Day 8

T’was an early morn when we rose

All our students did oppose.

5:30am was the wakeup call

To make it to church which was a ball.

A couple of hotcakes for the drive.

And after three hours we did arrive.

A white mansion and volcano greeted us,

As did the locals as we got off our bus.

With hearts and bellies full, we made our way,

Off to the orphanage for grand opening day.

Ribbons were cut, photos were snapped,

Everybody cheered, everybody clapped.

Old friends were embraced, and new ones made

Oh how the memories, they will never fade.

With buckets of laughs and overwhelming smiles.

We could see a sea of balloon animals going for miles.

Beacham summoned dinner, the menu was chicken,

Oh how glorious, it was finger lickin’

Last stop today, was perhaps our greatest call.

We packed over 580 food parcels, it was a race after all.

All in all everyone is doing well,

So many stories, we just can’t wait to tell.

Not going to lie, we are keen for our beds.

After this time consuming poem, we must rest our weary heads.

Love Emily, Evan, Olivia and Bek

(The ex-students that haven’t quite moved on yet.)

Day 7

Dear Parents/Friends and supporters,

RACHEL: Today was Mr Beacham’s favourite kind of day, 5.30am start. We were packed and ready to depart the beautiful town of Sagay and arrive back in Bacolod.  As we entered back into the city the juxtapositioning of the country and crazy city was very clear. We went to Jollibee for breakfast (Filipino version of Hungry Jacks). There were some very weird and crazy things on the menu, the one that I ate being ‘Pancake sandwich’. This consisted of 2 pancakes with an egg, bacon and some kind of sauce in the middle.  After breakfast we split into 2 groups, boys and girls.  The girls went to the beauty salon while the boys went and got massages and their hair cut.  It was a nice and relaxed atmosphere in comparison to our full on day yesterday.  We were treated to the famous Bobs for lunch! Many of us have been looking forward to this experience again since last year. Many of the team had a buffet that they picked out and was cooked personally by the amazing staff.  Others had new experiences and tried food off the menu.  

NAOMI: After our delicious lunch at Bobs we were extremely full and the girls were all feeling like females again after our trip to the beauty shop: it was time to shop. The girls and I (Naomi) made our way to the triple 8 markets.  Some intense haggling and a few hours later some of us came out with some sweet bargains such as shoes, sunnies and even a snappy bow-tie.  It was very busy in the markets and through the very hard physical labour of the intense sport also known as shopping, Emily started to get a bit sick; maybe too much bartering.  Anyway after the markets we made our way back to the hotel and dug through the mountain of bags to find ours and set up in our rooms. We set off to dinner just after 6 but detoured to the large Robinsons mall for some more shopping time as dinner was not yet ready for us. No haggling allowed at the mall apparently so some just stuck to buying the Philippines famous dried mango in the food store, me on the other hand bought a bunch of the round waffle sticks for the long bus trip to Cabacungan tomorrow.  We made our way to the IRC church in Bacolod for dinner (IKTHUS) hosted by the pastors of the church.  Some people thought we all would be tired of the yummy chicken on a stick for dinner by now but not me! I can always have room and time for chicken! As usual the food was so delicious with fresh mango, bananas and watermelon- we have been truly blessed: especially in the food department! A quick debrief at the church and a few thankyous all round between the pastors of IKTHUS and our group. Back to the hotel tonight for a good sleep ready for our next stage of our trip starting tomorrow at church. We have been truly blessed and experienced many incredible things this week and have been able to bless the IRC Sagay community through our work.

RACHEL: Hello beautiful family!!! The trip has been so rewarding so far, thank you all so much for helping me out and making it possible for me to come here! I don’t tell you guys enough but I love you all and am so grateful to have you all in my life! I am missing you and all your craziness so much!
Just before I finish I want to say a super big happy birthday to my little brother Owen! Have fun being a juvie for a few more years! You are still so annoying and will not grow out of it!
See you all soon! Keep checking the blog! Love and miss you all! xxxxxxxx

NAOMI: hey family: mum, dad, peter, Liz, Phillip, Stephen, Daniel ! Missing you very much. Hope the family is well and healthy and Peter and Brijette are having a beautiful time on their honeymoon. And btw mum and dad I have been adopted by Emily and Evan Peirce and its official and everything (meaning we signed a page in my notebook) love you all xx

