Mission Impossible...?? (Part 2) -Manila-

I hope that you have read my Part 1 so you would not be confused with this part 2.
So, we reached Clark or Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark to be exact at around 5pm and we immediately took a bus to Manila. It took us 2 hours plus to Pasay bus station in Manila where Jude waited for us. The journey was just okay and most of us slept along the way. Somehow I managed to snap a few pictures for my own collection..hhaha... here you go.

 Happy that we arrived safely, but tired at the same time. This was taken right after we board the bus. Nice weather by the way. We were excited with what we're going to experience in Manila in just a few hours time.

 Snapped this while the bus is moving. :)
We reached Pasay at around 7.30 pm and Jude was waiting for us at the bus station. He took us to ride a Jeepney, one of the most popular public transportation in the Philippines to our lodging, a pension run by a catholic family in the middle of Manila.

 

 Pension Natividad, its a very nice place if you are looking for a cheap yet clean and comfortable place to spend the night in Manila. There is even a prayer room for the staffs and guests!! Yeay! 

So we checked in and Jude asked us to refresh ourselves a bit before going out for dinner. After dinner we had a short briefing on our mission exposure and off we went and officially started the mission at around 9.30pm. 

We were basically walking around the streets in that area. For the first time in my life, I saw a lot of homeless people that night. I did see a few back in my place but I never really walk and observe the homeless back home because I think it is dangerous to go and have a walk around these people. What more to talk or start a conversation with them. Just across the road where we stayed, a lady and her toddler son was sleeping in a pedicab, another type of cheap transportation in the Philippines. We greeted her and tried to make a conversation. She just answered us while smiling, but I can see that she was already in a deep sleep earlier and I felt that we were disturbing her precious sleep. So we just left her so that she can continue with her rest. 

Walking around the area, I can't help but notice that every corner, every street that we passed by, there must be at least a person lying there, sleeping comfortably on the cold pavement or stairs with either an aluminum sheet or boxes as their mattress. I was literally shocked and it took me a while to digest this new experience. Jude encouraged us to speak to these people and just be available to listen to their stories. I was paranoid at first that they might do something bad or they might chase us away or tell us to mind our own business.

 

But to my surprise, none of them did any of that. In fact, they were welcoming us and even asked us to sit with them on their small territory. Then some of us started to talk and we finally went in smaller groups to different families on the streets. We talked to them and introduced ourselves and told them our reason to be there. Then we shared about God and His love for each and every human being in this world. We wanted to share this to them because we encountered Him personally before coming for the mission and our main intention is to spread the good news to others and also to share to these people on how God also wanted them to have the same relationship that we have with Him.

 

This was our main activity during night time in Manila. The first and second day was visiting different slumps or poor areas around Malate. We also visited the local parish and church which is called as Malate Church. Its a very old church but it is a beautiful and big building. Even though there are a lot of renovations going on, the place still looks fantastic. We had our morning masses at the church and our mission reflections in the church's chapel every night before retiring for the day. Here's a quick snap of the church.

A little history on the church.

Church entrances

Some renovations ongoing to restore the church building to a better state

We did a little tour on our second day in Malate Church where we met with Father Martin, a very friendly person who showed us around the church and told us about the church history and how it survived the war back then. After the tour, we were brought to visit the slumps area. We visited some of the poorest housing area where the people have to build their own house and share it among a few families. It is very hard for me to describe it with words only. The area is not really big. It is right in the middle of the city and the gaps in between houses there were really narrow, that only up to one person can pass through at a time. 

I really wanna write more on this, but I think this entree is getting too long. So let me just put another suspense in you and continue the story in part 3.. hehehe..with more pics.. ^^

So, have a nice day!         

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.

    Psalm 119:35