Mother Theresa has a famous quote: ” One of the realities we’re all called to go through is to move from repulsion to compassion and from compassion to wonderment”. This really speaks to me. We spent the day on Thursday immersed in poverty. But we were able to leave the poverty behind. We traveled back to our “Land of Oz” as we have come to view it. Our bubble of clean, modern, beautiful space and people who are well dressed and seem to be successful. They aren’t wanting for very much, it would seem. Our first stop was the Jose Cabella Hospital, which is a maternity hospital. The Neonatal doctor warned me: “It’s a baby factory”. I thought I would be fine with it. I generally was, until I met the 13 year old mother, or saw all the preemies, or saw the hundred or so moms crammed into one great big room, two to a bed. The real challenge was seeing the babies in the NICU. They couldn’t fit incubators in this small room, so they are just in little cribs. One baby weighed less than a kilo- so scrawny and embryonic looking. It felt irreverent to take pictures of these poor little babies, so I refrained. But I fear the picture of this little baby will be forever etched in my mind.

Next stop was Tondo- back to the super poor district in Manila. We were to meet with two different organizations who, in my mind are run by saintly people. I do hope we can make their living space a safer space, especially for the children. It will be a miracle if we can pull it off and get our area office to support this nontraditional offering. They are asking for building materials, but want second-hand things so they won’t be stolen or coveted by others. They also want them in stages, just to make sure the people who live in these warehouse-like buildings will actually do the labor and build what they say they are going to build. We really want to help these folks. And from the pictures, you will see why.