Day 6

Dear Parents/Friends & Supporters,

Today was the best day of the trip so far! The team worked extremely hard and put in all their effort to complete a basketball court and paint the community building. I helped lay out the foundation for the concrete with chipped limestone, carried sand bags through 30m of slippery mud and helped in passing buckets of concrete. When collecting sand in old sacks there was music playing, so I started dancing and eventually encouraged all the Filipino children to join in and dance too. Everyone continued to push through the heat, in clothes drenched in their own sweat and dirt. We weren't able to finish the court due to running out of sand and cement but got a third done. The community was so appreciative of our efforts and the goodbye was extremely difficult. We are leaving for Bacolod again tomorrow morning so won’t be able to go back to the community again. There were many tears from both the Filipinos and us, but one little boy stood out to me the most. He was about two/three years old and was so shy. I spent time trying to talk to him and when leaving a few of the teenagers noticed me watching him. They told him to go to ‘mum’ and bought him over to me for a hug.  It was the most magical experience so far in the trip. I had a really awesome day today and the whole team was happy with their efforts, the only disappointment was that we couldn't stay and finish the basketball court for the lovely families.
Miss you Mum, Dad & Steven xoxx
- Rachel

Today was such an awesome day! The team performed amazingly and worked so hard to accomplish our goals we had set for the day. We made a start on the construction of a basketball court for the local community, and the painting of a community building. I was a Jack of all trades today, did all of the things do to, such as getting sand, mixing the concrete by hand, filling up the water tank, pick axing all of the rocks, passing the concrete mixture to the fellas, and passing the concrete getting prepared to lay it. The amount of sweat was tremendous and dripping off my face, and back it wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but I loved all of the hard work we did and felt so good about the job we had done for the community.  After the massive day of smashing out the work we all went to a resort place to go for a swim and clean up before we went back to the hotel, we all got into the pools and it was amazing and felt so good after a day of hard work and labour. Was a great day in all and can’t wait for another day like that.
Miss you Mum, Dad, Ash and Nelson my dog :’) cya all soon xo.
 - Blake.

Today was the best day of this trip so far. Everyone looked like they had a great time and couldn't have performed better. We also made a start and completion of the painting of the C.R (toilet) which we painted white and the almost completion of the varnishing of the undercover area and the Filipino coordinator (Burt) house. I was a little upset with myself because I was a little sick and couldn't do the concreting but it all worked out for the better because I could reach all the high spots that the others couldn't reach so that was good.  The dinner tonight was also amazing as we had beautiful whole mangos and spaghetti.  All in all it was a great day and I give the day a 9.5.                                                  Miss you Mum, Dad and Scott. Xo.     -Brad-  

Day 5

Dear Parents/Friends and supporters,

We woke up this Morning and gathered around for breakfast at 7:30am and found out that there was going to be a change of plans, due to a Typhoon hitting the south of the Philippines.  Our original plans, helping the IRC community were cancelled because the entry into the community was waste deep in mud from the heavy rainfall. We had no choice but to improvise the day by visiting high schools and entertaining them with our Christian stories and Aussie Culture.

We danced, sung and acted Christian parables to them. Then we stopped at a local restaurant and had Pork Ribs/Chicken on a Stick and then we went to a local super market and Mr Beacham treated us to an ice cream or chocolate.  We then came back to our accommodation and had a rest until 3pm.

Then we got back on the bus and drove to another high school called Sagay national high school where we entertained the students  and experienced a tour of their school.   This was a real eye opener to most of us of how lucky we are in Australia with the resources we have.  

The boys played Basketball against the local boys and Steven was the best player. (The last part was written by Steven)  The boys won by two points 22/ 24 J and the girls played volley ball and they struggled against the locals for they were more experienced and skilled. 

 After the games were finished we went out to dinner to find ourselves eating chicken on a stick, local spring rolls and a noodle dish called Pancit.  We then went to the local supermarket and were given a challenge of buying the weirdest food we could find to eat as our evening snack.  There was some really weird stuff but the weirdest was probably Dave Scott who had canned meat with the main ingredient listed as cattle.

after that we came back to  the hotel and changed into our swimming clothes and went out to our to a pool and played a game of water polo teachers vs students.   The students won as usual haha and then completed our journals had a de-brief and then we went to bed.  Hopefully it stops raining so we can got out into the community tomorrow.

Steven, Ebony and April

Weather Update

Dear Parents/Friends & Supporters,

Just a quick update to let you all know that a low category Typhoon/Cyclone is passing through the southern region of the Philippine islands.  As a result the central region of the island of Negros in which we are currently residing, is experiencing heavy rain.  Due to this, our programs for today have been cancelled as a safety precaution.  We are currently re-negotiating activities for the students to complete today. At this stage we are looking at visiting local primary and secondary schools and running classroom activities.

