Well, we arrived safely back in the good old USA yesterday. As great an experience as traveling is, especially to foreign countries, it is always good to return home. There is something about not sleeping for 30 hours and traveling half-way around the world that throws ones body completely off. I am handling the jet lag pretty well this trip, but I have this significant urge to sleep since my body is used to it being the middle of the night right now in the Philippines. Assuming I can make it through the day without a large nap, I think I will be well on the way to transitioning back to Michigan time. I am doing really well until I have to stare at my computer screen and I get real sleepy. Did I mention my job is staring at a computer screen? Tough sledding but worth it. I am still processing the trip and hope to finish the blog entries as it relates to the trip over the weekend. Stay tuned.

Taylor went to school today so we’ll see how she does with jet lag and concentrating in school. I was very proud of her behavior and maturity on the trip. I don’t know that she comprehends the seriousness of what the children face should the center not be in existence, but in her own way and on her own level she did great. She immersed herself right into the situation whether it was teaching and playing with street children or talking with the children at the center. I never heard one whine, complaint or concern. All this without the American luxuries we are used to like hot water, water you can drink, a shower, etc…In all honesty until we rode back to Cebu to fly home, I don’t think I spent an hour with her in all seven days we spent at the center. She was made to feel at home and she did. She rode a tricycle (motorcycle type vehicle) to church with Joma, visited Joma’s house, and made 15-20 new friends half a world away. The trip has left an imprint; now all that is left to determine is if it is permanent or temporary. I am leaning to permanent but only time will tell. She has to make a presentation at school and as she writes that this weekend, I will have a better insight into her thoughts and feelings.

Fitness:

By the way, I worked out today and have continued to eat well. I am going to allow myself one good meal upon my return where I don’t care what I eat. I have bet the girls of the Lingap Center 25 push ups (each) that I will be more daot (thin) upon my return than I am today. I have told them that they better start practicing their pushups!

Finance:

Remember if you have Rockwell Medical or other speculative investments in your Traditional IRA to talk with Richmond Brothers about converting it to a Roth IRA. We have talked with many and it is an individual decision so it cannot be handled in a blog but we want to be sure everyone has had the conversation and opportunity. Being proactive and bringing such opportunities to you is one more reason you choose to do business with Richmond Brothers. We appreciate the opportunity and will work hard to continue to earn your trust in 2010.

Quote of the Day:

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

My hope for you is that you dream in color and such vivid color it is High Definition. See your dreams so clearly that you already can smell, taste, and envision them happening because if you do they probably will.

Taylor’s blog:

I woke up on our last day and Sweet was right next to me sharing the bed. It is common over here for people to sleep in the same bed. It did not bother me. Today was hard. I had to say goodbye to all my new friends. Joma and many of the girls and a few of the boys cried. I feel bad and sad but I am trying not to break down in front of them. We drove back to Cebu and visited a different school for troubled kids/street kids in the city. They gave personal examples of how the school helped them and they sang. Filipinos love to sing! We flew back to Manila. Tomorrow we go to a market to shop and fly home the next morning. I will summarize my trip in the next blog but it will not be until we return at the end of the week.

Dave’s blog:

Well, the trip is coming to an end. We had to say goodbye and it is so difficult. We had many crying and several did not want to let go. We will be back, we even pinky promised on it. We are flying to Manila today, off tomorrow to explore some of the city, and will get a 2 a.m. wake up call Wednesday (your 2 p.m. Tuesday) to head to the airport. We should arrive around 10:30 a.m. I will write a summary of my feelings of the trip later in the week. I wish you all a great week and a very good day today. Remember to make a different in the life of another and make it a great day.

Here are a couple of quotes I found useful:

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” -Winston Churchill

“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.” -Unknown

I fully agree with the first two; the last is true in America but I have to say, if you are born in the wrong place, the journey can be difficult if not impossible. Thank God when you lay down to sleep tonight you are born with a chance to make a difference in the life of another. Now take action.

Editor’s note: Taylor wrote the following and read it to the children on her evening at dinner:

Hi, I’m Taylor

Thanks for being there for me. You welcomed me. You accepted me like family. You mean so much to me. I hope you enjoyed me. I enjoyed you. The one thing Filipinos have is hospitality. And I mean it! You smile, wave, hug. I wish I could stay a little bit longer. You’re the best of the rest. You all are like angels God sent down from Heaven. I will really miss you guys. I hope I’ll come back when I’m 12 years old and I am now 10. I hope to see you soon. Taylor.

As an editor I loved the material; as a dad I was very proud. Until we arrive home…good day.

