Life is Short

New Blog Location

2010-01-13T07:53:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I launched http://www.davidmartinwhite.com and copied all of my blog posts that are here over to there. (I also posted a new blog post yesterday, entitled "CCDA, Part II: Thoughts from the Conference." I hope that this new blog address will help me as I attempt to continue "re-branding" myself and my presence on the internet. I also hope that it will serve as motivation for me to blog some more. :)

As many of you know, Haiti was rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake yesterday evening. Please check http://www.davidmartinwhite.com soon for a new on my thoughts about this current crisis.

Thank you, Blogger, for your years of faithful service. I now move to a more sophisticated, more flexible, more personal blog location.

- David

CCDA Conference, Part 1: An Appeal

2009-10-24T01:07:00.002-04:00

As many of my readers know, I am currently in Cincinnati for the annual CCDA conference. This is a very large event where Christian Community Developers from across the nation join together for plenary sessions, workshops, and networking. This is my second year at the ccda conference. My first was in 2007 in St. Louis. That time, I was a junior in college at Covenant College. Now, I am a college graduate, am living in Boston, and came with several of my coworkers at TechMission (I am currently in the middle of a 1-year internship). Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last full day of the conference.

Check back soon for another blog post or two on my experience at the conference.

An Appeal
If you are a member of the CCDA and are reading this post, chances are you are reading some of my tweets or you have talked to me. For the last year, I have been thinking and praying about what my role as a community developer and technological guru would look like in the future.

I have been working on a business idea off and on that would go something like this: Provide tech resources and consulting specifically for churches and nonprofits. I am becoming more convinced that I am ready to think seriously about these ideas, and to find out what some of the perceived tech needs are for non-profit organizations across the world.

If you would be willing to sit down with me for even 5 minutes tomorrow, it would be much appreciated. To clarify: I do not want to recreate what TechMission does, nor compete with TM. Rather, I want to do hands on tech and consulting work, with a catch: I'm also really passionate and interested in building relationships, and furthering God's kingdom.

If I don't connect with you at CCDA, but you are interested in discussion, I'd love to have an email dialog with you.

Interested? Tweet at me: @davidmwhite, or contact me through my website, www.smoothstoneservices.com.

Check back within a week or two for my thoughts and summary of the conference.

-David

Where have I been???

2009-10-11T14:25:00.002-04:00

So not that anyone who actually reads my blog cares that I haven't made a post in over two months... but just in case, let me explain. Things got busy. But, the thing that was the biggest source of my silence was: my laptop died. And I'm a computer techie. A dead laptop + computer techie + americorps budget = not a very good combination. Fortunately, I have a computer at work, so I am using that for personal stuff during off hours. In addition, I have an iPod touch, with which I can browse the web, write emails, etc... In fact, that is what I'm using to write this blog post. Now that I know for a fact that it's not that hard to do, I might start blogging more often again. However, it always takes longer to type on the iPod touch, and it is easy to make typos.

This is going to be a fairly short blog post. Work is continuing to go well. However, I am already thinking about what's next. I would probably have the opportunity to extend my internship another year, but I'm not sure if I want to. I have certainly learned a lot.

Regardless, I think that I would like to stay up here in Boston for a few reasons. I have made some really good friends up here, and have gotten involved at Reunion Church. I feel like there would be some good ideas for me to consider in this area. However, I am also really interested in thinking about possible work over seas and/or launching my business that would do IT work for non-profits. (Check out Smooth Stone Services for what I currently do. If I decide to launch something full time, I will rebrand myself and have different services for a specific target market in mind).

In two weeks, I will be at the CCDA Conference. I hope to be able to network with people, andaybe get some ideas. In the meantime, I will continue to trust that the Lord has something good planned for me!

Peace,
David

Homeless, Hungry, Laid off: Legitimate or BS?

2009-07-20T22:52:00.003-04:00

So I was thinking about making two posts on the same day, but I think I'll just stick with 1 post, and will get around to making the other post in the next day or so. This might ramble a little. I apologize in advance.

Yesterday as I was walking out of church (I went to the early service at Reunion), I rounded the corner onto Mass Ave, and right at the corner of the bridge there was a white woman sitting in a chair with a sign that said "Laid Off." I glanced at the sign, but didn't read much more than this, and as an idea came into the back of my mind to ask her if she wanted to eat lunch at Wendy's with me (which was right across the street), I pushed the idea aside and kept walking to the subway station so that I could pick up my car where I left it at Andrew station, go grocery shopping, and cook myself a meal at home.

As I pulled out of the parking lot of the Stop & Shop in the South Bay Shopping Center, there was a white guy begging in the middle of the street. As I sat there in my air-conditioned car with tons of groceries at my feet, I hesitated. Finally, what seemed like years later, I rolled down the window and yelled "Sir" and grabbed a box of granola bars I had just bought and offered them to him.

He declined, saying he didn't have bottom teeth. I didn't believe him, rolled up my window, and pulled out onto the street.

Instances like these are certainly not a rare phenomenon in Boston - especially in Dorchester. Yes, yesterday was the first time I actually rolled down my window to talk to one of these beggars, but being asked for money is not new. I have made it a habit of never giving any money to anyone who asks for it on the street. This is only good stewardship. Chances are good that the person - I will refrain from saying "beggar" from now on - that makes him/her sound like a nobody, which they're not - as I was saying, chances are good that the person will use the money not for food or clothing or shelter, but for a drug or alcohol dependency.

If I give money on the street, I send a message to the receiver that says "I don't care about you, because all I'm doing is giving you money just to make me feel good about myself. If I really cared about you, I'd sit and have lunch with you." I also help to feed that good chance of a dependence on a bad habit.

So what to do? As any American will tell you, time is of the essence. We want to take the easy way out, pull out a couple of dollars, and be on our way. But this only furthers dependency. "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime" as the saying goes. Translate this into inner-city America: Give a man a few dollars, and he (probably) spends it all on drugs. Build a relationship with the man, and he (hopefully) builds a relationship with God and kicks that dependency in the butt.

See what I'm saying? Community Development is NOT easy. But as Bryan Myers points out in his book, "Walking With the Poor," poverty is fundamentally a result of broken relationships. Relationships are not easy! But we must be willing to invest.

So this lingering guilty feeling that I had from passing the woman on the corner of the bridge on Mass Ave right before getting to the whatever-it's-called Convent Center Subway Stop: What am I going to do about it?

When we build relationships with people, and empower them to lift THEMSELVES out of poverty, we are teaching that person to fish, using the God-given talents and abilities that they have been blessed with.

As for the title of my blog, how do we know that the problem we are presented with is the truth? We don't know. And actually, we have a gut feeling that it's not true (because most of the time, the problem that is presented to us is indeed absolutely false). Does this mean that we should just ignore the person? Not at all! I am writing as a "reading break" from Brennan Manning's Abba's Child. Just a few minutes ago, I read:

What makes the Kingdom come is heartfelt compassion: a way of tenderness that knows no frontiers, no lables, no compartmentalizing, and no sectarian divisions. Jesus, the human Face of God, invites us to deep reflection on the nature of true discipleship and the radical lifestyle of Abba's child.

So I leave myself, and you, my readers, with this thought?
What does compassion to others look like? Are we really willing to invest, and *gasp* spend TIME with others on their journey of life? Oh, that I may live a life of true compassion: Helping, without Hurting. Building relationships, and not simply throwing out money handouts.

PS: Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Inner-City Community Development, The Love of God, and Being Still

2009-07-06T23:58:00.006-04:00

Ok, so maybe I am going to write a little bit about what I'm doing after all. This is going to be a long post. I am starting to write this on Monday night around midnight, and will resume it (and plan to publish it) on Tuesday night. I apologize in advance if this doesn't flow very well. I started it Monday night, am finishing it up tonight (Tuesday), and have moved some things around and can't seem to make it transition well. Oh well.

Being Still, and the Love of God
The Lord is teaching me a lot right now. I was sharing with two of my close friends up here that I have been encouraged in two areas. The first is that I have been encouraged and burdened recently with taking the time to slow down, to be still and know that God is God. The second is on the love of God. As I mentioned last week, I am reading through a book written by Brennen Manning called "Abba's Child" and that the third chapter is entitled "The Beloved."

God has a way of bombarding you with a message that he is trying to get across to you. I'm not quite sure why God wants so much right now to tell me that he loves me, but he does. And it's a wonderful reminder. I think that this goes hand in hand with the importance of being still and sitting in God's presence. I think I quoted this in my last blog entry, but I will quote it again: Manning writes in chapter 3 the following. "In solitude we tune out the nay-saying whispers of our worthlessness and sink down into the mystery of our true self." Wow.

