The Twist in the Road

Coming home early from the Philippines was definitely the last thing I thought I would do when I decided to go to Tacloban last March. Arriving in the Philippines before most of my friends even started taking finals and coming home the day school started seemed like the perfect plan. Maybe it was FOMO or maybe it was just the thought of being there from the day HELP landed in country until the day HELP left. Either way I would finally get to spend the entirety of my summer in the Philippines; something I'd wanted to do since the day I first stepped in to the country.

There were days when it was harder than I ever imagined it would be. Days when projects would fall through, or supplies wouldn't show up. Days when all I wanted was some food straight from mom's kitchen. Days filled with phone calls to the consulate that left me wondering if I would ever get my passport back, and days when all I wanted was to do was sit on a couch in our living room or lay on the grass after a day of work. 

There were so many things I could have focused on, that had I chosen to do so, would have eaten at me until I decided to go home early all on my own. But in those moments I would think about the friends I had made there, the needs they had, the lives they lived, and the happiness and hospitality that the were always willing to give. You would think that simply living in a place where poverty is so prevalent would be enough of a reminder, but for some reason it was still so easy to forget that although their way of life worked for them there were things that could be done to better the lives they are living. The friends I made there are what would bring me back to reality. They are what helped me keep focus. And they are the reason that Heavenly Father knew the only way to get me home early was to completely knock me off my feet. Although being there was one of the most challenging things I've done, he knew that there was no way I was going to leave those people behind. Not unless he did something drastic. 

Each day I am home it becomes more and more clear. I needed to be in the HELP office. I needed to be set up an internship for the next year. I needed to go back to Aspen. I needed to move in to an apartment with roommates I already knew and love. I needed to spend time with my family after being away for so long so that I could better appreciate them. I needed to be at my cousins wedding. I needed to be home for Taylor's sake. There was no possible way for me to accomplish all of those things from abroad. Most of it I didn't even realize was an issue until I was here. 

Since being home I have been able to see so many friends and family, some of which I haven't seen in years. It's amazing to me how timing works out. Leaving Tacloban was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was exactly what I needed to do. I know that one day I'll go back, and I am so excited for the day that chance reappears. For now though, I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows the bigger picture. I am grateful that he has the knowledge and ability to intervene when I'm being stubborn, and I am grateful for the opportunities and people he has places in my life. 

THe CR PRoJeCT

Yolanda. She changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in just a few hours. Each and every person here has their own story, and although a lot of people have been left in similar situations I still come across a completely unique story on almost a daily basis. Like 44 children who, although attending school, have no place to use the bathroom; meaning that they use the two-foot wide area between school buildings or they wait through a full day of school until they can get home. It is those kids that we decided to visit today in hopes that within the next couple weeks we would be able to get a CR (Comfort Room) together for them. 

After dedicating our morning to a few other projects Stephen, Amber, Kulia, Bekah and I made our way to Barugohay Norte Elementary School in Carigara. Let me just say that one of the most heart warming things you will ever hear is a classroom full of Filipino elementary students say in unison "HELLO VISITORS" as you walk passed. It never ever gets old. Your first instinct after that is  to turn around to say "hello" or "thank you" in return, but what you may not realize is that the second you do the classroom full of students will scream with joy, jump from one foot to another, and then throw their hands over their mouths in excitement. I only offer this advice on the matter: do it anyways. Not only will it make you day, but it will make theirs too.

When we first got there we were greeted by Veronica, the teacher for those 44 students. She is the one that originally contacted us about the project, and also happened to be one of the people I was able to spend my very first full day here in Tacloban with. After a few introductions we made our way to her classroom to see what kind of work was in store for us. Over the next 30 minutes Amber and Mhytay entertained all 44 children while Veronica explained to the rest of us what it was that they need. She showed us the area they would need to place the CR in and gave us a general idea of the supplies we would need. She then took us elsewhere to show us a different CR that we could model the new one after. She even asked if it would be ok for the parents to be involved in various part of the project. It couldn't have been any more perfect. 

