The family with which I am traveling was brought to the Philippines, and to IFL, two years ago to spend their Christmas giving to the people of this country, rather than receiving in the secular manner to which we are accustomed in the US.  It was during this trip that they developed a heart for the people of the Philippines and they made the decision to start the lengthy international adoption process.  And so it was only fitting, that after receiving their son, they would spend their remaining days in the Philippines at IFL, whose children and people spoke to them in such a spiritual way.

Part of the mission work that IFL does is a feeding program for the children in the slums along the riverside in Cabuyao.  In order to be accepted into this program, the children must be weighed and measured against a weight-for-age standard for malnourishment.  On Monday morning I was given the opportunity to attend the weighing, which was set up at the base of the slum community.

When I first stepped out of the car, I wasn’t sure I wanted to take pictures.  I hadn’t even entered the living areas at this point, but seeing the children was  very difficult for me.  Many of the children had scabies, one little girl had a severe cleft palate and there were many children bare bottomed and sitting on the dirt and gravel.  After being reassured that it was ok to take photographs – - that nobody would be offended or that they would feel like I was exploiting them or their situation, I began doing what I do best – - photographing kids.  And it became quickly apparent to me that despite their difficult circumstances, these children aren’t much different from the children I photograph any other day.  They were joyful, rambunctious and lively…and they were very excited to have their photograph taken by me, who as a pale skinned blonde, probably looked quite strange.  As we walked down into the slum areas, perched at the top of the high riverbank, I was taken aback by the living conditions – - and while I know the conditions in this particular slum pale in comparison to many other poverty stricken areas in the world (some even had televisions!), this was such a stark contrast to the life that we’ve all become so comfortable with in the US.  And something I won’t soon forget.  It is sad that we sometimes need things like this to gain a little perspective in our lives…to really grasp how truly blessed we are.  I miss those three little girls of mine terribly and you can rest assured that they will get the biggest hug they’ve ever gotten when I return to lil’ ole’ State College on Friday…

As the previous week progressed, plans changed a bit and the adoption placement moved to Saturday.  Which meant that I would not be there since I would still be en route.  So when Chris and Colette arrived on Sunday morning, they had Asia AND Rex with them…BOTH of their children!  What a beautiful thing to see!  They also had their friend, Pat with them (who also had two children with her)…and we picked up another friend, Pastor Roy and traveled through Manila to his church where Chris, Colette, Asia and Rex had their first Sunday church service together as a family.  Chris was given the opportunity to preach the sermon while Pastor Roy translated into Tagalo, the native language of the Philippines.  When we entered and left the church, the warmth that we were given from the church members was really quite heartwarming – - a welcome that I can’t imagine ever receiving in the US.  So many smiling faces – - and everyone extending a hand to thank us for coming.  After the church service, we traveled back to the hotel where we had lunch with Pastor Roy and his family, which was an adventure given the 7 children!  Rex fit right in with everyone and it was incredible to watch the connections being made with his new family.  After lunch we started the trek to the Institute for Foundational Learning (IFL – - more about that later) which was a 2 hour drive…not because of distance, but because of traffic and narrow roads.  And that 2 hours doesn’t include our little side trip to SM – - a Super Mall…that really makes the Nittany Mall look small!  When we arrived at IFL, where will be staying for the remainder of our stay, we were greeted by many volunteers who showed us to our cottages.  My cottage had previously been the preschooler room, so I had lots of little kids interested in me, what I was doing…and primarily, wondering if they could play in my room.  The novelty wore off for them quickly (no toys!) and after dinner, I went to bed early (pure and utter exhaustion!)  But before that, I began my intimate relationship with the amphibious and entymological world of the Philippines.  Yes, there were many creatures to contend with in my room, but now that I’ve spent two nights here…I’m ‘over it’.  We are, after all, perched in the middle of a rice field…what do I expect?  Cockroaches, frogs and ants are just part of the environment and are simply an annoyance with which a big can of Raid can help

It is now Tuesday here and I’m only posting photos from Sunday – - a variety of issues have put me behind on my blogging, but I hope to write about our Monday experiences later on today…

And so…why am I going…why am I meeting them there?  This wonderful family has blessed *me* by asking me to photograph Rex’s first few days with them, and in a very real way, documenting the first days of him getting to know his mom, dad and 6 year old sister.   And so, by them asking me to share my gift with their family…they are giving me the gift of a once in a lifetime experience and adventure.

I’m banking on our trusty world-wide-web technology to be dependable so I can blog during the trip…and maybe even share some photographs along the way (if I can get over my phobia of photo editing on my laptop).  Stay tuned…

(Mac’s ‘Photo Booth’ doesn’t take such great quality photos, especially in dark and cozy hotel lobbies, but here I am…ready to roll!)