Day 4

Dear Everyone,

Today was a challenging day for the whole group. It involved some seriously emotionally stretching tasks and activities. We began with breakfast bought from the local shopping centre (dry milo cereal and dried mango… yum) and then travelled to the IRC community in Sagay. Immediately we started rotations with our group going shelling/fishing. We casually waltzed down to the riverside, only to find a majority of the group clueless on what we were meant to be doing, or where we were meant to be going. After several minor abrasions the group finally pulled together and the goal was more clear. We boarded two small Banka boats and travelled down river for roughly five minutes. This lead us to a large flat area of mud that we knew was going to be an interesting experience. As our shoes got progressively wetter and muddier we wandered the plain collecting a range of shells, starfish, dead fish and crabs.

 Later in the day, after a delicious lunch of chicken on a stick again, we handed out previously prepared meal bags for each family which included rice, noodles and sardines. Brother Bert had surveyed the community to find 100 of the poorest families which included the old, disabled and in generally bad condition. By this time the group was mentally and physically drained but to brighten to mood we came together and made balloon animals, blew bubbles and bended pipe cleaners to make some interesting looking “men”.

This time was a really great time to just connect and have fun with the kids. The balloons and bubbles gave the gathering a real, party feel, and it was good to hear the parents really appreciated us taking care of them. To see the kids faces glow when just receiving this small gift was a real blessing. In knowing that something as small as a poorly made balloon animal can make such a difference encouraged the whole group and gave reality to the mission statement for the trip.

The language barriers have meant that the group has  had to adapt to the local dialect, or else speak in a really corny American accent. This gave the whole group a laugh in their day, even in the harshest of conditions. We later came together in groups of three and one teacher as well as an interpreter and visited some households in the community. We asked questions including how they earn their money, where they sleep, what they eat and one question that really got a lot of us, how were you affected by Typhoon Yolanda? As the team gathered again we discussed what we had found and it was interesting to hear about how different these people were yet how similar we all are as people. It was hard to hear some of the stories that everyone had heard from all the different families. These people mentioned family members of theirs that had to pass away with no hesitation, like it meant nothing to them, when in our situation we wouldn't be able to just share something like that. After this we had dinner (chicken on a stick again) and had debrief together.

Lewis & Imogen

Day 3

Dear Parents & Friends

Today we woke up at 6:15 and we packed all of our bags and headed to Maccas for some breakfast. From there we headed from Bacolod to Sagay on 2 separate local buses. We had around a 2 hour bus ride and then arrived at our hotel; we then got dressed and went out to see the Mayor of Sagay. We sung to him the classical Aussie song; Waltzing Matilda and three of the worship leaders from the His Life Church sung to us the Hymn of Sagay. 

After leaving the Mayor’s office, we headed to a local restaurant to have a lunch of Inasal chicken (chicken on a stick) and barbecued pork with rice.  After tasting the local delicacy we headed off to the local value store (shopping centre) and were given 400 pesos (approximately $10) and were given the task of buying our breakfast/ morning and afternoon tea for the following 3 days. 

We travelled back to our hotel and pack our bags to head off to the IRC (Ikthus Redeemed Community) where we met the local people and were given a tour around the community.  We saw where they had built a new toilet and shower block, the first flushing and working shower in their community.  We saw where they fish, farm and the boats they use.  We saw a couple of Brahman cows they use to help them farm. We connected with the local kids immediately and watched a performance they put on for us. We heard about the and projects completed over the previous 6 months and we were then given the task of packing 300 bags filled with rice, sardines and noodles ready for tomorrow when we give them out to the community.

We travelled back on 1 single bus with few seats to occupy our crew and went back to the hotel. We were given an hour and a half to rest and shower.  After the break we were taken on a joyride around the city on a local Pedicab (motorbike and carriage) for a feel on how the local people travel around each and every day.  The evening finished with a banquet hosted by the mayor of Sagay.  It was a beautifully decorated venue with allot of food and soft drink.  The local high dance troop treated us to a performance of some local folk dances.  The festivities finished with all of the students trying a local dance called the bamboo stick dance, which was lots of fun even though it was more difficult than it looked.

We are heading off to bed now for a good night’s sleep.  Tomorrow we get to wake up at the decent time of 7:00am.

Sam B, Nina, Andrew W  

Day 2

DEAR PARENTS,

Hope you’re doing fine without us, it must be hard but I'm here to let you know that we’re having the time of our lives and we’re all healthy.  So today was our first full day in the Philippines and it was great but also an extremely hot way to start our trip. Today the team had an early start to the day (4:30am wake up) and went to the filming TV studio and where a part of the crowd. Then when and had breakfast t at McDonald’s. After we had breakfast we headed to the local College where we all got little Filipino buddies who were to spend the day with us then we played a friendly basketball game (Boys) volleyball (Girls) and I got to play with the most amazing basketball player named John Taylor (Group Leader) got smashed (106-62) after that we had lunch (chicken) then we presented a cultural presentation the Filipino people. Later that afternoon we went to the VMA training centre where we participated in water activities.

