It all began in 1998 when Alma Chand, a member of First Presbyterian Church, saw an announcement in the news that the next International Blitz Build for Habitat for Humanity would be in the Philippines. Alma, an energetic member of FPC, a Filipina, drew a group of people together to talk about the mission opportunity. Senior minister Michael Lindvall was encouraging the church to engage in missions abroad at the time.
A blitz build is a 5-day event when people from all over the world come together as volunteers to build homes for homeless people in a selected country. The organization, Habitat for Humanity (HFH), provides the materials, arranges the logistics of housing and meals for the volunteers, and provides critically needed construction supervision. The international volunteers, working with the people of that country and the future home owners provide the labor. The goal of this blitz build was to build 300 homes in 5 days at 5 sites in the Philippines. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalind, avid supporters of HFH, would be working with the volunteers and Filipinos at various sites.
After hearing some of the information, feeling the excitement of such ambitious goals and recognizing that few of us had ever been to the Philippines except 3 or 4 of the men who had been there during WWII and were eager to return, 20 of us decided to embark on this mission. It was the beginning of the Philippines Mission Task Force of FPC---a love and passion that has lasted until 2024, 25 years.
I wish I could detail in writing the excitement we all felt in 1999 when we met at church to leave for the PH. It is the same excitement and anticipation we continued to feel each year when we are able to return to see our friends, do more work together, help build homes for the homeless and engage in other needed projects. Over the years, we have worked built many homes , helped with the HFH mother’s feeding program for patients at the mental hospital, painted and improved living conditions for the patients there, supported hundreds of young people with scholarships to continue schooling, taught sewing to men and women, gone to prisons to visit acquaintances there, visited schools where new school libraries have been established ---Some of us have returned six times during these 25 years, each time with anticipation, excitement and passion for the work that has changed our lives as well as the lives of others in the PH.
Preparing for this first trip, we studied the history geography and basic facts about the PH. We learned some basic Tagalog and Visayan language—how to ask for water (tubig), find the bathroom (banyo), say thank you (salamat) and perhaps most important, how to say hello (maganda umaga). We were going to meet new people, make new friends and share with the Filipinos, their, and our, love of God while we did work (trabajo). Over the years of this mission approximately 85 different members of FPC have participated in building many homes, a dental clinic, several community centers, painted walls in the mental hospital, and repaired and refurbished several playgrounds.
HFH had arranged logistics for the 5,000 international volunteers who arrived at the airport in Manilla. Groups were assigned to work at different locations across the three main regions of the Philippines, Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindinao. Our team from FPC was assigned to work in the city of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, of the Visayas. Dumaguete is a beautiful city on the sea and home to one of the two major Universities in the PH, Silliman University. It was thought somewhat similar to our experiences in Ann Arbor.
After a 17-hour flight, a hover craft trip from the island of Cebu, we landed somewhat shakenly on land in Dumaguete. On arrival, we, and other volunteers, were surrounded by little one-person fishing boats with colorful banners flying from their masts, bands playing, singing groups in brilliantly colored costumes, and people with flowers and snacks for the very welcomed visitors. We were exhausted from the travel but overwhelmed by the joy, warmth, and promise of the welcome and adventure ahead. More will be written about our amazing experiences in the PH but one last story about the concert on the first night of our arrival “when this all began”.
On the first night of our arrival, after traveling so many miles and hours, so many events, so little to eat and only enough time to change clothing. All of the volunteers assigned to Dumaguete, about 200, were required to attend a celebration welcoming concert in a large concert hall/gymnasium type building.
Volunteers sat in folding chairs on the gymnasium floor facing the stage while Filipinos were seated in the balconies surrounding and looking down on the volunteers.
When we all arrived at the docks earlier in the day, many men and women were presented with beautiful flowers on giant 10-foot stalks. We were all encouraged to bring our flowers to the evening celebration concert. Lights were dimmed for the concert to begin. One after another group of performers sang and or danced for the visitors—a spectacular showing of talent and appreciation that went on for nearly two hours.
Watching our members while they watched the performances, several of us began to giggle and some unsuccessfully stifle uncontrollable laughter. After the long hovercraft trip and the flight, after trying strange and unfamiliar foods at the airports, and suffering from fatigue—two of our team members had to urgently leave the crowded floor several times during the performances. Thankfully they both knew the word “banyo”.
The flowers that we had brought were anchored on the flower and held by our hands. They towered over us and across the room, made a spectacular sight. As the hours moved on, one flower after another began to tilt—some left, some right, some leaning forward over the heads of those seated in more forward rows, some precariously tilting back towards those of us behind. Strangers next to the persons holding the tilting flowers were nudging the holders as they struggled to maintain consciousness and trying not to offend our hosts watching from above.
For those of us in the further back seats, we could not constrain our laughter as we tried to guess who would fall first. One member after another lost their battle with indigestion or exhaustion. We had landed. We were excited. We were being introduced to a new and beautiful culture and people. We were already exhausted without one day of work. We had an adventure ahead that would last for many years and that would change our lives and others. It all began in 1998 with Alma Chand—First Presbyterian Church member.