Tikhtak

Off to walk 3 hills in Yorkshire for charity

Tomorrow morning we plan to set off at 5 am to complete the Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk within 12 hours. The reward for doing this is apparently a medal and a tie, as well as raising over £1000 for CMS youth work in the UK.  Check out our just giving page if you would like to give something still. The walk takes in the 3 summits of Pen-y-ghent (694 metres - 2,276 feet), Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres  2,372 feet) all in one circular route. The aim is to do it by 5pm so I can then get back to Derby to catch my train back to London. It may be actually more of a walking challenge to get back to Brixton from St Pancras!! There is a lot of press and publicity cruelly saying that I will not make it. All I have to say is, to borrow the words of the much maligned Prince Hal from Henry iv part 1.

I know you all, and will awhile uphold
The unyoked humour of your idleness:
Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That, when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
If all the year were playing holidays,
To sport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they seldom come, they wish'd for come,
And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents.

Watch this space!

Up the bus lane!

I have just got a ticket for driving in a bus lane on a Sunday! A few years ago I had the opportunity to do an AA advanced driving test and was advised by the instructor that I should always use the bus lane when the restrictions didn't apply. (as the other lane becomes an overtaking lane). The trouble is there are a thousand different variants for every stretch of bus lane in London and if you happen to miss the one tiny blue sign that states the restrictions in the smallest writing possible then you are scuppered. I missed the blue sign that actually had no written instruction on it which means apparently it is "car prohibited" at all times. Why can't London councils make the whole thing a lot easier by having one rule for all? The cynical side of me says that that wouldn't make as much money for them off drivers like me who are trying to obey the law. I am bitter and twisted! Check out this ticket fighter website that helps other law abiding drivers to challenge the many mistakes London council's make.

Back from another part of Europe

I arrived back from a sunny and Eastery Mission Net in Oldenburg to a cold, and season-less London. In all about 3000 young people came together from across Europe to study and engage with the theme of Mission . I was reminded on more than one occasion that Britain is part of Europe and it is important we join with our neighbours in God's Mission. Having lived in Prague for around 10 years I do have a sense of how every country has its own national identity and Britain is not alone in this. My highlights were leading a seminar with Jill Ford from All nationscollege on mission and Creative arts. It was great to finally work together and it was well received by all. I was also really glad to meet again Mime/Actor Carlos Martinez who performed on the main stage. I first came across him 10 years ago on n IFES conference and was so impressed by him that I went on a summer school he ran in Germany.  I interviewed him fro trax16 and talked about the possibility of bringing him to the UK...Watch this space. Perhaps the final highlight was being able to network with people from all over Europe and get a perspective on what is going on both there and in the UK  Check out my pics on Flicker

Ghana schools link trip

Last year around this time we went to Sierra Leone on our CMS Free For All tour to perform a play about the abolition of the slave trade bill with children from local schools. As a follow up to that trip over the next week a group of teachers from schools in the Uk will be visiting and connecting with schools in Ghana. We hope that they will make links that will continue for many years to come. Mark Berry is also going to represent CMS and  Telford united FC and look at ways of developing a football connection. This trip will be followed up again for schools from the UK next year with a trip to Kashmir in India. Thankfully Anita Matthews from our Youth team at CMS will be leading this one and she and others will be contributing from a blog that you can follow by clicking on Ghana schools link blog

Manila day 9 - Farewells to Jigsaw

Today was quite an emotional day as we said goodbye to all the children and staff at Jigsaw. At lunchtime we all met up and took everybody to KFC as a thank you to everybody. We had a lot of fun and we were presented with a t shirt each and a card from the children.

We have been really impressed by the commitment of Jigsaw staff to the work with the children.They really are one big family and perhaps a better expression of church than most around. The children themselves are amazing and have a faith that has transformed them, whilst difficulties around them still remain.

