Monday, September 28, 2009

Flooding in the Philippines

Several people have asked or sent me email links about the severe flooding in the Philippines. They have asked if Sebio and his co-children are ok. I have emailed Linda to see if this latest flooding happened where the children are. By the map I have of the area Manila is not exactly the location but I'm still not sure if it hit them too. I promise to put up a post as soon as I hear back from her. I want to thank everyone for their concern, we all want the children to be safe and dry.

Here is a link to the story from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/28/philippines.floods/index.html


UPDATE: Linda just spoke with the home's director and there was no mention of flooding in their location. So it appears no news is good news and all the kids are safe and dry!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sebio: Drummer & Our Photo Journalist

First I want to apologize for my posts being so long but I tend to get rather passionate when I start talking about Sebio and the other children at God's Town. I also promise to eventually tell all those who have been asking what the blog title means....just not today!! I've got to keep you coming back for something, right?

So in my efforts to keep this post shorter it will be mostly pictures many of them taken by Sebio himself. This was a fun project. When Linda was making her last trip over there, earlier this year, I sent with her 3 disposable cameras and asked her to give them to Sebio. With the cameras were the instructions that he should take pictures of anything and everything. Then he should send the cameras back with Ma'am Linda (which is how they refer to her) and I would have them developed. This all worked as planned but to my initial dismay there was nothing with the cameras, no note, descriptions, nothing. UNTIL, one night while I was home alone and for some reason realized the cameras, neatly packed back in the boxes they travelled over there in were numbered and taped shut. Now I hadn't done that so I started to untape and investigate. The first one yielded a piece of paper inside with notes to us and highlights of what was on the camera. So then it became like Christmas because each and every box had a note!!

Since I titled this Sebio, Drummer this first picture obviously wasn't taken by him because it is him. We recently sent him an instructional book and dvd about playing drums which I we just heard he loves and is using often.




Of course with each letter describing the pictures he wrote things like: "Thank you that you are my sponsor who support me, I have many pictures are very nice for you". He writes "this our cat the color are white and orange."




This is one of the building at GT and the bike pictured, to the left will be used by a couple of the older boys to go to school.








And then there was the night filled with popcorn making and eating fun.





One of the infamous carabou.







One of his co-children getting bamboo for use at the pig roast they had. Sebio wrote: "I like the roast pig but I forgot to take a picture of it." Remember they raise many of their own animals, fruits and veggies.



Sebio writes of this final picture: "This is the restaurant in town where we went to lunch." Linda later relayed to me, when she finally got to see the pictures, that it was a really good day on their trip into town.




I want to end this post with something Sebio wrote in one of the notes found with the cameras but first I must preface it with this. Aaron and I both wear bracelets that he got while in Iraq. We had an extra one so I asked Linda to deliver it to Sebio. It included a note telling him we wanted him to have it and that we both have them too and it would be a kind of connection between the 3 of us. Here was his response to this small gift: "I thank you for the bracelet you send me. This is good remembrance for you. When I grow up and wherever I go I will remember to you. It is a good simple things of me."

Next time: Prom and what's up with the baby duck thing!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The Pixie Sticks Connection

When we decided to sponsor one of the kids at God’s Town I was looking forward to sending care packages like I did when Aaron was in Iraq. I had gotten to be quite a master of finding fun cool things to send and knowing what could survive the approximately 8 day travel time to reach him in the sand box.

Unfortunately I was informed that the only thing I could really send over to Sebio were flat envelopes. Linda impressed upon me to send anything that could travel flat in a large yellow envelope. This was for several reasons, one of which was they must pay for boxes that they receive over there. Well that was out I didn’t want to put any undue expenses on them there. Also boxes could be stolen and or gone through and items “removed”. Ok, didn’t want that happening either….so flat mailings it is. And as Linda said when you don’t really have anything, you are happy with whatever you receive.

I can’t tell you the aimless time I’ve spent in stores trying to figure out; what will mail flat, what will survive the nearly 3 weeks it takes to get there and the biggest question “what the heck do you send a 17 (now 18) year old boy in another country. How do certain things translate?

My first attempt at mailing that flat envelope over of course included a letter. I was informed that book covers would be great. Do you know how hard it is to find book covers, at least ones that don’t include the face of Hannah Montana on them?? Paper is expensive so I did send some of that but how fun is getting paper?

