As I sit here with 2 of my teammates and a beautiful 22 year old girl that lives in the children’s home we are staying in, I can’t help but think there’s no other place I’d rather be. It’s been a little over a week in the life of head bands and braids, rice for lunch AND dinner, and a constant stickiness on your body. It feels like I’ve lived here my whole life when in reality, I’ve only been here for 12 days.
The World Race talks a lot about culture shock, but the culture shock I’ve experienced isn’t what I heard about before going out onto the field. Yes, seeing kids run up to you with a plastic bag for you to fill with food that might be their only source of nutrition for the week is a shock from the, “I want ice cream so let’s hop in my car and go get some,” kind of life most of us live in the States. But what’s even more shocking is the smile on the kid’s face that didn’t get any of the food we brought because we ran out by the time he got to the front of the line. It’s not the kind of smile that is empty with hurt, anger, and sadness behind it, but a smile filled with genuine joy. Staying in a house with 41 orphaned children is a shock when you come from a family of 6 that lives in a house almost as big as the one these kids call home. What’s even more shocking is the 16 year old girl living with 40 other kids, talking about how good God is and how much she trusts Him when she hasn’t seen her family in 3 years and her only wish is to see her brother. Seeing kids run around the streets all day with no parental supervision is shocking, but what’s even more shocking is hearing the mom who just lost a premature baby praise God for the American doctor who saved her life after the miscarriage.
We are so focused on everything we don’t have while those with far less are praising God with joyful hearts for all that they do have. Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful because you have hope,” and I’ve never seen anyone live that out better than the impoverished people of the Philippines…
Humbled.
