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Verbum Dei Mission Trip to Tagaytay City, Philippines
by Cheryl Lee
Last November, the Verbum Dei Missionaries in Singapore organised an eight-day mission trip to Tagaytay City, Philippines, from 29 Nov to 8 Dec 2008. The Singaporean group of 12 young adults was joined by another group from Sydney, Australia. Together, the whole group aimed to reach out to the poor of the squatters of Tagaytay City with the common goal of bringing them joy and hope in the season of Advent.
Before we began our work, the local community gave us a warm welcome with a splendid cultural evening where both the young and old put up wonderful dance performances for us. We too, shared with them something special about our country and our culture and distributed snacks like muruku and mooncakes for the children. It was a good way for us to start knowing the people before our week of activities began.
As the week went on, we would start each day with prayer to prepare ourselves for the two main activities of our mission. In the mornings, we went about working with local families in their farms and plantations to help ease their physically demanding workload. The things we did ranged from planting lettuce and clearing pineapple fields, to harvesting coffee, picking freshly layed eggs and making candles. In the afternoons, the team then went to the various squatter areas to teach the neighbourhood children lessons in English, Art, Maths and Hygiene and distributed snacks to the kids.
We ended the last day of the mission trip with a Christmas party specially organised for the local children. A total of about 200 children turned up and each was given a gift which the mission team had lovingly collected from their friends and families back home.
Some of us had wondered how we can possibly make a difference in the lives of the people in the short few days. But as the days went by, we realised that we did not really need to do anything spectacular other than be ourselves and be interested enough in the people to want to spend time with them. Just by being one with them, we believe we have made some difference by bringing them love, joy and hope amidst the hard realities of inequality and injustice that surround them.
We too departed from Tagaytay City enriched by the people. We learnt to see their lives and circumstances with new eyes. Not only did they teach us values such as contentment and family and neighbourly love, we also saw how their hearts were full and overflowing with generosity and gratitude despite their material poverty. Bearing testimony to this, Stella Christopher, a participant from Singapore says “I received more from them than what I gave. Their love, simplicity and hospitality are a testimony of God's presence in their humble lives. They have been a blessing to me.” Emily Dang, a participant from Sydney adds “Being with the children helped me to understand the beauty of true humility. I feel like I've returned with pockets of gold.”
As the trip came to an end, there was a tinge of sadness as we said goodbye to the people whom we had bonded with over the short time. Nonetheless, we departed from the Philippines with renewed strength to continue our mission work back home. To be missionaries in our daily lives is not easy. It is even more difficult in a fast-paced, hectic society where the emphasis is rarely on spiritual well-being, but material comforts and individual benefits. With God’s grace, may all of us live out with perseverance, the call for Christians to be Jesus to those around us and bring light and joy to those in darkness. | 