Taylor’s blog:

Today I woke up, ate breakfast, and took pictures. Then we went into the nursery. They grow their garden all from seeds so we hang out in the nursery since it is so quiet. From there they transfer the plants to the ground. Rona is the Garden Captain and she sleeps in my room. We talked but my feet got dirty; we laughed because now my feet are brown with specs of white. We washed my feet up and I wrote two letters. One to all the boys and one to all the girls. We prepared for mass as a choir. We did mass and ate in the nursery. All the street kids came and they are so nice. We cleaned up my shoes again and laid down to nap. Elvira introduced me to her friends; I felt so warm so Joma opened the windows. Rona and I scared each other and we both kept smiling and laughing. I took a power bar but went into my dad’s room to eat it since they are not given such things to eat. A boy saw me eating it through the window but he did not care; he calls me Taylor Swift since I am named Taylor and we are from America. We just had the rosary. I had not written so I skipped dinner to write. Father Rose left today. The boys sure will miss him; he played with them a lot, more than the girls. He seems really nice. I hope he gets home safely. He said a prayer on the way over to Cebu, Hail Mary full of Grace, may we get safely to our place. I said it for him.

Dave’s blog:

Today was a big day. No, not because of me, my stomach or my waistline as these children continue to point out so lovingly but because we had the 3rd Saturday Outreach. The center started and hosts a mass and soup kitchen one time per month. It was huge; we estimated that between 1,000 and 1,200 children (and some adults) attended. It was moving to see people just pouring through the gates, the poor from the neighborhood and surrounding area coming together to celebrate mass and share a meal. It was church in the largest sense. You don’t have to be religious to find the spirituality in what occurred today.

As a side note, Filipinos do not skimp on stereo equipment, so our sound system could have functioned as tour equipment for Aerosmith or the Rolling Stones. As they were testing the equipment they played a little Flo-Rida, Low, and Lady Gaga, Poker Face, interlaced with lovely Christian music. Only here!

It is something to think that four years ago our children could not attend church or school and today they hosted over one thousand as their guests. The children set up, swept up afterward, broke everything down, and carried it. Quite amazing. They earned their nap today. I have to say this was one of the best religious experiences in my life. It was so real, literally played out before our eyes. If you know anything about the culture, Filipinos sing, so when you can imagine over 1,000 people on the basketball court belting out with power songs and fellowship it was a moving experience.

After mass it did not end; within two minutes we cranked up the party with Lady Gaga, Abba, and more on the sound system being sung by the kids and certain American and Filipino adults to remain nameless. I have to say it was so much fun I am still smiling. What we consider making complete fools of ourselves they embraced you for it, they never worry if you can sing or dance instead they enjoy a carefree 30 minutes of fun and fellowship. They want you to participate and be an active participant in life and share in an experience. It is an experience I will not forget.

The rest of the day was quiet and as calm as 82 children can be. MarieFe cried tonight. I asked her why and she said she is sad that I go back to America soon. I told her soon will come fast enough so let’s enjoy the day and a half that I have left. We hugged and she sat on my lap for about an hour. This could only be accomplished after I would pinky swear that I would come back. I do not look forward to saying goodbye to the children on Monday morning…it is getting harder and harder to do the more times I visit. The deeper the relationship the more I care about their future and don’t want to leave them yet I know they are in good hands here. It is emotional but most of the good things in life are. I wish everyone could experience the love I have experienced this week just one time, what a blessing, what a gift.

Taylor’s blog:

When I woke up I didn’t know if it was day or night. When I found out, I took a shower and ate. I lost my notebook but then it was found, lost and found, ha ha ha. When I eat they are so nice that they shove food at me making sure I have enough. Like I said they will go out of their way to make sure I am happy. They bought pancake ingredients. They gave me rice, hot dog, swine, pancakes and eggs. WOW! They stare at me still. If I smile and wave; they do too. I think they are still curious.

I read some books today and took a nap. My dad went to another street children education but I slept. It poured rain today and we huddled under a tent. We ate lunch and then Jun-Jun kept peeking into the girls’ rooms. So I chased him away. Later I almost went to Jolliebee but Joma did not win a trip even though she thought she did so we stayed at the center. We are trying to work out something for later. I was very disappointed but I did it. We did the rosary. I could not work the fan and without it, it is very hot in the room; then Roma came in and pushed a button and it worked! YEAH. I don’t like them shoving food at me. I know they are trying to be nice but it makes me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I am really not hungry. They are just trying to be nice though.

We are off to bed. Good night.

