Hands of Mercy

Back in the UK

2011-02-26T13:26:00.002Z

As you may have guessed we are back in the UK, safe and mostly well.

I went directly along to the organ marathon to show my support to John Alexander in his fund raising. It was great to have a quick chat with Jane and family.

Whilst we have been away there was a documentary on BBC2 about a bus driver who goes to Manila to try his hand at being a jeepney driver, we've not watched it yet, but it has been recommended to me by the Alexanders who have seen this for themselves first hand, watch it if you want a more in depth understanding of life living in Manila:

Toughest place to be a bus driver

Thursday afternoon

2011-02-26T13:19:00.002Z

We spent talking with the team and saying goodbye. It is such a sad time. These people who do so much for their neighbours really lack self confidence and self esteem. We tried to encourage them by trying to get them to see how we see them. From our point of view they are an extremely committed and talented group of people.

We said our goodbyes in dribs and drabs as the team went back to their respective homes and were left with a small group of the team members and Sally and Joey. It was hard to say goodbye especially with all that is going on in the Escotos lives at the moment. I would like to thank Joey for spending so much of his time with us taking us around the communities:

Another visit

2011-02-26T13:14:00.003Z

We visited another family after the small group on Thursday, this is some of the de la Cruz family with Carol and the girls, and look who has made appearance behind them Kay:

Organ marathon

2011-02-24T13:03:00.001Z

Here is a message from David Alexander vicar of St Thomas' church in Stopsley, John is David's son:

Dear Friends,

I am writing this to all friends of St Thomas's whose email address I have.

This Friday (25th Feb) our organist John is performing a marathon of hymns on our church organ. A hymnathon? Or orgathon? Not sure, what it should be called, but he is going to play all the hymns in our hymn book (533 in all!). He will be starting at 5pm and keep playing till he finishes - which he estimates will be about 5am on Saturday morning.

This is in aid of Sally Escoto, the Director of Hands of Mercy - the charity we support in the Philippines. Unfortunately she urgently needs an important operation and as there is no NHS in the Philippines that will cost money - money she does not have, nor any of the workers of Hands of Mercy who all live in poor communities in the massive slum areas of Manila. She does so much work amongst the poor and we want to help her at her hour of need - and by helping her help many others also.

Would you be able to pop in for a time to the organ marathon and support this cause? You can stay as long as you like. You can even sing along if you wish! And please sponsor John with a gift to help pay for Sally's urgent medical care in the Philippines.

Thank you in anticipation of your support.

God bless
David

Small group

2011-02-24T05:32:00.003Z

After the feeding we held a small group, Carol led us despite feeling unwell (she has a cold) and spoke on the Psalms:

Feeding at Hilaga

2011-02-24T05:28:00.003Z

We went to another feeding this morning, this time at Hilaga, here is Sarah helping once more:

The centre at Hilaga is rented and has an upstairs where a lot of children go to eat, fortunately it was cloudy today so it was not too hot, last time we were here it was stifling:

Last day

2011-02-23T23:02:00.002Z

We fly out early tomorrow morning (that's Friday for us) and have quite a busy schedule today so I might not get many more posts done here (I've just got up and am waiting for the girls to get ready). If I don't get stuff posted I will update finally once we are back in the UK and have had some sleep.

Being out here really brings into focus the challenges the people of the communities face on a day to day basis. I could say that being here gives me an understanding of the problems the people here face, but I think that would be facile as you can only really appreciate what someone else's life is like if you live it yourself. Frankly there are situations that on the face of it seem hopeless, but then there are the faithful team members getting alongside their neighbours and helping them as best they can with the resources we provide from the UK and sometimes from their own pockets. It is humbling to behold. As our charity's strapline says "Restoring hope to the needy through love and compassion".

I come away with mixed emotions, I am sad to say goodbye to the team, I am worried for them because of the uncertainty that they face and I feel determined that we should do more to help. May God guide the team here, the UK and Filipino trustees and our supporters to do just that.

Thank you all for the messages of support and encouragement we have received whilst we have been out here.

More disabled therapy

2011-02-23T11:28:00.003Z

As Tara and Sarah had an interest in disabled therapy, Tara already works with children with special needs and Sarah would like to do art therapy when she is older, we did some more disabled therapy this afternoon. This is a little girl Sarah worked with, she had problems with her memory:

Here are the team, they do a fantastic job, in trying circumstances, they have my utmost respect:

Updates

2011-02-23T10:22:00.006Z

I managed to borrow the images off another camera so these are out of sequence, these three are the youth service:

Tara and Sarah leading worship with Andrew:

One of the games Tara organised:

The young people seemed to be having a good time:

I couldn't take these photos because I was boring the men's group to sleep in another area of the church:

And this is another look at how tight that space I got stuck in was, so no more Winnie the Pooh jokes ok?

Scavenging

2011-02-23T05:14:00.003Z

We saw this little girl who had been scavenging, picking up recyclable materials that had been thrown out, to sell at the recycling centres. She must be only about 6 years old, children have to grow up quick in the communities here:

Our first feeding programme

2011-02-23T04:55:00.006Z

This was our first feeding programme visit to a place I had not visited before Ginhawa. So for those of you who give money for feeding this is what we spend it on, here we feed 51 children under 5.

