In late August, our Senior Excursion took us to Ta'al Volcano. I am always up for the adventure. We were to travel by car to a mall, where we would be met and taken by a Jeepney to the 'ferry' to cross the water to the base of the volcano. The jeepney can hold about 16 or 17 adults or 26 Filipinos...I kid you not. When we got to the dock, I am expecting a Ferry but this is when my fear kicked in. It wasn't a ferry at all. It was an old dilapitated outrigger.
Now, I will mention that the steps to the dock to get to the outrigger were shady at best .. tied up with a few wires and a couple of ropes. It was best not to look at the water, because it was polluted with dead fish and even an old IV bottle. My fear was getting into the boat without falling in the water. Of course, I have my heavy bag over my shoulder and I thought the weight of it might tip me over, but I made it on the boat successfully.
We crossed the water which had a few dead fish floating around. There are fishing 'pods' where there are people actually living on the water in these little huts catching fish. As an aside, I don't eat the fish here.
Getting off the boat was another story. This is where FEAR really kicked in. It was not the sort of dock you would normally have to pull that boat up to. This dock was really sketchy ... two planks of board about 6 feet long, that was held up by a thin post in the lake (that was not very secure) ..then you had to go on to another piece of the deck which was three pieces of bamboo (about 8 feet long) that were tied together and the float device that was holding it up was two empty 4 litre plastic bottles under a blue plastic box (the kind you get milk in at home), the rail was a broken piece of bamboo, so it wasn't sturdy. Closer to the shore the deck was a 2" x 8" plank then a few more pieces of wood and then a short ramp to shore.
Needless to say, they did the best they could to bring tourists their location so they could have that experience and also help support that tiny village.
I felt so much stress and fear of falling into the water. I carry my bag with me everywhere and on these excursions, my bag was particularly heavier than normal, because I had disinfectant wipes and a bottle of water.
I was so thankful for the assistance I received from a couple of the ladies who were doing their laundry in the lake, where we docked. The lake
is the only water they have in which to do their laundry. They pretty much live on what is lives in the lake. They are poor but a very happy people.
When we got to Ta'al, we were each given a horse to ride with a driver, who leads the horse up the mountain. The seat or saddle was wood with a tiny rug/blanket over it and you had to hang on to the 'horn' and do your best to keep your balance. It was quite steep in some areas and these drivers work very hard. Their only foot protection are very worn flip flops. The horses here are very tiny. (I don't think they have any big horses here from my observation). I felt guilty riding the one I was on.
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| Yes, this is me on the little pony. Bless her little heart. |
The picture they took of me on the trail is not as flattering. I will spare your eyes.
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| Panorama picture of the crater of Ta'al Volcano. There is actually steam coming from the rocks. |
I noticed there was a surplus of drivers for the horses. They all live in the tiny village on the island. The village is close to the shore, hence the ladies do their laundry there.
This is a photo of the part of the village ... I believe it is in the outskirts of the village. The houses are all cement, to withstand the rain and elements. There are no glass windows, running water or electricity that I could see. Most homes had chickens tied in their yard so they had fresh eggs every day.
There were children playing in their yards and in some clear areas. The children I saw were bare foot.
I had the opportunity to ride in the Jeepney on the way back to the mall. The experience left me somewhat light headed, as it did most of the passengers from the exhaust fumes.
It was cramped, loud, noisy and smelly. Quite the adventure. We had rented the Jeepney that we could experience the ride. We have been instructed to avoid riding the Jeepneys in the city because it could be dangerous for thefts and such. Also, they just stop wherever, and people jump on and off the vehicle in the middle of heavy traffic, and I mean the middle of traffic.
TYPHOON --- WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO..... Decorate for Christmas -- Yes.. September 1st.
Nearing the end of August, there were several tropical depressions and one, in particular, MANKHUT was developing in the east and headed in our direction. As the force and level of the typhoon increased, the name changed to OMPONG.
I have to be honest that I had mixed feelings about the storm. Part of me was anxious to experience the effects of it, and the other part, the bigger part, was fearing for those areas that were directly in the path of it. I was told by several of the sisters and my supervisor in the Family History Center, to look at what happened when Typhoon Yolanda hit this area in 2013. So, I looked up some of the old new clips and found just how destructive it was.
With Ompong getting closer to the Philippines, it was more north than Metro Manila so I felt safe that we would not be affected as much. As it was, Baggao and Cagayan got the worst of it. There was a lot of flooding in those areas. Some people lost their lives from land slides. Many had left their homes to go into a shelter near a hill which was engulfed by the mud of a land slide. Over 100 lives were lost.