Dave’s blog:

We had a quiet day today. We were supposed to go on house visits but were unable to due to the rain. Most of the shanty towns are in low lying areas and when it rains they flood or become inaccessible with mud. Since they have no sewer, it also becomes a mix of sewage, rain and mud. To avoid the health hazard, we skipped the morning house visits and just hung out at the center and relaxed a bit. John and I did a maintenance walk-around and in the afternoon did a budget meeting. The culture and how they operate here is different than back home and interesting. For example, we asked the staff to be careful spending money as the recession in the USA is bad. They need to watch every penny. Comments that have context behind them are lost in culture; the result is they cut their budget by 10%. When we asked how this could be possible since most costs rise over time they simply said we will spend less. They will turn the water off most of the day, consolidate rooms and close down others to save electricity, and let the kids know they will not spend any money. It is taken to such an extreme based upon American standards that we cannot comprehend such conditions. BUT we asked them to be careful spending money and so they simply will live without, even if that is basics such as water, food, or lights. We have since cleared up our version of the meaning of frugal and are continuing to teach a standard of excellence while being frugal. The translations and cultures make international business more complex and makes even the simplest decision as straight forward as a crooked line; nothing is easy but it is well worth it.

Tomorrow we have Third Saturday Outreach Mass and Soup Kitchen. It is something that we hold at the Lingap Center as an outreach to other poor children. We have an estimated 800 coming. It should be something to see. A great message that orphans, abused, and neglected kids are reaching out to others and sharing love and friendship. They moved the mass to this Saturday from the 3rd Saturday since we are here. I wanted to see it and asked if we could move it. John said it is powerful and thought it was a good idea. I am glad it is happening. We are praying for dry weather because when it rains here it is a tropical monsoon.

After the street children program today we took a walk through one of the shanty villages and visited one of our children’s home. She is on the cover of our new brochure which we will have within a month. It was a well built structure by hut standards, with dirt floor and is raised up 2-3 feet so that in the wet season when it floods they are out of the water. Although to get to the home they would have to walk through two feet of water and sewage until the ground dries. The quote below by Horace reminds me in this culture of the resourcefulness that they show to survive and with a spirit of welcoming, warmness, and generosity. The Lingap Center does great things and it is like nothing that I have ever been a part of; I am blessed to have been given this gift. While it may seem like work, difficulty, and drudgery to be in a 3rd world country battling these issues half a world away, it is quite the opposite. Yes, we worry about fundraising and the need is well beyond the financial resources that we have, but we continue to dream and plan to be more successful tomorrow than we are today. The result of the product, a child’s life, is far too important to settle for anything less. I am a better man, father, husband and business owner for being a part of this center. In many ways this is the front lines of poverty; not so crushing where there is no chance but close enough to the front line that triage can be done and a foundation created to allow sprouts to grow. It is messy and certainly not easy but it is beautiful to see. In this country this is no safety net, if you don’t have money your family will die. Not all of them but the weakest among them. We cannot save them all but we can save just one and we have started there. We have kids whose siblings have starved to death while they watched, a parent murdered while they watched, and things I would not even want to type like gang rape and others. One girl a year ago would not be in the same room as a man and today she too rubbed my BIG belly and chuckled while she did it. I have gotten a BIG hug from her everyday. Is one life worth it? Gina is worth it and this center made it happen. Another child when she was brought to us 9 months ago could not walk from malnutrition and today rode off to pre-school on the back of a tricycle/motorcycle. She walks although her hair still has not begun to grown yet. In time she will heal physically, mentally and emotionally, how do I know? I have seen the proof with my own eyes and it is powerful. Many people are like doubting Thomas but I can tell you I have seen and I believe. I pray that our financial stability continues to expand exponentially so that we may expand our services, offer the children a “normal” life instead of the basics, and continue to reach out into the community that is so poor.

“Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.” -Horace

Editor’s note: In order to get Taylor to try to express her emotions, in addition to what it is she is doing everyday, I wrote out 15 questions for her. These are her answers.

Taylor’s Blog:

1. What do you think about the center? It is so nice compared to where they live. Plus it is so different in so many ways. (Editor’s note: I am trying to get her to expand this answer).

2. Compare and give me your thoughts on the school to Queen’s. The school is much different. It was so, so, so, so hot there. I felt like I would faint; only one fan and no air conditioning. She had 31 kids in her class. Queen’s is totally different, nothing much is the same. In school though, they teach many of the same things. Joma has more obstacles to cross than we do.

3. Did you feel love while staying at the center? I feel loved more than I do with my BFF in Michigan. They give me almost everything. They ask how I slept and if I am feeling well. They are kind and caring. They smile and make me feel welcome. They are the nicest group of anyone.

