Written 2/1/11
Being a city girl, I don’t often get a chance to be near
large bodies of water. So how would I know how much I would feel at home in the
ocean? Maybe it’s the Disney little mermaid side in me. There’s a little bit of
Disney in all of us. =)
“What was she doing in the ocean?� your brain may
wonder…well my team, and team Force, were on a boat heading to an island called
Puerto Galera. It is one of the islands off shore from Manila, Philippines.
to the beach. The staff and people in the village are nothing but smiles. They
are so kind and welcoming. I feel right at home here.
doing this month. We will be clearing a lot of land that Threads of Hope
recently purchased. We will be leading services, playing with the village
children, playing basketball with the children, feeding the pet monkey (yes..
pet monkey…named Moymoy), talking to Balkas (more on them in future
blogs), and just spreading the
love of Jesus to the people in the community and the beach, in the creative
ways that God gives us.
My squadmate Jake with Moy Moy (which means monkey in Tagalog)
Before we went there, Alex (the founder of Threads of Hope) humbly told us how
this organization started. Him and his wife were dorm parents for a school in
Manila, and came to Puerto Galera for some time away (Puerto Galera is a very
tourist area). They became friendly with some of the teens on the beach selling
bracelets. The following year, they went back to Puerto Galera and saw only one
of the teens that they had befriended. When they asked the girl what happened
to her friend, she said that her friend had to go into prostitution because she
wasn’t able to support her family with the selling of bracelets. That’s when
Alex had the heart wrenching feeling that he needed to do something so that
this girl didn’t fall into the same trap… that was the beginning of Threads of
Hope.
I had a taste of that today at the beach. I know that
prostitution is a huge issue in Asia. There are thousands of young girls and
boys, being taken advantage of by older men. My eyes were peeled for any signs
of this going on, while at the same time trying to fully grasp the gorgeousness
of the crystal blue water, sharp green mountains, and feeling the soothing cool
breeze.
Unfortunately I saw at least two “couples� who were severely
mismatched in age… My heart started to race, and all this anger began to swell inside
of me…but I just observed, and prayed. Also too, because they could very well
have been legitimate couples in love, but unfortunately statistics here tell a
different story. I began praying for this country, and for my time here in
Puerto Galera… for divine appointments.. for the extraordinary to be my
ordinary, daily occurrence.
Well, divine appointments came today in the form of James
and Dolehaan. James is 15. Dolehann is 12. I was sitting reading a book, and
these two young boys came up to me baring necklaces and bracelets in their
hands. This scene is all too familiar, and actually became quite frustrating in
certain parts of Africa…but my heart was open for some reason…well a God
reason.
They began their routine of showing me how superb their jewelry
was, and how durable it is. They were scratching the necklaces and earring
across rocks, then proudly showing how unaffected the jewelry was by it. I
pretended to be in amazement, and knew that I was going to buy some things from
them, I’m a salesperson’s dream…get it from my father…who buys juicers and
other things that we never really need (that’s one reason why I love you dad
=), but also I really just wanted to talk to these boys and hear about their
lives.
to share their lives with anyone who would listen. I just happened to be
someone, at the moment , who wanted to listen. But a lot of the times I’m the one saying “Sorry, not
interested�. I’m sure James and Dolehaan hear that often.
And rejection isn’t such a great feeling, which makes me
want to be more considerate to people, or give more genuinely polite
“no’s�…like even to those people who hand out flyers on the streets back
home…or those telemarketers that call at the most inappropriate times… they’re
in the same boat as James and Dolehaan in a way… trying to make an honest
living, trying to bring home funds for the family.
James just finished secondary school, and says he won’t be
able to o to school till next year. Dolehaan’s last year in school was when he
was in 2nd grade. The difference in their English shows the quality
of the boy’s education levels.
I asked the boys what their hobbies were… they both replied
enthusiastically “basketball�. I asked them each what they wanted to do when
they grew up. James right away said “I want to work in an office.� I asked him
if he had typing or computer skills, he said not really. (*ding* need for
teaching of technology skills here). Dolehaan had a harder time answering the
question…� I want to do basketball.�
I hope one day James and Dolehaan get to achieve their
dreams. I really pray that they get to live a life that is full and abundant.
More than anything I pray that they get to meet the One who can do more in
their lives, than they can ever dream.
be leading. James is a Muslim, and Dolehaan…I’m not sure what he is. But I’m
really excited to get to know them more and get to love them.
I had a little glimpse of the human trafficking issue today,
from a couple different aspects… the before circumstances that lead to the
children going into prostitution, and potentially seeing the prostitutes in
“action�.
Tears fill my eyes as I type.
Ironically, Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic� is playing on my
iTunes…the phrase “We live in a beautiful world� repeats.
We do
But there is so much evil and hopelessness in it.
Still, I won’t panic or feel overwhelmed because there is
Hope for all … we’ve got “somebody to lean onâ€�.
Jesus.
God has given
each of us a calling to make a difference in a life, wherever we are. And by
His grace, I will do what He’s called me to do in Puerto Galera this month.
People are waiting to hear about the Treasure that lies
within you.
Agenda: Love,
Bethsaida
