Moving On...

The NGO Erin works for, Save the Children, has recently decided they will re-concentrate their resources from our region to the Mindanao region of the country--it's in the far south and due in part to its proximity to Indonesia, it's distance from Manila, a Muslim majority being ruled by a Christian minority, and many other factors, there has been a lot of violence in that part of the country in the past few years. Resources are in constant demand and the problems are real and pressing. The children of Mindanao really do need Save's help. Some places in that region are particularly dangerous for westerners to go to, and we are not allowed by our organization to even visit that region. Save the Children's projects in and around our region have become self-sustaining and now they are redirecting their efforts where they are perhaps more immediately needed. While this is great news for all of the children in Mindanao and we whole-heartedly agree with Save's move, this also means that Erin's counterparts will no longer be working in our province. There was a "Moving On" ceremony last weekend for the workers who will be, well, 'moving on' in their lives, and Erin was included in the ceremony as our remaining time here begins to run short. It was a wonderful occasion to be able to hear all of the accomplishments of the people and the organization over the past 26 years of operating in our region. Smiles beamed and tears flowed together during the beautiful ceremony as people reminisced and said their goodbyes. Some of the staff made a video collage of all of Erin's work over the past 2 years. As a proud husband, it truly made me misty-eyed to see all of the work Erin has done in the last 2 years. I know the video may be long, but it's worth the wait to watch it and to see a little of what Erin and Save the Children have done for the children of our region in the past 2 years.