4. Give me examples of how the children show one another love. Like I said they will ask how you slept, how you are, if you are feeling alright, they will buy you something when they have nothing. It may be the only money she would get in months or a year and she spent it on me.

5. Do the children fight a lot? I’ve never, ever, seen any one of the children fight.

6. Do they have to be told to do their chores? NO. Sometimes the older ones teach the younger ones what to do and if they don’t they get after them but the houseparents don’t have to do much reminding. The children help cooking (for 85), do laundry, sweep the floor, mop the floor, clean their rooms and bathrooms, weed and tend the garden. It is amazing.

7. Do they complain about being bored? No, they always have somebody to talk with or listen to. Even though they don’t have T.V. or ipods they have each other.

8. Show me an example of how they live their faith. How do they show Jesus in their heart? Well, they never fight and they are so kind to each other. They help each other, hug each other, and are there for each other.

9. When you go home how do you think this experience will affect you? I will appreciate more and think carefully about others more.

10. Do you think we should live more simply (not so much stuff) so that others may simply live? Yes, we are so spoiled they only have a couple things and we have so much. Maybe they could have more.

11. Should we turn the T.V. off or limit it so that we spend more time with each other? It depends. (Editors note: I am trying to find out what the conditions of her offer are).

12. Are you happy that you came? Yes, I am. I saw new things, saw Joma, and I am really happy. I want to come back. I wasn’t happy about the bumpy and curvy ride to the center though.

13. What did you think of the home visits? I felt bad for the people who had to live like that. But if they get something they appreciate it.

14. What did you think of the old Lingap Center? It was terrible. It was small and very dirty.

15. What do you think is the most important to the children? Each other.

Dave’s Blog:

Tonight will be short. We had official duty things today like the Philippine Board Meeting, school meetings and other such stuff. However, tonight they had “socialization”. It is a combination event that includes education, sharing of feelings and learning values. It is lead by both the children and the social workers. It was very good. My favorite part is where they share what they are feeling. They have a box called Thoughts from the Heart: it is where you can put in a piece of paper, a letter, or note and share confessions, accomplishments, frustration, remorse, thankfulness, needs, wants, wishes, and counseling problems. It was something to see people discussing emotional issues in a public format. The support they show each other and the courage and self-confidence it builds was fun to observe.

We finished the evening by handing out this quarter’s awards. They get awards for everything from test scores to behavior. It was great. After winning so many awards you can qualify for the grand prize which is a trip to Jolliebee (Philippine’s version of McDonald’s).

Tomorrow we are doing more home visits, visiting a different site for the street children’s education program, having a budget meeting, and taking the trip to Jolliebee. I am emotionally a bit saturated; the level of human interaction and love is so real and overwhelming. Rarely is it displayed so raw and publicly for others to witness. It is leaving a large imprint on my heart. I hope to process this and put it into actionable items in my everyday life; if nothing else to feel self-confident enough to imitate the openness with which they love one another.

Good night and God bless.

Taylor’s Blog:

Joma and I woke up and took a bath. We are having water issues at the center so you have to shower using water out of a clean garbage can that is used to store water in the bathroom. You just fill up a small pail and dump it over your head. They don’t have warm water here just room temperature. It feels freezing in the morning. We ate and then…..drum roll please….I did my laundry. They don’t have washer and dryers here; the kids are the washers and outside is the dryer. Joma showed me how to wash clothes out of the trough and we hung it up to dry. It was fun. I had more to do but some other girls named Janeth (age 7) and Carmina finished my laundry. That was a random act of kindness. My dad was shocked I did laundry and he wants to take a picture of it tomorrow. They do their laundry everyday since they don’t own many clothes.

I sang in the Lingap choir at church today. It was packed as their city had its 50 year birthday. Kids did not have school and it was a holiday. We went to a parade that we were supposed to march in but instead we spent 1.5 hours doing nothing. We went back to the center and finished the laundry. We did Jane and Tito Judy’s laundry. We ate mango fruit pie and it was very good.

Editor’s note: Taylor was very tired, a combo of jet lag, very busy days, 90 degree temps with lots of humidity and late night talking combined with 5 a.m. wake-up calls. Almost her entire room fell asleep at 7 p.m., a full two hours before bedtime.