The food today was made from pasta and hotdogs in a sauce, Here is Carol helping dish it out:

Sarah doing the same:

The lady feeding the child is Veronica and is part of the Cabeyaan family we visited yesterday, the baby is hers:

Unfortunately there had been a death in the community and a wake was being held a bit further on from where the feeding was taking place. The daughter in law of the man who had died is a supporter of the feeding programme as she has a larger income than her neighbours, so she pays for all of the food for one day a month. She had also made a huge chocolate cake and that is what Sarah is handing out:

More silliness

2011-02-23T04:53:00.002Z

Another trike another post for Rob, sorry Matt I am looking out for things that you might find amusing, but I haven't seen anything pizza or rugby related yet:

School

2011-02-22T13:47:00.002Z

This is a school we walked past in the afternoon where a lot of the Child Sponsorship children attend:

Photos

2011-02-22T13:37:00.006Z

If I put up all the pictures we took after staff devotional I would be here all night, the Filipinos certainly like to have there picture taken. Here is (almost) the full team (a couple of people were missing due to ill health):

It felt like we were at a wedding with the number of photos that were taken, here are some of the younger people, who the girls spent the afternoon with today:

If you ask a Filipino to take a photo of a group of you after taking the first picture they often say "wackkeee", which I thought was Tagalog for "Cheese!" or something similar, but what they mean is Whacky and the idea is you pull a funny face, this is me and Joey Escoto doing wackkeee, I think Joey wins:

Staff devotional

2011-02-22T13:29:00.004Z

The HOM staff gather together to worship on a Tuesday. Carol gave the talk based around James and how we need faith in the face of adversity.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

The staff and I thought she did a magnificent job. Mina who is pictured with her below did a grand job of translating:

Disabled therapy

2011-02-21T06:56:00.008Z

As I have said we went to visit the disabled therapy programme today. This takes two forms, therapy based in a purpose built centre and home visits. HOM partners with the local city council and another charity to provide, physical, occupational and speech therapy to children in the communities of Mandaluyong. They treat 500 children in total, most of whom are not associated with HOM. We visited the centre first, the man in the white shirt runs the centre and the ladies in yellow are HOM workers:

This is Tara helping with physical therapy:

This is Sarah helping with an autistic boy, he had to draw shapes by following dotted lines, colour them in and then cut them out, to try to develop his coordination skills:

This girl is Leia, she is 13 years old, although she looks less then 8 years old, you can see how emaciated her arms are from lack of movement, her legs were worse. A HOM staff member is assigned to her and visits once a week for an hours physical therapy. This therapy has been taking place for 3 years:

Our second visit was to a family who has two disabled children, one with cerebral palsy and another with autism:

The team do an amazing job with very limited resources, may God bless them and the children they serve.

Stuck

2011-02-21T06:45:00.002Z

When we visited one home today, I looked at the space I had to crawl through to get into the home and said "I don't think I will fit". I was right. I got stuck on the way up. I eventually freed myself by twisting and removing my small rucksack. The team thought it was hilarious so they took my picture on the way down, you can see how tight it was:

Wendy and Ben Hur

2011-02-21T06:39:00.004Z

OK today we went to disabled therapy and I thought we would do the odd stuff first.

This is the logo for Wendy's, we think Wendy is scary:

And this one is for Rob and my parents, this is the name of the local Mayor, I wonder if he does much chariot racing?

Sunday afternoon

2011-02-20T12:33:00.005Z

We split up in the afternoon. I went and helped in the men's group, whilst Tara, Sarah and Carol went to the youth service. Tara was leading with Sarah being her beautiful assistant. They had bought matching dresses for the occasion:

The youth service was a big hit, the biggest hit in the men's group was me destroying a plastic chair by sitting on it. No picture available (un)fortunately. Here are some of the young people in the youth service:

And here are Tara and Sarah leading worship:

Sunday worship Filipino style

2011-02-20T12:21:00.007Z

Church is pretty much an all day affair over here, we arrived early at the main church building (there are several smaller churches dotted around the communities) so that the girls could practice the songs with the worship group:

The decoration in the church has changed and it has got a lot brighter:

This is a picture for the Malcolm's, Nanita says "Hello!":

During the service the team are encouraged to pray for each other, there is a lot of need here and the team find it easy to pray for their fellows:

Sarah took this picture of one of the little ones, Everyone say "Ahhhhhhh!":

The building of one home

2011-02-19T13:01:00.003Z

This is not a very good picture for a very good tale: This house belongs to a lady who lost her home during the flooding, hers was one of the few that did not withstand the winds and was completely destroyed. When we visited back in 2009 she was living under plastic sheeting and HOM could do nothing to help her, because the government wouldn't give permission to rebuild her home. Shortly before the fire happened that permission was granted, when Joey Escoto went to buy materials for the project there weren't enough for him to buy, so he put the building work off, that evening the fire struck. Joey would have bought all of the supplies and left them at the lady's home if he had been able to buy them and they would have been destroyed.

