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The church in Handumanan is located in a resettlement area, which means the poorest of the poor live here. The area around the church is surrounded by settler's homes which translate into makeshift homes and bamboo huts.
Shortly before the service we were milling around the area and soaking up the ambiance when a vendor came and emptied a sack of cheap toys on the ground. Instantly kids gathered around and peered at what they could not afford.
Catherine asked how much the toys were and the vendor replied "one peso". It was to our advantage that we an escort with us, or the price would have easily be inflated 100 percent. One peso translates into about two cents.
Catherine seized this opportunity to do a random act of kindness for the children of the community and gave the vendor a handful of pesos and let the children select toys until the money was gone.
When the money ran out she noticed a little girl who was elbowed out of the way during the scurry for the toys. She withdrew a few more pesos from her pocket and ensured this little girl was given ample opportunity uninterrupted to draw from the toy pile.
What a way to show the love of Jesus and highlight the local church. The banner welcoming us was just 15 feet away from this impromptu festivity, so they clearly knew who we were and what we were there to do (not to mention we were the only white faces within miles).
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