empty visitors book, many of the towns folk had not see white people in a long time so they were very weary at first. After a short break we said goodbye to the village and carefully proceeded back down the mountain during the afternoon rain.
This was a fantastic experience for all and we really enjoyed getting to know the local missionaries and finding out what their various roles and responsibilities are. Tomorrow will see us leave Malaybalay at 3am to drive back to Cagayan de Oro, to then fly back to Manila for some much needed rest and relaxation.
God Bless
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Day 10
O'Neal visiting his own home at the squatters villageO'neal 3 years ago before being placed in the home
We had a leisurely start to the day, with coffee and a cooked breakfast. The team visited the Bethel Baptist Church for the morning service at 9:30. This church is key to the success of the Kids Home. A young couple from New Tribes Mission spoke about the work they are preparing to undertake; surveying a large area of north eastern Mindanao which hasn’t been reached with the gospel. They then intend to learn the language, translate the Bible into the local language, and help to found a church to reach out to the 40 000 people in that area. They will need a lot of support and prayers, and the job could take the next 20 years.
Stephen Cressie (not Stephen Moore J) and Clare had their first ride on a motor bike before lunch, and Steve nearly rode over a very steep 5 metre embankment, stopping about a foot short of certain death. Clare reckons she wants to buy an 1100cc road bike just as soon as she gets home, and see if she can outrun the traffic police. Her dad was showing us how to do burnouts on a motor bike, and was very supportive of her ambitions.
After lunch we visited what the Kids Home staff calls the hill top village, which is where Ron-Ron and Oniel came from. We walked up and down steep hills with tiny shanties all around, giving out kids clothes and food. Most of the shanties were made out of scrap timber and woven bamboo. At one stage a small crowd of people had gathered around so pastor Larry explained who we were, and what we were doing. Then Ollie shared his testimony and Larry translated. A lot of the people had big smiles on their faces, it was nice to give something to those who have so little and see the joy that it brings. On our way back to the vehicles we passed the house that O’Neill and Ron-Ron used to live in (see attached photo). It is fantastic to see the love and support they now receive compared to what they were previously getting. They lived alone without any parents in conditions that would shock everyone, but now through this ministry they are fed, clothed, loved and kept well.
We have spent the rest of the afternoon with the kids at the Kids Home, our games session has managed to get them all hyped up. It has been great to see the progress since our last trip and see that the orphanage now has children and the effect that this has on their lives. All their needs are being met both physical and spiritual by the fantastic team here and they are very happy content children.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Day 9
We are writing from the concrete slab which took all day yesterday and about 50 people to lay! The day before, this was an intertwined network of wire-tied reinforced steel bars and wood scaffolding which took the 4 days before to prepare. It is a wonderful feeling for us all to have completed something this size.
Well after a well earned rest last night we all had a sleep in to 7:30am and we all woke up feeling the effects of such a long hard day but praise God the slab is now completed and the hardest part of this particular project is over. Apart from feeling tired many of the group have terrible lime burns despite wearing gloves, so after breakfast we ventured to the local hospital for treatment.
To thank the extra help from the Bible College we purchase some rice and snacks and drove up the mountains to drop them off. They were very appreciative of the gifts and gave us a tour of the College and asked for a game of basketball which we were happy to play.
It was great to be able to rest today and thank the Mountain Bible College for their help. Please continue to pray for the team’s health particularly Huntz, Aaron, Clare and Stephen with their lime burns.
Just to put a few things in perspective, yesterdays pour was over 30 cubic metres of concrete spread and transported by hand. This is the equivalent of a typical house slab poured by hand, no cement trucks. A big thank you to Beckenham Community Church, Byford Baptist Church and the many individuals who donated money, your donations went along way in providing the steel, cement, rocks and sand that made up this second floor of the children’s home.
Tomorrow will see us go to church in the morning and participate in a food ministry programme in the afternoon.
God Bless
To thank the extra help from the Bible College we purchase some rice and snacks and drove up the mountains to drop them off. They were very appreciative of the gifts and gave us a tour of the College and asked for a game of basketball which we were happy to play.
It was great to be able to rest today and thank the Mountain Bible College for their help. Please continue to pray for the team’s health particularly Huntz, Aaron, Clare and Stephen with their lime burns.
Just to put a few things in perspective, yesterdays pour was over 30 cubic metres of concrete spread and transported by hand. This is the equivalent of a typical house slab poured by hand, no cement trucks. A big thank you to Beckenham Community Church, Byford Baptist Church and the many individuals who donated money, your donations went along way in providing the steel, cement, rocks and sand that made up this second floor of the children’s home.
Tomorrow will see us go to church in the morning and participate in a food ministry programme in the afternoon.
