I have had the rare and wonderful opportunity to work for World Service Corps in the Philippines in conjunction with the Outreach Philippines Inc. staff.  I knew that this journey would be a life changing event for me, but I wasn’t sure how I would be affected.  The only thing I was sure of was that I would be a different person upon my return home.  During my time here I have ridden a carabao, plowed a rice field behind a yoked carabao, picked and planted rice in a muddy field, caught fish with my bare hands, and tasted many different foods that would be considered abnormal in the United States.  Although these experiences have made an impact on me and have no doubt contributed to my life changing experience, they cannot hold a candle to the life lessons I learned from the Filipino people themselves.  The OPI staff passionately works with villages that are extremely impoverished and have little to no experience of group mobilization and community improvement.  This backdrop is the classroom in which life has taught me valuable lessons on compassion, community, and what it means to build God’s kingdom.

If I can name one over-arching theme that I have had in all of my experiences with the people of this culture it is this; never before have I met people who are so hospitable and kind. The friendliness that I have experienced is truly a beautiful thing. As wonderful as this experience of kindness has been, it is not as significant and inspirational as the self-improvement that these villages have accomplished.

The people of these villages have organized themselves in groups that work to accomplish goals of community improvement that were once thought to be near impossibilities. I have seen the fruits of their endeavors and I have seen that they are proud of their accomplishments. Thanks to the work of the OPI staff and their ability to help people help themselves, these villages are empowered. They now have the knowledge and the tools to understand that their situation is not hopeless. They now understand that they have the ability to act and to make something more of their situation. The only thing that I have experienced here that is more beautiful than the innate friendliness of the Filipino people is the wonderful sense of hope that these people now have. It is a hope that comes from the awareness of one’s own ability to change their lives for the better. The OPI staff are incredibly inspiring people who understand the importance of their work. In my experience, the work of Outreach International and OPI is nothing short of the work of The Gospel. Helping our fellow human being is truly the work that all are called to do.

Cory Upson

My adventure this summer was not what I expected it would be, but it still proved to be a marvelous experience, full of excitement and challenges.  One of the highlights for me took place at a daycare center in the village of Burol.  For two days, my partner and I were guest teachers there, entertaining thirteen 3-6 year olds.        This was an especially shy group of kids and so our progress throughout the morning was painfully slow. My usual routine of making goofy faces and noises was not working. I had to get more creative. The first thing we did after everyone introduced themselves was teach the kids action songs and then just one game. We had others planned, but the kids liked Duck Duck Goose so much that we just kept playing it. When translated into Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, the game became Bibi Bibi Gansa. It took a while for the kids to get the hang of how it went; but once they got it, there was no stopping them.
            The next morning when we arrived, we were greeted with smiling faces and laughter, quite an improvement from the day before. One of the boys, Reymark, even came to daycare early. Teacher Emba told us it was because he was so excited. Great success! Before leaving Burol there was a closing program, as a sort of showcase extravaganza of art, songs, and games. Parents, kids, some older youth, members of the village, and I laughed and played together in community. It didn’t matter that I was from an entirely different world, spoke a different language, and had only a bare bones understanding of what their lives were like. As was the case in each place I visited, the people of Burol extended their love and hospitality to me, and made me feel no longer a stranger. It is people like this who truly are living communities of Christ.

Paige Webberly

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