Toys-for-Tots!

Over the past few months USEC Board members have mentioned how many charities and orphanages need gifts for impoverished children throughout Manila. I am constantly telling them that we cannot collect and give toys because the Marines at Post do Toys-for-Tots and we cannot overstep their program.

Luckily when we approached the Gunnery Sergeant he was more than happy to team up together. It has been a month of contacting all our business friends, putting up flyers, decorating boxes, delivering boxes, coordinating logistics, sorting toys, and buying toys to get ready for the big day of giving! This truly was a TEAM effort! We had dozens of volunteers that gave of their time to help us do one or ALL of those steps. Such great people.

Our goal was 1000 toys. We had committed to four charities that totaled 1000 children. There were a few days that I was sweating it out because I was not sure that we were going to make it. However, the businesses in the community REALLY got into the experience and donated hundreds of toys each. The Embassy Community all pitched in too…by the time we were done we had over 2100 toys! Instead of 4 charities and orphanages, we ended up supporting 14!~ Plus all of the children we gave to out at Smokey Mountain!

We spent two days collecting all of our drop boxes. We spent a day sorting. We spent a day shopping to spend the cash that we were given. It was so crazy to go to Divisoria (A CRAZY shopping experience that I have a few blogs about) and shop for 900 more toys. Luckily several colleagues came to help out and (others sent their teenage children that were on Holiday break to help out too! One of them said, "Lots of people, cramped space, hot and you have to argue over the price...this is my definition of Hell! HAHAHA) It was great. The next day we had plenty of war stories about bargaining for toys. Now whenever I walk by a toy store or the toy aisle I think, "Oooh, those are some great toys, I wonder how much we can get them for!!! LOL! 

We spent two days giving those toys out with the Marines. Each of the charities and orphanages was a special experience in its own way. As the Marines gave out the toys, several volunteers handed toys, controlled crowds, held babies, and spent time with the children.

Waiting in line to get their gift!

There were several “special” moments for me. One was when we were holding newborn babies and all they wanted was to have attention. They wanted to hold our fingers, to see our laughs and to be held. Something we take for granted with our own children and families. Another time was when the a group of toddlers came out to see us all standing outside the living room and wanted to come hug us, touch our faces, ride on our shoulders and tell us stories (which was fun because most of our group did not understand Tagalog)

Another time was when one of the Marines and I went upstairs in the orphanage to give toys to the special needs children. One child was blind and had no use of his limbs, so the Marine carefully opened the gift and talked to the child the whole time. He laid the gift next to his arm and the child had such a smile to know that there was a gift there for him.

Other experiences were memorable, but maybe in a different way…there were mothers out at Smokey Mountain that got aggressive and I was glad that they had not been allowed into the area that we were giving gifts.

We gave 650 toys to 650 children at Smokey Mountain. See how they are in nice controlled lines to get their gifts...

NOW, here are all the mothers with several children behind them. I took this photo over the gate zoom in and you can see their angry faces. They were literally mobbing the place!

Despite the mobbing mothers at one of our stops, the entire Toys-for-Tots is was a wonderful experience. Another experience to add to the list of Christmas giving. So much service was done to make this happen and the smiles on the children’s faces made it all worth it!

Literally thousands of smiles for the Holiday Season!

Facebook post about it:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151434451879623.547975.157551009622&type=1

US Embassy Webpage:

http://manila.usembassy.gov/2012toysfortots.html

 

A Princess For A Day

Here in the Philippines when girls turn 18 it is traditional that they have a LARGE party—more like a Prom. We have been to several of them during our time here and are amazed at the time and money that goes into these coming-of-age events. But it is a time for parents and daughter to celebrate.

One of the girls that we know well from Church is, Pachote. She turned 18 last Saturday and instead of doing a traditional party she wanted to do something with a  service aspect. I worked with her and her family to find a Rescue Home in the area that we could go and have a birthday party with. Rescue Homes are usually for children or women who have been saved from some kind (every kind imaginable) of abusive situation.

 (I only have photos of Pachote and her family on here, for safety reasons we cannot of course post photos of the girls) 

Us setting up...

The Home we chose to work with focuses on teenage girls. I am sure their background stories are heartbreaking and dark…but at the Home they are given a new chance for a future. And because of Pachote’s decision, for one day each of them was able to be a Princess.

Lady Hiva and I worked to gather some books and ended up with a HUGE box full to donate to the Home’s library. We all arrived to help decorate and get ready for the party. You could tell that all the girls were SO excited to have us there.

Once the party started all the girls were given a small tiara to wear. It was fun to watch them giggle as they helped each other place it perfectly. Then Pachote and several of her close friends that came with us taught the girls how to make ribbon headbands with roses on them. Again all of them sat in a circle on the floor heads together helping each other accomplish the task.

Lady with the rose Headband she made...all the girls had fun making theirs

Games came next…they were simple games but laughter and high pitched screams of delight echoed off the walls as they continued to play. At the end, each girl was given a bag full of party favors—all pink and princess themed of course.

So it may not have been as traditional of a 18^th birthday party…but it made a huge impact in the lives of several girls that most likely have not felt like a princess very often in their lives. It was special to watch Pachote and her friends interact with the girls at the Home like they were long lost friends…showing how love and kindness really does break down barriers of differences, and despite it all every young girl has her one Divine Nature.