This message came at me from a different angle too. I recently began reading through a devotional written by Paul Kooistra, entitled "Supper's Ready." I didn't really know what to expect, but I did want to gain some consistency in my life. Come to find out that the whole thing - every single day - is on God's love. One thing that stuck out to me in Day 2 is the last sentence that he writes: "Understanding God's love becomes the key to understanding all of reality."

As I was thinking about God's love for us, I envisioned an atmosphere of love so thick that a knife could cut through it. This is what the maker of the universe is: He not only has love. God IS love.

With these thoughts in the back of my head, I had the day off today (Monday), because I worked on Friday (Happy late 4th of July, by the way). So I rode my bike a few miles away to "The Arboretum" - which is 300 acres of forest, grass, gardens, and walking trails - smack dab in the middle of Boston. The place is gorgeous, but more importantly, it is peaceful. There I was able to relax and do some reading, and ride my bike really fast down some hills. Honestly it was great to do something different and go exploring.

Inner-City Community Development
I work for TechMission. However, I have been able to get plugged into another community development initiative that has nothing to do with TechMission.

I have been thinking recently about ways to get involved more in my neighborhood. Quincy Street Missional Church is a very small, informal church that is just down the road from where I live in a broader neighborhood area in Boston known as Dorchester. As a whole, Dorchester is known as an area of lower-income residents and high crime. However, I am completely safe here - and I love it here.

Quincy Street Missional Church meets on Saturdays, and is an outreach for the immediate neighborhood in which I life. My housemate Ben, and another good friend, Nathan, and I are very involved in Quincy Street. Ben and I just moved to the neighborhood. However, Nathan has been living here for over a year now and helps to direct a mentoring program for the kids in the neighborhood. Living just 1 block away from the church, Nathan has joined with other young adults from outside of the community, and they have made a commitment to form relationships in the community by living in and being a part of it.

On Monday night I joined up with Ben, Nathan, and our good friend Andy (who has also made this commitment of time investment and relationship building), and we took some of the kids from the Quincy Street Missional Church area (more on this in a second) to a burger place called Five Guys. This was also a good time of doing something different. Half way through the evening, it hit me that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. There I was, a graduate from college, and I started wondering to myself when the last time was that I had spent time with kids (other than a couple of random times), and was wondering how in the world to act, talk, discipline, etc... I think it scared me a little bit because I realized that I have spent so little time in the past with younger kids, and that this is something that I think would be beneficial to me.

The Christian Science Monitor actually wrote an article about this community recently and how people like Nathan and Andy have been already working with the people in the neighborhood. The house Nathan and his roommates live in is literally just down the street from my house, and Ben and I have decided to join this community by investing in it, and building relationships with the people who go to the church, and by hanging out with the kids in the neighborhood.

The church actually meets on Saturdays at noon. After the service, we all hang around and share lunch together that members in the community have cooked. The food is always delicious. But what is so cool about this church is that the community members are investing in the church, and it is so informal that anyone is welcome to attend, and some community members are working at the church all week long.

In addition to the church function on Saturdays, the building is actually called "Ma Sis's Place" and is used as a small, informal thrift store so people can buy things at low prices throughout the week. Ma Sis is an elderly lady who has, as far as I know, always lived in the neighborhood. She owns the building and has a heart for her community.

Nathan, Ben and I sat around beer on Monday night after taking the kids to Five Guys and had a very good conversation about this stuff. It is very cool for me to be involved in this community and to watch what is happening because of my educational background in Community Development. I have a lot of "head knowledge" in this stuff, but I have very little experience. I mentioned in several of my posts last summer that one thing I struggled with a lot was pride in what I was doing - pride in what I know and in what I was doing. But yet, I know NOTHING. A familiar Proverbs comes to mind - knowledge puffs up. May I never forget my place. Oh Lord, break me and humble me.

Despite all of this, it is VERY cool for me to watch the relationships that have been formed. In our conversation last night, I mentioned to Nathan that I am very concerned about seeing community development interventions (from the outside) move forward only with the blessing of the community, and only with community members' participation. Outsiders must have deep, deep humility as well. Bryant Myers writes about this possibility if we are not careful: "The non-poor understand themselves as superior, necessary, and anointed to rule. They succumb to the temptation to play god in the lives of the poor, using religious systems, mass media, the law, government policies, and people occupying positions of power."

What's so cool about this is that I can see Quincy Street Missional Church doing their with humility and with the community's blessing and with the community's participation. I can see the outsiders working within the existing church structure for positive change. And, yet another thing that's so cool about these observations, is that I am getting to see my education come to fruition in Inner-City America. While I studied Community Development with an emphasis in international, developing world contexts, the principles that I learned can still be applied here.

I really look forward to learning more and getting more involved with Quincy Street.

Grace & Peace,
David

Musings as a College Graduate

2009-07-01T23:29:00.003-04:00

Reflecting on what God has taught me recently, and due to a recent conversation I had with a new friend and colleague, I think that I am going to try to start to journal (I haven't started yet). I have tried it off and on in the past - more off than on - but I remember that those times I did write my thoughts down, I had a much clearer sense of what was actually going through my head.

So why am I writing this on my public blog that I haven't updated in months? No, I am not going to copy those journal entries on here. But I think that there is value in a public journal of sorts as well. For example, last summer I wrote many different entries onto this blog about my trip to the Philippines. If you're sitting there saying to yourself "I never knew David went to the Philippines," then check out some of my archived posts. These provided my family and friends with information about what I was doing and how they could pray for me.

While this is a benefit, I don't think that it is the biggest one. Instead, I think that there is huge value in writing ones thoughts into words. When appropriate (and when the time is available), I think that this practice of making such words public is valuable - both for the growth of the author and for the readers (I have also been inspired to try to blog again by reading a couple of my friends' blogs).

And so here I am, once again saying that I might try blogging, after saying it in the past and never going anywhere with it. Let's see what happens this time. I decided that a new template, a new subtitle, and new colors were needed. That old green blog is kind of gross, now that I think about it. Welcome to my newly updated, newly designed blog.

I hope that I am more successful in this blogging attempt than I have been in the past. More importantly, though, I hope that I am more successful in journaling than I was in my past journaling and blogging attempts.

What's New?
Everything. At least that's what it feels like. If you are reading this, chances are good that you know I am living and working in Boston. If you know Boston at all, you'll be interested to know that I am living in the 'hood - Dorchester, that is. Inner city life is a new experience, as I've always lived in the suburbs or in a college dorm the rest of my life - with the exception of the 3 months that I spent in the Philippines. Honestly, I am loving it here. Yeah it gets noisy at times, but I have made some good friends, and I am enjoying what I am doing.

I have come to serve a 1 year stint funded through the AmeriCorps with the Christian community development organization, TechMission. I have been hired to be a web developer. In addition to maintaining the website, I am assisting with web server administration, I help with our local area network (LAN), and I provide technical support to the other staff in our office.

But this is not the reason why I decided to start blogging again. You can follow me on Facebook or call me or hang out with me to get the scoop on what I've been up to. No, I hope and plan to take more of a journalistic approach. Not journalism as in writing a news article, but journalistic in my musings, thoughts, frustrations, things I've learned, things God is teaching me, and so on and so forth - you get the idea.

First Musings
I am going to start off by saying how blessed I feel, and how thankful I am for friends. When I was in middle school and high school - wow, that was a long time ago - I really struggled with identifying with people and making lasting friendships. I purposefully backed out of some friendships in middle school - which was hard, and left me very, very lonely. Middle School is tough enough as it is!

This is what made college so meaningful to me. Covenant College provided me with lasting friendships - some of which I suspect will never completely fizzle out. I can't count on 1 hand the number of guys I could call up at a moment's notice, and I know they would be willing to drop what they were doing and would listen to me. This, my friends, is a huge blessing. May I never take friendships for granted.

Making those friendships is what has made my transition to Boston all of the more meaningful. I came here not knowing what to expect, and wondering if I would be able to "plug in" quickly. Now, after 1 month of being here, I can't count on 1 hand the number of Christian people that I have begun to hang out with on a consistent basis - their company is awesome!

Tonight, I joined a community group where most of these same friends participate, which has been formed as a result of the church that I have decided to get involved in. I truly feel connected to the Body of Christ - and to really cool people - all of this, after living here for less than 1 MONTH! May I never take these friendships for granted.