Tim Lee (CMS and Jigsaw staff worker) put into perspective the value of a project like Jigsaw, which doesn't lift these children out of their community but helps them to transform it themselves. Talking about the boys we have worked with he said " They will grow up to be good fathers, Uncles and Husbands." What a great legacy that is.

This evening we went out with Tim and Kate Lee and their 3 children for a Chinese meal. We had managed to find a photo shop to blow up and frame 3 pictures which we had taken that afternoon and we gave it to them as a parting gift.  We have an early flight tomorrow morning and then a 16 hour journey back to the UK. Check out our latest pics on dave's flickr and the CMS flickr.

Manila day 8

Today was our last day of filming and it was made a little more challenging with the tail end of a typhoon causing constant down pours. In spight of this the GV's (General Views) of Manila went on and in some ways they were more desperate with children having to huddle for shelter under trees and bridges. It also felt quite a cold and detached exercise as we filmed them in their plight. I know that the Dvd will be a tool to educate and challenge schools in Britain to these issues, but the camera couldn't filter out the fact that these are fellow human beings.

For much of the day we were based at Jigsaw and worked with the teenagers filming them going about  their business. Some played on a "Track and Field" consul game that I was hooked to myself at their age, while the girls played pictionary and did craft. Obviously the trick was allowing them to relax and not be too thrown by the camera and lights. At the end of the filming we got them together for a pose giving us their best Filipino look. It has been very special to get to know this group and they have been so welcoming and loving to us.

So we finally filmed the last shot outside a pizza hut where some of the children guided in cars to parking bays, which is a common way for children to get money here. As we made our way back through a traffic jam it was time to reflect a bit about the week and what we have achieved. One thing is for certain that we are all very tired and have crammed in a challenging project in to a short space of time. Superlatives can't be used enough for Tim and Kate Lee and their willingness and flexibility to enable us to film and interview both children and staff at Jigsaw. They are remarkable people working in a very difficult and yet blessed environment, with a real love and passion for both God and children. Check out our latest pics on Dave's Flickr or CMS Flickr.

Weekend in Manila (Day 5 & 6)

On Saturday we arranged to meet the girls at Jigsaw to interview them. With the exception of one they were a little younger than the boys and so it was an unknown as to how they would take to being interviewed. They appeared all smiles and joking, giggling and hanging off each other just like girls in the UK. The youngest was 10 and the oldest 18 with stories of begging and sleeping on the streets, and the abuse that often goes with that. While Tim Dendy and Mike filmed each one of them Anita and I stayed with the rest of the girls and played circle games and pictionary. We had a real laugh together which again reflected in the magic of what Jigsaw has achieved in this community. The girls spoke less in interview and were less willing to  talk about their hardships, partly due to shame and perhaps just like any other child, they didn't want to have been seen to be in trouble. There was also a fair bit of pain and as one girl replied   "I don't wish to look to the past there is no use, just to the future."

For this reason Tim Lee (CMS and Jigsaw staff) carried out the interviews as he has a good relationship with them all and a knowledge of their past, which meant his questions stayed in areas where they could answer and he knew what to avoid.

We finished Saturday in the knowledge we had now footage of 6 boys and 4 girls, but little did we realise that we were only at the beginning. All morning today we have spent looking at their stories, seeing what places we need to film around the city and in the squatter dwellings to illustrate what they have said. Never mind finding translators and voice overs to link the interviews and video. This week  we also hope to film them playing basketball in their neighbourhood, doing chores as well as visiting them in their community. This has also meant that we have needed to pull together the basic outline of the Dvd, which Mike North has stepped up to the plate to lead like a fish to water. We now have four days left to shoot the film. It  has been a bit like writing an essay where you spend all your time on the preparation and the last two days on writing it up. We know what we want, it is just a case of getting it done.

Check out CMS flickr and Dave's Flickr for pics. We will be uploading the most recent ones there soon

Manila day 4

We started the day off by going into the central business district of Manila hunting for a film equipment hire shop. Believe it or not we found one and with state of the art equipment. The city could have been any western city in the world but even more had the feel of an American city with massive advertising billboards everywhere.

