a long trip to heaven. :)

Ever traveled alone for a couple of hours, going to a place you have no clue how far is? And you have no idea where to sleep at or who will you interact with?

Dec 2007, a dear friend, Kuya JC, invited me to come and serve at their event and be part of the Gawad Kalinga Bayanihan Challenge service team in Mulanay, Quezon. Mula-what? Sa'n 'yun? But being a GK advocate and a passionate missionary, I willingly obliged to his invitation. So he gave me instructions how to get there, and warned me, "pagdating mo ng Lucena terminal (which is a 4-hour bus ride from Alabang), mga 4 hours pa ulit." WHOA.

So I packed my things and left home at around 7am on a Friday to start my long journey. I am alone. I didn't have Ipod or mp3 player, and all I have was my Bible and my school notebook (I got an exam Monday after that weekend). I got to Lucena around lunch time where I grabbed some bite, and rode another bus that will give me another 4-hour ride to my destination.

San Pedro to Mulanay. We can almost see Marinduque island from our point.

Kuya Jett, another friend who's already at the venue, texted me the lists of barangays I would pass through so I'd know I'm almost there. So I guess he'd listed around 12 barangays. At dahil probinsyang-probinsya, very rare ang signages or barangay markers. Ayos. Puno, dagat, bundok, dagat, bundok, alikabok, puno, kalabaw. 'Yun ang signages ko.

And since I was alone, it was more like a silent retreat for me. With the beautiful view outside the window, I contemplated, "Lord, where are You taking me? What's your purpose?" So, to be able to hear the Lord, I did not talk for the entire trip (syempre, wala din naman akong kasama, except kay Papa God, of course), but for a few phrases my fingers can enumerate:

• 1 pork chao fan (ordering my favorite meal at Chowking, Lucena Grand Terminal)
• Mulanay po? 
• Kuya, isa nga po (ice cream.) [the bus had a stopover at a store, at may mamang sorbetero. :p]
• Kuya, anong lugar na po 'to? Malapit na po ba ang Mulanay? [I asked this teenager who just got off from school. Malapit na daw. whew.]

Finally, at around 3pm, I got off the bus and got a trike that will take me to the GK site. When I got off the trike, I was welcomed with people busy building homes for other people, but still managed to smile at me. Heaven!

Gawad Kalinga Mulanay Village: a haven of love and nationalism

I was welcomed by Kuya JC and Kuya Jett, my two Quezon buddies, and they introduced me to the YFCs in the locale, who have been my family for my three-day stay.

Videoke, kulitan, banda, tugtugan, production team, kwentuhan, kantahan, KAINAN, laro kasama ang mga makukulit na bata. LANGIT NA NAMAN! I was able to bond with my brothers and sisters in the community, taught the boys some music, taught the kids the GK song, and of course helped build the homes of the Mulanay folks. There was also an entertainment night where I experienced a real "diskuhan sa Nayon" and just had some real, genuine fun with them.

Partners in Nation Building

I fell in love with these kids in an instant. My favorites - Sampu (ganun sila kadaming magkakapatid) and Tyson (a very sweet little one, as opposed to his name. hihi. :p). [bottom left pic]

It's sweet how the Lord takes you to places with the initial invitation that you'll be the one to teach and share your life to other people. But the truth is, ikaw 'yung natututo. I was greatly touched with how these people shared me their lives, their smiles, their food, their love. I asked the Lord to teach me how to love, and He gave me people who loved me beyond words. 

Event's program team: SFC/YFC Mulanay. They gave me gifts for me to take home [bottom left]