January 7, 2010
What a wonderful day I just experienced! It's days like this that make sponsorship so satisfying. Where to begin?
From the beginning, I suppose.
They dropped me off at the office in Quezon City. Navigating up a flight of stairs, I was greeted with a mob of happy
and nervous children and mothers, including my own, Mary Grace and Maria Erica. Frankly, I was prepared for
another day of deathly quiet children. Those fears were quickly dispelled, as Mary Grace belted out an introduction
of herself and her family, then followed it up with an amazing song she had practiced just for me. Astonishing stuff. A
budding singer awaits.
Both girls presented me with photo albums they had made and recited cards they had written for my visit. Really
heart-warming. An excerpt from Maria Erica:
"I'm so happy and thankful because it's my dream come true to see you in person. Thank you for the time that you
spent to me, my siblings and mother. We are very happy and felt important."
And from Mary Grace:
"I'd like you to know that we are all thankful for all your support to me. You are the best gift that God has given me."
She also drew a sketch of the two of us holding hands with the caption, "2nd Dad Steve and Mary Grace." If that
doesn't pull at the heart strings, nothing will.
I also met with four other sponsored children, all of them adorable. I don't have my notes with me, and my memory
of names is notoriously poor, so forgive me if I don't recall them off the top of my head. We have lots of photos and
videos, so you'll see their reactions to getting gifts soon enough. Be patient with me while all of this gets loaded,
edited, and YouTubed for your viewing pleasure.
Before leaving the office, the staff presented a couple of videos of the group's purpose. Particularly memorable was
one of the destructive typhoon that struck last September, how it affected the sponsored families, and how the staff
came to their rescue. Many of the kids live at low elevation, so the tremendous amount of rainfall - the most in 40
years - affected hundreds. Sadly, one of the children perished in the flooding, but the CI staff did their best to comfort
the survivors in their time of grief.
What did our day consist of? Well, the usual thing I've done 19 times before: Go to the mall, eat plastic mall food, and
shop 'til they drop, with a trip to an indoor playground thrown in for good measure.
I'm sure you're all waiting with baited breath to know what was on the lunch menu. If you guessed fried chicken, go
to the head of the class. Mercifully, chocolate donuts were nowhere to be found. I managed to find something a little
bit healthier, and my stomach is forever grateful. Everyone chowed down. Despite being rail thin, both girls ate like it
was their last meal.
Clothes shopping went without a hitch. Both girls picked out something in a snap, and Grace's two older sisters and
Erica's three siblings scored an outfit or two as well. The fun part came with the toy selection. When they realized
they had a choice, the indecision was comical. Get the doll that cries and pees? That would mean not getting a Barbie
in the pink dress! Get that, and there's no doll house. Choices, choices. After much angst, both girls selected doll
houses and left the store with ear-to-ear grins. $30 well spent.
Next up, 15 minutes for all the younger kids to jump like maniacs in an inflatable playground. Those five kids had a
blast. The joy on their faces cannot be described. I did both mothers a huge favor, because I guarantee those tykes
are going to collapse from exhaustion and sleep soundly tonight.
Grocery shopping should have been a mundane task, but these two families had no idea what to get or where
anything was. Being the methodical engineer, I would go down every aisle and pick up things in an orderly manner.
That wasn't in the cards for this crew. It was like herding cats. They'd be in aisle 2 getting canned goods, then aisle 13
for shampoo, then back to aisle 1 for dried noodles. I gave up trying to keep track and stood in the middle of the
store until they had finished.
I should wrap up this post with goodbye stories and final thoughts. Where Erica is like cotton candy, sweeter than
can be, Grace is akin to a Cajun meal, sassy and full of kick. I got wonderful hugs and goodbyes from both kids and
high fives from the siblings. As always, their moms were extremely grateful for the gifts that sponsorship provides.
Definitely an unforgettable day and by itself worth the trip across the ocean. Looking forward to a return trip to see
how they've grown and prospered from the program.
Tomorrow's visit includes my children Lenin and Armae, also from Quezon City, as well as a bunch more of your kids.
Saturday involves my visit with Jessa and yet another gang from Manila. Looking forward to every moment. Be
advised that the hotel's Internet hours end at 5:30 on Friday and they are closed on Saturday, which means that my
trip reports will probably not be filed immediately. Should I have the energy and time, and should an alternate means
of getting Internet access present itself, I will do my level best to describe the latest adventures.
Anticipating the end of this trip, it will mean having met 25 wonderful kids in 7 countries in the span of 16 months. It
has been a whirlwind tour. God willing, I'll be able to see them all again. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my
experiences one tenth as much as I've enjoyed living them. Visiting your child really is something I encourage
everyone to do if they have the wherewithal to do so. It brings fully to life what sponsorship means to these families
and how we're helping to give them hope for a better future.
Signing off from Quezon City!