So, the reason we're here is to make a DVD resource for children in the UK to explore  the rights of the child, and to do that by comparing their lives with those of young people who have lived on the streets in Manila

Today, we started filming. It struck me that we weren't here to film some street kids anymore - but to meet some young people whose lives have met more challenges than mine probably ever will, and to hear how they find hope and meaning.

These boys are all connected to the project we're here with - Jigsaw.  They are being sponsored to go to school and learn skills that will give them opportunities and possibilities in the future.  Hearing their stories today into camera was both heart-moving and amazing.  When asked the question, "Where was God while you were living on the streets and your family were so ill?" - Raymond replied, through tears, that God was with him the whole time.  And you knew it was more than words.

One after another, the stories came out about how they found hope in a project that believed in them.  Where family members have died through ill health, where homelessness had forced them to beg on the streets and dig through rubbish on the sides of roads.  One of the guys told us that he only thinks of today and tomorrow - because yesterday might be too hard to take in.

Tim Lee helped us greatly in framing the questions to ask them and it was really touching to see the affection he has for the children and that they have for him. He too was hearing them talk openly about their past for the first time. Once we had finished everyone was in high spirits and it really felt that we had bonded closer together through hearing their stories. Afterwards we headed into the downtown area and had food at the hard rock cafe. The contrast couldn't have been greater with lots of young brightly dressed Filipinos chilling out in Mega malls and listening to asian rock and reggae bands.Tomorrow we will continue our filming with a group of girls. It's funny that if I was given the choice between the bright lights of the city or hanging out with the children at Jigsaw, the city wouldn't stand a chance. Check out all our latest pics on Dave's Flickr and to get Mikes go to the CMS flickr.

Manila day 3

Having seen Manila yesterday from a far, today we had the chance to get up close to areas we would almost certainly avoid .The privilege of working here with Jigsaw means we not only get to travel to these areas but we are welcomed by the local people and join in with their lives. We started by visiting one project in a squatter dwelling (Shanty town area). The building was bustling with 50 or 60 toddlers playing with toys scattered everywhere. I imagined Zara my daughter being there, she would have loved it. The group was run by a team of about 6 Jigsaw workers, themselves from the squatter area. After open play the children played in  circle games and sang Christian songs with actions. Everyone was then seated on the floor and a white sheet appeared held by two helpers across the room. We were suddenly the audience of a puppet show. The children absolutely loved it and so did Mike and I. After all the children had gone we prayed with the staff for the children and then visited their homes. Everybody knows everybody here so we were welcomed by all we came into contact with. After lunch back at he Jigsaw offices we joined a street children's group and relaxed with them. Mike and I played table football with some of the children there while Anita and Tim met with a few boys we will be interviewing and asking to film for us. They had a very special time together and the boys shared some of their stories in an informal way. Late afternoon we planned our timetable for the rest of our stay. We have slotted in time for interviews with Children and staff and have had to allocate time to get shots of some of the things they are talking about. Each day we will also need to look at all our footage for the same reason. So tomorrow we begin our interviews and this is the real reason for our visit. Everyone is excited at the prospect of the dvd, but perhaps God will surprise us in other ways too? Check out the most recent photo's on flickr

Manila day 2

Today we have spent getting to know the city. This morning we were taken to the Bam Bam bridge to catch a ferry that took us up the river Pasig all the way into the city. It was a great way to get to know Manila, not just because we were seeing the contrast of business offices and shanty towns but by the welcome we were getting from everybody waving to us from the river bank and the river. It was also good to visit the Spanish quartre, which is the old walled part of the city. Lendl our guide and jigsaw worker explained all the history to us. We also had time to see the bay of Manila where our camera attracted a lot of attention! Mind you Tim Dendy did look magnificent as he filmed out to sea .This is a quick fire entry but to see more of what we got up to today have a look at our flickr pics. Tomorrow we will spend the day at Jigsaw.