a little reminiscing (part 1)

So it's been a long while now since Hannah and I were in the Philippines, almost 11 months in fact. Which means I should probably fill you in on the details and share some of the stories with you that are too long to tell when catching up normally. Well seeing as this flight to Manila was the first plane ride I'd been on since I was 2, I thought I should include a picture of me on the plane, I was a bit excited...

Woohoo! a boarding pass! (it was a bit exciting)

 Settling in for the long flight.


So when we arrived we had the usual warm greeting that most people who visit from Australia get at KSLC but that doesn't make it any less wonderful. It was so cool turning up to about 100 or so little kids rushing up to you and saying "Hello Joe!" Hannah was pretty popular with the girls there...

 After this we found our rooms, dumped our stuff and washed up for dinner in the downstairs restaurant, the food was so good! We were formally welcomed during this time with two performances in the dining area from a hip hop dancer and a little girl reciting a poem in a bee costume 

Cute huh?

The next day was a bit of a surprise for us because the initial thought in our heads was that since this was a short term mission trip we would be hanging out with the locals, painting churches, building stuff, that sort of thing... but the first morning we were there Jun and Milleth (our host parents) took us on a boat ride to another island near Manila called (I've forgotten...) It was an island involved in the war between the Filipinos and the Spanish when they were invading the Philippines and it has some pretty interesting history behind it if you're into that stuff. The photos below are a snapshot of some of the things we saw there

 This guy looked pretty hardcore..

 Hannah and Todd enjoying some tasty drinks at the top of the lunch resort place.. They had some weird jelly in them and a strong coconut flavour

 It was a pretty nice view up there

This was our crazy driver/tour guide for the day. It was a whole day tour and we were his captive audience! For some reason, although there were about 20 people on the bus, he just kept asking me all the questions about the island and no-one else! It was really awkward after a while... "Hey John, do you know how long this statue has been here?" "Hey John, guess where the army hid from the Spanish when they invaded this part of the island?"

Check out my guns...

So during the trip Nick, Todd and I had this on-going competition of how many people in our group you could photograph while they were sleeping without waking them up. It was a pretty good way to pass the time on the plane trip but it was the boat ride home that surprisingly offered the most opportunity for sleep-shots... here's a few of the good ones..

Todd was literally sleeping with one eye open, freaky!

You would think that the tourist activities were over for the day but after that we went straight to a city in Manila called Intra Muros (I remember this one!) It was a beautiful, older style place with a big stone church in the middle of it.

This building actually had a wedding going on inside when we were there so we couldn't go in and see it but it was still nice from the outside.

Last but not least, we were treated to a 'horse and cart' ride around the local streets of the city. It went for about 20 minutes but that was long enough because most of the time you were fearing for your safety inside the rickety carts we were squeezed into, not to mention the fact that if two people sat in the back seat before someone sat in the front seat the whole thing would tilt backwards and up-end itself! Made for an amusing boarding.

 The proud rider and his trusty steed

 Balancing acts

Ali said was quite glad to have us in the carriage with her because she thought the driver might just take off with her down some dark side street if it was just her in there. He wouldn't have of course but it was funny to see her stressing.

And so that was the first day of our trip to Manila. More stuff to come when I can be bothered uploading pics and waiting for progress bars to finish... 

John.

a little life-saving.

Man, I cannot believe how easy this is! All it takes today to save someone from Polio is a vaccination and you're all good!! Polio (you would think) just isn't around anymore... or is it? Well, sadly it is. Those people impoverished enough to not afford food,water and education in their own country are never going to have enough money to pay for a Polio vaccine (or any vaccine for that matter), and so they suffer the consequences...




Tough to take in isn't it? but fortunately for 20, 000 people, there's a sharp, pointy, aids-free syringe of polio vaccine on the way, and its free!! A fantastic movement to eradicate polio is happening, and some group called the Rotary Club of Crawley have committed to donate AUD$1 - enough to vaccinate a child against polio - for each petition signature, up to a maximum of AUD$20,000. What champions! Imagine if every big wig was that generous?