After getting all the information from here that we needed a few of us went in to talk to the principal. We wanted to make sure that he approved of the CR before we got to far in to it,  and also ask if there were any other projects the needed a hand with. I personally never heard about other projects, but I did find a few I wouldn't mind doing if they will allow it. I can't think of a single child who would object to few more playground items or a mural on this wall. One thing is for sure though, as long as the office approves it these kids will have a CR :)

THe CHiCKeN CooP PRoJeCT

About a week and a half after getting here Beth, Arturo and I decided to go to Tanauan. Beth was going down regardless of whether Arturo and I came because she needed to meet with some members there, but when she invited us to go we jumped at the opportunity. Beth told us that she would be at the church for about an hour and a half, and that we were welcome to take the truck around, so that's exactly what we did. While she met with her friends Arturo and I took the Lil' Red around  Tanauan to scout out some possible projects. 

I was blown away by what I saw and all the work there was to do in Tanauan. Up until that point the only places we'd really seen were Tacloban and the more inland areas. Those areas still had a lot of work to do, but most of the relief efforts were already focused on Tacloban City, and the more inland areas didn't get hit quite as bad as the coastal regions. Tanauan is one of those cities on the coastal region. There were a few tents donated by various NGO's but for the most part there was so much work to be done.  

It wasn't too long before we needed to get back to the church in Tanauan to pick up Beth. Before  making our way back to the Burgos Chapel there were a few other stops she wanted to make; one being Magay. There was a person there that she wanted us to meet. That person was Gil Bermiso, barangay captain of Magay. 

Gil is one of the most loved barangay captains I've met here. As we walked around Magay the kids would come running out of their houses to say hello to him. In talking to him it was easy to see why. Since then I've met with a number of barangay officials and almost always the main concen is some building that they've lost. They usually buildings that will benefit a whole community, such as a health center, so the cause is not a bad one in the slightest. The concern Gil showed for the individual people in his barangay was a really neat thing to see. He spent time in their homes, walking from place to place talking to people along the way. Because of that he was able to know that shelter, self-sufficiency, and livelihood were what his people needed, and he was willing to address it. 

We talked about a lot of different projects with him that day. The chicken coop project was one of them. Typhoon Yolanda took the livelihood of many and the chicken coop project would help some people get that back. 

While I was I Cebu last week working on my passport Shaley was back in Tacloban doing all kinds of research. She found out how much food we would need and pricing. She figured out what supplies we would need and then designed a chicken coop with the proper spacing needed. In the days following my return home she was able to meet with Gil to propose our plan to him.

Our plan was this: To get five people who had previous experience raising and selling chickens for meat, then to have them provide their own chicken coop. There were a couple reasons for this. 1) It would show us that they were committed and  2) It would help avoid jealousy within the community because this is something these people had to put something of their own in too. From there we would provide the farmers with 40 chicks as well as the food and medicine they would need to raise them. After that those five farmers would be able to buy more chicks and supplies to begin the next batch and it would just cycle from there. 

When Shaley and Stephen met with Gil to tell him the plan he was ecstatic. He was able to help us find five farmers by the end of that week and told then that we would be back on June 27th to check out their finished coops. 

That deadline was today. Chris, Stephen, Shaley and I were able to go down to Magay to see how the coops were doing. We didn't find five finished coops, but the two that were finished looked so good. 

We spent the rest of the morning talking with each of the farmers, learning their families and talking about how they had gone about raising chickens in the past. What we hadn't taken in to account was that majority of the days leading up to the 27th were filled with rain. Filipinos are some of the most hardworking people I've met, but when it rains they hide. There are cultural reasons that they so it, but because of it we had to extend the deadline. 

For the two farmers that were finished Shaley and Stephen were able to bring chicks and supplies too that night. When the arrived in Magay to drop the supplies off the farmers that hadn't finished were busily working on their coops; some of them were almost finished. We told the farmers that we would be back on Sunday to make sure they had finished, and that if they did we would bring them chicks and supplies on Tuesday.