Here is the new home HOM built for her after the fire. It doesn't look like much by western standards, but I am sure it beats live under a plastic sheet:

Block 37

2011-02-19T12:49:00.006Z

We used this blog last year to show the aftermath of a devastating fire in Block 37 and the subsequent help that HOM had provided with the rebuilding. I have tried to frame the shots below to show a before and after of each side of the community (there's that tree again):

You can use the building in the background as a reference point in this one, so you can see how much works has taken place:

It is quite a strange place sometimes

2011-02-19T12:45:00.004Z

This is a man riding on the roof of a trike, I was in a trike behind trying to take a picture because I couldn't believe it, I'd made a joke earlier about doing just this, I didn't think anyone would do it:

You'll see this tree again, but this is a close up, it is decorated for Christmas:

Medical mission 2

2011-02-19T12:40:00.004Z

As I mentioned before there was a medical mission this morning, people were queuing outside the local gym for hours:

Here are some of those who got in to have treatment:

And someone having their health checked before treatment:

Spiderman

2011-02-19T12:38:00.001Z

This one is for Rob, Tara noticed this on a trike:

Jeepney ride

2011-02-19T12:31:00.005Z

Here we are on a jeepney ride:

That last picture is for Amy who doesn't believe I come on these trips. And this is a jeepney if you haven't seen one before:

Medical mission

2011-02-19T05:32:00.002Z

Went to this today, a combined multi-denominational event where HOM took part to attempt to provide medical advice and treatment to 2000 people. It was held in the local sports hall and there were large queues of people trying to be seen. As ell as medical treatment, there was a free pharmacy and dental treatment. Pictures to follow later.

In Manila

2011-02-18T13:42:00.003Z

Once we arrived we were shattered, freshened up and had a sleep, we went over to the local Mall to have something to eat. Time zone changes do odd things to you body. Here are the girls outside the place we are staying:

Real work starts tomorrow with a medical mission at a local gym, will try to keep the blog updated as we go along.

Singapore 2

2011-02-18T13:39:00.002Z

This is actually in the middle of Singapore airport, it was very pleasant:

Heathrow 2

2011-02-18T13:37:00.002Z

Here are the girls before we got on the monster jet:

A380

2011-02-18T13:25:00.003Z

So we travelled on the biggest airliner in the world between Heathrow and Singapore. We were pleased the engine didn't explode.

A note from Carol

2011-02-18T13:00:00.002Z

Hello praying friends back home. We were feeling very weary after the long flight and were most relieved to see the smiling, welcoming face of our Joey Escoto. It is wonderful to be back amongst the friendly people of the Philippines. Sally Escoto is still unwell and we are all praying a speedy recover for her. We are looking forward to spending the week amongst our fellow Christians at the Hands of Mercy Community Church.

During the long flight I spent some time in bible study and will be speaking on Tuesday along with Ian sharing the Word from Deuteronomy "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and Strength".

Thanks to my praying friends, Jules, Helen, Jam, Ron, Uncle Bob, Auntie Fran, David, and Jane and David and Debbie Newbound - your support means so much to us.

Manila

2011-02-18T12:58:00.001Z

OK we are here, have been for a while, but just got round to using the Internet. We are all OK, more to follow.

Singapore

2011-02-18T00:05:00.000Z

Arrived here after a bit of a bumpy landing, all safe.

Manila next

May prayer diary and celebration pictures

2010-04-30T16:37:00.005+01:00

The May prayer diary is available here

In the last month there has been a celebration to mark nine years since Mercy Community churches was formed, here are some pictures of the young people performing for the celebration:

Also the community was able to share some food together:

April prayer diary

2010-03-30T21:28:00.001+01:00

The April prayer diary is now on the website:

http://www.handsofmercyph.org/prayer.htm

Block 37 Rebuilding

2010-02-19T09:53:00.006Z

Following the fire in Block 37 intense activity has been going on the rebuild the homes in that community. The government did some work to level out the land and then allocated plots to those who used to live there. This redistribution of the land has meant that most people now have a larger area to live in than before. Also the government have decreed that when the new homes are built they have the following: a concrete floor, a toilet and that the construction is primarily of materials that are not flammable (not much wood). This has added to the expense of rebuilding, but it means that the homes are more durable, less likely to be burnt down in another fire and have some form of sanitation, all good things to come out of a dreadful situation. Here are the latest pictures of the rebuilding:

Thank you to all who have supported Hands of Mercy in our efforts to help those affected by the fire.

February Prayer Diary

2010-02-01T20:57:00.001Z

Now available here

Prayer calendar

2010-01-08T19:53:00.002Z

The January prayer calendar is now on our website, please visit:

Hands of Mercy Prayer Calendar January 2010

Block 37 - update

2009-11-26T12:35:00.006Z

The government has started leveling the area where the Block 37 homes stood before the fire.

In the meantime the people who were in the school have had to move out so that classes could resume, they were allocated a lot of vacant land to dwell on whilst the development is finished, but the people have mostly decided to live near Block 37. I think this is due to them being concerned about missing out on their plot of land to rebuild their home.