The second (and final) thing that I will write about in this obnoxiously long blog post is how strengthened and encouraged, spiritually, I have felt while I have been up here. Not only am I blessed with brothers and sisters in Christ, but the organization that I work for is a Christian organization (and yes, AmeriCorps is funding this - I "work on AmeriCorps" time when I am actually doing work for the organization - I don't get paid when I'm doing any religious activity).

The staff at TechMission gets together normally 4 times / week for prayer, worship, and reflection on a book that we are reading. We are going through Brennan Manning's "Abba's Child" right now. I've never read anything by Manning before, but I have always wanted to. The book is incredible.

So far, it has provided a hugely important reminder to me that there are times that I need to slow down and work on myself for a little bit. I have recently been reminded of how human I am. When I sit down and start doing my devotions on a regular basis, things go great ... for about however long that it takes me to realize things are going great. And then life kicks into high gear again, and I loose this consistency. I like to use the metaphor of a spiritual roller coaster. All my life, it feels like that it has been going up and down, up down, up down. Perhaps a couple loops have been thrown in there too.

This is one of those points in my life where I feel like I'm going up again. It's at times like this that I often wonder, "Can I possibly get into a consistent basis THIS TIME???"

Manning's book (or at least, the first 3 chapters that I've read so far) has helped me think through what it means to really be a follower of Christ. In chapter 1, Quoting Thomas Merton, he writes, "The reason we never enter into the deepest reality of our relationship with God is that we so seldom acknowledge our utter nothingness before him."

Pride has been an issue for me in the past. I take pride in where I've come from, I take pride in my accomplishments, and worst of all, I take pride in my head knowledge. Oh, the downsides of a college education! This probably results in the fact that I sometimes talk about myself too much. I have become convinced that it this is not only my issue, but is a human race issue.

In Chapter 2, Manning writes about the "Imposter Within" and how we so often like to put on a mask to the outside world. I confess that I haven't read this chapter in its entirety - maybe I should be doing that than writing this - but it was a great reminder, nonetheless, that another issue that mankind faces is finding acceptance in the world.

Finally, in Chapter 3, Manning writes how we are "The Beloved." Our true identity is in CHRIST and in no one else. I loved reading what Manning wrote about finding this realization: "In our solitude we tune out the nay-saying whispers of our worthlessness and sink down into the mystery of our true self." (Emphasis Added). I confess that I need to finish reading this chapter too.

All of this to say, that working for TechMission may have been one of the best decisions I will ever make. I am learning a TON of stuff in the IT sector, I am able to combine my skills and experience in the IT industry with holistic community development (Community Development was what I studied as a major in undergrad at Covenant College), but most importantly, I am being spiritually filled - and the Lord has given me immense joy in this.

Not only am I blessed with wonderful Christian brothers and sisters, but I am also blessed to work for an organization that values a holistic relationship with God.

May I never take these things for granted.

Peace.

Mid-Semester Update

2008-11-07T16:20:00.003-05:00

Hello, Friends!
I am currently in the middle of my senior year at Covenant College as a community development major. This fall, I am writing my Senior Integration Paper (SIP) which is basically a senior thesis paper that every Covenant College senior is required to write for their major.

I am writing my SIP as a Case Study of a community that I lived in for 3 weeks this past summer when I spent 12 weeks in the Philippines. The beginning of my SIP is a literature review that will be about 15 pages long introducing the concept of poverty, and some different approaches to combating poverty, and then summarizing what I believe the appropriate response should be.

Having now lived overseas for more than a couple weeks, and having traveled by myself, I can say that it was a very enjoyable, rich and memorable experience. I feel that I learned a lot. I feel that as a result of working there this past summer, the Lord helped me realize that working overseas is definitely something I would enjoy doing. At the same time, I believe that I also realized that working in America is something I would definitely love to do. So I feel that the Lord has opened 1,000 doors, and I am now supposed to find which door to go through. This is an exciting time in my life right now.

One thing that I am seriously thinking about is starting up my own business that will be based in the States. I am not sure if you are aware, but I am interested in a lot of "computer" related things, have worked for my college's Technology Services department, and have done a lot of computer technical support jobs for various people. I am thinking about launching a full time business that will be an IT Consulting and Technology Support firm with the target market being churches and non-profit organizations (especially community development organizations).

I actually already have my own business, Smooth Stone Services, that I have run on a very part-time basis since high school. My website is http://www.smoothstoneservices.com. I am currently writing a business plan as if I am I am going to do this, and perhaps launch this venture a year or two after I graduate this coming May.

However, I am still not sure if this is something I want to go through with, because I know that community development work really interests me. Something that I have thought about doing is part of the year running the business, and spending part of the year overseas or doing community development work. Maybe I could even do IT consulting jobs overseas with my business! Who knows?! Only time and the Lord's leading will tell.

There's no Place Like Home

2008-07-31T04:59:00.006-04:00

Greetings, friends and family! Magandang umaga, po! I apologize that I have not updated this blog in quite a while. I sat down and began a post a little over a week ago, but did not have time to finish it. I wanted to at least try to post something else before going home. Oh well, sometimes we can't always do what we want. I hope that this will do! For the majority of you, this will be the first time you hear that I am....(guess what).... home!

The Philippines is a perfect 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). This actually made it easy for me whenver I wanted to call home, because I knew I could almost always reach my family during my morning. So because the Philippines is 12 hours ahead, jet-lag also takes a little while to get over. (After going to bed last night around 10:00, I woke up at 3:30am)!

On Wednesday morning, Philippine Time (PHT), I woke up at 3:30am in order to drive to the airport with the other two Food for the Hungry interns so that they could catch their 7:45 flight and then I could catch my flight shortly after that at 9:00am. I then flew to Tokyo which is almost a 5 hour flight, and had a 3 hour layover. I then flew to Chicago, which was a little less than a 12 hour flight, and had a 4 hour layover, during which I cleared customs and found my way to the gate for my final flight home to Greenville, SC. That flight was around 2 hours, and I arrived at 10:00pm, Wednesday night, EDT.

As I sit down to write this post this morning (actually, I am rewriting the first part of this because I accidentally deleted some of it), it is hard to believe that I have been in the Philippines for the past three months. In one way, it feels like just yesterday that I was packing up to leave. But then again, it feels like I have been gone for over 100 years.

I feel that I have greatly benefited from my experience in the Philippines this summer, and I will really miss it (especially the food)! In addition to the academic side of learning about the Microenterprise Development (MED) livelihood interventions that Food for the Hungry/Philippines implemented into their communities, I feel that I also benefited greatly from the experiences, both mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I feel that God used my experience this summer to help me critically think about how he will lead me in the future after school. This internship has helped me, and will continue to help me, think about my career. I now have more certainty that this type of work is something I would be very much interested in pursuing for my life.

I want to post some of my favorite pictures from the Philippines. Some of these I think I may have uploaded in previous posts to my blog, but some of them are also new. (My camera is working again now! After emailing a photographer friend of mine and then fiddling around with it, everything started to eventually work again except the lens cover, which was constantly covering the lens 1/2 way, regardless of if the camera was on or off. So I took a small piece of paper and wadded it up and jamed it down inside to keep the lens cover open so that I can take pictures)!
* As I stated in a previous post, I hereby retain all copyright priviledges on all photos uploaded to this blog. This is my nice way of saying please don't use any of my photos without my permission (especially for commercial use, because not only would that be mean, it would also be illegal).

As some of you may recall, I went to the Philippines primarily so that I could fulfill my academic course work & requirement. My major at Covenant College requires that I spend at least 12 weeks on a research internship. My research was primarily focused on the livelihood programs that Food for the Hungry Philippines (FH/Phil) implemented into their communities. As a result, throughout the summer, I wrote weekly logs and 6 papers including my final Research Findings paper. I also gave an oral report to FH/Phil about my research findings.

I will finish this blog update by copying my final research paper. But before I do, let me once again say "thank you" to everyone who has supported me in anyway during this summer.

In Christ,
David White

Livelihood and Savings Groups as FHI-Philippines MED Interventions:

Written Report of Research Findings

David White

Covenant College & Food for the Hungry Philippines

August 1^st, 2008

I. Introduction

From May 14^th through August 6^th, 2008, I lived and worked in the Philippines doing research for Food for the Hungry Philippines (FHI). My original goal of research was to learn how FHI introduced livelihood programs into their communities, and how these Microenterprise Development (MED) interventions were successful. I wanted to identify the areas in which FHI was successful, and to explain why. I wanted to learn what worked, for whom, under what circumstances.