A chicken farm might be something so small, but to those five people it could be the difference between employed and unemployed. It could be the thing that helps them pay for a child's education or it could be a meal on the table that they weren't able to have before. It is just one small thing that will help the people of Magay on their path towards self-reliance.  

THE TEAM - WAVE ONE

TEAM:

A group of people working together to accomplish one common goal. 

In our case the goal is to help the people of Leyte and Samar get back on their feet after being struck by one of the worst typhoons ever recorded. Typically a HELP team is made up of college students from various backgrounds, a lot of which are seeking internship credit. Every once in a while you get the students who are just looking for a chance to look out side themselves for a summer. Our team has all of that, but it also has a dynamic that isn't as common within HELP. Almost all of the people who are on our team have served their missions here giving us a connection to this place that isn't found in most teams. 

HELP Philippines Crisis Team 2014

STEPHEN ANDERSON

Stephen stepped foot in to the Philippines for the third time on April 27th. He was born and raised in Utah but left in 2010 when he was called to the Philippines Tacloban Mission. For the next two years he spent his days teaching and serving the people here. A month after the typhoon struck the Philippines Stephen was able to come back with his dad and a group called Charity Vision. They were only here for two weeks, but the amount they were able to accomplish was great. It was shortly after his arrival home that he was asked to be a country director for the HELP Philippines Crisis Team, and by so doing signed up for an entire summer here in Tacloban.

CHRIS GALLAGHER

Chris' story is a lot like Stephen's. He is also from Utah and also left in 2009 to serve in the Philippines Tacloban Mission. While Stephen was in Tacloban with his dad, Chris was busy planning Run4Philippines with his brother Jaron. It was never in his plan to go back to Tacloban. All he was trying to do was raise some money for the people he grew to love. But when HELP caught word of it all, they approached Chris with the opportunity to return to Tacloban. On May 5th Chris arrived in Tacloban as a HELP Country Director, ready to help and determined to make a difference.

KULIA PICKARD

Kulia is about as Hawaiian as they come. He was born there, raised there and will continue to live there after he finishes his time in the Philippines. He spent his mission serving the Filipino people in Bocolod, but that hasn't stopped him from giving his all to the people of Tacloban.

ADAM CONTE

Adam needs to be a motivational speaker. He was only here for ten days but he has the ability to captivate and inspire any audience. Adam is a half Native American, half Filipino from Arizona that spends his days in Hawaii. He was able to spend his mission days getting to know his culture in the Philippines Naga Mission. On thing is for sure; he definitely has the heart of a Filipino. 

REGINA FARNSWORTH

Regina was a lot like Adam in the sense that she couldn't stay for very long.We all would have loved for her to stay longer, and begged her to do so. One thing is for sure, she made the most of every second she had here. She was also raised in Utah, and later served her mission here in Tacloban. She loves to dance and the youth here loved every bit of choreography she taught them. 

SHALEY HURLESS

 Shaley is the last of the four to serve her mission here in Tacloban. She returned home just a couple months before the typhoon hit and jumped at the opportunity to come back to and help the people that she had spent all that time with. Shaley is always willling to help, and if she says she'll get something done you can count on it. No body is more excited than I am that she will be here all summer.

BECCA POELMAN

Becca is another Utah local, and although she'd never been to a third world country before she loved it right from the start. The excitement she had for the Philippines was so fresh and exciting and really helped us all to remember what it was like coming to the Philippines for the first time. The kids here absolutely adore her and her passion to help others through their struggles is so genuine.

SEAN GEORGE. 

Sean came to the Philippines for the first time when he served his mission in Cebu. He is  a Utah local who is always willing to help out on a project, and does so without ever complaining. He has a sense of humor you have to love and a real talent for bringing smiles to the faces of all those around him. 

