This is another article I found in an old Companion prayer letter I used to distribute for my ministry supporters and payer partners while I minister as missionary to the urban poor under International Teams Philippines. This is who I am and what I do more than seven years ago.
Women's Savings group a taste of Filipino Bayanihan
Every Sunday afternoon in the house of Ate Lita ( the contact person in the area), a group of women meet regularly. At about 5:30 PM mothers start coming in carrying notebooks and pens. Some have their children in tow. Of course, no one would ever forget the 50 pesos contribution for their savings fund. Every one who arrived was greeted with warm smile if not with a friendly laughter. As they wait for the meeting to start, the mothers share a light moment of the day’s experiences. This is the typical atmosphere in the savings group established in Pinkian, Tandang Sora, Quezon City. The Group envisions to save enough for the college education of their children. Fifty pesos may seem very small but within few months, the group of about 12 women has a savings fund of 40,000 pesos and it is still growing. How it is possible? The weekly savings of the group was loaned to members for small interest, while some are invested in livelihood projects. Proceeds from the project was equally divided among members. They envision their small savings group to spin off as a big cooperative someday.
Three other savings groups also have been simultaneously established. The Pinkian2, The Sauyo Group in Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City and the group in Sapokoy, Manresa, Quezon City. I am personally concentrating in the Sauyo area and assisting in the Sapokoy and other areas.
Significantly, the group meetings always consist of two things. Business Input and Spiritual Input. It also starts and ends in prayer.
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.
They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "My gift to you!" The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we’d do it much differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. "Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the "house" you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!
Author - Unknown
"Who you are today is the sum total of your decisions in the past, so be wise in your decision
today, choose God!"
Yesterday, I was cleaning my drawer. I stumbled on an old news letter called Companion. It is our family's news letter given to our prayer partners, friends and supporters. As I read on, I reminisce those exhilarating urban poor ministry days.
Its been seven years already since I left the urban poor ministry under International Teams and took on full time pastoral work. And since I find some of these articles interesting I will share them to you so you can peek into who I am and what I do seven years ago.
A Project that "Stinks"
Can you imagine 21 families, each family with an average of five members, using only one comfort room every day?
They live in an unfinished four-storey building left to rot by the owner who had gone bankrupt, unable to finish the project. This decaying building in Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City compliments its backdrop of squatter houses and shanties. This decade-old structure of hollow blocks and cement with rusty iron bars clumsily hanging around is what 21 families call home. Most of these people left their provinces and came to Manila hoping for a better life.
These families pay a monthly rental fee of 100 to 300 pesos a month luxurious in the context of their standard of living. Most are either unemployed or working in very disadvantaged situations. The national policy on regularization also works to their detriment, as they get retrenched within five months. With these conditions, the old building has become a haven for people seeking shelter amidst the highly commercialized and thickly populated metropolis. Where meeting the basic need is not a necessity but a luxury, and the main issue in life is survival.
This reality struck us when one time , we held house-to-house visitation with Kuya Boy, a volunteer missionary from (OFW Church) Our Christ is Wonderful Church, to get to know the residents of the rotting building. We were surprised to hear the mothers telling gross jokes about the comfort room. We curiously checked and what was disgusting was fact that 21 families share the toilet everyday. (Just imagine the line every morning). But this Comfort room (which is not comfortable anyway) they refer to was actually a 4 inch in diameter hole of an unfinished septic tank of the building on the first floor. For the door a dancing, swaying translucent old sack hanging from the two higher ends of the unfinished door beam held by two thumbtacks.
Moved by the situation, we met with the residents. They all agreed to address the need and take part to solve it. It took us two meetings to map out the plan of action. In December, the residents raised a small amount matched by the OCW church. With that they were able to put up two usable Comfort rooms. In January, the residents initiated another meeting to complete these comfort rooms and construct two more on the third floor.
Present in the meeting is the IT Australian Summer Team headed by Janice Collins pledged a considerable amount for the project, now the residents will not only be able to finish the project but will also use the comfort rooms with dignityand of course with comfort.
It is inspiring to see that these people are able to work together as a community, seek solution and act on their common problems. We continue to dialogue, visit and meet the residents. Several parents have expressed desire to know more the Christ we shared tot hem. Some already attend the church at OCW. Ultimately, we hope and pray that these efforts will secure more decisions for following Christ and lead them to Christian discipleship and Kingdom living.
Praise God! Our very own First Church of God Sanctuary Choir director and Board of Trustees member Prof. Fidel "Jun" Calalang Jr. did it again. It is indeed a great honor for our country but we believe that it is for the greater honor and Glory of God.
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