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Latest from John in the Philippines
“This is likely to be the last message as tomorrow we travel to Christian Aid’s office in Manila and it will take all day Friday to get home. Salamat (thank you) for all those prayers. Today we have been looking at the colonial past and Catholic present as well as spending time with the fishing people on the coast. Seriously good fish!”
“Met the officials of Hunigaran municipality in the town hall equivalent to hear them deny responsibility for everything (poverty, child labour, unsafe practices at the fireworks factory etc). Glorious lunch, then on to the alt education car maintenance class.”
“Island hopping today – two planes – from Mindanao to Negros. The partners of Christian Aid on these islands are marvellous people and they are so well appreciated by their clients and local government officials. They know better than we do the value of those red envelopes.”
“Back tired and dirty to hotel room after expedition to mountain people. The villagers sang “This is the Day” to us so I taught them “I will remember”.”
“Ten o’clock, it’s pitch black, the mosquito net is up and we’re several miles out through banana trees and rice fields. Tomorrow it’s up the mountain to see how Christian Aid have helped the locals become self sufficient again."
John flies out to the Philippines on Monday (6 June) for a 10 day trip with a group of youth workers, organised by Christian Aid. John and the group will be visiting Christian Aid’s partners and projects in the country, sharing the stories that they’ve seen and heard, through their work, when they return. This is a really exciting opportunity for John, but it’s a big journey to make, so we’re asking you to support him through prayer whilst he’s away.
You might want to remember the following things in your prayers:
- Give thanks for the sponsored swimmers who raised more than enough to send John to the Philippines and bring him back again.
- John and the team’s flight to the Philippines leaves Heathrow on Monday at 12.00noon and, flying via Singapore and one other airport, lands in Davao in the Philippines at 2.55pm (Filipino time) on Tuesday 7 June. Obviously this is quite a journey to undertake! Pray that things will go without a hitch, that all participants, luggage etc will arrive safely, and that any nerves will be replaced with peace and comfort during the flight.
- The trip participants have only met a couple of times before at briefing meetings – pray for good relationships and a strong feeling of community amongst the team while they’re so far from home.
- Pray for general safety, health, and enjoyment on the visit. Various medical precautions have had to be taken, so pray that these will prevent any serious health issues arising.
- The team will be traveling quite a lot within the Philippines. Pray for these journeys, that they may pass smoothly, and for warm welcomes and good relationships between the Filipinos and the visiting Brits.
- Pray that the team will embrace this fantastic opportunity to experience life in another country, that they might learn from what they see and hear, and for the communicative skills to pass on the stories when they return.
- Pray for the organisational aspect of the trip, for those staff members at Christian Aid who are responsible for it, and ask that problems would be few and far between and easily solvable.
- Pray for the families left behind, especially Sheena, Cath & Scott, Alex & Yvonne, & John’s mum, that they won’t miss John too much, that they won’t worry too much, and that some form of communication might be possible.
- The return flight is on Friday 17 June, leaving Manila in the Philippines at 8.25am (Filipino time) and landing at Heathrow at 7.10pm.
Whilst he’s in the Philippines, John will let us know (communication systems willing) if there are specific things which need prayer support or if there is news to pass on, and I’ll email it round the list as soon as poss. This is a fantastic time for John and the others involved, and most of all we just ask that the whole experience would be a positive and exciting one.