Dave’s Blog:

I had a first time experience that is truly one of those WOW! Moments that when they occur you say, this can’t be real. We visited Father Silva today and it was unreal. His philosophy is to teach workers “to sing so that way they will not be fighting. Teach them to sing love songs and they will not have hate in their heart”. He is most amazing and the employees are as well. Don’t worry team Richmond Brothers, I don’t think that is in our future; however, the concepts are fabulous. He is quite a success story. He is a Secretary in the President’s Cabinet here in the Philippines. We were being broadcast all over the Philippines to the workers of all the electric coops. Total number today was in the thousands. We met the Majority Senate Leader and both things were totally unplanned but purposeful as they occurred. As we talk in person or on the phone, ask me to describe the interaction with Father Silva and that experience; words do not do it justice and you would not believe it if I wrote it. Just an amazing experience.

The emotions of this trip are much more powerful than before. As relationships are established it is emotional to see these children, where they come from, the difference this center makes, and the results it produces. I believe it is God’s work being carried out; it is church in the larger sense of the word. It is a very spiritual place and produces an acute awareness of our brothers and sisters in humanity.

We come here as providers and benefactors of the Lingap Center and yet we are being paid more than we give. The children are the teachers. I have seen countless examples in three short days of love, selflessness and caring. These children have nothing and come from less than nothing, yet they are happy. For Christmas they received only one present: one new pair of shoes that a donor gave. No toys or playthings. They have every reason to say, “I’m bored,” yet I have never heard it spoken. Why is that? My belief is because they live with an attitude of gratitude. They are grateful simply for opportunity – the opportunities to have food, shelter (and not be soaking wet when it rains) and education. As importantly they have love. I have never seen a place where you can watch love being exchanged so bountifully that is flows like a river. It runs through these rooms and stirs the Spirit. Live simply so that others may simply live; who needs stuff when you have love? The stuff simply gets in the way of allowing us to focus on love. I hope when I return we turn the T.V. off for a week or a month and force ourselves to engage in life. Interact with another human being. In our world of instant communication we forget to be with each other. Connect and share time with each other in a meaningful way or simply being together.

Tomorrow we have a Philippine Board Meeting and socialization at night. Socialization is something the children have weekly that is like peer group therapy. They submit any feelings, concerns, worry or frustrations that they want to be shared in a box. John says it is very powerful and he looks forward to it each time. I am very excited.

Fitness: Well it is cemented in stone…I am fat. When you want the truth ask a child. When you don’t even want to know and never even asked the question, come to the Lingap Center! I have never been patted on my belly so many times and called B-I-G! I have a lifetime of ammunition for motivation should I need it when I return to begin doing something about this mess. The kids love me the same, but my ego (if I had one) no longer exists; if I did not have a huge supply of self-confidence before I arrived I would jump off the roof! I will state for fact, as they are rubbing my fat belly they are doing so lovingly and hugging me at the same time giving of themselves to let me know they love me and appreciate me, all of me, even the extra kilo’s that make me, did I say, B-I-G!?

I have continued to do 100 push ups every other day and 100 squats and lunges on the next day. That was my goal and I have done it. Eating has been ok; not eating enough probably and not the right combination of protein and carbs but overall it is easy to cut sweets when you can’t buy them and they don’t have them. Even the protein bars I brought are beginning to taste like Heaven! I need to drink more, it is a wet sauna here in the sun and I am sweating to the point of…, yes, kankles. It will take about a week for the water retention from being dehydrated to go away. Not as bad as the first time I was here but bad enough. I will be interested to see what I weigh when I get back; I will let you know if I am up or down.

If anyone is reading this, send me an email at dave@richmondbrothers.com. Should you have any questions or comments about this journey I am on or my writings, please shoot me an email and I will use feedback to shape the blog in the future.

Taylor’s Blog: I am at Joma’s school today. All the kids are very welcoming. Their uniforms are a blue skirt and a white blouse. They are very talkative and loud! They put me under funny pressure like do you think that boy is cute or that one? All the girls are pretty. They boys are well…boys. Some are really brown, some are almost white, and most are in the middle. Ut oh, they want me to sing….ahhhh! They are funny and curious. Joma and I took a test; it was so easy. The teachers are nice. There is an 18 year old in 6th grade. We are now in language and since I don’t understand Filipino I think it is boring. They have similar classes to us, science, math, language, and a few others. We finished science and the last part of the test was extremely hard. The teachers change classrooms every 30 minutes so that they teach what they are good at. Joma and I are true friends. Joma told me that I am the best among the best. Joma hoped that everyone in the world is as nice as I am. The kids squeal a lot, especially the girls. Math time! I had no idea how to do the math so Joma pretty much did it all for me. I love Joma as a friend. We’re true friends. We don’t talk a lot in class…just kidding….We ate a delicious lunch, rice, an orange, tossino. It is so hot in the school-I almost fainted! IF there weren’t fans I would die. When the teacher comes in you stand and say, “Good morning, teacher Pryziany. They she says, “You may sit.” You say in return, “Thank you, teacher Pryziany.” Then you start the lesson. They don’t have insides to their desks, just the top. They leave their book bags at school and bring a beach bag to school with their homework. They are louder than a herd of elephants! The walls don’t go to the ceiling so you can hear the next grade level. It is so warm and the fan only circulates the warm air. There is hardly any breeze. The poverty is horrible in Toledo City, Philippines. I rode a tricycle on the way home from school. 7 of us piled on a motorcycle with a side car and it takes us to the center. It was fun. Bye for now.