Anywho, it takes a signature, your signature, for that to happen. So please click the link below, sign the petition (they won't spam you!) and save some kid's life! Could it be any easier?? You'll be home in time for dinner, trust me.


http://www.theendofpolio.com/home/2011/09/sign-the-petition-and-vaccinate-a-child/

Ethical thinking?

Here's a copy of an article I wrote for the school magazine, just wanted to share it with you...

Ethical Living – why bother?

Lately I have been discovering some of the sad truths about our supermarkets. Not the sort of “truths” you see on ‘Today Tonight’ or ‘A Current Affair’ (which only ever seem to be interested in false advertising or Woolworths/Coles price battles), I’m talking about the truth behind the food I buy and how it came to be on the shelf.

We live in time of human rights abuse, animal cruelty, environmental instability and none of these issues are being helped by the massive impact of the food industry. Unfortunately, these issues seem quite removed from our everyday life. Questions such as ‘Which brand of chocolate is on special this week?’ or “Do I shop at Coles or Woolworths this time?” hardly seem relevant to human rights abuse or releasing children from slave labour, but the fact is that every time we buy something, the money we spend endorses a company and its activities, whether we are aware of it or not.

Greed and profit are powerful things. The Bible has a lot to say about the rich person and how he/she uses his/her money, (see James 5:1-6, Luke 16:19-31, Jeremiah 22:13-17) and it would be a mistake to think that God is not referring to us in these passages. We are blessed with so much in this country; human rights, public health, education, not to mention the basics like clean-running water and access to food. However, not all of the benefits we enjoy consider those who have less, those who are struggling to survive off our wealth. If you knew who was being exploited for your tasty chocolate or coffee blend, would you still buy it? That’s what ethical shopping is all about.

Learning about which companies and which products are having a negative impact on our world has helped me become a more ethically-considerate shopper.  By purchasing a “Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping 2011” (available at www.ethical.org.au) I can now make decisions based on equality, fair trading and environmental sustainability rather than just choosing the cheapest or the tastiest brand I might normally buy.  At first this was a bit frustrating because it meant that I couldn’t just do my usual ‘grab and go’ style of shopping, not worrying about the source or production history of my chosen product like I used to do. But really, when I took my perspective off myself for a moment and thought about the difference my choices were making for those that actually harvested my food for me, what cost was that? The question I continue to ask myself (and you can too!) is “What do I value more?” Do I value the taste of Nestle chocolate more than helping abolish child labour? Do I value the top brand of coffee more than giving coffee farmers a wage with which they can actually provide for their families? In comparison to these important problems, giving up my favourite flavours or brand-name products was a very small price to pay.

So, what can you do to help fight the ethical battle and take a stand against injustice and exploitation? So much!! But here are a few suggestions just to get you started:

1: Buy an ethical shopping guide from the website mentioned above (or get the ‘shop ethical!’ app on your iphone if you’re a techno-shopper) and learn about which products you should avoid.

2: Change your perspective! For most of us, time, cost and convenience are the guiding factors for our shopping choices. These aren’t bad reasons, but do they reflect the true cost of our purchases to people and the environment?

3: Look for the Fair-Trade logo. If you see this logo (insert logo here somewhere) on the product, you know it’s been made ethically! Try choosing one product a week and swapping it for a fair-trade alternative. Before you know it your whole pantry will be fair (and your conscience will too)!

4: Ask yourself: “What do I value more?” Jesus Christ was very clear about how we must care and speak for the poor and the oppressed. Read Matthew 25:31-46 for an insight into how highly Jesus valued this way of living, then think about how your shopping choices can reflect this teaching.

Money talks, and your dollar literally is your vote so let’s support the practices that we know are the right ones and make our world a better place to live in. 

a fresh start!

I figured it was about time I got this blogging thing going again. 
I've been inspired by Jenny's epic but wonderful blogs and Chris' 
amazing photo competition updates while over seas so now it's 
time for me to step up and keep you fine people updated on the 
happenings of the Lucas'... or just to share with you what's on my mind. 


Tonight is not the time though, I am simply testing the waters of this cool new blog page (check out my blog design!) and will post something more substantial next time I'm on here. But just so you're not left completely deflated, here's a photo of something cool...

Me with a shot gun... and yes, I did get to fire it, many times!

To be continued...