Microenterprise development (MED) focuses on helping very small businesses with “management, accounting, production, business infrastructure, product development, and market access.” It “is a development strategy that provides a broad package of financial services … as well as other business development services” (Bussau & Mask, 2003). Microfinance on the other hand, which could be a part of MED, is “financial services (savings, loans, insurance) that enable the poor to obtain lump sums [of money] for emergencies, life cycle needs, and opportunities for household investment” (Chalmers Center).

In addition to looking for ways in which FHI was successful in their MED livelihood interventions, I wanted to learn about the projects that were not successful. In studying these projects, it was my goal to indentify ways in which the projects could be improved, and to explain why they did not work. In short, I wanted to learn what did not work, for whom, under what circumstances.

Finally, I learned about some of the savings groups that FHI helped form in some of their communities. Savings groups, which are considered a kind of microfinance usually can not be used to start and sustain livelihood projects. Instead, they are usually a great help in providing funds for emergencies, life cycle needs and investment opportunities, as I indicated earlier. While this was certainly not where the majority of my work was focused upon, it greatly helped to learn about this kind of microfinance (which of course can be a part of doing MED). With this knowledge, I have been better able to analyze how and why FHI was successful, and determine areas in which FHI can improve upon.

The majority of my research consisted of learning how the livelihood projects that FHI introduced into their communities has brought improvement to the lives of individuals. While this is only a part of MED, it is the first and central part of doing MED. Without any livelihood projects to develop, there is no MED!

In addition to learning about these MED interventions, I was also able to learn about the Child Development Program (CDP) that FHI operates in the Philippines. Because the CDP is the primary work that FHI does in their communities, I quickly learned that other FHI programs like MED stem from the communities’ involvement in the CDP. As a result, it is hard to separate the MED from the CDP in many cases, and the effectiveness of the combined programs (where MED does exist) must be taken into account.

The main method of data gathering for my research was the interview. I conducted several semi-formal and informal interviews during my 12 weeks in the Philippines. The vast majority of these interviews were individual interviews in areas where FHI has already phased and is no longer at work and through these, I obtained a lot of data. However, the few group interviews that I conducted were also extremely helpful and informative. Although I mainly worked in areas where FHI has already left, I was also able to learn about one area where FHI is still working.

II. Research Results

The mission of FHI is “to equip, link and mobilize churches, leaders and families in overcoming all forms of human poverty by living in healthy relationships with God and his creation” (Community Transformation). In this statement, God’s “creation” includes not only the environment, but also the people that we interact with (our selves and our community). FHI has done well in living out this mission of wholistic transformation and helping individuals improve their relationships with God, themselves, others (friends, family and enemies) and the environment.

In order to achieve this mission, FHI has introduced several programs into the communities which they seek to do sustainable development. The four programs that I was able to learn about were the Child Development Program (CDP), the College Assistance Scholarship, the livelihood interventions, and the savings groups. But of course, since my research focused on MED (including microfinance), I mainly learned about the livelihood interventions and savings groups that FHI helped start.

The impact of the livelihood programs in a community can not be fully measured because of their coexistence with the CDP. While this is the program from which all other programs normally stem, it is also the oldest and original program of FHI. For example, in one community, FHI began work in 1993 with their CDP. However, it wasn’t until 2004 that livelihood programs were introduced.

There are several livelihood projects that FHI helped start in their communities. I observed four different livelihood projects in my research, which were pig production, poultry production, sari-sari stores, and snack making. However, the only livelihood project that I found in every community that I observed extensively was the pig production. These livelihood projects produced many results.

In the majority of the instances that I found pig production, beneficiaries raised pigs for meat (as opposed to raising pigs for breeding). Pig production was also the most common livelihood project in each of the communities. In one community, for example, I found 10 families that raised pigs, as opposed to only 4 families who raised poultry (2 families raised both pigs and poultry, which leaves only 2 families that only raised poultry). In another community, I found that both women I interviewed raised pigs.

Overall, I interviewed a total of 16 participants in the hog raising projects. Out of these, 6 participants chose to use one pig for breeding (some of these had more than 1 pig, and raised another one for meat). However, only 3 of these pigs were successful in producing. The other 3 became sick or were unable to produce piglets, so the owner ended up having to sell the pig.

In addition to the 3 pigs that were unable to breed, I found that two other people were unable to properly care for their pigs when they got sick. One woman suggested that having an animal expert, or a vet, available when needed, would be beneficial because most families do not have the expertise or knowledge to help a pig when it gets sick. The inability to care for, and non-access to expertise for, taking care of the pigs when they experienced problems affected all 5 people.

Besides experiencing problems with the health of the pigs, I learned that the people were greatly affected by the market conditions of raising and selling the pigs. For example, I learned that sometimes when the pig is ready to be sold for meat, the buyer refuses to pay the amount that was originally agreed upon (usually it takes 4-6 months until a pig weighs the amount it should weigh in order to be sold. This amount of time usually depends on how the pig is fed). However, because the pig’s weight indicates it is ready to be sold, it is not profitable for the owner to keep the pig any longer. So the person is forced to sell at the lower price.

The poultry production livelihood project was also interesting to study. Overall, I interviewed 5 individuals who had raised poultry, as well as 1 group (some of the individuals I interviewed were also in the group interview). While individual people have personal reasons to start in any sort of livelihood project, I found that the group also had interesting reasons to start work in poultry. I learned that raising poultry takes neither much time nor much land. This was very advantageous, because it meant that the families could continue in their regular jobs while raising the chickens as a side business. Beyond this, the reasons that members of the group decided to raise poultry were to have additional income, to help the poor members in the group, to uplifting the status of living, to have a permanent source of income, to be known as a stable group, and finally, to achieve the vision of the group (“to improve the spiritual and physical life…”).

I learned that in the poultry projects, commercial-grade chickens are raised for a 35-day period (1 cycle) and then are sold to the chicken farms. The individuals within the group project in one community were mainly successful for the first two cycles. I learned that each person kept a total of 50 chicks, and earned an average of P2,400. Like the weight of the pigs beyond the target weight, it is not profitable to keep the chicks longer than 35 days. In the cycles after the 2^nd (most of my informants participated in 3 cycles, and some participated in a 4^th), the market conditions prevented them from making a profit. Like some of the times when the pigs were sold, the buyer for the poultry only offered a low amount.

The other two livelihood projects that I studied, the sari-sari store, and snack making were also able to produce results. As part of relief-assistance after a disaster, the sari-sari store owner and snack making person that I interviewed had received a lump sum of money from FHI which was ½ loan, ½ grant. Both were able to successfully pay back the loan portion within three months! Before being started, the sari-sari store owner and snack maker consulted with FHI to make sure there was demand in their area of work. The snack maker originally also wanted to start a sari-sari store, but FHI wouldn’t let her because there were already too many stores in the community. So, she thought about making snacks and selling them in the local school. While the sari-sari store has been successful and continues to operate (without FHI assistance any longer), the snack maker was forced to quit her business because the national government banned all food vendors from selling inside the schools, because a student recently got food poisoning and died.

While beneficiaries were not required by FHI to start a livelihood project, of course, the people in the communities that I researched had many financial needs that helped prompt them to start. The most common economic concern that I found was that people needed money for their children’s education. Other important economic concerns included providing food for the family, and in some cases, obtaining medicine or paying medical bills, or to simply have additional, supplemental income for general living expenses, emergencies, or life-cycle needs.

Besides the economic benefit from starting a livelihood project, there were other reasons that people joined. Some people were encouraged to participate in FHI-sponsored livelihood because they already had prior experience in the livelihood being offered. Finally, in one instance, livelihood was a group initiative, and members of the group wanted to promote the vision of, and encourage and help other members in the group.

In every instance of pig production that I found, and in most cases of the other livelihood projects, my interviewees reported making a profit. The income that was generated from all four livelihood projects was used for several things. The majority of the people I interviewed used the extra income for their children’s education and for daily expenses for food. In one community, the participants’ children have to pay for transportation for school, and the livelihood projects helped pay for this. Other uses of the extra money were medical expenses for the family, house renovations, wedding, electric bills and utilities, and primary job expenses on the farm.

The savings groups, as I have already mentioned, are generally used as a form of microfinance to help people obtain lump sums of money for emergencies, life cycle needs, and special occasions (like weddings), and are not usually used to help support or start a livelihood microenterprise. The few savings groups that I did learn about also had success.

I learned that in every savings group that is formed by FHI, a seminar is first given to the community, and members of the savings group are required to attend. Here, the 5Ms of microfinance are stressed as very important. The 5Ms of microfinance are defining the Mission of the group, defining the Membership of the group, deciding who will keep the Money in the savings group, deciding upon who will Manage and govern the group, and finally, deciding how the Monitoring system will take place (In addition to this information which I received from an informant, refer to Chalmers Center).

