Off to Manila

I leave for Manila, Philippines tonight with the rest of my team. We are going to spend three weeks in Balic-Balic, a squatter community in Manila. I'm really excited for the homestay, and looking forward to developing relationships with my host family. Servant Partners keeps reminding us to remember four roles as we enter into this new cultural/economic situation: learner, servant, friend, and intercessor (ie someone who prays for what's happening the community). Balic-Balic is also currently undergoing demolition by the Manila authorities, as it is located along a railroad track where the government wants to do more work or expand it or something. It's a sobering reminder that the families who will be welcoming us into their homes may well be homeless in a short period of time, and unlike our team, they don't have a plane to get on to take them to another home.
I don't know if I'll be able to update while I am in Manila or not, but I return on the 26th of Sept, so I'll try to post after that point.