So this is Christmas...

These last few weeks no doubt give us all pause as we consider what brings us joy in our lives. I have found myself reflecting on and identifying with Mary and Joseph, as they journeyed from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Two Pilgrims traveling far from home, and in need of hospitality and care. That was us, this Christmas, as we were generously taken in by friends and strangers alike. To recount the joys of this Christmas would be it's own book, but I am deeply grateful for friends new and old who celebrated with us this year. To add to these joys are the continuous cards and prayer offerings that keep reaching us through e-mail and snail mail. Mary and Joseph, with the new child Jesus, found themselves surrounded by simplicity as God quietly answered the prayers of his people. And in this simplicity, their joy was complete. Maligayang Pasko! - Merry Christmas!

Take Lord, and Receive My Life, My Liberty, My Memory, My Understanding, My Will, My Entire Being. All that I am, and All that I have You have given to me. I give it back to you. Do with it what you will. Grant me only Your Love and Your Grace, And let that be Enough.

The Reason

"One prayer, one strand, one trip to the manger." This was the theme for the Advent Recollection that I attended this week at Ateneo (local Jesuit University with whom GK has a partnership), and it was exactly where I was supposed to be. (Thank you Patrick for extending the invitation.) The theme above fit right in to my last post. During the Recollection, for each of the prayers we held in our hearts, we were invited to take a piece of straw from a basket and take it to the crib we were preparing for Christ. While different in many respects, the concept of a journey to a manger crib, helping to prepare our way for the Christmas coming of Christ really hit home for me. As I continued on my journey that night, I was moved to a very important place. We went through a series of questions about our past year, and how we have reacted. There was a question about Waiting and Hoping. Another question was about focusing on the Positive things we have heard and experienced this year and our reactions to them- were we truly grateful? The third question was directed to our "God Experiences" lately, and being able to find God in the midst of everything - using His light as our guide. All these questions were a wonderful chance for reflection, and I was already incredibly awed by God's presence for that evening. Then the next series of reflective thoughts came. We were asked to think about Family - about those who would not be together THIS Christmas, and about those who were never able to be together. We were asked who we would miss this season, but in remembering them and getting caught up in so much that this season can entail, we were reminded that Jesus IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. I was all caught up in my own crazy series of emotions about not being with my family this Christmas, and about missing them terribly. When I heard the reminder that Jesus is the reason, I had one of those very clear moments where we are truly blessed to recognize God in our Midst and in our mind. As I believe that Jesus is the reason I am here, and with Him being the reason for the season - I knew that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. It did not lessen the missing of my family or even the pain that comes from not being with them this season, but it brought a sense of peace with it. This sense of Peace was actually exactly where the next series of reflective thoughts took us. Peace we were told, was not the absence of conflict, but rather an attitude of Trust in God. So trusting in God, I move forward with the Holiday season, bringing all that I have to offer before the Lord, which often involves a lot of pain, frustrations and even conflict at times. Yet as long as I bring it to Him, still trusting in His plan, I look forward to the gift of Peace this season. Happy Advent, and Know you are all in my prayers for a continual blessed Journey to the Manger where we can behold the Christ Child, our Prince of Peace.

TAO PO at Ateneo de Manila University *a special Christmas celebration*

Join us for this unique Christmas celebration! SUNDAY DECEMBER 23, 2007, Bellarmine Field, Ateneo de Manila University, 6:00pm right before 8:00pm simbang gabi at Jesu. Tao Po is an original production born from the collaboration between Gawad Kalinga and TeatroFilipino Integrated. It showcases an insightful script, moving musical scoring, dynamic choreography and remarkable performances from the SIGA of GK Villages in Metro Manila: Bagong Silang, Payatas, Baseco, and Paranaque. Tao Po tells the journey of the Filipino people moving from the harmony of God’s creation to the agony and misery of poverty and ending with stories of hope from ordinary people who have found a concrete vehicle for change in Gawad Kalinga. In the spirit of Christmas, we would like to share this promise of hope to all who believe in inspiring a new culture for our people. Hopefully, more successful shows like this will enrich art programs for GK communities. http://www.diannegk.blogspot.com/

Greetings!

Hi everyone!!! Just dropping by to say hello and I miss everyone in GK!!! I hope you are all in good spirits and well. I send aloha love from Hawaii! Love & GOD BLESS, Dianne

80 and Advent?

Ive heard that weather in Chicago is cold, cold and sleety and snowy and very Chicago. I miss it. I miss home a lot actually, and its far from just the weather that I miss. Here in Manila though, to give you an idea, its typically somewhere in the 80s. It really makes it difficult to accept that the Christmas season really truly is here, or at least Advent is. I know a few people who are really eager to have Christmas come sooner. (I got to talk to my Godson back in the states today. He got his little hands on the advent calendar full of chocolate, and made his way a little closer to Christmas than it actually is.) For myself though, I know that the Advent season is about waiting and more importantly, preparing, for the coming of Christ. Its about patience and dedication to prepare our lives for Christ. I remember when I was little, my family did this activity during advent. We started out with a manger crib empty at the beginning of advent. For every good thing we did, we got to put in one piece of 'straw' (yarn) to make sure that by the time Christmas came, Baby Jesus had a very comfortable place to sleep. I was thinking about this recently as I've found it difficult to remember that Advent is here, and more specifically as I've found it difficult to focus on good works that I'm doing here. Right now my work is mainly administrative. This is not my passion, and more often then not, I'm more frustrated than anything. I can't seem to determine if this is an opportunity to learn patience or if its a "I gave you 3 ships and a helicopter - what more did you want?" moment. I don't know if this is me not being patient, or if it's ok to let go and get the chocolate inside the calendar early. God wants us to be joyful after all. ;-) So really this is to ask for prayers. I have a few key decisions to make coming up, and I could use help in my discernment process. I know already that I am blessed tremendously and will be loved no matter what I decide, but I really want to make the right decision. I want to be able to add my pieces of straw to the manger and make sure that Jesus is comfy when he's born. ;-) Anyway, know you all are in my thoughts and prayers as I continue this journey (whatever decisions I make or don't) and appreciate the love and support that has already come my way. Have a blessed Advent.