God Bless
Day 8
We woke with the roosters at 5am and went straight to work on a few more preparations. After a quick stop for breakfast, we cranked up the cement mixers and got to work filling in the beams. These were deeper and progress wasn’t seen as fast but we put in a big effort and finished by lunch. By this time we had a good system going where we had 2 cement mixers which emptied out onto chutes. Then people filled the buckets and we passed them down a line of people to where the concrete was being laid, and then the empty buckets were returned to be filled again. Other workers were pushing it down or smoothing it out. Down below, we had groups of boys from the local Bible College who were filling bags of rock or dirt which weighed around 50kg (probably more than them) and then carried them up the ramp on their heads!
After some sustenance and a wash down from all the cement that was beginning to eat away at our skin, we started filling in the balcony. Just after this was finished, around 3pm, the clouds opened up and it began to pour down with rain. We quickly covered it all with tarps and retreated to the ‘badego’(bamboo shed) for about 1hr until it subsided. We were all refreshed and ready to continue filling, but then one of the mixers gave up on us and we were down to one until we got hold of another a bit later. We kept on going through the pain and darkness until the last square metre was filled - around 8pm!!
A weight was now off our backs but our bodies were drained and in pain. We then headed straight for the showers, had some treatment from Dr Moore (Stephen) and a few of us had a massage before getting some very much needed sleep. Most of us have some serious lime burns from the concrete, especially on our hands and legs, which is causing great pain. But thank God that we are still alive and for His strength and protection!
After some sustenance and a wash down from all the cement that was beginning to eat away at our skin, we started filling in the balcony. Just after this was finished, around 3pm, the clouds opened up and it began to pour down with rain. We quickly covered it all with tarps and retreated to the ‘badego’(bamboo shed) for about 1hr until it subsided. We were all refreshed and ready to continue filling, but then one of the mixers gave up on us and we were down to one until we got hold of another a bit later. We kept on going through the pain and darkness until the last square metre was filled - around 8pm!!
A weight was now off our backs but our bodies were drained and in pain. We then headed straight for the showers, had some treatment from Dr Moore (Stephen) and a few of us had a massage before getting some very much needed sleep. Most of us have some serious lime burns from the concrete, especially on our hands and legs, which is causing great pain. But thank God that we are still alive and for His strength and protection!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Day 7
One day to go before the second storey slab is to be laid… so much was still to be done. The day started with most of us continuing tying the reinforcement bars down. Meanwhile Simon, Aaron and the local workers made chutes that will be used to assist the pouring. Which was after they had finished off the ramp that everything will be slowly but surely carried up tomorrow.
The fruits of our tedious labour will be realized after the concrete is all poured. Fortunately we have the assistance of 15 able bodied men from the local Bible College. Pray for a little rain, cooler temperatures and strength to make it through what is anticipated to be a 12-15 hour long day.
The fruits of our tedious labour will be realized after the concrete is all poured. Fortunately we have the assistance of 15 able bodied men from the local Bible College. Pray for a little rain, cooler temperatures and strength to make it through what is anticipated to be a 12-15 hour long day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day 6
Well here we are again, another day has gone by and everybody has again been working very hard. The day began by moving a big industrial fridge onto a truck via a small crane and driving it down into the church building we moved yesterday. Thankfully we didn’t lift it by hand. Also one of the local farmers donated 5 cases of very tasty bananas which are going off very quickly so we are eating them at every possible opportunity.
We next moved all the concreting tools and equipment from the Hong Kong slab area to our building area in preparation for Friday’s planned pour. The project for Friday is no small task and requires cementing on the second floor. To help make the job easier we have built a ramp up to the floor to get our cement mixers up there.
The weather here has been really quite hot with minimal rain. The last two days the sunscreen has been flowing as well as the sweat and dirt. Not a great mix!! As we have mentioned many times we continue to tie steel bars together as reinforcement for the cement there are thousands of intersections between bars and as such we have been doing a lot else!
Ollie finished his toilet and antics and finally came out of solitary confinement, to join the tying team. This time we had a various assortment of music from Michael Jackson, John Butler Trio, Hillsong and Filipino love songs! J The end of the day saw us watching the sunset while tying the steel and looking very dirty and tired. Please pray for the team’s strength and health as we are feeling a bit run down at the moment.
Hope you are all well. God bless.
We next moved all the concreting tools and equipment from the Hong Kong slab area to our building area in preparation for Friday’s planned pour. The project for Friday is no small task and requires cementing on the second floor. To help make the job easier we have built a ramp up to the floor to get our cement mixers up there.