Kirby Simon Grant…A Gift That Continues to Give

A few months ago—I guess it has been almost a year ago—I wrote a blog about us going to Summerfield Cavite to potentially start a sustainable living project there.

This community is about an hour outside of Metro Manila. The families that now live there were relocated there when their homes were destroyed from a river relocation in the Metro Manila area. Many of the women there struggle to support themselves and their families. Some of them have been rescued from the sex slavery industry and were placed here with little or no skills to provide a living. The houses were given to them by the government because they were displaced, at that time they had no water or electricity in them.

Now they have electricity and water two times a day, 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. As we have found typical of Filipinos, when we went to meet them they were full of life and hope. We decided to submit our grant proposal to the Kirby Simon Foundation to do a sustainable living project in conjunction with DAMPA, an NGO in the Philippines who focus their efforts on helping battered and abused women make their lives better.

Kirby Simon was a Foreign Service Officer that died while serving the United States in that capacity. His family set up a trust fund as a legacy to him so Foreign Service Officers around the world can perform community service in his name. We were excited to hear that we were one of the groups approved for a project.

The check came and we spent the next few months working closely with DAMPA officials, the community of Summerfield and Mayor De Sagun to prepare. Our plan was to purchase sewing machines so the women, who already sew, can produce in mass and create an industry for themselves. Before we purchased the machines we required them to come up with a business plan and we needed to insure there would be a place to place the machines.

Mayor De Sagun ensured that the Livelihood center was renovated and had electricity installed. It was truly a team effort on all sides.

The Livelihood Center before the renovation

The day for turning over the machines finally came. We woke up early to pick up the bouquets that we had ordered (which were MUCH larger than we expected…it filled Boeing to capacity) and we headed down to Summerfield. It was touch and go there for a few minutes because people participating did not show up at the designated hour…but with a few extra calls and one person doing an impromptu speech it all worked out. THANK GOODNESS.

It was a wonderful day. There were children doing a marching band number to welcome all the guests. Several of the women whom will benefit from the project were in the audience and more that anything it was gratifying to see they were so thankful for this opportunity.

Lady Hiva and I, along with our colleagues that submitted the grant with us, are so thankful for DAMPA and people like the Mayor who use their means and influence to better the lives of others who may not be as fortunate. It was a stressful day, but one that when we returned home we all felt full of gratitude and satisfaction.  

We are BACK UP on the ADOPTIONS LIST!

Lady Hiva and I have wanted a baby for several years. Yet, for one reason or another we have yet to have a baby survive longer than the first few weeks of life. (More details about that in the book, WHITE LILIES IN AUTUMN) We have explored all kinds of options to make that dream a reality.

One of which is adoption. We decided to go with LDS Adoption Agency, not just because we are LDS, but because they truly take care of both the adoptive parents and the birth parents. The process works like every other adoption agency—at first then it changes a little bit.

When we were in Washington D.C. we went through the home-studies, the background checks, the adoption preparation classes etc. We were finally approved to be listed as an adoptive couple. So this is where it begins to get different. LDS Adoptions believes in helping all parties have a positive experience. So instead of having the Adoptive parents choose the child, we all go up on a website (www.itsaboutlove.org) and we put up photos, a letter, and answer questions about ourselves. Then the birth mothers, in their own time and way, can search those files until she finds the couple that she feels is the BEST parents for her. This gives her the opportunity to take charge of a situation that she may not feel she has had control of and it also lets her choose a family that has what is important to her. For example, if she wants a family with children she can find someone, if she wants a new couple or a family with a dog, likes sports, etc…

Here is our page:

https://www.itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/25745026/ourMessage.jsf

We were up for a year, during which we had moved to Manila and I had written a book about our experiences together. However Virginia State changes their laws and does not honor us being listed as a Virginia couple when we are on Government orders out of the country so sadly, the VA LDS office told us they had to take down our page.

That was a SAD day.

However, Lady Hiva and I talked about it and we decided that we would try one last time…we called the LDS Adoptions’ Hawaii office since that is where we are residents (yes, even though we live in Manila we are residents and pay taxes etc in Hawaii). We met Sally. Well, we talked to Sally on the phone and HUNDREDS of emails…she must think we are CRAZY!! Hahaha…. Sally and some of her colleagues did research and Hawaii honors that we are on orders out of the country

That was a HAPPY day.

Sally, Margaret and the rest of the office have done WONDERS to help us get back on the “List.” There were unexpected problems and set backs, but they were patient with us (and all our emails :) ) as we worked together to solve the problem.

After a few months of work, we were good to go again! Our file is back up there. Lady Hiva and I were so excited we put it up on Facebook to tell everyone we were back up again. In a day and a half we had 125 “Like” the post, several friends and family that re-posted it on their page to help us in our search, and more people commenting with congratulations. We are so blessed with a wonderful support group.

So here is to waiting!! We will see what happens. Lady Hiva and I have been through enough together to know that we take whatever comes our way when it comes and know that is the way it is supposed to be. Until then we will wait for the day Sally calls us with some GREAT news!