Neighbour's Smoky Pile Ruins Church Service

I had to leave church early this morning because someone who's property is adjacent to the church started burning leaves. Looking towards the origin of the smoke you could tell they were probably burning them right against the wall. This church, like many in the Philippines, is virtually outside being barely protected by a roof and two walls. It's just too hot and the too expensive to have A/C blasting through a huge sanctuary.

Why? Why do that?  Why burn your stuff against the wall?  Or the house?  Why not do it in the middle of big dirt space where nothing else can catch fire? Take this lady for instance:

This is not the smoky pile form this morning. This is only an example.

Why would you do this? It makes no sense, is dangerous, and it makes your little garden look disgusting.

The Bible says: 

Revelation of John 15:8: And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

But there was nothing glorious about this smoke. It was more like this:

Proverbs 10:26: As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

Just plain disgusting. A sting to the lungs more then eyes though. Thankfully it was the end of the service with only one more song and the benediction to go. So I went. 

Smoky Piles 4

Stinky. Smelly. Poisonous. Choking. Disgusting. Wretched. Foul. Stifling. These are just a few of the words to describe the burning piles of leaves and garbage which daily pollute the air across the Philippines.

Smoky Piles 3

When you leave the house be sure to bring a sweat rag. It also functions as an air filter. Just press it tight against your nose and breathe slowly until you get to fresher air. Of course fresh air is a relative condition in the Philippines because it's all polluted.

Smoky Piles 2

Filipinos love to burn leaves and trash.  They will leave that pile smoking and stinking up the air all day long making it impossible to open the windows. Heck that smoke even seeps in through the cracks of the window panes making it impossible to get away from the poisonous stench! Why do they do this?  They will say it gets rid of mosquitos. What a lot of baloney!  Here are a few pictures of some very noxious smoky piles.

Smoky Piles 1

This is the inaugural post of a new series titled: "Smoky Piles."  

The air in the Philippines is not so fresh and breezy and tropical as one might think.  Everywhere you go you see people wearing face masks so they don't have to breathe in the nasty pollution. A big source of this pollution is burning piles of leaves and trash.  Imagine just waking up and throwing open the windows to let in the cool morning air.  All of a sudden you are choking on smoke because someone is burning leaves.

The nasty, acrid smell of smoke can happen at anytime of day. Filipinos are not discriminating about when they choose to burn their leaves and trash. Yes they burn trash here in the Philippines. But enough explanations.  

Here are a few pictures of smoky piles of leaves and trash in the Philippines.