The weather here has been really quite hot with minimal rain. The last two days the sunscreen has been flowing as well as the sweat and dirt. Not a great mix!! As we have mentioned many times we continue to tie steel bars together as reinforcement for the cement there are thousands of intersections between bars and as such we have been doing a lot else!
Ollie finished his toilet and antics and finally came out of solitary confinement, to join the tying team. This time we had a various assortment of music from Michael Jackson, John Butler Trio, Hillsong and Filipino love songs! J The end of the day saw us watching the sunset while tying the steel and looking very dirty and tired. Please pray for the team’s strength and health as we are feeling a bit run down at the moment.
Hope you are all well. God bless.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Day 5
Last night ended with final celebrations for Stephen’s birthday and a challenge to eat the Filipino delicacy Balut (a partly formed chicken foetus boiled while still in the egg). Paul led the way with not many volunteers after the demonstration, but in true team spirit Clare and Stephen ate one each - even the crunchy bits.
The new started with typical gruelling labour under the hot filipino sun. Most of the team worked for the morning continuing to tie the steel re-enforcing bars, bending steel for the form work all the while singing Australian Songs with joy and passion.
The next major challenge was shifting the “church” a 10m X 12m structure 150m, to a new location. There were 38 persons involved, and it nearly collapsed on the way down the hill. Due to the local rough but effective engineering, the structure and our lives were saved.
Ollie spent most of the day hanging over the toilet getting out of the hard work. He wasn’t even sick- he was grouting tiles and fixing the “comfort room water closet”.
Steven Moore helped the Hong Kong team concreting and shifting sand and hundreds of 40kg bags of cement. The Filipino workers are incredible. They carry 80kgs at a time when they weigh no more than 60kgs themselves.
We are very thankful for the cold showers and God’s strength and
The new started with typical gruelling labour under the hot filipino sun. Most of the team worked for the morning continuing to tie the steel re-enforcing bars, bending steel for the form work all the while singing Australian Songs with joy and passion.
The next major challenge was shifting the “church” a 10m X 12m structure 150m, to a new location. There were 38 persons involved, and it nearly collapsed on the way down the hill. Due to the local rough but effective engineering, the structure and our lives were saved.
Ollie spent most of the day hanging over the toilet getting out of the hard work. He wasn’t even sick- he was grouting tiles and fixing the “comfort room water closet”.
Steven Moore helped the Hong Kong team concreting and shifting sand and hundreds of 40kg bags of cement. The Filipino workers are incredible. They carry 80kgs at a time when they weigh no more than 60kgs themselves.
We are very thankful for the cold showers and God’s strength and
Monday, July 7, 2008
Day 4
Today started at 6:30am with the typical symphony of natural sounds including roosters, stray dogs and creaking bodies after 3 hours of street basketball the night before. Playing basketball against the local pastors and Christians was a great encouragement to them as they flogged us three games to one.
We started our serious projects this morning; removing existing scaffolding and preparing the re-enforcing bars to enable the pouring of the main slab of the children’s home later this week. This was a big deal as it required 250 6 metre lengths of steel rod hand tied in a grid pattern and the production of large ramps and platforms to move the industrial cement mixers up to the first floor.
We had a wonderful lunch today to celebrate the birthdays of Stephen Cressie and Cedreck (one of the children from the children’s home). This was hosted by Glen and Grace (a couple who have provided the land for the new children’s home) and held at one of Malaybalay’s finest restaurants, home of the very tasty Shanghai Lumpia, chicken on a stick and iced mango drinks.
After lunch we continued to tie the re-enforcing bar for what seemed like forever, but we were sustained by the amazing provision of local bananas and the spectacular view of the Philippines second highest mountain Mt Katanglid. The day ended differently with someone leaving the guys dorm open with lights on attracting what looked like all of Malaybalay’s flying insects and a giant toad.
Looking forward to another busy productive day tomorrow.
We started our serious projects this morning; removing existing scaffolding and preparing the re-enforcing bars to enable the pouring of the main slab of the children’s home later this week. This was a big deal as it required 250 6 metre lengths of steel rod hand tied in a grid pattern and the production of large ramps and platforms to move the industrial cement mixers up to the first floor.
We had a wonderful lunch today to celebrate the birthdays of Stephen Cressie and Cedreck (one of the children from the children’s home). This was hosted by Glen and Grace (a couple who have provided the land for the new children’s home) and held at one of Malaybalay’s finest restaurants, home of the very tasty Shanghai Lumpia, chicken on a stick and iced mango drinks.
After lunch we continued to tie the re-enforcing bar for what seemed like forever, but we were sustained by the amazing provision of local bananas and the spectacular view of the Philippines second highest mountain Mt Katanglid. The day ended differently with someone leaving the guys dorm open with lights on attracting what looked like all of Malaybalay’s flying insects and a giant toad.
