Exploring Manila

On Friday morning, we flew from Tagbilaran for Manila. We made it  to our hotel in Manila early in the afternoon. While the majority of the group chose to go shopping, Ben Grin and I, being the young, adventurous souls that we are, hopped in the back of a jeepney, a long wheel-base jeep used as a bus. When we got on, we had no idea where it was going. Naturally, when we got off, we had no idea

where we were, yet we decided to explore. We knew we were in the slums by the looks of things—the streets were incredibly overcrowded with people and cars, homes and buildings were falling apart, and the air was so thick with exhaust and smog that it was hard to breathe. Such sights reminded me of how fortunate we are and how important it is that we continue helping those in need.

On Saturday, we visited a section of Manila known as Intramuros, where the Spanish ruling classes lived when the Philippines was a Spanish colony. Being in the Philippines for the past week, it was interesting to visit Intramuros, whose architecture and Romanesque cathedrals made it feel very much like a European city.

 

Later that evening, Phyllis Van Horn, Nancy Rhoades, and Sharon Townsend attended services at a church nearby. As they stood up to leave, they turned around and saw a woman and her son, who appeared to be in his late teens. They immediately noticed that the boy’s eyes were severely crossed and began telling him and his mother about the mission that was just completed. After they told the mother that there would be another mission in the Philippines the next year and gave her a card with the foundation’s information on it, she asked how much the surgery would cost. When they told her that it would be free, she began to cry with joy.

 

We left the Philippines proud of the work that we had accomplished and at having been able to touch so many peoples’ lives. Mayor Lim said at Thursday night’s farewell party that we’d always have a special place in the hearts of the people of Tagbilaran. The reverse is also true—they’ll always have a special place in ours.

- Tommy Bailey, MMF Team Philippines