As I have said before, millions of people in the Philippines live in shantys that are barely held together. Their roofs are corrugated metal which is thin from rust because of the rains, and the wind is so strong. Some roofs are held down with old tires. We had quite a bit of rain and I watched the river rise into the homes, from my apartment.
We were in the Family History Center early the morning that the typhoon was supposed to hit. We were anticipating an early closure. Of course, we were not very busy because most everyone stayed home to be safe. So what do the Filipino sister missionaries do???? Decorate for Christmas, after all it was almost September 1st. Only in the Philippines.... I love this place!!!
TUGS AT MY HEART -- MABUHAY DESERET FOUNDATION.
After I had been here a couple of months, I was told about the Mabuhay House. Founded in 1988, the Mabuhay Deseret Foundation (a Charity Vision Int'l affiliate) has provided thousands free and subsidized operations every year to correct medical conditions such as cataracts, crossed eyes, cleft palettes, burn contractions, post polio and club feet for the poor. The word 'Deseret' comes from the ancient word for honeybee and represents the philosophy of the foundation. In a beehive, everyone contributes to make something sweet. At Mabuhay Deseret, Filipino doctors volunteer their time, local hospitals provide substantial discounts on the use of their facilities and patients and their family members contribute by cooking and cleaning during their stay in the Hospice Houses. By working together with members of the community, the Foundation is able to perform dramatic, life-changing surgery for thousand of Filipinos every year.
I had the opportunity these past two weeks to attend with some of the senior sister missionaries to do a short singing and play time with these children. My heart broke walking into this facility .. these children are so precious and their families are so grateful for the short time that we take to spend with them, sing with them and play with them. They look forward to us every week.
It was maybe just an hour that we spent with these children and their parents but you could feel their love and appreciation for us. Did I want to take them all home....Yes!! I am going to continue to support this foundation and this cause. By the way, November 16th, David Archuleta will be here to perform a fundraising event for Mabuhay Deseret Foundation. Guess who will be there?
Nearing the end of August, there were several tropical depressions and one, in particular, MANKHUT was developing in the east and headed in our direction. As the force and level of the typhoon increased, the name changed to OMPONG.
I have to be honest that I had mixed feelings about the storm. Part of me was anxious to experience the effects of it, and the other part, the bigger part, was fearing for those areas that were directly in the path of it. I was told by several of the sisters and my supervisor in the Family History Center, to look at what happened when Typhoon Yolanda hit this area in 2013. So, I looked up some of the old new clips and found just how destructive it was. With Ompong getting closer to the Philippines, it was more north than Metro Manila so I felt safe that we would not be affected as much. As it was, Baggao and Cagayan got the worst of it. There was a lot of flooding in those areas. Some people lost their lives from land slides. Many had left their homes to go into a shelter near a hill which was engulfed by the mud of a land slide. Over 100 lives were lost.
As I have said before, millions of people in the Philippines live in shantys that are barely held together. Their roofs are corrugated metal which is thin from rust because of the rains, and the wind is so strong. Some roofs are held down with old tires. We had quite a bit of rain and I watched the river rise into the homes, from my apartment.
We were in the Family History Center early the morning that the typhoon was supposed to hit. We were anticipating an early closure. Of course, we were not very busy because most everyone stayed home to be safe. So what do the Filipino sister missionaries do???? Decorate for Christmas, after all it was almost September 1st. Only in the Philippines.... I love this place!!!
TUGS AT MY HEART -- MABUHAY DESERET FOUNDATION.
After I had been here a couple of months, I was told about the Mabuhay House. Founded in 1988, the Mabuhay Deseret Foundation (a Charity Vision Int'l affiliate) has provided thousands free and subsidized operations every year to correct medical conditions such as cataracts, crossed eyes, cleft palettes, burn contractions, post polio and club feet for the poor. The word 'Deseret' comes from the ancient word for honeybee and represents the philosophy of the foundation. In a beehive, everyone contributes to make something sweet. At Mabuhay Deseret, Filipino doctors volunteer their time, local hospitals provide substantial discounts on the use of their facilities and patients and their family members contribute by cooking and cleaning during their stay in the Hospice Houses. By working together with members of the community, the Foundation is able to perform dramatic, life-changing surgery for thousand of Filipinos every year.
I had the opportunity these past two weeks to attend with some of the senior sister missionaries to do a short singing and play time with these children. My heart broke walking into this facility .. these children are so precious and their families are so grateful for the short time that we take to spend with them, sing with them and play with them. They look forward to us every week.
It was maybe just an hour that we spent with these children and their parents but you could feel their love and appreciation for us. Did I want to take them all home....Yes!! I am going to continue to support this foundation and this cause. By the way, November 16th, David Archuleta will be here to perform a fundraising event for Mabuhay Deseret Foundation. Guess who will be there?
