Dupax del Norte,
Nueva Vizcaya,
Philippines
25 April 2010
This last week we have had another special experience in the Philippines.
We were asked by the Area Humanitarian couple (Smiths) and our ERC Manager to teach “Value Formation” to a group of 45 disabled women and teen-aged girls. There were also a few disabled men included as well. We said sure but what is it? When and where? They said Wednesday and Thursday in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya.
Our schedule had us in Angeles training the departing missionaries on Monday and Tuesday but in order to head five hours north for this assignment, we would have to finish a little early. We adjusted the training and left Angeles at 2 p.m. on Tuesday driving the back country roads then over the mountain on semi-good roads to reach the hotel by 7 p.m. There we met the Smiths and got an outline of what was expected for the next two days.
The workshop sponsored by the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) was scheduled to last for 10 days. LDS Charities financially supported the first two days and we were to provide the training. Because the Career Workshop and other material we teach are about eight hours long we decided to break it into two four hour sessions. It was held in a nice, homey resort with good shade and Nipa Hut accommodations for the participants who stayed at the resort.
We were a little apprehensive as we set up our equipment but as we all introduced ourselves to each other we felt their love and desire to learn and improve their situation. You see all the participants had a disability – orthopedic, ocular or auditory. Most were very outgoing and all participated in making presentations as they worked to review their abilities and improve their self-confidence. In the two days we saw a change come over the entire group as individuals talked about what they wanted to do with this new information.
As we closed the second day they all thanked us for sharing this information with them and we felt their spirit and desire to move their lives forward even with their physical challenges. We took group pictures and had fun over lunch before we left for our long drive back home to Tarlac.
Elder NB & Sister MB
4 comments:
I have been so inspired by the Mormon Messages videos about the good things that the LDS Charities contribute to. Thank you for sharing your experience. :)
This is wonderful and inspiring. It has to feel amazing to think how many people you are helping!
It sounds as if you have touched the lives of these young women and men as much as they have touched yours. For initially not knowing exactly what to do,you really pulled it off! Love you much!
Hi, this is Marilyn Hammond. I saw your wonderful sister Kevon tonight and she shared your kind remarks. Thank you so much for your compliments and the life-changing work that you are doing. I am so happy to hear that you were able to use the materials on disabilities. If it's alright with you, I would like to share your comments, related blog remarks (disabilities portion only) and the photo with my coworkers who helped develop the materials and Sharon Eubank of the LDS Humanitarian Center. She oversees wheelchair distribution in 103 countries and wants to empower the recipients through motivational employment training. She would be so glad to know of your work teaching and empowering individuals with disabilities. If you have any suggestions on the materials or other comments, I would be interested in hearing them. My email is Marilyn.Hammond@usu.edu. Thanks so much for sharing your inspiring experiences!
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