By Justin Michael Goldman
It was with great excitement that I responded to the call being put out for this mission trip to the Philippines in late April. I’ve been fortunate to have been part of a similar act of service with young people from Church of Saint Francis of Assisi last year and I grew tremendously as a result. My college experience at a Jesuit institution had deepened my understanding of the role of service as a part of our Catholic faith and it was clear this opportunity was not one to be missed.
May was a busy time for me – including a conference in Manila – so I was pleased to learn in early June that the mission trip planning was really coming together. As our team of 21 came from parishes all across Singapore, many were meeting for the first time. While people had a mix of experiences and backgrounds, it was clear our group shared an enthusiasm for the challenges ahead. I knew we would be ably led as our team leaders Adrian, Matthew and Tricia had been together on a previous mission trip. Our first pre-trip meeting also showed me that I could make an important contribution by sharing my experiences in the Philippines as I’ve been fortunate to visit several times in the past year.
Our second meeting was on 20 July and although I had a good idea of what was going to take place and was ready to go from the outset, I appreciated the detailed preparations from the CHARIS staff and the team leaders. I suspect such efforts were reassuring to folks who were getting involved in such an activity for the first time. The blessing from Father Anselm Phang, a Carmelite priest, was a crucial final step that had our team raring to go. One week before our departure, Father Peter Koh at Church of Christ the King spoke about ‘Christianity in action’ during his homily and this served as a great focus during my final preparations.
While Manila had been pounded with rain during the first week of August, our team leaders were in communication with Habitat for Humanity staff in the Philippines and we were given the go-ahead. On Sunday 7 August we were on our way! Ann from Habitat met us at the airport in Manila and soon we arrived at our hotel where she provided a good overview of the week. Thankfully we could get a table for 20 at the mall next door just before it was to close and our team enjoyed a family-style meal of Filipino food. It was great to see spirits high and everyone ready to start building on Monday. We got a good jump that morning and were soon on our way to Pasig with Ving, our local coordinator from Habitat.
Woodley was the project leader at the worksite and he got us properly oriented to the week ahead. By 8:45 a.m. we were busy riveting the building frame together and mixing cement. It’s interesting to hear how Habitat utilises this metal frame technology to create second-floor units on these structures. All in all we were off to a good start. The initial sharing session back at the hotel that evening seemed to flow and we avoided any period of awkward silence. I know everyone appreciated Matt and another volunteer, Sean, bringing their guitar skills to the songs of praise we sang. I was quite impressed with the musical abilities of my fellow team members! The music combined with the social teachings in our reflection booklets made these evenings an invaluable part of the trip.
Habitat structured the week well by having us out on the worksite at first, which gave us a good chance to interact with our ‘home partners’, who are currently living in packed squatters in the barangay (small administrative division) of Pinagbuhatan. These home-owners contribute their ‘sweat equity’ into these Habitat townhouses that they will one day reside in. By working alongside them, we established rapport and a better understanding of their background.
We also had a chance to visit these families at their squatter homes. With the intense rain of the previous week and the memory of Typhoon Ketsana (2009), the proximity of these rudimentary structures to the Pasig River makes the families extremely vulnerable to flooding. Despite this adversity, our home partners welcomed us into their domicile with great kindness and a positive spirit.
In addition to our home partners, we also interacted closely with Habitat’s skilled workers whose experience was critical. We saw the dignity of work up close as they patiently shared their knowledge and skills with us. As we moved into the middle of the week, it was clear the gap between our Filipino hosts and us was narrowing. I really enjoyed my side conversations with our hosts and it was great to see our team’s positive interactions with our new Filipino friends. It was within these wonderful moments that it is clear we are doing the Lord’s work.
As we moved into the final stage of our mission trip, it was truly a blessing that we were not adversely impacted by the weather. Although the Pasig sun beat down on us each day, the team endured as we worked together with our Filipino friends. On our final day the afternoon work period was cut short to allow for the farewell activity with our home partners. Several young children, who will someday move into these units we helped build, performed an impressive dance routine. As people from our group, Habitat staff and our home partners spoke, it was clear emotions were running high. The final exchanges were tearful ones, but they were all positive. As we departed the worksite at Pasig, I could only hope that we had touched our Filipino friends in some way just as their warmth and spirit clearly moved me. The photographers in our team, Agnes and Adrian, ensured we will long remember this wonderful experience. The discernment that has resulted from the mission trip will surely continue.