Looking forward to another busy productive day tomorrow.
Day 3
After yesterday being so long and busy, a restful day was enjoyed by all. After breakfast we headed off to the CCF church in Malaybalay, where the message is given in English. The Pastor who spoke this morning was giving his first sermon! We met some Australians who are missionaries for New Tribes Mission who are working with the people here.
After lunch… a snooze (some longer than others) we were off to go exploring the town and to do some shopping. Whilst in town some of the boys went and got a close shave with a cut throat – which they can assure you was ok since the blade was cleaned in alcohol?! We all bought a range of lollies and chocolates, which did not last long once we got back.
From Malaybalay we headed to the children’s home…. Where the kids were excited and took charge of most people’s cameras. After playing with the kids and exploring how the house has changed in the last twelve months we headed back for dinner…. then headed back out for a game of basketball with the local Pastors and Christians. Will let you know later how the boys fared!
This morning Paul was thrown into the driver’s seat and I’m glad to report we survived Paul’s driving in the Philippines!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Day 2
Saturday the 5th
It was amazing to see how many people in the Philippines were catching domestic flights at three and four in the morning. We arrived at our destination and after meeting our hosts, were quickly on our way to have a buffet breakfast. At seven thirty, we left the city to finally set out for Malaybalay. The drivers in the Philippines are very daring. Solid white lines are more of a guide than rule. This combined with the twisting uphill road and beautiful waterfalls left some of us worse for wear (you might want to talk to Aaron about this one when he gets back, but he now has a new nickname - Yak).
Most of us went to bed pretty much after we arrived at the Orphanage. We had lunch about one and then got into a bit of work in the afternoon. The working part of the trip has now begun. It feels like we have been going for a lot longer than a day and a half. Looking forward to church and a day of rest tomorrow.
It was amazing to see how many people in the Philippines were catching domestic flights at three and four in the morning. We arrived at our destination and after meeting our hosts, were quickly on our way to have a buffet breakfast. At seven thirty, we left the city to finally set out for Malaybalay. The drivers in the Philippines are very daring. Solid white lines are more of a guide than rule. This combined with the twisting uphill road and beautiful waterfalls left some of us worse for wear (you might want to talk to Aaron about this one when he gets back, but he now has a new nickname - Yak).
Most of us went to bed pretty much after we arrived at the Orphanage. We had lunch about one and then got into a bit of work in the afternoon. The working part of the trip has now begun. It feels like we have been going for a lot longer than a day and a half. Looking forward to church and a day of rest tomorrow.
Day 1
Friday the 4th of July
Everyone met at Perth international airport at about eight in the morning ready for the big trip. After the usual preliminaries, we set off for Brunei at 11am, arriving there at 4 in the afternoon. We then had to wait for almost four hours until the connecting flight to Manila was ready to take off. Brunei airport is quite small, so we were all able to explore the shops very quickly. To pass the time, some of us had a meal, some of us tried to sleep, some of us were males and wore a feminine face mask (Chris G), and some of us caught up with a chat.
The flight from Brunei to Manila took about two hours, so after a collecting our luggage, going through customs and changing our currency, it was now getting on towards 11. It was now about fifteen hours since we arrived at Perth airport so we were all very tired. The next thing was we had to get to the KFC hotel near the airport to have a rest. The only thing was, it was not that easy getting there, with the heavy traffic and the cramped conditions in the van ( the van was packed to the max). We only had two hours to rest before we had to leave for the domestic airport in Manila to catch the next flight to Cagayan de Oro.
Everyone met at Perth international airport at about eight in the morning ready for the big trip. After the usual preliminaries, we set off for Brunei at 11am, arriving there at 4 in the afternoon. We then had to wait for almost four hours until the connecting flight to Manila was ready to take off. Brunei airport is quite small, so we were all able to explore the shops very quickly. To pass the time, some of us had a meal, some of us tried to sleep, some of us were males and wore a feminine face mask (Chris G), and some of us caught up with a chat.
The flight from Brunei to Manila took about two hours, so after a collecting our luggage, going through customs and changing our currency, it was now getting on towards 11. It was now about fifteen hours since we arrived at Perth airport so we were all very tired. The next thing was we had to get to the KFC hotel near the airport to have a rest. The only thing was, it was not that easy getting there, with the heavy traffic and the cramped conditions in the van ( the van was packed to the max). We only had two hours to rest before we had to leave for the domestic airport in Manila to catch the next flight to Cagayan de Oro.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Welcome
This is where we will be keeping you updated on what is happening while we are in the Philippines. This July our team will be helping complete the construction of an orphanage in Malaybalay in the southern Philippines. We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress as we head out in July.
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