In one community that I briefly studied, I learned that several people in the community participated in 3 different savings groups started by FHI. These people, whom I interviewed in a group interview, said that they joined for emergency purposes. However, I later learned that they were required by FHI to participate in the savings group. Thus, I can never be sure if the participants would have chosen to participate on their own. All three groups started in May, 2007, and ended that December. I learned that when the groups ended in December, 2007, the participants were able to use the lump sums for many things. One woman used the money for her child during the Christmas season to buy clothes. Another woman used her lump sum for the Christmas holiday as well as for school materials. Yet another woman used the lump sum for paying electric and other bills, as well as to pay off debts. As can be seen, the savings groups helped the women in many ways.

In addition to the economic profit that people made from the livelihood projects, and the help that the lump sums of money from the savings groups were, the people reported that they were helped in other ways. As I mentioned earlier, FHI strives to help people live in healthy relationships with God, themselves, others, and the environment. Of course, since FHI is a Christian organization, their first goal in operating their programs like the MED interventions is to help people live in healthy relationships with God.

When people become members of the CDP, livelihood program or savings group, they are required by FHI to participate in a weekly bible study. Through these efforts, FHI has seen some success in helping people improve their relationships with God. For example, in one community, I found that 11 out of the 13 people I interviewed became regular church goers only after FHI arrived and began work in their community (the other two were already attending a church regularly). In another community I researched, one of the two women I interviewed became a regular church participant only after FHI arrived. However, as one involved woman said, the program was not always successful in developing the parents, because the parents wanted the material benefits and looked for ways to get out of being involved in the bible studies and church.

In addition to helping people live in healthy relationships with God, FHI also wants to help people live in healthy relationships with themselves. As Bryant Myers points out in his book Walking with the Poor, all humans have a marred identity that prevents them from living up to their God-given potential. A good example of how FHI has been successful in this is the story of Ate Mary (name changed to protect identity). Ate Mary says that because of the programs FHI offered, she was encouraged to attend church and the bible studies. She was baptized as a believer, and felt that even though she still experienced problems, she now had the strength to face them. She says “I can’t forget FHI because they helped me develop myself.”

FHI also wants to help people have a healthy relationship with others. This has also seen some success, and like all four main relationships, this is very good and important to focus on. In one community, I found that women who had been living together for over ten years did not begin to know each other or spend time with each other until the savings group was started recently. The members of the group learned the value of saving, and a good relationship was built between the mothers involved.

Finally, FHI wants to help people live in a healthy relationship with God’s creation. This is Biblical, as Colossians 1:15-17 indicates that Christ made all things and that all things hold together through him. We know that the people of a community are the primary stewards of it, and that God has mandated that humans care for our environment. Part of this, of course, can be seen through the interaction that community members have with the environment and their jobs as farmers, fishermen, or even as members of the pig production or poultry production livelihood projects.

III. Further Research

As I conducted my research and especially as I analyzed my data, I was reminded of something that I thought about early in my research and data gathering. The importance of the impact that the CDP makes on the support programs (like the MED and microfinance) can not and should not be ignored. If I had had more time to spend researching, this is one area that I would have attempted to focus on.

In addition to the additional research on the economic and non-financial impact that the CDP makes on a given community, I think that it would have also been beneficial to research how FHI has been successful and what areas it could improve upon in keeping a community from becoming “dependent” on FHI. This avoidance of dependency is very important to FHI, and it would be interesting to study how a community begins to “help itself” once FHI leaves.

An important lingering question that I had for many of the people that I interviewed was “why did they choose to get involved in the livelihood projects to begin with?” Finding out what the economic needs were, and what the personal reasons were that people had for joining a livelihood project would have been very beneficial in my research (in the instances where I did not learn this information).

IV. Conclusions

MED and microfinance can sometimes be very complicated and can sometimes be hard to effectively implement. However, when they are introduced into a community responsibly and appropriately, they can produce many good results. Throughout my research in the Philippines, I studied four different livelihood projects as well as a few savings groups.

While I found that most of the time, the livelihood projects and savings groups were successful in providing economic and other benefits to the beneficiaries, I found that the biggest problem to livelihood was the market conditions. The beneficiaries of both the pig production and poultry production sometimes had problems because the price of feed become expensive and the buyer would only offer a low price. Despite these problems, the MED and microfinance were still successful.

Even though the market conditions sometimes created problems, there were many economic benefits from the livelihood projects and savings groups. Both the extra income from the livelihood projects and the lump sums of money from the savings groups that people obtained, helped people to (for the majority of the time) pay for school fees and pay for daily food needs of the family. In addition, I found that the income from the livelihood projects were sometimes used for medical expenses, house renovations, farm and other on-the-job expenses of the regular job, among others.

In addition to the economic benefit that people experienced in their livelihood projects and savings groups, I found that all four key relationships were usually improved. One’s relationship to God is the most important, and I found that often times, the programs of FHI led many people to the Lord, and they became active members in the church. I also found that the “marred identity” that people have of themselves was improved. The relationships that people have with their community members was affected for the better. And finally, one can see a difference in the way people related to their environment.

Overall, depending on how one would define “success,” I would say that the livelihood projects and savings groups were successful in meeting FHI’s goal of wholistic transformation. We can see this through both the economic and non-material benefits that people have experienced. These benefits will undoubtedly affect the community the people are in for a long time to come.

V. Bibliography

Bussau, D., & Mask, R. (2003). Christian Microenterprise Development. Waynesboro, GA: Regnum Books International.

Chalmers Center. Distinguishing Characteristics of Providing, Partnering, and Promoting Microfinance. (Published Date Unknown). Retrieved July 2008. Web site: http://scots.covenant.edu/depts/chalmers/Eco448/Eco448 Recommended Readings/Distinguishing Characteristics of 3 Ps.doc.

Food for the Hungry International Human Resource Development. (2005). Welcome to Food for the Hungry International An Orientation to our Ministry and Corporate Identity. Bangkok Thailand: Food for the Hungry International.

Food for the Hungry Philippines. (Published Date Unknown). Community Transformation in the Philippines. Brochure. Manila, Philippines.

Lamigo, C. (2008). Grant Assistance Report. Manila, Philippines: Food for the Hungry Philippines.

Myers, B. (1999). Walking With the Poor. New York: World Vision.

On a Lighter Side...

2008-07-16T03:00:00.002-04:00

Magandang hapon, po! (“Good afternoon” – for me; At the time I am posting this, in America, the greeting would be “Magandang gabi,” or “good evening/good night”). I think I’m going to do something a little bit different for this blog. Instead of talking about my specific research and what I’m doing specifically, I will talk about meaningful things I have experienced, what I have learned on a broader level (outside of my academic work), funny and interesting things that I have learned, and other random tidbits. So here goes. First, the funny and random things:

Some of my favorite foods in the Philippines:

Tinolang Manok – a chicken soup with green papaya, chili leaves and fresh ginger. You scoop it out, and eat it over rice. This is masarap! (Masarap means “delicious” in Tagalog.) It’s NOT spicy – chili leaves don’t have spice. This is a dish I will certainly try to recreate when I’m back in America.
Adobo Manok (Chicken Adobo) – this Philippine classic dish is very tasty (“Malasa”). Basically, it’s chicken in a soyish-sort of sauce. Like every other Filipino dish, it is served with rice.
Suman – this is a sticky rice that is wrapped in coconut leaves. It is sweet, and can be eaten as a snack (and sometimes for breakfast too). This is also malinamnam.
Turon – This is a banana that is wrapped in a thin wrapper and is cooked. It is sweet, and very good.
Banana-que – This is similar to turon, except that it is cooked on a stick. It is coated in brown sugar.
Lumpia – basically, the lumpia is like a spring roll that you would purchase at any Chinese restaurant in America (it’s a little different though, and I really like it).

Things that I learned about international travel until too late!

The phone card that you purchased in America? Worthless! (Unless your in America or Canada). The 800 number on the back of that card only works in America or Canada. Otherwise, if you dial that 800 number, it will still be counted as long distance! Fortunately for me, I also have Skype on my computer, and I brought a headset and microphone. Skype is a program that you can install onto your computer for free. Using it, you can talk with other people who use Skype for free. You can also purchase “Skype credits” that will allow you to call any phone number (that’s right – cell phone, land line, you name it) from your computer. Of course, you have to be on the internet to use it. But even in a place like the Philippines, the internet is easy to find.