DEEJAY PASIKALA

DeeJay is our Hawaii-born, Utah-residing, Cebuano speaking friend. What is not to love about DeeJay is the real question. His love of people and ability to teach has been such an asset to our team. He can have you in a deep conversation about life one second and rolling in laughter the next. We only wish he'd decide to stay longer.

Can I say that we have the best HELP team there is? I don't know the other teams so that wouldn't really be fair. What I can say that I am so grateful for the team that I am on. I have loved seeing each of our strengths in action as we do our best to help the Filipino people. There is no doubt in my mind that we are all here for a reason and I cannot wait to see what else we will be able to accomplish. 

THe SiDe YoU DoN'T uSuaLLY See

Department of Health, DepEd, CRS, JPI, CSWO, DSWD, Samaritan's Purse, YWAM, Volunteers for Visayas, UNICEF, World Vision, Caritas, INTERSOS, LDS Humanitarian, barangay captains and officials, woman's shelter staff. Meetings, meetings, meetings. I knew when I came out here with Arturo that I would be doing a lot of the prep work, especially when it came to finding partners. That was bour goal in coming out 3 weeks before everyone else. To find people that we could work with not just this summer, but in the future as well. 

Doing that kind of work was something I'd always been interested in and while I was working with PIG/Revive I was able to spend a lot of time talking to potential volunteers but it wasn't to often that I got to talk to a potential partner. So having the opportunity to shadow Arturo for those few weeks, and then being able to take the things I learned to continue what we started has been an incredible experience. With so many NGO's working here right now Tacloban has been the best place to get that kind of experience. 

That being said my HELP experience abroad has been very different than most. The rest of our crisis team arrived just last Thursday and since then they have been able to spend every work day up in San Juanico working on housing projects, CR building, supply distribution, painting and a whole range of different projects. Although I was able to make it up to San Juanico on Friday, the rest of my days have been spent in Palo, Tanauan and downtown in meetings or shopping for necessary supplies for upcoming projects. Some of the meetings have been making initial contacts, but a lot of them have been follow up meetings where we have been able to solidify details for upcoming projects. 

Is sitting in meetings majority of the day the most exciting thing in the world? Not hardly, but it's  been extemeely insightful and inspiring to work with so many many different groups, all working their hardest to accomplish a common goal. It's been an amazing opportunity. It may be a different kind of work, but I really have loved it. Does that mean I don't like doing the hands on projects, or have zero intentions of picking up another hammer this summer? Not at all. The few times I've been able to go out to Armi's and pull out the tools have honestly been some of my favorite days. I will spend more time in the field but for now these meetings are what need to be happening. Plus it's been a blast being able to take some of the volunteers in to these meetings and seeing their faces light up with excitement when they see all the potential things we can do. 

Today Chris and I were able to go meet with Lili, a lady we've been working for over the last week to put together an encampment, without the overnight portion, for a group of 300 adolescents in the Tacloban area that didn't quite get the psychosocial help they needed after the the typhoon hit. I'll save all the details of what those days will be like until I can just write about the event, but our team is so excited to help give these kids an outlet while helping them learn how to deal with these emotions. 

A little later we were able to go down to Palo for a few hours. In order to make sure that the relief efforts on Leyte and Samar are not being duplicated by all the NGO's that are here UNICEF has organized meetings where the NGO's can come together and talk about everyone is doing. The have them in a number of different categories, today's being education. They covered everything from the number of classrooms destroyed and plans to rebuild to how Yolanda effected drop out rates in all the areas within Leyte and Samar. The numbers were completely mind blowing and have us some good ideas on ways we can help. I can't wait to see what kind of work we can do. 

All in all my experience has been a lot different than I thought, but I feel like it has been exactly what I need.  I have got to meet with some incredible people. I have got to spend time in places that some of these volunteers probably won't see. I have wound up in unexpected situations that will forever bring a smile to my face and I wouldn't have it any other way. Being in this side of things has taught me so much about myself and my ability to accomplish things I'd never thought I'd be doing. It may not be the typical HELP experience, but I love it!