The Payatas Youth Centre Build

After the shopping opportunities of Tuesday, Wednesday saw the team get back to the serious stuff. A build had been "organised" at the Youth Centre in Payatas. I say organised advisedly. Emma had been feeling a bit frustrated by a lack of communication re this part of the trip. Accommodation and drivers were fine, but a day or so before our arrivalin Manila, we really did not know for certain what would be happeneing. Hence the discussions with Father Paul and Mhel on the Tuesday.

This is the Philippines. The fluidity of arrangements is something you just have to get used to. But that is a two sided coin. This is the PHILIPPINES!!! And the flexibility and fluidity is something to be celebrated. I guess it is quite likely that if we were due to attend something or even arrange somethinmg in the UK, and plans did not fall into place, we may be inclined to cancel, or say let's do it some other time. Here, it seems that the willingness and flexibility of people to pull things together at the last minute is a real strength. Certainly, when we turned up at the Youth Centre on the Wednesday morning, there was no shortage of Youth for Christ young people to set to with the landscaping of the slope in front of the centre. There were plants in one of the halls, ready to be put in place once the "beds" had been designed. And later in the day, some materials arrived, to enable some concreting to be done.

All youth builds start with worship. Some singing, some prayers, and a real sense that God was in the midst of us. Some of the songs really made one think. I hope Alison won't mind me mentioning, but there was one particular song which we sang a couple of times which talked about giving our all to God, and we both remarked on the trust and faith people were demonstrating, and the joy, despite having relatively little in material terms.

The work was quite strenuous, though not as technically demanding as at Joyland. The team worked like troopers, shifitng a lot of earth, mixing cement, etc, and Alison, Ami and Ellie in particular have left their white mark on the third hall, having painted the walls with the longest roller pole I have ever seen!!! The second day, the girls and Reg got involved with the planting, and others got involved in laying the path, and it is wonderful to see the effect on the Youth Centre. Two really good days of working with the young people of the area, to help them continue to build a centre for young people to attend, learn at, etc. The hope is that more and more, it will become a place for the youth of the area to attend, get off the streets, put aside their problems with drugs, gang culture, etc, and find new hope. That is why, as a team, we decided late in the trip to donate some of the money raised to fund a sound system to be used atthe Centre, and a basketball net for the court which was started on the Crowe / Chapman, Randall team, back in October last year (it is wonderful to see the progress made, every visit).

More another time. I have got another plane to catch!!!!