The Inspirational People of Amulon

3/30/11

We met one group of church members that were an inspiration to us. They and some of their non-member friends are part of our new Amulon agricultural project. Their little community is not accessible by road. The Saturday when we visited there were 45 people helping transport by foot sand, cement, and cement block out to build their worm beds. They live in very humble circumstances, bamboo huts with no water, electricity, or bathrooms. They cook their food outside over a fire in a cooking shed. The picutres are the kitchen, the cooks, the water source which is not that close to the kitchen and me in the bathroom. Next to the tree (which is for support for us old people) is a hole that you squat over. Not much privacy.

Around their homes these people have small gardens for vegetables, a few chickens but they make money by working as farm hands in the rice fields. Their daily wage is from $2 to $3 dollars per day. Their work is not consistent depending on the crop and the weather. So in a good week the most they could make would be $10 to 15 dollars.

However this is what is inspiring to me: To get to church they need to walk through the rice fields a little more than a half a mile to get the main road where they can catch a jeepney. In the last picture I have the view from the village to the main road which is where there is a stand of trees. A jeepney ride cost about 30 cents each way, which is 60 cents round trip. If the average family size is five people that would cost $3.00, at least an entire day’s wages to get to church and home again. If they don’t have the money sometimes they walk and that is 10 miles round trip. The rest of my life I promise I will never again complain what a hassle it is to drive 37 miles to get to church.