This month my team is in the mountains of San Mateo in the Philippines. We are partnered with an organization called “Gro Philippines” that holds VBS for street kids from Manila. Our hosts are originally from the US and they have been missionaries in the Philippines for about 12 years now! I can see how they fell in love with it, it is so beautiful here and the people are so kind. The place we are staying is really cool, it’s an old church building, but was built to house campers or staff here on site- when our hosts first found it; it had been abandoned for over a decade! It’s definitely a hidden gem. A big part of the ministry we are doing this month involves upkeep of the property- we feed rabbits, chickens, and pigs, water plants, rake, sweep and mop, and help Ryan (another one of our incredible hosts who lives with his family on site) cook meals and do dishes! He is such a good cook, we have been so spoiled this month and it’s been really fun getting to learn from him! There is a snack shack down the street that our hosts run and we have been painting the soon to be grocery store right next to the snack shack. This Filipino man named Rudy runs the snack shack and he is hilarious- Kristina and him quickly became close friends.
This past week we had a camp for the street boys from Manila. The second day they were here we got to go down to the river and swim and hang out with them- they are so fun and full of laughter. I don’t really know what I thought they would be like, but I was blown away by their kindness, love, and protectiveness of us. I think I expected them to be sort of hardened and tough, but they had no problem running up to you and hugging you or falling asleep in your lap. That night we had a bonfire and sang worship songs together and one of the older guys who helps run the camp gave a talk about how they are still wanted and loved, and how they still have worth and purpose (well that’s what I could gather anyway- the talk was in Tagalog). Some of the street kids started crying and that was heartbreaking. We got to pray over them and at one point I looked up and saw Catherine looking one of the boys in the eyes and telling him how loved he was, it was really cool to see how Jesus can use us to show his love for his children.
The next morning Ryan was telling us that not all of them are orphans like you might think; some of them have chosen to be street kids because of the freedom that comes with it. The Lord has been teaching me a lot about freedom this month- that he invites me to walk in freedom from the pain and hurt I’ve experienced and that true freedom looks different from how the world often thinks of freedom. I’ve tried the worlds version of freedom and in the end I was just enslaved to different things (approval, control, comfort…), the freedom the Lord offers is so sweet because in Him I know that I am fully approved of, that He is in control, and He is my comfort. Walking in freedom is a choice- just like choosing joy or love or peace- and He is teaching me what it looks like to choose it everyday.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2
Thank you so much for your prayers and please continue to pray for my team as we finish up our month in the Philippines!
Love y’all!!
Caitlin