For those of you who have never traveled away from your home country, you probably don’t know what I didn’t: there’s custom declaration forms that your supposed to fill out BEFORE you reach the customs officer. Nobody told me I had to do this. The plane I was on handed the forms out, but because I had been travelling for almost 24 hours straight, they didn’t hand the forms to everyone, and I couldn’t hear the flight-attendants very well over the speakers, I had no idea I needed to fill one out. Needless to say, I got off the plane, stood in line for an hour, reached the customs officer and didn’t have my form. He stamped my passport and pointed to a desk behind him, let me through, and told me to fill out a form and bring it back to him. By the time I was done, my luggage was the last one from my plane waiting to be picked up, and I claimed it RIGHT before the flight-attendants were going to take it away! (This goes for pretty much any country that you travel to, I get the feeling, so heads up!)

Random things that happen to you or that you see in the Philippines (some of these were offered by or added to by my friend Adam, who is another intern with Food for the Hungry Philippines, and is also from America) :

The American music you hear being constantly played on the radio starts to get old, and you hope you never hear it again for the rest of your life.
When doing research, you are looking for people to talk to, so you walk up to random Sari-Sari stores (very small stores on the streets that sell snacks and food and stuff). When you do, a beautiful young Filipina is working, and you ask her if she is familiar with FHI. About 3 sentences in your “I’m doing research” speech, she starts laughing, doesn’t talk anymore, and things just get awkward, so you walk away, saying “maraming salamat, po” which means “Thank you very much.”
Wherever you walk, Filipinos stare at you, and some yell or say “Amerikano” or “Hey Jo!” You sometimes smile or nod back to them, and sometimes say “hello”, but NEVER stare back, because, while it’s ok for the Filipino to stare at you, it is considered rude for me as a white person to stare back. (“Hey Joe” is a common phrase for white males to hear, because it refers to the American soldiers, or GI-Joes, that fought in the Philippines when Japan invaded the country during WWII.)
Burger King is the only place you know of that offers free wireless internet.
You spend more time in the mall in the Philippines than you do in the United States.
You get over 8 hours of sleep every night, and are constantly tired and don’t know why.
You are taller by a head than everyone else.
You sometimes spend more time travelling than you do at your destination.

I hope you enjoyed these. For you guys that have been to the Philippines, (I know some of you are reading this) please feel free to add more in comments!

Every week, I am required to turn in a 2-page log answering questions about what I have learned in the Philippines to my professor. Being forced to write these logs every week has truly helped me think critically about what I have learned and experienced here, and I feel that the logs have helped me personally grow mentally (academically), emotionally and spiritually. I want to share with you a portion of the log that I turned in to my professor this past Monday:
“Even though I have studied and learned many things about responsible community development, relationship building, living in a different culture, etc…, through my study at Covenant College, my thoughts have been reinforced that experience is the best teacher. Cross-cultural living is, I have come to the conclusion, hard! Being in the Philippines for the last 8 & ½ weeks has helped confirm to me that even with a lot of head knowledge, deep down inside, I was still born and raised an American.
In addition to living cross-culturally, I have had a lot of time to think recently. I have been challenged and have thought a lot recently about the importance of doing your best work, and doing the best you can even if the organization you are working with doesn’t conform perfectly to community development theory that we talk about in the classroom.
So this summer has helped me get outside of my “head knowledge” and embrace the good work that is being done even if it isn’t perfect. We live in a sinful, fallen, broken world. Relationships are broken, and organizations do not work perfectly. Does this mean that, as a community developer, I should refuse to work with or work for an NGO that doesn’t conform to perfect “theory” standards? Never!
At the same time, it is important that, as a community developer, I look for opportunities for improvement. When these opportunities do arise, it would be wise to first consider the cultural setting I am in before offering my opinion, as well as to find the strengths of my organization and build upon these.” (This is the end of my Log)

I hope this gives you another picture of what I am learning, studying and doing in the Philippines. As I mentioned in the part of my log that I copied above, living in a different culture is not easy. But I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Thank you so much for your continued prayers as I work to learn more about this thing called Community Development, as I try to finish my academic work here, and most importantly, as God continues to transform me and lead me while I continue to realize what it means to follow Him.

Ingat po kayo. In Him, David.

PS: If you are wondering why I have stopped posting pictures, it is because my camera got broken here. That is a long story in itself. Fortunately, I am still able to take pictures, and so will continue to do so while I am here. But I am unable to get pictures off of my camera. I will wait until I get back to America to either fix my camera or purchase a new one, and copy pictures from my camera to my computer. So, unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to post any more pictures until I get back to the States.

When in doubt, keep going!

2008-07-06T22:32:00.005-04:00

Magandang Umaga, po (or, if your reading this at the exact time I post it, the proper greeting would be magandang gabi, po). It has been a while since I have updated this blog last. Things in Metro-Manila and elsewhere since I arrived back here from Pook, Laguna, has been very interesting. When I arrived in Fairview, I stayed for 1 week before traveling with Food for the Hungry staff and other interns to the province of Albay, in the region of Bicol, which is south of Manila (but still on the main, northernmost island). I stayed in Bicol for 1 week, and came back to Metro-Manila 1 week ago from yesterday (Sunday).

There is a very famous, beautiful volcano in Albay called the Mayan Volcano. It is an active volcano, and in 2006, it erupted. Most of the debris and ash stayed inside the crater or on the side of the mountain. But in 2007, a very powerful typhoon hit the area, and caused massive mudslides and scattered the debris from the volcano. Thousands of people were killed and/or are still missing, and many people lost their homes.

When this happened, Food for the Hungry responded with emergency relief aid, and introduced savings groups into many of the communities. For the 1 week that we were in Bicol, I spent much of my time listening to the other FHI interns interviewing recipients of this aid. I also got a chance to interview some members of the savings groups. On the last day we were there (Saturday) we visited two communities, and distributed de-worming medicine to the children in the community.

Here is a picture of the beautiful Mayan Volcano. A few weeks before we arrived, the volcano started smoking again, so part of what you see in this picture is smoke (although some is clouds too).

When I arrived in Metro-Manila last Sunday, the staff of FHI had a very busy week, and were unable to show me what I could do for my research in Fairview (which is where I am living for the rest of the summer).

The beginning of last week was very frustrating for me because I had absolutely nothing to do, and I am living with a family away from FHI staff members (so I was unable to speak to them regarding my research). And so, with nothing to do, and with the suggestion of my professor, I decided to contact my two classmates, Nick and Lauren, who are also in the Philippines for their own internship. They are working with a Christian NGO called CCT (Center for Community Transformation). CCT is a Microfinance Institution (MFI), so they provide loans, organize savings groups, etc...

On this past Wednesday, I met Nick and Lauren, and stayed with them until Saturday morning. We had a great time together, and I was able to learn a lot of very helpful and interesting information about CCT. I was also able to sit in and listen to 2 focus groups that Nick conducted, and I was able to observe two "Fellowship Groups" - weekly savings group meetings with bible study, where Lauren passed out a questionnaire.

This week, my research will resume, and tomorrow, I will be able to meet with beneficiaries of FHI, and people who used to be involved in FHI-sponsored savings groups. This will be good for me, because I will begin to be able to compare and contrast the experiences that people in Fairview had to those that residents had in Pook.

For this week and for the rest of my internship (which is only 4 weeks), please pray for two things:
1. Please pray that I would constantly and consistently humble myself, and have a humble spirit as I interact with my supervisor, FHI staff, the other interns who are here with FHI, the Filipino people, and with my work. Even though I am a "community development" major, I know absolutely nothing when it comes to actual experience. That is what this internship is for, and I am here to be a student and to learn.
2. Please pray that I would continue to have direction in my research, and that I would be able to accomplish what I need to by the end of the summer. Before I leave, I will be writing a massive paper and will be giving a presentation to the FHI staff. Please pray that this week I will be able to begin my interviews again, and that when plans do change, and when things don't work out the way I want them to, that I will be flexible and be willing to adapt. Last week was great, and I am very thankful for the opportunity that I had to learn about CCT and what they do in the Philippines. Who knows? Maybe if I could go back there if it turns out I will not have much to do.

Ingat Po Kayo (Take care),
David

Please note that I retain all copyright privileges for all photos in this blog. No photo may be reproduced for commercial use, including the use of commercial websites, without my permission.