I knew I wanted to send over something Sebio could share with his co-children and what kid doesn’t like candy, no matter where you live. So now, what candy will make the 3 week trip and the heat once it arrives? From mailing over to Iraq I knew gum was a good choice, especially the coated, chicklet type. But then I spied them, pixie sticks. They brought back great childhood memories of hoisting those babies up in the air to allow all the sweet, gritty goodness to slide down into your mouth. I made sure there would be plenty to share. But of course then I was overcome with the question, would they know what they are? How to eat them?

The photo here shows Sebio holding OUR envelope (yes, I can tell by the outside label even in a small photo). And there they are his co-children, pixie sticks in the absolute perfect slide into your mouth yummy goodness position. Doesn’t Sebio, proudly handing out that candy, have one of the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen? I have been told he didn’t always smile like this.


Of course here I was worried about the kids knowing what to do with the pixie sticks, but it seems it was really the gum I should have been concerned with. The story is that little Sara there, who by the way is sponsored by Aaron’s Aunt Sarah in PA, really enjoyed her gum from my first flat envelope. Unfortunately I guess she enjoyed it so much she went to bed with it in her mouth and well, it has been said she woke up with it in her HAIR.

Next time: Sebio, the photo journalist & drummer.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

What Do You Do When the Lights Go Out?


How do you react when the power goes out? How about when the cable goes off right in the middle of a riveting movie scene? Not to mention being unable to fine a “signal” for your cell phone when you want one! Are you anything like me when something like this happens exclaiming “now what or what the heck” or perhaps a few other choice words we’ll leave to the reader’s imagination?

For most of us, after some huffing and puffing or a call to our friendly utility provider, the lights, the cable or whatever creature comfort has gone off is back on again. At its worst around here, during storms or a downed pole, our inconvenience lasts maybe a few hours. Now imagine you live in a place where electricity goes off on a nearly daily basis. Without rhyme, reason or schedule it goes off and returns in the same manner.

For us, we often have peace of mind when bad weather or crisis strikes there are people we can call and count on; 911, local fire and rescue, the Red Cross, the police. But where God’s Town is located typhoons can be a fairly regular occurrence, and unlike here, there are no government agencies to help out. Communications between Linda in PA and Purie, the director at God’s Town can be sporadic and difficult.

There being little or no infrastructure there, these daily power outages are a way of life. Something everyone young and old deals and learns to live with. Damage clean up after a typhoon or other weather event is left to the residents and their own resources.

In April 2008, the following was written in the church bulletin: A huge typhoon came and flooded the entire compound up to thigh high on the adults and way toooo deep for our little children. Everyone managed OK. Our piglets and chickens were moved to the top bunk beds by the older boys….those guys are so resourceful. Dan (one of the asst.) evacuated our mother pig and the carabaos aren’t called water buffalo for nothing, so they managed just fine. The water subsided, but left mud and difficult conditions. The weather continues to storm and it has been sporadic getting email or cell phone signals thru.

So the next time you can’t get a signal, experience a few minutes or even a couple of hours of “inconvenience”, think of our Sebio, his co-children and the adults who live at God’s Town.

One of the biggest reasons I’m glad I started sponsoring Sebio and working with Linda and the charity is that she and others involved believe in making the children and God’s Town in general as self-sufficient as possible. Funds have been spent on projects like planting fruit-bearing trees; FYI; the price of small fruit trees are apprx. $1 and take about 4 years to mature and begin to bear fruit. And while many fruit trees were planted one of the most recent typhoons caused about 50% of them to be damaged or lost completely. The flooding also causes food prices to go up. At one point it was noted that the price of rice went up 4 times from what it was the year prior.

But the damage and storms don’t seem to dampen the hearts and spirit of the residents of God's Town or those of us who sponsor children there. The mere cost of $30 a month to sponsor Sebio has been worth it in more ways than I can count. I will try to tell you more of those ways in future posts. If anyone at some point wants to join us and sponsor a child at God’s Town just let me know. There are still children not yet sponsored…and imagine being a child who needs and wants someone to care about them. I’ll close this post with something Sebio wrote to us in his own words:

Dear Dawn and Aaron, I thank you you’ve supported in me. I have no something to give you but this my letter.

And for us, that is more than enough!

Next time: The Pixie Sticks Connection