The Floodway

Last week while in Manila, a missionary friend that I met last January took me out to visit the Floodway, where my church team and I visited before. As you probably heard in the news, there was a flood in Manila last month. The Floodway is where the poorest of the poor live (right over the river); their entire first floors were underwater and the people lived on the sidewalk for one week, right next to busy traffic. Instead of paths, there were makeshift bridges built out of random boards and furniture over the water. Because my friend was older and worried that she would fall into the water, she asked me to go out on the rickety bridges and say hello to 2 families we had previously met. I’m telling you, it was precarious! I thought the boards would break, the houses had rusty barb wire and metal sticking out of them, and I had to bend over on parts of the path because it was so narrow. It was good to see my friends though! I asked them particulars about the flood and told them my church prayed for them in the US, when we heard about the flood. One boy in particular stood out to my team while at the Floodway. We gave him the nickname “elephant hands” because his hands were literally as large as his head. We didn’t know what kind of disease he had, but we were burdened for him as we knew he might never get help. I was able to see him again! He is going to school, and has been checked up on by my friend when she visits the floodway. I hope to put up pictures on my blog!