... And, I'm Back

2008-06-17T02:37:00.005-04:00

Magandang umaga, po! (Good morning). I can not believe that I have been in the Philippines now for over a month. I have truly enjoyed my time here. For the last three weeks (until last Saturday), I lived in Pook and worked to research how FHI's programs impacted the community. FHI worked in Pook for about 12 years. However, they pulled out of the community 2 years ago. In addition to assisting communities, FHI strives to partner with local churches. The ultimate goal is to prevent the community from coming into a state of dependency on FHI, and instead, empower the church to eventually take over the work. This is why FHI left Pook 2 years ago.
Before leaving, FHI assisted the local church (Pook CRC) in creating a "comprehensive plan" to continue to help the community. With this plan, Pook now has a feeding ministry and educational assistance program to help some of the children eat and go to school. These children meet at the church every week. In addition to getting a good meal, the children are taught lessons from the Bible. Here are a couple pictures of the times I was at the gathering! In the 1st picture, the guy standing on the left and the two girls on the right are friends that I made (around my age) who are involved in helping with the ministry.

Because I was only in the community of Pook for 3 weeks, there are MANY experiences that I had which must not be taken for granted. What I experienced was a result of the local Filipinos' very warm hospitality. I felt very welcomed, indeed. And I truly enjoyed my experience. I do not have pictures from the interpretive dance, but I hope to obtain some before I leave the country. :) (Some were taken, which I don't have).

As you may know/remember, the primary reason I came to the Philippines was to evaluate the Microenterprise Development (MED) / Livelihood projects that FHI conducts here. Obviously, in Pook, my research was strictly post-impact based. It is commonly known among researchers that it is very hard to only do effective post-impact research, simply because one of the only things we have to go on is what people tell you (which may or may not be true, and which must always be taken with a grain of salt).

Thus, with the many things that I learned in Pook, I must be careful to not generalize the data. I must critically analyze it, and if possible, I need to obtain the same data from as many sources and using as many different techniques as possible.

In addition to my work, there were a lot of people in the community that I became friends with. Of course, it is in the Filipino culture to be very warm, open and hospitable with foreigners. So this, of course, is one of the reasons why I had such a good experience in Pook.

Here is a picture of the immediate family's house that I lived in during my stay in Pook (Kuya Dante is wearing the t-shirt that I gave him as a gift).

However, it almost seems like 1/2 of the people of Pook are related to each other. This immediate family is related through Ate Nilda (the wife) to a bigger family. These two families (and Pastor Jerry) are the people that I spent the majority of my time with.
Here's a couple more pictures of this "clan" and some of the other people I spent a lot of my time with. The 2nd picture is Pastor Jerry with a lot of the people my age. I wanted to get at least 1 picture of Kuya Ding, the father of Ate Nilda and of the family so the third one is of him only!

Well, I am now in Fairview. I arrived on Saturday (Sorry, don't have any pictures yet!) This week, I feel like I am doing almost a grand total of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! Yay (just kidding). The FHI staff is still trying to get things sorted out. While we all know that I'm here to "evaluate their livelihood programs" it doesn't appear that the local FHI staff has this as their #1 agenda - which is understandable.

Right now, this is actually fine with me. I got very behind in analyzing the data I had collected in Pook, so I am spending time catching up on that. I am also catching up on communicating with the outside world. Until yesterday (Monday), I haven't had access to internet in over 1 & 1/2 weeks. Lots of people were asking about me, and I at least wanted to get off a belated Happy Father's Day message to my dad.

Thank you, friends for your continued prayers. I do have a few specific requests.
1) That I would be patient, and wise with, and think through my research VERY critically. This is extremely important, and I'll admit that I have not done this very well over the past month. The experience of simply being here is quite a lot of think about. Through the assignments that I have turned in, however, I have been forced to think through my research, and I have been reminded of this importance.
2) That I would make the adjustment into city life well. For the past 3 weeks, I lived in Pook, which is rural. But now I am in the (rather polluted) city. This is an adjustment in and of itself. However, I am also building completely new relationships. Please pray for me as I build these new relationships, I would not start comparing my experience in Fairview to that in Pook. Please pray that I would be able to start doing useful research in Fairview, and that while I wait to get started, I would have patience.
(I am actually traveling with FHI staff this Saturday away from Fairview, and will be gone for over a week in the province of Bicel. Maybe when I return, I'll have things to do!)

What has the Lord taught me, you may be wondering?
In short, I have learned great reliance and peace on him. I have definitely grown in my walk with him, and have learned better what it means to find my satisfaction in him. I have also grown and learned more the importance of loving the people where they are at, for who they are, with all of my heart. I have been reminded that as an American, I do not want to go into a community with a big head on my shoulders. Instead, I want to be humble as I work to partner with the community. I want to avoid having a "superior" attitude.
This means that I MUST learn the culture. What is "humble" or "superior" in America is NOT the same thing in the Philippines. So please pray that I would also be open to the Lord's leading in this area for the rest of my time here.

Ingat po kayo (take care), and God Bless!

- David

In the burungay of Pook, in the town of Pila, in the province of Laguna

2008-05-27T03:18:00.002-04:00

I have already had quite a few interviews over the past 2 days, and have gained a LOT of information that will help me in my research. On Sunday, I will be conducting a focus group with all of the childen that were helped by the Child Development Program that FHI ran in this community.

FHI used to work here, but does not anymore. I am in this community evaluating impact, post-integration. Thus, much of my research is going to have to be focused on what people tell me - which is sometimes very hard to do. Pastor Jerry actually had a schedule layed out for me for individual interviews throughout my time here.

But with this focus group I get to do Sunday, I will be able to begin to "triangulate" my data, and get different perspectives.

I have learned, since I got here to the Philippines, that the MED program that FHI operates can NOT be seperated from the Child Development Program (CDP). CDP can exist by itself, but FHI MED can NOT exist without the CDP.

Thus, I am realizing that it would make much more sense to modify my original research proposal, and focus on how MED complimented CDP, and how both of these things together impacted the community.

The CDP of Food for the Hungry takes a very holistic approach to ministry to the children. Where most "sponsorship" programs just help the children, FHI strives to empower the children, familes, church AND community to help one another. The sponsorship that a child receives benefits the child for food and school supplies. But it goes MUCH deeper than this. The local church is first consulted and partnered with.

In addition, FHI strives to empower the church to affect change, and to prevent the community from becoming dependent on FHI. For this reason, FHI actually implements a phase-out of every community they work in after so many years. For this specific community, FHI worked here for 13 years. Now, the church is continuing the work. This is VERY healthy for everyone involved.

In addition to my research, I will be having a "home-stay" with families in the community, where I will spend the night with them, and then "go to work" with the father the following day. This will enable me to see what the jobs are like in the community, and also continue to build a relationship with individual families and especially the men in the community.

Even though I have only been here for less than a week, my heart has been filled with joy and gladness. I am very happy where I am. It is hot and humid, but this is not a big deal. I love the people I am with, and the relationships that I have already formed and will continue to build over the next 2&1/2 weeks are amazing.

Take care, and thank you for your prayers. I will be sure to post pictures soon, and will try to get pictures of my interpretive dance (that I am doing with other Filipinos who are around my age - including the ones I mentioned above - Arthur, Franklee, Julie, and Leah) this Sunday. :)

In Christ,
David White

My 1st Few Days...

2008-05-18T21:53:00.006-04:00

Well, as you have probably guessed by now, I am in the Philippines. I made it safely, and the plane touched down about 11:00pm on Thursday night. I wasn't able to get to bed until about 1:30, because I still had to go through customs, meet my contact, and travel to the place where I would be staying.

After a day traveling in Manila, on Saturday, I went to 2 different small, poor communities on the outskirts of the city. My contact/supervisor, Katie, wanted me to see these communities to have exposure to the real poverty that does exist here. While this was purely supposed to be a "cultural exposure trip," to help introduce me to the country, I experienced my first spur-of-the-moment research opportunity! As I have already mentioned in earlier posts, I am here to research the success stories and impact of the Microenterprise Development program that Food for the Hungry operates.

As we are walking around, the community, the FH staff who worked in the community and who was also w/ Katie and I asked if I wanted to do an interview. Thankfully I had notebooks with me, and having not prepared a single interview question for the entire trip, I said 'yes'! My mind went racing, and I began to remember the things that I had studied at Covenant.

Overall, I gained a lot of good information, even though it was only 1 interview in each community, and even though I was not at all prepared. Here is a picture of the first woman.

The second community that we went to was right by the large bay beside Manila. Here, bamboo houses and platforms were actually built over the water for more living spaces. Probably about 1/2 the community lived over the water. In both communities, children were definitely present. FH's Child Development Program (CDP) takes a very holistic approach to working with the children and their families. While the children are themselves sponsored, the children's families and communities are also impacted and empowered. But the most important thing is that the local church is empowered to reach out to its own community. FH always partners with the local church.

