Payatas in the Philippines was called the Garbage Mountain. This landfill was located not far from downtown Manila and was formed into a huge trash mountain. [This site was permanently closed in December 2017. and in 2023 was developed into an urban park for cycling]
The people who gathered here in the past lived by picking up trash from this mountain. As long as they could eat and walk, everyone, whether children or the elderly, went to the garbage mountain to pick up trash to help make a living.
Years ago with welfare center employees, she had an 'on-the-spot field experience' in Payatas. She picked up trash, ran programs with children, and experienced life with them. We were invited to stay overnight with one family, like a homestay, but there wasn't enough food or water to wash. This was even more so when it came to sleeping. For this family of 9, one room was all they had.
In this small space, was a shabby bed (for the grandmother) that had been picked up and repaired from the mountains and a plastic rug. Even in this environment, what was truly surprising was the simple, happy laughter of the family as they gave everything they had to welcome the guests. My whole body was covered in dust from digging through trash all day, and my hands and face were stained with sweat. She couldn't wash properly due to the lack of water, but with the smiles and laughter of the family who held out their hands and welcomed her, she felt that she had everything in the world at that moment.
The children and their families, wearing t-shirts and shorts with holes in them, forgot that they were hungry. The children and their families let us know the happiness that exists, filling everything they lack with the laughter that never disappears.
The next day, during Mass at the church, the hymn ‘Like a child having fun’ came to mind. Mass filled with children, the excited sounds of participation from children shouting “Me, me” in response to the priest’s questions, the rhythm of the children’s restless voices, the hymns, even though the pitches were different, the sound was like blessings pouring from the sky. She met Jesus in these poor children.
The desire to have everything in the world, perhaps the desire to have it all, but more often than not, we are unable to satisfy even a small fraction of our desires. So even though happiness is just around the corner, we cannot feel it and live our lives longing for it. However, the children of Payatas did not say that they had a lot of happiness and learned a lot, but they gave her a gift that reminded her that a person who knows how to be satisfied with even small things, that person, is happy.
She was finally able to recognize the happiness that lay deep within her heart. When will she be able to help others discover the Jesus that is within us? It still remains a big task.
The next time she goes to the Philippines for a conference, she'll make a plan to go see the children who helped her realize where happiness comes from and where it is. They will not be the children that she met back then...