Unspeakable Things

Well, I have to start with HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I hope you've all been able to take the time to scope out the picture albums. There are quite a few, and many laughable moments captured in pixels. Scroll down and follow the links to visual memories galore!!!! And a special thanks has to go to the many people, especially tita Cecile and the Demano family who made our Thanksgiving possible, and to those of you in the States who contributed recipes, prayers, and e-mails that kept us missing home and grateful for our country the whole way through. As it has been said, we have much to be THANKFUL FOR!!!!!! Next, I have to apologize for my blatant absence from our posts for a while. You no doubt noticed the huge gap which occurred in the weeks leading up to and recovering from the annual GK expo the last weekend in October. Again, there are a few pics in the album, and much to share about this intense gathering of GK workers, volunteers, supporters and partners, and new GK home-owners. Although it will probably never appear here, this was an incredible, challenging, frustrating and grace-loaded learning experience for all of us. Now, for my life (and silence): It has been our precedent and desire to share on this blog the many wonderful things that happen to us and around us in the Philippines, in the GK communities, and in our day-to-day interactions. Aware of our readership and trying to focus on the positive side of challenges, we often find ourselves posting only the good or weird experiences on our adventure. We all know, however, that life is no picnic, and no scar is earned without its wound. That is probably a very harsh way to say that many of the things we have learned and experienced first-hand have not been "good" in the general sense. We find ourselves often surrounded by disorganization, miscommunication, double standards, misunderstandings and confused visions. The challenge for us as Americans continues to be to accept a style of work and personal relations that is not found in the U.S. However, I believe the challenge for us as Christians is to ask - and strive to answer honestly- what is truly "being Spirit-led," vs. what is just laziness; and where is reality between the Western way, the GK way, the "right" way, the better way, and the successful way? I think for myself I have finally been led by grace to a place where I am not sure that a "Western way" would actually work here in the Philippines (a strange and twisted statement considering the countless ways in which Filipinos strive to be Western). I can look around me and see Western models crumbling with failures constantly. At the same time, I cannot say that I believe this Filipino model would work well in the U.S. Frankly, I don't think it would. The template for development by GK I believe is universally adaptable, yes, but the work method, standards, and other functional normalties would never be successful in the U.S. Some examples of these differences: 1) Western minds are typically trained to think in linear progressions, moving from A thru B to arrive at C. The Filipino mind (and I am told many Asian minds) tend to think in circles, flowing freely between A and C and B without strict adherence to order. 2) The "GK Way" has been expressed in not so clear terms as putting something on the ground first, testing it to see if it works, and then coming up with a plan later. In short, very little "planning ahead" is ever done, and many unnecessary steps and much waste in the result. 3) Filipinos, perhaps influenced by centuries of landlessness, poverty, and living in survival mode, tend not to think beyond themselves, or beyond their immediate situation. This reality manifests itself in little things like buying soap only to do one load of laundry or buying cell phone load (usage) that is only good for one day. It also expresses itself in larger things like setting up office methods that only serve the current situation without planning for growth and expansion that is already happening, or tearing down all of the vegetation in a place in bringing in landfill to build houses without looking ahead to the immediate need for utilizing those same natural resources (low ground for water drainage, vegetation for shade, waste materials for fertilizer, etc.). Lastly, and probably most painfully, is the expression of this mindset in interpersonal interactions. This is the one I find most odd, and is probably the one that comes with the most excuses. I will allow that it probably comes from the fact that most people are used to fending for themselves. I am struck by the number of times I have been in a Jeepnee and people refuse to slide toward the driver to make it easier for others to get in, or when a person gets out, to slide over enough for everyone else squished on the bench to be a bit more comfortable. I have been cut in line countless times, I think because I wasn't standing with my chest pressed against the counter to indicate to the person behind me that I am next. I have been blatantly ignored even by the very people that I live with, and sometimes by the people that I work with. These realities are hard, often discouraging, and force me to question the depth and breadth of our Christian expression. I have worked in several ministries before and know well that the hardest part about working for any Christian organization is working with human beings- that's right folks who make mistakes and are imperfect. But I am surprised, sometimes shocked, and often hurt that this is the reality from a culture that prides itself on being so openly hospitable, truly joy-filled, and desiring to be generous. Yes, the people by whom we have been hosted are tremendous and their generosity towards us is endless and flowing. But as a culture, I find most people here, including myself and my American friends, becoming more selfish, self-centered, and blind to others than I ever experienced in the U.S. It is hard to write this because I know the number of people- people I consider friends- who will be hurt if they read this. But I also believe in the high value of honesty and openness in struggle. I have fallen in love with many Filipinos. I hope to shed light in this area so that they may strive to challenge each other to more embracing of all life around them. To see the connection between pollution and health, between education and respect, between environment and life, between love and freedom. The work of GK is often challenging, at times disappointing, and usually good. But in the ocean of "culture" in which we swim, it often feels as though a small stone has been dropped into rough and troublesome waters, and the ripples are dispersed by the next breaking wave. (as usually happens at these moments, God has just given us another blessing and I must attend to it. He has not abandoned us - I have never felt that way here. But I cannot being to understand the things he is teaching us here- humility is first among these). Thank you for your love and your prayers. Please keep them coming, and know that you are in ours. Happy Thanksgiving!