What a wonderful day I just experienced! It's days like this that make sponsorship so satisfying. Where to begin?
From the beginning, I suppose.
They dropped me off at the office in Quezon City. Navigating up a flight of stairs, I was greeted with a mob of happy
and nervous children and mothers, including my own, Mary Grace and Maria Erica. Frankly, I was prepared for
another day of deathly quiet children. Those fears were quickly dispelled, as Mary Grace belted out an introduction
of herself and her family, then followed it up with an amazing song she had practiced just for me. Astonishing stuff. A
budding singer awaits.
Both girls presented me with photo albums they had made and recited cards they had written for my visit. Really
heart-warming. An excerpt from Maria Erica:
"I'm so happy and thankful because it's my dream come true to see you in person. Thank you for the time that you
spent to me, my siblings and mother. We are very happy and felt important."
And from Mary Grace:
"I'd like you to know that we are all thankful for all your support to me. You are the best gift that God has given me."
She also drew a sketch of the two of us holding hands with the caption, "2nd Dad Steve and Mary Grace." If that
doesn't pull at the heart strings, nothing will.
I also met with four other sponsored children, all of them adorable. I don't have my notes with me, and my memory
of names is notoriously poor, so forgive me if I don't recall them off the top of my head. We have lots of photos and
videos, so you'll see their reactions to getting gifts soon enough. Be patient with me while all of this gets loaded,
edited, and YouTubed for your viewing pleasure.
Before leaving the office, the staff presented a couple of videos of the group's purpose. Particularly memorable was
one of the destructive typhoon that struck last September, how it affected the sponsored families, and how the staff
came to their rescue. Many of the kids live at low elevation, so the tremendous amount of rainfall - the most in 40
years - affected hundreds. Sadly, one of the children perished in the flooding, but the CI staff did their best to comfort
the survivors in their time of grief.
What did our day consist of? Well, the usual thing I've done 19 times before: Go to the mall, eat plastic mall food, and
shop 'til they drop, with a trip to an indoor playground thrown in for good measure.
I'm sure you're all waiting with baited breath to know what was on the lunch menu. If you guessed fried chicken, go
to the head of the class. Mercifully, chocolate donuts were nowhere to be found. I managed to find something a little
bit healthier, and my stomach is forever grateful. Everyone chowed down. Despite being rail thin, both girls ate like it
was their last meal.
Clothes shopping went without a hitch. Both girls picked out something in a snap, and Grace's two older sisters and
Erica's three siblings scored an outfit or two as well. The fun part came with the toy selection. When they realized
they had a choice, the indecision was comical. Get the doll that cries and pees? That would mean not getting a Barbie
in the pink dress! Get that, and there's no doll house. Choices, choices. After much angst, both girls selected doll
houses and left the store with ear-to-ear grins. $30 well spent.
Next up, 15 minutes for all the younger kids to jump like maniacs in an inflatable playground. Those five kids had a
blast. The joy on their faces cannot be described. I did both mothers a huge favor, because I guarantee those tykes
are going to collapse from exhaustion and sleep soundly tonight.
Grocery shopping should have been a mundane task, but these two families had no idea what to get or where
anything was. Being the methodical engineer, I would go down every aisle and pick up things in an orderly manner.
That wasn't in the cards for this crew. It was like herding cats. They'd be in aisle 2 getting canned goods, then aisle 13
for shampoo, then back to aisle 1 for dried noodles. I gave up trying to keep track and stood in the middle of the
store until they had finished.
I should wrap up this post with goodbye stories and final thoughts. Where Erica is like cotton candy, sweeter than
can be, Grace is akin to a Cajun meal, sassy and full of kick. I got wonderful hugs and goodbyes from both kids and
high fives from the siblings. As always, their moms were extremely grateful for the gifts that sponsorship provides.
Definitely an unforgettable day and by itself worth the trip across the ocean. Looking forward to a return trip to see
how they've grown and prospered from the program.
Tomorrow's visit includes my children Lenin and Armae, also from Quezon City, as well as a bunch more of your kids.
Saturday involves my visit with Jessa and yet another gang from Manila. Looking forward to every moment. Be
advised that the hotel's Internet hours end at 5:30 on Friday and they are closed on Saturday, which means that my
trip reports will probably not be filed immediately. Should I have the energy and time, and should an alternate means
of getting Internet access present itself, I will do my level best to describe the latest adventures.
Anticipating the end of this trip, it will mean having met 25 wonderful kids in 7 countries in the span of 16 months. It
has been a whirlwind tour. God willing, I'll be able to see them all again. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my
experiences one tenth as much as I've enjoyed living them. Visiting your child really is something I encourage
everyone to do if they have the wherewithal to do so. It brings fully to life what sponsorship means to these families
and how we're helping to give them hope for a better future.
Signing off from Quezon City!