Here is the size of the plot assigned to the people marked out with pieces of wood:

Please pray for the HOM team.

Fire relief - 2

2009-11-19T07:25:00.004Z

HOM continues to help the people who were affected by the fire distributing, water, baby milk, baby bottles and diapers to the families in the relief centre. Once again they were able to borrow a vehicle to do this work. Please pray for Sally and the team as they go about this difficult and upsetting work

Fire relief

2009-11-18T07:24:00.003Z

Sally has just described the desperate need of the people who have been affected by the fire. The HOM team have been giving away spare clothing. Our team members are fantastically generous out of their own poverty.

You can see the conditions the people are living in with six families to a room in this school.

Heartbreaking Suffering

2009-11-17T08:59:00.002Z

Sally has reported that people in the evacuation centre are in very difficult situation, asking for water and for milk for their babies. It is heartbreaking to see their suffering.

Block 37 fire update

2009-11-17T06:57:00.006Z

Sally has been in contact once more and has sent these distressing pictures. Block 37 is one of the poorest communities that HOM serves. Fortunately there continues to be no report of loss of life which is amazing considering the devastation, I think that is likely due to the fire starting around 19:45. As you can see many families (Sally estimates 800 families) have lost their homes and all they had. Please pray for them:

Fire

2009-11-16T16:10:00.003Z

We have a report from Sally that the community that we know as Block 37 has been affected by a large fire, this article suggests 1000 homes have been destroyed, I assume that it is a typo in the article and it means that 5000 people have been affected not 5000 families.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/11/16/09/fire-razes-1000-homes-mandaluyong-city

Please pray for our friends

Medical Prescription

2009-11-07T11:14:00.007Z

The picture above is Tiribe Sarabia, 26 years old, diagnosed to have dengue fever. Hands of mercy is helping her with the medicines. Her parents are scavengers and what they earned is not even enough for their food. The mother came to the office crying for help. We are praying for her fast recovery so that she can go back to her school.

This is Jayvee Duazo, 5 years old and has a hydrocephalus case. He had a seizure last night and is now confined at the intensive care unit in one of the local hospitals in Mandaluyong. He is one of the patients of Hands of Mercy under the home care therapy. Unfortunately, the family does not have money to purchase the medicines. The mother came to the office yesterday, 5 November, for help to purchase the medicines needed by Jayvee. When we visited him this morning, the mother told us that he is recovering and she thanked us for the prayers and for the financial help that was given to them by hands of mercy. She said if it was not for the help, she does not know what had happen to him.

Hands of Mercy continues to give help to people that are in desperate need of medicine. People are coming to the office for help. Through the Medical Prescription Programme we are given the chance not only to help for the medicine but also to pray for the sick. It is a blessing to know that as we extend our love to these people, we were able to exalt the name of the Lord!

Home Improvement on typhoon "santi"

2009-11-07T09:38:00.012Z

The pictures above shows the roof relief operation made after the typhoon “santi” strikes to number of families in the community. Families are very grateful that help has been extended to them. Joey is busy with the Home Improvement Programme. Thank you for your prayers and for the UK trustees for the immediate response to the needs.

Message from Sally Escoto

2009-11-04T08:15:00.008Z

This is Sally and Joey Escoto from the Hands of Mercy Philippines!
I can't believe time is over for the MacDougall's and Alexander's visit. The people from Hands of Mercy Philippines were so blessed during their stay and they have left a very memorable relationship to everyone. The day they left Manila, another typhoon came in, this is called "santi". This typhoon causes damages to the roofs of numbers of the families that are friends of Hands of Mercy including some of the staff due to strong winds. Again, Hands of Mercy came in to the rescue for the roof relief operation. There were 15 families found desperately in need for roof replacement. At the moment construction is simultaneously going on all over the communities. Thanks for the people who continually give towards the relief operation. Pictures above shows the damaged caused by typhoon "santi".

The relief medicine operation is still going on. Just this morning someone came to the office asking help for his child who is desperately in need for laboratories to determine whether the baby has dengue fever. The baby was admitted at the hospital for three days, yet no medicine was given because the parents does not have money to buy the doctor's prescription. Just when I visited the baby at the hospital the medicine was purchased and the laboratory tests were made. The family is waiting for the result for futher treatment. I prayed for the the baby and the family. Also another patient I visit while I was there is the father of the child we used to sponsor, Mr. De Asis. He has a very complicated disease and he is asking help from Hands of Mercy because they cannot afford to buy his medicine. I am so bless to have been given the chance to pray for him and to let him accept Jesus as his Lord and personal saviour.

Damage from Typhoon Mirinae

2009-11-03T17:15:00.002Z

We have had another communication from the Escotos outlining the damage from the winds of the latest typhoon. The roofs on the homes of 15 families are known to have been damaged and will be repaired under the Home Improvement Programme

Missing posts - Thursday's activities - Staff Intercession

2009-11-03T17:04:00.003Z

On Thursday afternoon we gathered once more at the Sikap centre for a time of worship with the HOM volunteers. The staff were once again keen to sing the songs Carol and Sarah had taught them on Sunday and they both again helped lead worship.