ILY MUM & DAD

Trent J

Our first full day was a touching experience that represented how Filipinos represent themselves and their country.  We were faced with challenges that for some, particularly me were difficult to complete. An activity that had been organised was to jump off a 10ft building balcony into water to experience what would happen if a ship was required to be evacuated. This was particularly difficult for me to participate in as I’m afraid of heights and the thought of being trapped under water, even though I was equipped with a life jacket. It took me a while and after many encouraging words from caring people and many, many tears I decided nothing good would come from not jumping. I knew I would probably be shaking too much to do it myself so I got my classmate Chelsea to give me a little push, thanks Chels. Someone else special who helped me through this experience was my buddy, Stephanie. At first I was nervous meeting her but we ended up having so much in common and one day wasn’t enough to spend with her. We all seemed to interact with our buddies wonderfully and their encouragement throughout the day and knowledge of their country added to the quality of our day. Our first day was a memorable one with many new experiences and exposure to the diversity of culture that is the Philippines.

-Aislinn J    

                                                                                                               

Today was a very insightful day and it showed us some of what’s to come while on this trip. We got up at 4:30 and went to the morning TV show it was very hard to keep our eyes open while we were watching. After that we went to the Australian embassy (Maccas) and had breakfast, it was a good meal and was the first time on the trip we didn’t have chicken and rice. From there we went to the local school to meet our buddy’s for the day, my buddy was called Rodel.  He was in year 8 but he taught me some of the local langue. We played basketball with some of the elder kids, we thought it was going to be an easy game nice and fun but we were wrong, we got smashed. After basketball we had lunch and a tour of their school. From there we went to a local swimming pool centre, while we were here there were many things that we did, first we had a fire fighting scenario, I was at the front of the hose it was very hot in the full uniform, after we had put out the fire we had to do a scenario were the boat needed to be evacuated (jump off) some people struggled but I thought it was fun. Then we had dinner and some karaoke then come home to the hotel. I hope everyone’s enjoying the home without you loved ones.

Calvin J

Day

Day 1 - Zoe & Ashleigh

Saturday 22^nd November

Today’s start as we all scrambled to get everything we needed packed for the trip and get to the airport for 10 pm. The waiting started as we progressed through the lines filled with excitement and angst of what was to come. Made it through customs, with plenty of time for debrief, getting all the information for our trip. The trip was finally here!

Sunday 23^rd November

Our first flight finally took off at 2:05, the excitement of the trip was growing as we advanced throughout this flight. The lucky slept and the unlucky who couldn’t sleep watched movies on the small screens and listened to others snoring. Our first meal was breakfast on this flight and we were all so hungry we ate all we were given.

We arrived in Singapore at 7:20am, our first pit stop. We added journal entries and wrote letters to ourselves for the end of the trip. We were so tired, hopefully it all made sense. Leaving Singapore at 9:35 we travelled to Manila. Arriving at 1:10 we had a yummy lunch that gave us some more energy to keep going.  We then dragged ourselves through the airport and waiting to board our next flight.

Our first domestic flight was to Bacolod, this trip was a lot quicker than the rest. Thank goodness for that! When we got to Bacolod we grabbed our entire group’s luggage and headed to the bus.

We then met with Pastor Gary and travelled by bus to dinner. We arrive and demolished Chicken on a stick, rice and pork. This was an awesome meal everyone enjoyed. Afterwards Mr Beacham treated everyone to an ice cream or chocolate bar. On the way to the hotel we debriefed all the information needed for tomorrow including the 4:30am wakeup call we will be receiving from the hotel staff… yay that should be interesting!

The WiFi isn't great at the moment so we will get some pictures to you as soon as we can.  We are looking forward to an early nights sleep.

God Bless

Introduction

Welcome to the Blogspot of the 2014 Southern Hills Christian College service trip.  This year we will again be partnering with Pastor Gary Visitacion of the Federation of Christian Athletes,  Ikthus Church Bacolod and their community development projects called Ikthus redeemed Communities.  The students will be travelling to the central islands of the Philippines, specifically the cities Bacolod, Sagay, Cabacungan, Cebu and transiting Manila and Singapore. 

The purpose of this trip is for upper secondary students to experience the culture of a different country and assist in the numerous areas where help is needed. Currently these areas involve teaching, general construction and food distribution to communities considered slums.

Whilst the majority of the trip will involve working in the above mentioned areas, there will be opportunities for the students to experience traditional work practices and personally experience life in poor rural communities. Other ministry areas include water purification projects and participating in basketball/volleyball games at a local high schools.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to your comments and prayers during the trip. The Blogspot will be updated late every evening when possible.

God Bless

2014 Southern Hills Service trip team