[12/5/2000 8:38 pm] Mobile Watching the Philippine Madrigal Singers right now at St. Andrews Church in BelAir. They’re really nice. Right now, it’s “Lead Me Lord,” after a couple of Christmas carols: “Adeste Fideles” and “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.” Aahhh, full chords and perfect pitch.

This is a tribute to bring awareness to Punla, a home for mentally handicapped children. They’re mostly children with Downs or cerebral palsy. They’re sitting right behind me now. Tiff’s up on the altar, at the pulpit, emceeing the event. She looks pretty up there. = )

Now the Mads are singing “Heal the World.” Yup, the Michael Jackson one. Oh, well, this is a church crowd, after all, not classical music connosieurs … Well, now it’s a multi-handicapped girl named Aileen. This is touching. She’s a dwarf, hunchbacked and heavily deformed, and blind. But she’s up there on stage, singing “The Greatest Love of All,” with a thin, slightly wavering, yet confident and strong voice. She was trained by a woman whose mission in life is to give the gift of music to handicapped Filipino children. And the Madrigal Singers are accompanying. Like angels from heaven.

Standing ovation. Now the special children will all sing. I should put my phone away; low battery, and it’s bad etiquette to be texting or sending email in church at a performance. It’s very heartwarming to see these volunteers giving their lives to help these poor children.