Today I had the very special opportunity to not only take a look what will become the Fair Play for All Foundations new home, I had the chance to help with it’s initial construction. In actuality, it was really more like it’s “deconstruction.” When I was told that the foundation had finally found it’s first physical location after a grueling search for the right place and size, I was more than excited to see it. I was told it needed a lot of work, so I didn’t know what to expect. When I finally had the opening in my training schedule to see it, I set up the time to take a tour and help with it’s initial handy work.
The first time I met the founders of the FFA, Roy and Naomi, I knew they had started something quite special and when I first had the chance to meet the players they “coached,” I knew they were making real changes to the lives of the children in Payatas. From that point, I really wanted to make the effort to help and assist the foundation in any way I could. As I am still learning about what the organization does, what it stands for and who they help, I felt the need to see it for myself and try to absorb more of what the it does.
So my day began by simply having to get to Payatas, which was an adventure in itself. I woke up nice an early and jumped in a cab to the MRT, taking it to North Avenue. This was my very first time taking the train by the way, and the excitement of working commuters overwhelmed the morning travel. The train cars were packed. When I arrived, I jumped into another taxi to St.Peter’s Church to where I met Noami, and we took a Jeepney to the foundations new home.
Before getting to work, Naomi kindly took me on a tour of Payatas showing me the village and the dump site, as she guided me through the daily happenings of the locals. When we arrived at there, we walked through the gated family-owned property and through the back entrance of the new home. The space opened into a large kitchen, and first floor of the Center to-be seemed quite spacious. We proceeded to the abandoned dimly-light second floor and started to calculate what was to be done for the day. It was very apparent that there was plenty of work to do, as the space was unoccupied for years and signs of damage, wear, and neglect were evident.
To others, such a daunting task of cleaning up, renovating and rebuilding a home to this extent, might seem impossible and even worthless, but to Naomi and Roy, they saw it’s great potential in becoming a refuge and a relief for broken children in Payatas. For them nothing seemed too daunting or too difficult, in the light of rescuing children from their daily struggles and impoverished conditions. Thier passion, drive, and motivation becomes most powerful when they spoke about their plans for the new drop-in center and it really inspired me.
Today, we purchased a hammer and began the initial demolition and clean up of the second floor. Getting our hands dirty was quite the understatement and I was glad to be a part of every second of it. I believe we accomplished enough for the future carpenters and cleaning crews to come in and make sound design decisions and take the second step of this process to another level. I am truly excited to help in the next stages and I can not wait to see it’s final product. From the hopes and vision of something special, it is now up to everyone’s efforts to make the dream become a reality.
Please stay tuned for updates on the progress of the New FFA Drop-In Center!
Please be sure to Follow Me on Twitter @LextonMoy to keep undated with all that is going on with the Philippine Azkals, Kaya FC, and my experiences living in Manila and Traveling Asia!
great football player.. great writer.. great guy!!!
thanks for the comment! share the true passion for the game!
Who said football players only have muscles and no brains was not lucky enough to meet you Lexton Moy. Your heart is in the right place, may the good Lord shower you with more blessings, so that you can have a chance to sow more the seed of goodness for the children in Payatas and in the Philippines. I saw from the way you treat people, not only in you but most of the AZKALS during your stay here, that you’ll go a long way! God bless you more! – Mira of Kaohsiung Taiwan.
Thanks Mira… even though i have learned from you that “thank you” to close friends and family might be disrespectful in other cultures…. we can both learn that my “thanks” is a silent bow of gratitude to all the support we got in Taiwan. Please take my appreciation as a warm embrace from your fellows Filipinos on behalf of the team! Keep up the good work you are doing and we can’t wait to visit again!
You’ve got a lot more fans than just fangirls(God bless ’em) because of what you do on and off the field, err, pitch. I truly hope you stay in the Philippines awhile, we need “soccer players” like you but, even more “good people” like you. Hope you get my meaning brother.
http://usapangfootball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=profiles&action=display&thread=943
thanks for the kind comment! and thanks for sharing this link! I am so glad that my experiences are being shared with others. As with my learning experiences and this entire network here…continue to “Pass the Word Around”
Great to read the blog, keep up the good work!
Big thanks David! Really Appreciate it!