After worship David spoke once more and after his message he encouraged us to share the peace with each other. As with everything else the Filipinos threw themselves into this with great enthusiasm.

We then had some traditional Filipino food provided by the staff and some cakes provided by us. After this we started to say goodbye to our friends. Most of the staff left, but some stayed on for the evening. I had some work to do with Sally, but the others enjoyed each others company, sang songs together and played games. It was wonderful hearing the sounds of their enjoyment from the office. Once we had finished our work we finally said goodbye to the remaining staff, but they wanted to spend more time with us so they walked us to where we got the Jeepney back to the hotel. It was a sad farewell when we finally flagged down the right Jeepney, Sarah almost missed getting on as she said goodbye to her new friends.

Missing posts - Thursday's activities - Hilaga 2

2009-11-03T16:25:00.002Z

We were able to walk around the community in Hilaga between the feeding and the small group.

We saw how some of the people of the community lived when we visited the home of one of our volunteers, she had a small room (less than 2m square) with an open window. To get to it you needed to walk (carefully) down an unlit damp passage made by the cramped homes of her neighbours.

But, there has been a significant change in parts of the community since the last time I was there, a group of the people living there were able with the help of a Catholic church to build a new block of flats into which they then moved, during the construction that took two years they lived outside the building site in temporary dwellings.

It was wonderful to see some of the people of the community living in much better quality housing.

Missing posts - Thursday's activities - Hilaga

2009-11-03T16:14:00.006Z

We went and helped with the feeding at Hilaga on Thursday, here 58 malnourished children get supplementary feeding three times a week.

After the feeding Carol shared a talk on discipleship from the gospel of Mark with the parents of some of the children

Update on Typhoon Mirinae

2009-10-31T09:06:00.002Z

As some of you are likely to be aware, another typhoon hit Manila overnight. We were fortunate to be able to leave before it arrived, but it was very cloudy when we left and we were worried for our friends.

We have just got off a skype call to Sikap where HOM has it's main church and office. A lot of Manila had lost power including Sikap and Sally's home, but the power came back on when we were online so we were able to talk.

The main church area had flooded once again and the team had just finished cleaning it up. We spoke about a couple of options to try and help with the flooding of the church area when we were out there so hopefully we will be able to do something soon.

We are aware that some homes in Florante have had their roofs damaged, as the typhoon this time came with strong winds (Ondoy just dumped a load of rain on Manila, but had relatively light winds). Sally and Joey will tour the communities tomorrow after the main service and see what other damage has been caused.

Return of UK team

2009-10-31T08:13:00.001Z

Just to update you we have safely arrived back in the UK. Thank you all for your prayer support.

We will be putting more updates here about our last two days as we were quite busy and didn't get much blogging time.

Blog from Hong Kong

2009-10-30T16:25:00.002Z

The wonders of free Wi-Fi at Hong Kong airport allows a brief blog on our way home. We still have not told about our emotional farewells with the communities yesterday, but that will have to wait until we get home.

But a five hour gap between flights at Hong Kong gave us the chance to speed on the airport express to the centre of the city and its famous harbour. It was a bit of a lightning tour (and in view of an apparent flight delay, we perhaps could have stayed a little longer!) but we took in the brief sights and lights. And very spectacular they are too!

Perhaps the sudden jump from 'third world' Manila to 'first world' Hong Kong is too stark however. It made us think about the systems that cause some to be rich and many more to be poor, and to wonder about some of the large issues of our day. We also somehow missed the chaos, noise, dirt and vibrancy of life in Manila. And especially we missed the friendly wonderful people we have been with this last week, who are so materially poor, but have made us feel so rich to know.

Last Post from Manila

2009-10-30T03:04:00.002Z

We have much more to say but it will have to wait to the UK now as we are packing frantically. We had our last night for a while in the humid heat of Manila with its constant fumes and beeping of traffic horns. What a place! And we are so sorry to be leaving the beautiful people of Manila.

We shall return!

New Typhoon

2009-10-30T00:47:00.003Z

Please pray that a new typhoon that is threatening Manila on Saturday will change course and diminish in power. It is worrying that the people we have been with are under threat by more devastation, especially when 'normal' life is so vulnerable.

The new typhoon is internationally called Mirinae, but the Philippines always give typhoons a local name which is Santi. (See news story here)

A Glimpse of Something Better?

2009-10-29T14:41:00.002Z

On one of our visits to one of the squatter communities I noticed a very small amount of some much better looking housing (probably about 20 dwellings amongst thousands of ramshackle shelters). I was informed that these had been built in co-operation with the government and a non-government agency. They cost about 500 pesos a month to rent (about £7) - but that is still far too much for the many squatters who try to make a living by scavenging and fail to find enough to eat. But a sign of hope?...

Feeding the Children

2009-10-29T14:25:00.003Z

Because so many children in the poor squatter communities are under-nourished, Hands of Mercy seeks to provide regular feeding sessions where they can receive some of the nutrients they need to grow healthily. The children and the parents gather with spoons at the ready! We helped distribute the much appreciated food.