Dave’s Blog:

Today was a great learning day. We visited the public schools where there are 48-70 kids per class. Some schools are cutting elementary back to half days so they can cut the class size in half, no more money to hire more teachers or build additional rooms. They were teaching math but no math books. Just chalk and the board. The teacher worked so hard to teach two-step math yet a lecture to elementary students, even somewhat interactive, is so hard to learn. It is difficult under the best of circumstances. We then had a meeting with the bosses of the entire district; interesting at best. It was insightful and it is more evident why things are the way they are. Then it was off to West Bay to visit with their administration; West Bay is a nice private school (it was the one Taylor mentions above that she attended today with Joma). Finally we visited St. Bernard’s. It is a new school but very progressive and it aligns philosophically with us very well. They showed us where they hope to build a new school and it was exciting to see a dream and vision being created. A day of education from the best to the worst of Toledo City. A day of learning indeed.

We got very trying news on the water situation we have at the center, it is going to cost us significantly more than we had hoped. It is a real dilemma. Tomorrow is Charter Day which is a celebration of the day Toledo City was founded and received its charter. It is the 50th anniversary so they are pulling out all of the stops. We are attending mass at 7:30am followed by speeches and lots of parades, pomp and circumstance. They are expecting thousands. It should be a great event.

I may need an IV from all the fluids I am losing from the humidity here! I have company this trip though; many are sweating by the pound since it is abnormally hot for this time of year.

I will leave you with two quotes from St. Bernard’s School that are posted in the classroom:

“Listening is useless unless it leads to doing”

“Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens”.

My hope for you tomorrow is that you will first learn by listening and in doing so you will gain wisdom. Then take that wisdom and make the world a better place by taking action. You can make a difference in the life of someone. What are we waiting for?

To catch those of you up who have not read the past blog, I am visiting the Lingap Center in Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines with my daughter, Taylor. We are each writing a blog about the experience. She let me borrow her journal to type this; my blog appears after hers.

Taylor’s Blog:

January 1: I got on the airplane and 13 hours later we got off in Japan. I got a cookie at Starbucks; my mom would love that! Starbucks in Japan is so cool. It took us about 5 minutes though, as the girl only spoke broken English, just Japanese (My dad said, “Imagine that, speaking Japanese in Japan!” He was teasing me but I guess I never thought about it). The helpers called us into two lines but they pronounced it “rines” not “lines”…we laughed. The man, Tong, who sat next to us, was moved, but he was a Filipino but he lived in Texas. I am staying the night in Manila and then tomorrow heading to see Joma, I am so excited! The flight from Japan to Manila will be about 4 hours! It is 2 a.m. and we are heading to bed in Manila. Night.

January 2: We skipped January 2nd because we crossed the International Date Line. Dad said not to worry; we get to live January 13th twice when we fly home. I don’t really understand why, but we left on January 1st and arrived at 12:05 on the 3rd. It was a long trip.

January 3: We woke up at 6 a.m. in Manila. I am so excited I could not sleep. My dad showed me the air pollution with the haze in the air. It is horrible. Our hotel was great but you can’t open your mouth when you shower. There are little cells that make you sick. We walked to church and it was so beautiful that I took pictures. The traffic was horrible. People cross the streets whenever they want to and cars don’t even use the traffic lines. We ate at the pancake house; my last good meal. We went to the airport (again) and flew 1 hour and then drove 3 hours to the center up over the mountains; we drove into the clouds! We arrived at the center and they sang songs and we ate. After dinner we went outside, Joma showed me around and at 8:52 p.m. they recorded my voice. We talked a lot. They told me how conservative Filipinos are. They don’t want me to sleep early cuz they want to talk about America.

