Kelly and Sarah, my strict blog taskmasters, have reminded me (gently?) that it is time for my “start of the month” blog contribution. So I’m dutifully signing in!
Since it’s the beginning of May, I’m reminded of my very first trip to see one of Children International’s field projects. At the risk of accusations of being a bit dramatic, it was a trip that would change my life.
May, 1986…the Philippines. I was a new member of the Board of Directors of what was then Mission International. We had originally planned to visit the Philippines in February but that February was when citizens of the Philippines united in what was termed “People Power” and ousted long time President Ferdinand Marcos, whose position would be filled by Corazon Aquino as she rode the wave of the populist movement into office.
That trip was unbelievably impressive to me for a number of reasons….while I had traveled extensively to Europe in my former job, Asia and the Philippines were a brand new experience, unlike any I’d ever had before. The airplane ride was seemingly endless—after finally arriving in Manila I vowed that after the return I wouldn’t sign up for one of those again!
The Filipino people also represented a new experience…but a great one. I still recall how friendly everyone was—and every trip since has only reinforced that.
The geography also made a big impression on me. I had seen a lot of footage of Southeast Asia in coverage of the Vietnam War, but seeing the stunning beauty of the main island and the many islands that comprise this archipelago represented an amazing perspective-broadening experience for this guy from the Midwest. The variety of palm trees (and VERY fresh coconut), the mango trees, the lush vegetation, the miles and miles of shoreline, the active volcanoes and the rich, red sunsets into the South China Sea were brand new to me.
But most of all I was impressed with and by the poverty I saw. To this day, the slums I walked through on that trip formed a basis for interpretation and comparison with every slum, barrio and poverty-stricken area I’ve seen since. I was overwhelmed, to say the least.
As oppressive as the poverty was, I remember being very impressed by the spirit of the sponsored children! That youthful zest for life is something that I’ve seen time and time again and it continues to be a big motivator for me as we work hard to try to nurture that vibrant spirit with which every child seems to be born. Giving hope and dreams to that spirit is one of my goals for every child in the sponsorship program.
Finally, the staff in the Philippines made a huge impression on me. Just like our staffs do everywhere ever since. The Philippine staff’s familiarity with the children, their parents and the community impressed me then and impresses me now. The commitment to the children by the staff was and is amazing…they do so much under such difficult conditions that I am always inspired by them…just as I was 23 years ago this month.
And by the way, I think since vowing to never make an airplane trip as long as that first one to the Philippines, I’ve now made over thirty of them and have actually come to enjoy them!
Since it’s the beginning of May, I’m reminded of my very first trip to see one of Children International’s field projects. At the risk of accusations of being a bit dramatic, it was a trip that would change my life.
May, 1986…the Philippines. I was a new member of the Board of Directors of what was then Mission International. We had originally planned to visit the Philippines in February but that February was when citizens of the Philippines united in what was termed “People Power” and ousted long time President Ferdinand Marcos, whose position would be filled by Corazon Aquino as she rode the wave of the populist movement into office.
That trip was unbelievably impressive to me for a number of reasons….while I had traveled extensively to Europe in my former job, Asia and the Philippines were a brand new experience, unlike any I’d ever had before. The airplane ride was seemingly endless—after finally arriving in Manila I vowed that after the return I wouldn’t sign up for one of those again!
The Filipino people also represented a new experience…but a great one. I still recall how friendly everyone was—and every trip since has only reinforced that.
The geography also made a big impression on me. I had seen a lot of footage of Southeast Asia in coverage of the Vietnam War, but seeing the stunning beauty of the main island and the many islands that comprise this archipelago represented an amazing perspective-broadening experience for this guy from the Midwest. The variety of palm trees (and VERY fresh coconut), the mango trees, the lush vegetation, the miles and miles of shoreline, the active volcanoes and the rich, red sunsets into the South China Sea were brand new to me.
But most of all I was impressed with and by the poverty I saw. To this day, the slums I walked through on that trip formed a basis for interpretation and comparison with every slum, barrio and poverty-stricken area I’ve seen since. I was overwhelmed, to say the least.
As oppressive as the poverty was, I remember being very impressed by the spirit of the sponsored children! That youthful zest for life is something that I’ve seen time and time again and it continues to be a big motivator for me as we work hard to try to nurture that vibrant spirit with which every child seems to be born. Giving hope and dreams to that spirit is one of my goals for every child in the sponsorship program.
Finally, the staff in the Philippines made a huge impression on me. Just like our staffs do everywhere ever since. The Philippine staff’s familiarity with the children, their parents and the community impressed me then and impresses me now. The commitment to the children by the staff was and is amazing…they do so much under such difficult conditions that I am always inspired by them…just as I was 23 years ago this month.
And by the way, I think since vowing to never make an airplane trip as long as that first one to the Philippines, I’ve now made over thirty of them and have actually come to enjoy them!
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