Sally's first blog

2009-10-29T10:03:00.002Z

This is my first blog post, hello everyone

In Prison

2009-10-29T02:57:00.002Z

Yesterday we went to visit a young person from the community who is in prison awaiting trial. I have never been to prison before, so I do not know what they are normally like. I found the experience daunting.

We were led, with his mother, to the entrance where we were searched and had to show our passports. From there we were taken into a large cell with long benches and tables where prisoners were sitting opposite their visitors. Prisoners seemed to be allowed to roam around in the cell with us, and we heard later that an earlier visit by members of Hands of Mercy had been quite scary when the visitors were surrounded and questioned as to why they were there.

The person we had come to visit was led into the cell. He looked very young, having just turned 18 he had just been transferred to this adult jail, but he looked a lot younger. He also looked quite scared - and we soon saw why: his mother slipped him his protection money to stop him being beaten up. It was distressing to imagine all that he, and other prisoners, go through.

We talked to our prisoner and tried to encourage him, and his mother. We later gave her some money for his food and his needs. We hoped that we had given some support by our presence and we shall try and support the family.

On the way out we visited the juvenile cell and the women's cell. Here Hands of Mercy are able to lead small groups to encourage the prisoners, and to bring food for them. The cells here were like you see on US films, with the front of the cell made up of thick iron bars, and the whole of the cell visible to outsiders. In the juvenile cell there were three teenagers aged about 14 awaiting trial. One had been there for about six months. We were able to talk to the prisoners for a short while and try to encourage them.

As we stepped outside into the Manila hot sunshine, it was upsetting to think of the prisoners behind us who wouldn't be seeing the sun for a long, long time.

Block 37 flooding victim

2009-10-28T03:46:00.006Z

After the feeding in Block 37 we went to visit another family who had been affected by flooding. Their home was by the stream that runs through Block 37:

This is inside the house, the flood water would have been up above my head in this picture (I was sitting down):

The flood subsided enough for the family to come home the next day, but they told us that everytime it rains the stream floods their home to some extent.

Sharing at Block 37

2009-10-28T03:37:00.002Z

Carol led the small group after the feeding in Block 37 sharing from the gospel of Mark:

Feeding in Block 37

2009-10-28T03:25:00.006Z

Until we found Nueve de Febrero that I wrote about yesterday Block 37 was probably the poorest community that Hands of Mercy serve. David and myself were there helping with the Home Improvement Plan earlier and today Carol, Sarah and myself went back to see the feeding:

Sarah helped once again helped to give out the food:

Tomorrow is challenging...

2009-10-27T13:55:00.003Z

The UK team seem a little tired today - trying to take on board all we are seeing and experiencing. So it is off to bed for an early night.

Tomorrow we are off to a feeding centre. One of the constant battles in the communities is to get enough food to eat, and of sufficient nutrient quality. The feeding centres are run by Hands of Mercy for children of the 'poorest of the poor' who are often very under-developed due to the lack of food. Hands of Mercy are able to supplement their diet and help them to be more healthy.

Food is also a real concern for the Filipino volunteer workers of Hands of Mercy who, like the rest of the residents of the squatter communities are desperate for food for their families.

Tomorrow we are also off to visit the local prison where we expect that people will be living in poor conditions. We feel a bit daunted!

And talking of tomorrow, we are thinking about dreams for a better tomorrow for all these poor people. What could tomorrow hold for them, in a better world? What can we do to make that happen?

Tomorrow is challenging....

Nueve de Febrero

2009-10-27T05:09:00.007Z

Sally was keen to show us a new community called Neuve de Febrero that the team here have become aware of after the flood. This community of 28 families lives right beside a creek, which sounds quite nice, until you realise that the creek smells badly of raw sewage and the homes are less than half a metre from a 2 metre drop in to the foul smelling water. Lots of rubbish and dead rats floated past and Sarah A had a close encounter with a live rat. Here is what the creek looks like:

Once we arrrived at a place to talk with some of the residents, Carol and then Sarah A and Grace sat on a log over-hanging the creek. Very brave!

When the flood came the water was about 3m above the current level, if you look at this picture the water came up to where the plastic is showing:

To get in and out of the community you have to do a tightrope walk across a walkway less than half metre wide with a significant fall to one side, here are some of the team negotiating it when we left:

Disabled Therapy

2009-10-27T04:24:00.007Z

Whilst Dave and I were helping with Home Improvement, the rest of the team, Grace, Sarah, Jane, Carol and Sarah went off to see the work of the disabled therapy programme. This takes several forms, first they went to a purpose built centre for such work and met the team that Hands of Mercy teams with to provide therapy for those in the communities that can travel to the centre. Here is the team:

Here is Dhea and then Sarah helping one of the children to write:

After the visit to the centre, the team travelled to homes in the community to help those who can't travel to the centre. They had to go through very narrow passages to get to the homes:

Once there they watched a Ben Mark, 17, being helped, the his limbs and digits suffered from contractures, where his arms, legs, fingers and toes would look deformed, but with therapy can be straightened out.

The team do a fantastic job helping these people.

Home Improvement Programme

2009-10-26T22:51:00.011Z

On Monday Ian and myself accompanied Joey and a small team of men (Vincente and Andrew) as we set out to work on one of the shelters that had been flooded in the typhoon and was in urgent need of improvement.