January 4th: Joma and I woke up. They wake up at 5 a.m. but I was up first. I took a freezing cold bath inside; Joma took a warm bath outside. We ate but I am picky so I only ate the rice. I helped Joma get ready for school. They ride motorcycle things…5, 6, or 7 can ride on one! I feel unsafe cuz they’re hanging practically off the motorbike. I came in and got water….mmmmm, it is really hot here. I talked with Gina, they are so different. For respect they grab your hand and touch their head, that is so different. I wish you could see it for yourself. It is heart breaking/warming. Aileen is so funny! Tito John talked about the home visits. We looked at the old Lingap Center-it was horrible. I taught Helen, a 5 year old, a few English words like Big Hugs. Here is a joke, that I would love to take Helen home, wonder how mom would like that? She’s the cutest thing! I feel so happy and overjoyed! She hast the brownest eyes and hair. She wore a red and white dress. I played bad mitten with street kids named Josue and Emile. We did flash cards with them. Josue is 12 and is at grade level 2, Emile is 12 and at a 5th grade level. We also looked inside the church. Then we left, I had so much fun I was sad I had to leave.

Dave’s Blog:

Today was interesting. We did home visits and they are always a learning experience. To see where the kids come from, what their story is and learn to appreciate who they are. We looked at one “home” that was 10’ x 10’ at most, very old bamboo with every worldly possession they had inside and five kids (see picture above). It was situated at the top of a hill/mountain. It had a gorgeous view and yet I could not image the wind or rain in a thunderstorm let alone a typhoon. The bamboo shack would certainly get blown down with them inside. It reminded me of Joma telling me of how scared she used to be during a typhoon and the noise, shaking, and how wet and cold she would be for days. No way to cook food with the rain so they would go hungry until the storm ended (their kitchen is an open flame in the 10’ x 10’ area that they smother with dirt to extinguish). It is difficult to rationalize the standard of living or coping with the conditions as an American, yet you have to be respectful that this is their home and they are proud of it and that we come to visit them.

Looking at our children at the Center a few things I notice: there is not talk of being bored, I can’t wait to get out of here (substitute Jackson for our kids complaining about their town), or I hate school. It dawned on me, when you look at where they came from and the opportunities they are now afforded, they are grateful to be where they are. Second, it is not about possessions but who you are that is important. When you literally have nothing life is not about the next material thing you can acquire or buy and it frees them to be happy for just being. I am envious to a degree that they don’t live our “commercialism” that is so central to life in the USA. Third, when you were not allowed to go to school, never had the opportunity (because you had to beg for money or food to feed your starving siblings even though you wanted to learn and be like other kids) you appreciate the opportunity education affords, you treasure it, and you do not take it for granted. Neither their culture nor ours is “right,” instead both are to be appreciated and provide learning and teachable moments.

Being here always clarifies for me the saying: “live simply so that others may simply live.” My hope for us tonight is that we spend some time contemplating those less fortunate and ask, “Do I live simply or do I ride the cultural wave of confusing wants for needs?” I challenge each of us to live simpler lives, ridding ourselves of the clutter that we might see more clearly what is really important: our relationships and our purpose as human beings. I challenge you to rid yourself of one thing that you do (but really don’t) need; whatever that cost, save half, spend it, I don’t care, but take the other half, pick your favorite charity and help them make a difference. Live simply so that others may simply live. Be selfish and give yourself that gift; the feeling of living for something more important than yourself or your family.

Tomorrow we visit schools and do more home visits. At some point I want to talk about giving, not just financially but more importantly of oneself. I can feel myself being moved to talk and express, but it has not yet bubbled up in a form that can be articulated. I feel something powerful and I look forward to sharing it when the time is right.

If you have thoughts or comments you would like to share, simply email me at dave@richmondbrothers.com. Thanks for reading and we’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.

Well, it’s official. Thirty-seven hours of travel over two days (21 in one day) and we are at the Lingap Children’s Center. It is a loooooooooong trip. It is a total pain in the butt and then you meet the children, and it is emotional. I find the longer I am in this project the more it sucks you in…I think I am going to nickname it “The Vortex!” I did my level best not to cry like a little girl when they were singing to us and smiling at us; relationships are a beautiful thing and so are emotions/feelings. I feel more alive today than I did yesterday. I’m getting JD (John Drake’s) disease and that is a good thing. It is 4 a.m. and I have been up since 2 a.m. First night of solid sleep (10 p.m. to 2 a.m.). Sooner or later jet lag may catch up with me…or will it be simply a lack of sleep? The only other creature stirring since 2 a.m. is a freaking rooster; he must be on east coast time too! I am going to install a new internal clock for him; it is not dawn for another 60 minutes and he has been talking to me and everyone within 1/4 mile for 2 hours. Got to love this place, the sights, sounds, smells, it is one of a kind…the people, some of the best people in the world. It was great to see the houseparents again and many of the kids remember Tito Dave. I don’t even remember the travel now…feels like Scotty just beamed me up…amazing the effect those kids have on you! You can go from total exhaustion and tired of plane, sitting, waiting, plane, bus, hotel, airport, sitting, waiting, bus, repeat for 37 hours and yet when you see the children and hug, tell stories, and share time with another human who only wants love…you forget everything but the love that is in your heart. It bubbles over and nothing else can fill even an inch of you.

