Our National Day of Service began early as we met with the
Manila South Multi-Stake.
Elder Baily, Dina, Haidi, Sis. DuPaix and Sis. Bailey.
Each of the Stakes in the Multi-Stake area gathered together for their individual pictures.
We met at the KKK Monument! We weren't quite sure what that meant but
we found it stood for but the last word is Katipunan and it represents and
upraising against the Spanish.
Elder and I got to meet Mayor Lim. He came out and spoke to us before
we started the service project.
After the Major spoke to us, we all got in vans, jeepnees, and car and had a caravan to
Tondo to do our service. We actually had a police escort!
Tondo is a very poor area where there are shacks and tenement housing built on a
garbage dump. We meet at the "Field of Dreams" as we organized to plant trees around
the field. This is the one area where they can have some recreational play. Unfortunately,
there is still broken glass on other garbage in the ground here. Our ground planted
about 100 trees and their leaders have committed to water them!
About half of us walked through the town to do another project. This part is pretty bad.
They still bring the garbage here and it is sorted so some can be reclaimed and recycled.
Behind me and the little shops is a mountain of garbage. It is just layer upon
layer with some trees beginning to grow on it. We don't know how
many years ago it began.
Our other project was to bring lunch to these 300 little children. They were gathered
in a small hall and sitting on the floor in straight lines. It was sweltering and
with very little ventilation. They were very well behaved and happy to get the
meals that we partnered with McDonald's to provide for them.
Other people in our group cleaned the patio area outside of the hall, pulling weeds
and sweeping. The man in the orange shirt is Jib. He plays the piano almost
every week for our devotionals in the Area Office. He says he only learned how to
play chords so he doesn't read music very well but he can turn a regular hymn into a
solo number with those beautiful open chords!
After the children had lunch, they set up a little movie for them and then gave
them a toy and some new slippers! Many of the children saved part of their
lunches to take home and share with their families.
Elder and Sister DuPaix with some of the children and their "loot" bags!
The DuPaix's and the Bailey's with some of our great local public affairs leaders!
It was a great day!
No comments:
Post a Comment