Parts of the communities that Hands of Mercy serve are next to creeks and running water. They were very badly flooded and the residents had to flee for their lives in the dark, sheltering with friends whose shelters were higher, or being evacuated. Many lost most of their possessions.

The shelter that we fixed is occupied by Michael and his three young children. Michael lost is wife recently and it must be a massive struggle to cope in these circumstances.

The team needed to replace some parts of the roof and taking out and replacing a small extension of the side used for washing.

The picture above is of the stream that flows under Michael's house. I am sure you can imagine what it must have been like during the flood.

Here is the house before work started:

When Filipino's work on their houses they tend to take parts off and add new parts and then re-use the old materials in other parts of their home, so the collapsed structure in the front was to be removed, two panels of corrugated iron replaced on the roof, then one of those used to make another part of the shelter on the right in this picture. The other part of the roof would probably end up as part of the walls. The shelter as you can see is about 2m square and is actually on two floors!

Here are Michael and Vincente working on the roof (we went into another home next door to take this picture). The British contingent weren't allowed on the roof as the Filipinos thought the structure wouldn't hold our weight.

We were allowed to help with the construction on the side under the watchful eye of our Filipino friends

Here are the improvements, they may not seem like much to Western eyes, but Michael was very grateful to have a new non-leaking roof and a place to wash his dishes in the side compartment:

Some photos from the church day

2009-10-26T22:43:00.002Z

Church as it is meant to be?

2009-10-26T09:44:00.003Z

Yesterday we went to church at the Manila 'Mercy Church' which is behind the 'Hands of Mercy' charity.

Wow! What a church! Lovely, lovely people who are a wonderful community made up mainly of residents from the squatter communities that Hands of Mercy seeks to support. These are people who have very hard lives indeed, and yet are full of life as they seek to support one another.

We were made very welcome and quickly joined in the vibrant worship, led by a lively band. This band supported Carol, Sarah M, Sarah A and Grace as they led some English worship songs, and this was then followed by some Filipino songs. Very uplifting.

I then preached, with translation by Sally - an interesting experience to have to keep stopping for the Tagalog translation. I think it went well. The community was certainly very responsive and encouraging. I was told to preach for an hour - nobody in England has ever asked me to do that before!

Church continued with communal lunch, chatting and lots of laughs (and a few tears and prayers for people in need).

We then had a youth service (which was also attended by many older people). The youth were very engaged in all they did and Ian led an excellent session comparing the UK with the Philippines and stressing that we are all one! We may have various differences, but we have a common unity.

Church finished for Ian and myself leading a men's group with men from the community who have many needs and yet care obviously very strong, committed dignified people.

Church as it is meant to be? Yes, I think this was as near as I have seen it yet. God centred and yet reaching out in love to their very needy communities.

A privilege to be part of. (And as they would shout out - 'Amen!'

2009-10-25T05:43:00.004Z

The service went well, it was very crowded:

David preached a great sermon on Hebrews 13:8 and Sally translated, I don't think Sally will ever want to hear another sermon with the word "horizon" in it:

Preparation for Sunday service

2009-10-25T01:50:00.000+01:00

The girls are now practicing "In Christ Alone", this is a new song for the worship group here so we are making the musicians work hard to learn the song, as usual our Filipino friends are able to pick up the music very quickly.

Please pray for us all as we have a busy day today with a 2 hour service this morning where David is giving the message, then we have youth group this afternoon for another 2 hours where Carol and I will be leading. This evening David and I will be attending and sharing in the mens group.

Worship group practice

2009-10-24T14:07:00.002+01:00

Carol and Sarah are now practicing for the service tomorrow:

Feeding and small group in Sto. Rosario

2009-10-24T13:25:00.013+01:00

Today was our first full day in the Philippines, not interrupted by needing to sleep off jetlag.

Us MacDougalls went to visit the feeding programme in Sto. Rosario and thereafter shared in the small group. The Alexanders went off to visit at Block 37, I'm sure David will be along to tell of their day soon.

We had to use the traditional methods of transport in the Philippines, namely Jeepney and Trike, Sarah now has become addicted to riding on the outside of trikes, sitting side-saddle behind the driver, she clearly wants her dear old Dad to die of heart failure before his time:

I don't have a picture of Sarah side-saddle yet, but I'm sure I'll get one soon, here is Carol after her first time inside one of the machines:

We were warmly welcomed:

The children do some activities and sing some worship songs:

Then they have their food, in Sto. Rosario sixty children under six are fed, three times a week. They have a dish called lugaw (lougow) or sticky rice, it consists of rice, soup and chicken pieces:

Carol and Sarah were able to help with the feeding:

After the feeding the parents stay on for small group, Carol and I shared some Bible study with the group and then we took a photo of the group:

Message from Jane

2009-10-24T12:15:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

What an experience we are all having with our friends in Manila!

Today David, Sarah, Grace and I visited Block 37, first to the feeding programme where Sarah and Grace helped to serve food to the needy children, then to meet various members of the community that HOM have been able to help. We met Ana Rose who has had her first operation to repair her cleft palate and hare lip. She seems so much stronger than when I visited her earlier in the year.