Fitness: I am beginning to workout on my own while on the trip; 100 push ups one day and 100 squats and lunges the next. Got to start someplace. It’s official though…kids patted my stomach, which in my mind is still the eight pack of rippling muscle I had 25 years ago but has turned into a bad version of a 6 month pregnant women…so the kids called me Mataba (English translation: fat)! They still love me, though. I bet several of them I will be dato-er (thinner) next year; 25 pushups are on the line each – I better do better in 2010!

Happy New Year. I hope everyone’s break was restful and you enjoyed time with those that matter. As we celebrated NYD traveling 13,000 miles away from my family, I am reminded we have family all around us, our human brothers and sisters. Let 2010 be a year that we reach out and make a difference in one another’s lives. My daughter had a great conversation on the plane with a fellow Filipino; already shaping her by simply letting him know that if he needed to use the bathroom he could just let us know, even if we were sleeping (he had the window seat!). From there a relationship, albeit short, was born.

They are such a welcoming people. We went to mass in Manila before flying to Cebu; they went out of their way several times to acknowledge Father Geoff Rose who is traveling with us. I asked Taylor, when she has a new student in class, is she so welcoming? I think after this trip it will be an easy answer, still outside her comfort zone maybe, but I am confident in what she will reply.

Future blog: for the next several days I will blog about the trip while I am here at the center and the experiences we have. My daughter will do so as well. I am excited to see the trip through the eyes of a 10 year old. She encountered a few firsts yesterday, beggars, street children (see picture above), and 100 abandoned, abused, and neglected children. I think they are making an indelible imprint on her and I am excited to get a peek into what that looks like. She was overwhelmed yesterday, joy in seeing her friend Joma, sadness for beggars, uncomfortable feeling having someone beg from you for the first time or the 100th or the 1,000^th; it reminds me of the bible verse, did we clothe them when they were naked and feed them when we were hungry? She was conflicted yesterday. The kids are just like her, playing outside, running, having fun and yet from such a different background. She said to me, “Daddy, this is a good place. Without it, these kids would not have a chance and many would die,” she paused and I thought was becoming emotional and then she concluded with, “That isn’t right.” I don’t know that I have ever been more proud. She is getting it, if for even that one instance, she saw the Light shine in! I told her, “You are right. The question is, and I want you to spend the next seven days thinking about as you live these experiences, what are YOU going to do about it?” My prayer for all of us is that we ask ourselves that same question and then we take action.

Today’s agenda is going to be home visits, street children’s education, and more time with the children. I can’t think of a better way to spend the day.

As promised, I am trying my best to blog more frequently. This first set will be about my trip to the Lingap Center, which is an orphanage we help run along with many others which was founded by the infamous and good hearted John and Judy Drake. My beautiful bride Stephanie Richmond is allowing me to take my daughter Taylor (age 10) along for her first trip to a 3^rd world country. I am happy, excited, and anxious all at one time. My innocent little girl will be no longer when we return from this trip. Her education will begin; she will never read about “poverty” again without a personal definition being attached. She is doing everything. Eyes wide open. Whatever we see she will experience; as John Drake says, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break God’s heart.” Let her education begin. I hope these visits leave an impression on her heart that forever impacts the direction her life may take. I hope she gains awareness of fellow human beings and the suffering that the world experiences even when we cannot see it or choose not to see it; I hope she sees the goodness of all people even those without anything to offer. My job as parent is to ready her for a life of her own, we may be walking on a different path but it is a path I will cherish walking with her.

For those of you back in the US of A; I look forward to joining you back in the good graces on the 13^th of January. Until then carry on, make it the beginning of the best year of your life. Remember it is your choice so make it a great day!

Let’s start the year off with a quote from the great Coach Lombardi: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” Vincent T. Lombardi

Happy New Year!

P.S. Thanks for letting me go, SKR, and thanks for letting me take our precious daughter…see you in a couple weeks.