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