We met one lady whose shanty was completely destroyed in the typhoon, she is also very poorly with a cough and malnourished, living in what we would consider a garden shed with a curtain for one of the walls. We are really hoping that some of the money raised for flood relief may be able to be used to help this poor lady and her family.

This evening the girls (the two Sarahs and Grace) have gone to the youth group's initiative of starting Bible Study in the communities. They are going to three separate groups so we are hoping they will be well looked after and praying for their safety in the communities in the dark!

If they have enough energy after this they will be joining Carol for music practise to prepare for the service tomorrow.

David is preparing his sermon for tomorrow-Sally told him the preaching usually lasts an hour-so watch out St Thomas when he returns!

We miss you very much John and wish you were here with us. Yesterday the girls were shown the house you helped to renovate and told that five families sheltered there during the floods. The Nanna of the family was in tears as she recounted this story and remembered your goodness.

Thank you to Aunite Fran and Uncle Bob and to many others who continue to pray for us. We really value your prayers for us and for the work of HOM. Please continue!

God bless, much love from Jane xx

Message from Carol

2009-10-23T12:48:00.003+01:00

Hi praying friends and family in Luton, I made it!! All the way to the other side of the world.

Travelling was not too bad and the tropical weather here is really strange but we have been warmly welcomed by the Hands of Mercy Team.

Hi Tara, don't worry - all is fine and we are feeling very much at home here already.

The poverty in the Philippines is visible from the air and a short trip to the local mall highlighted that even more so - I am looking forward to sharing God's love with the people I am in contact with.

Tomorrow we will be helping at the feeding programme and Ian and I will be speaking at a small group. In the afternoon we get the opportunity to meet up with our long term sponsored child Joana Marie and we are so much looking forward to that. In the evening I am hoping to practise with the worship group for Sunday service but we'll see if I last that long.

Sarah is really tired from travelling but is a little better now and embracing the experience with enthusiasm.

Hi Ron, Tasha, Helen, Jam, Bob and Fran - thanks for your continued prayer support.

Ron, I have your discipleship notes to hands

love to you all xxx

UK Team Arrives in Metro Manila

2009-10-23T11:42:00.004+01:00

We were hit!

As we stepped out from the airport terminal building we were hit by a wave of the familiar tropical warmth and humidity of Manila (even in one of the colder times of the year). And almost instantaneously we were hit by a wave of warm welcome, as we met our smiling friends, Sally and Joey Escoto. It is such a pleasure to meet up with them again; although we are regularly in touch by email and facebook, there is nothing to beat meeting face to face. And as we boarded our taxis to our accommodation we were hit again by the vibrant, tooting, chaos of Manila roads. What a wonderful country and people.

It has been a long journey, with that sensation when travelling east of somehow losing a night. So here I am on a warm Manila Friday evening, very tired as I write this, not having slept more than an hour since getting up at 5am on Thursday morning. I'm not complaining you understand: it was a good flight spent watching movies (I did try to sleep, but couldn't), and I didn't feel tired till a few hours ago. But now it is time for bed once I have informed everyone of our arrival.

Sarah and Grace, our daughters who are with us on the trip, have also already been hit with the needs of this city, and the reason we are here. Whilst Jane and I sorted out some practical arrangements, they were taken by Sally and Joey on a quick tour by jeepney and tryc to some of the communities we will be working in, Block 37 and 38. The tour even included a visit to the local prison! Here they visited the Support Group and Bible Study that HOM hold for the prisoners, and which is very keenly welcomed.

We have been hit - by warmth and need in equal measure - and we are glad to be here!

One Day to go to Visit of UK Team

2009-10-21T11:07:00.002+01:00

We are excited that we will soon be on our way to see our friends in the Philippines, and hopefully give them some support at this difficult time for many of them. We are busy packing and doing those many things that need to be done. The on-line check-in with Cathy Pacific was a bit laborious, but we are now all booked and ready to go.

Soon we shall be in the heat, humidity and bustle of Metro Manila.

We hope to be distributing much needed rice, medicines and repairing shelters damaged by the typhoons, as well as giving encouragement to the Hands of Mercy team who no doubt must be exhausted after their recent trials.

If anyone wants further information about Hands of Mercy or to donate to help this vital work go to: http://www.handsofmercyph.org/

3 Days to UK Team Visit

2009-10-19T09:08:00.003+01:00

Three days to go to visit of team from UK to Manila. Please pray for Ian, Carol, Sarah, Jane, Sarah, Grace and David - that they may be a help and encouragement to the Hands of Mercy team working in the communities there.

Illness is rife

2009-10-17T22:03:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately our friends in the Philippines are suffering with illness, mainly spread through contaminated water, diptheria, leptospirosis and dengue fever are now being seen along with the usual effects of drinking poor quality water

Typhoon Lupit threatens Philippines

2009-10-17T21:53:00.002+01:00

There is another typhoon (possible super-typhoon) threatening the Philippines, see here for the current predicted track of the storm:

Predicted storm track