Stories of faith, hope and encouragement

Small acts of kindness

The little girl in a tattered, red dress looked up at me with puppy dog eyes; her hand held out with fingers extended. She might have been 5-years old but barely 3 feet tall. We were in the Philippines, downtown Dumaguete, where many indigenous people find themselves homeless. It was very late at night.

“Wow, you’ve got that look down pat,” I thought, coldly suspecting that any money given would go directly into the purse of her handlers. I was shocked by my own heartlessness.

“What do you want?”

Philippines: Storytelling Workshop

Students gather for group shot of Alabang Storytelling Workshop

Some 50 young people gather in Alabang, Philippines, for an afternoon workshop on the power and techniques of rich-media storytelling.

Gap Relief: Typhoon Yolanda

East Samar, Philippines – Nov. 8, 2013 – Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hits land in the central islands of the Philippines with wind gusts over 300 km/hr – 6,340 people died in the largest typhoon in recorded history. 100 days later, relief efforts were packing up after only just beginning to make an impact.   It’s […]

Surfer's world: how to get thrashed (and make friends)

This story…  I want to tell it so badly; as much as I want to be a part of it. All good storytellers know that the best way to tell a story is from within. But to get that kind of access, you either have to have been there for years (an insider’s story) or […]

Papa John’s Center update

At Papa John’s Center in metro-Manila, children ages 5-20 are being cared for by Gemma Bucuyag (top right), who set aside her dental practice to care for children at risk in the neighborhood that she grew up in.  Not knowing where food and living supplies will come from one month-to-the-next, Gemma relies largely on the […]

Photo Walkabout: Metro Manila

Back in metro Manila again and I am blown away by the pace of life and incredible growth that’s going on here.  High rises and condo salespeople are everywhere! The purpose behind this trip – call it a Photo Walkabout – is to simply chase light, recharge my creative batteries and refine my vision.  The […]