Here are a couple more pictures from these two communities. One is from the 1st community, and the other is from the second.

Don't expect for my blog to be updated this regularly. I plan on moving in less than 1 week to Pila, for a 3-week span. There, I will be lucky to get internet even once / week.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers.

In Christ,
David White

And I'm Off....

2008-05-14T10:26:00.002-04:00

So I'm sitting in the Greenville / Spartanburg Airport right now getting ready to board onto my first flight of the journey. I am really excited to be going to the Philippines - finally. With passport tucked under my shirt and boarding pass in hand, I am now officially ready to go. I passed security with no problems! :)

I will fly from Greenville to Chicago/O'Hare. Then I will have 40 minutes to catch my 12-hour flight from O'Hare to Tokyo, where I will then have approximately a 3-hour layover. From Tokyo, I will fly to Manila. Including layovers, I'm looking at a travel time of about 22 hours. I'll try not to fall asleep in Tokyo and miss my flight to Manila. When I get to Manila around 10:00pm (Philippine Time), I will be met by my Internship Coordinator, Katie, who works for Food for the Hungry.

As for things to do on the flight, I printed off some Sudoku puzzles as well as a NY-Times Crossword puzzle. Those will keep me preoccupied hopefully for a little bit. If not, then, well, I have my Louis L'amore book to read. Gotta love those westerns.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I truly appreciate it. Please pray for a safe journey, and please pray that Jet-Lag won't be too big of a deal. It's a 12-hour difference from home in the Philippines!

- David

2 & 1/2 weeks to go!

2008-04-26T17:06:00.005-04:00

Welcome, friends to my old, but newly resurrected blog! I have had this technically for a few years, although I never did anything with it and never really got into the blogging scene. Now I have a good excuse to blog, I've got a few more years under my belt, and I'm participating on a very exciting trip this summer.

On May 14th, I will be leaving the States to travel to the Philippines, where I will spend 12 weeks researching the effectiveness of a microenterprise development (MED) program that a Christian non-profit / non-governmental organization, Food for the Hungry, runs. Many of you received support letters asking for your help through prayer and financial help. Thank you so much to those of you who are praying for me and/or helped out financially. I truly appreciate it. Your prayers will go a long ways, and your monetary donations will help cover my travel and living expenses in the Philippines.

I am sitting here writing this after taking my 1st Final of the semester yesterday. 1 down, and only two more to go! This school year has been very difficult for me - college juniors always have it hard. I can now say that I am successfully finished with all of my junior-year classes. By next Wednesday, I will be done with finals too!! And then it is off to home to make last minute preparations for my trip.

I am really, really looking forward to this trip for a number of reasons. As many of you know, I am a Community Development (CDV) major, studying on the International Economics track. This sounds hard, I know - and actually, it is. But it has been a VERY fun major. Basically, CDV teaches students to think and work holistically in ministry to people who are poor - physically, emotionally and spiritually. As I have taken more and more classes for my major, I have fallen more and more interested in the major. I can truly say that this is the direction in my life that I feel God is leading me towards - whether that be a life overseas, or ministry to the poor here in the States.

All CDV students, whether they are studying on the International or Domestic track are required to participate in around a 12-week (or longer) internship. Because I'm an International major, mine is overseas - and thus, as you've already figured out by now, I am going to the Philippines to fulfill this requirement.

But really, fulfilling course work is not the most important reason I am going. Food for the Hungry operates a good program in the Philippines. I am excited about learning more about the program, researching it's effectiveness, and then be able to offer feedback and suggestions on how it could be improved.

I am also VERY excited to learn more about the Filipino culture. Last fall, I took a course (required for my major) entitled "Living and Working in a Multi-Cultural Context." From day 1, I realized that I LOVE studying and learning about foreign cultures. There are so many customs and different etiquettes across the world, and different patterns of communication. When traveling to a different culture, knowing these things (or at least being aware that there are differences) is vital for success. If we are called to be Christ's ambassadors, and if I truly want to "help the poor help themselves" as Bryant Myers puts it (who wrote a book called Walking With the Poor - 1999 - World Vision), then I need to love the people I am working with where they are at in their own comfort zone. Duane Elmer, in his book Cross-Cultural Conflict (InterVarsity Press - 1993) puts it nicely: "We are called to love all people. But can I truly love someone I do not, at least in some measure, understand? Love requires some understanding of its object. That means love is culturally define. When we truly love others, we love them in their own context, in keeping with the way they define love. We can't express love in a vacuum. It can be expressed egocentrically (my way) or sociocentrically (as the other person would define an act of love)."

Thank you, friends, for helping me learn more about International Community Development, and thus by preparing for my possible future in ministry to the poor and suffering across the world.

Sincerely in Christ,
David White

It's Thanksgiving Break!

2006-11-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is a great time of year. It provides a brief rest from the hectic college life, and helps to remind us (me) of everything I have to be thankful for. I am home, and Turkey Day is tomorrow! It feels so good to be home.

I am now a sophomore at Covenant College, and I am enjoying every minute of it. Life is very busy. I am taking 18 credit hours this semester. I don't recommend it. For the 2nd fall in a row, I decided to run with the school cross-country team. I love running, and enjoy every minute I am on the XC trails. However, because I have been so busy with school this fall - not to mention the 12 hours of work study I also have, things became a little too hectic, and I decided to drop off of the team so that I could focus more on school and other things that were important.

This fall has been a lot of fun. I now know have experience with college, and I have been able to meet and encourage a lot of freshmen this year. I decided to work on the school's Orientation Team this year, so I got the opportunity to help the freshmen and transfer students move in this fall and welcome them to Covenant College. It was a very hard job - especially the actual week of orientation (1 week before classes started) but it has been very rewarding.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I have so much to be thankful for. I go to a school where I have the closest friends I have ever had in my life. My teachers and professors care for me. I have a home to come back to where I can eat good home cooking. And, most importantly, I have a savior, Jesus Christ, who loves me more than I can imagine.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Holidays

2005-12-28T19:06:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been quite a few months since I have made a post to this blog. I forgot I had this blog for a while, and at the times that I remembered, I was either too busy or didn't care enough to come and make another post.

This 28th of December finds me as a freshman at Covenant College. My first semester went very well, and I am really enjoying school. The decision to go to Covenant was a good one. I am very pleased. Christmas a few days ago was wonderful. It has been great to get away from school for a time, and simply relax. I am looking forward, however, to my 2nd semester of school.

I hope everyone of you have had a Merry Christmas, and I hope you will have a very happy New Year!

This time of year, Life Gets Busy!

2005-05-15T18:57:00.000-04:00

In 2 weeks from now, I will have graduated from high school, and I will be gearing up to start work full time tomorrow. But for now, I am staying very busy in school and extra-curricular activities. For example, I have just finished a huge project for one of my classes, and will start on studying for a test tomorrow, as well as start on a paper that is due next Friday. I will also be trying to catch up in an independent-study class that I am in, and have *shock* somehow gotten behind in.

Today is Sunday - the Lord's Day. However, I don't feel like my relationship with Him is very strong right now. Have you ever noticed that the more busy you become, the less time you find yourself willing to take to spend with Him? I have, and it annoys me. I want to spend time with Him, and I want to feel less stressed. Perhaps I could be making better use of my time right now, rather than make a post on this blog ...

Perhaps I could think through what I really want in life, and spend time with my God, who sustains me, and provides for me, no matter what.

With that said, I'm out!

Welcome, and Introduction

2005-05-05T22:47:00.000-04:00

Today, I have randomly decided to start my own blog. Actually, this is not extremly random, for multiple reasons. A couple friends of mine (who don't know each other) have started their own blogs. Ok, lame excuse, I know. No, I'm not trying to be like everyone else. As I think about it, blogging makes sense. I am a webmaster, as well as a webhosting company (http://www.smoothstoneservices.com), so it may not even make sense for me to have a blog. But oh well. Here I am, and I think I'll at least give it a shot!

My name is David, and I live in the United States. I am currently a senior in high school, and am just about to graduate. I plan to work full time this summer as a phone and email tech support representative for the website company, http://www.ecamp.net. This is a great job, and I'm sure that I'll gain much experience.

I plan to go off to Covenant College next year, located right outside of Chattanooga, TN. Technically, the college is located in GA, but it's right on the border, on the top of Lookout Mtn.

I'm not sure how much time I will have to waste as a budding blogger, so please don't come every other day expecting more posts. I will post as I have time, but I want to continue my life for the moment. :)