And here, on the other side of the world .....

... plans and preparations are fully underway for your arrival.

We are busy adding detail to the itinerary.... Ian will be pleased to know that on Monday April 1, we will have a date with the 'Handmaids of the Lord' - dinner at my house, with some of the older single ladies of the community. They are real characters....

I've also been working out if we'll want a jeepney or two minivans whilst in Manila and friends in Bulacan province have been working out costings for our accommodation and food there (which reminds me, I need to email our itinerary and needs). People are getting excited. When teams come it means extra work for a lot of people (drivers, cooks and housekeepers) and the team funds provide much needed income for many, as well as the opportunity to get close to foreigners. Far from being disgruntled about the extra work, they are delighted that we would bother to come so far to the Philippines and will really want to engage. Nothing will be too much trouble!

I'm excited, too. Your arrival means that very disadvantaged children in Joyland Children's Home will get new covered play areas; children in Dacutan, an obscure fishing village, will be treated to McDonalds and Swimming and will begin to feel special, as if someone sees them and actually cares about the way they live. Youth in Payatas will be able to interact with you, sing, dance and build together, learning as they go as we build on a partnership that is now 5 years old. In Payatas, so many promises are made and broken, as politicians try to gain votes - these kids have seldom seen a work that keeps on growing and developing over years. Your presence alone means so much to them - and I can guarantee that they will come to mean a lot to you as well. It is very hard to forget their faces, their stories.

Thank you for your participation in this. I will look forward to meeting you at the new Bacolod/Silay airport on the 29th....

Emma (aka Green Frog).