So Mune is simply a nonsensical word that I made up...May + June = Mune. I wanted to post a brief blog entry about what's been happening the last couple months before I head into the thick and busyness of thesis writing in July.
This update won't be very long, but I'll provide some highlights from May and June in pictures. Who doesn't like pictures? I do...
In the middle of May, the MATUL commissioning was held in Manila. It was held in my first community, and also the community where my professor Dr.Viv began his work back in the 1970s and 80s. Leaders and directors of different MATUL sites around the world (Nigeria, India, and Brazil to name a few) came to discuss what has been happening at their MATUL sites. These leaders are pioneering indigenous MATUL sites; some of the sites have foreign students like myself there, while others just have local students. It was neat to be able to attend and hear about how God is using the MATUL program to address issues affecting slum communities all around the world.
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| Our classmate, Doug, from the Kenya site came to Manila to present at the conference. It was so nice to reunite with him after a year and a half : ) |
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| A discussion on pastoral care for MATUL students |
A year has come and gone since I've been living in my community in Payatas. I moved into my current homestay in May of last year and my host sister Trinity was born 2 weeks after. There was a baby dedication for her at the church on her birthday. I was asked to be a ninang (godmother) and I gladly accepted. : )
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| Kuya Arnold introducing the baby dedication service |
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| Erika and I with Trinity; I'm holding her a little awkwardly... |
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| Trinity & her cake |
For our Advocacy & Urban Environment course, Erika and I are interning with a church in Tres, a community in the Payatas barangay that is right beside a trash dump. The head pastor of the church has lived there for about 25 years and has done a lot of work, helping secure land rights for community members and seeking to make the community more beautiful despite its undesirable (and smelly) location. There are multiple feeding programs daily at the church as well as numerous outreach events in the community.
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| A glimpse of Tres; the "hills" in the back are actually layers of garbage |
Those are just a few of the highlights of what's been happening lately. I only have a short 4 weeks left of my summer semester and MATUL program. I can't believe it. I'm almost done with my interviews and a friend in my community has been helping me transcribe and translate them, which takes quite a long time. There is so much to do, but so little time.
I hope that this isn't my last blog post before I leave the Philippines on August 8th, so I can write about the month of July and all of its silliness before re-entering the U.S. I know it'll be a difficult period of adjustment back to a life that I think should feel familiar, but likely won't as I experience reverse culture shock.
I would love your prayers as I deal with the stress of completing my program. I've been doing my best to stay calm and to trust that the Lord will help me power through despite the challenging living conditions and time constraints of everything. I know that I shouldn't fear the future, for God is already there.
That's all for now. : ) Talk to you soon. <3
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| View from the front of the church |
