My journey has begun. We flew into the Philippines on
September 15 and have been staying at the Yunjin Lyso Ministry Center for the
past week. Arriving here I was dealing with a flood of mixed emotions. The
sadness of leaving home, the excitement that this trip has finally started, and
the anxiety of what is to come.
After getting settled we got a chance to walk around the
squatting village that is right outside our front gate. We got a glimpse of how
people in this area live but only a glimpse. We are still sitting in a nice
house with beds, fans, tile floors, nice meals every night, with clean drinking
water, and have clean clothing to put on everyday. It is interesting to see how
close you can be to poverty yet you are still so far from it at the same time.
One thing that I have realized is how selfish I can be about the things I
complain about. Our team leader, in one of our nightly meetings, looked at all
of us and said, “Anytime you want to complain or think that you have it bad,
take a look out the window and grow up.” Although, this was kind of a harsh
thing to hear when you are hot, sweaty, your ankles are swollen and you have a
ton of mosquito bits all over you, it puts your life quickly back into
perspective. Yes, there hardships that throughout this race everyone will deal
with but we have to remember that there are people dealing with a lot more.
The inspiring thing to see is how much joy the people within
the village still have. They are all so willing to talk with you and share a
little bit of their lives with all of us. The kids are the most joyful kids I
have ever seen. They live like they have no worries in the world and have a joy
that lights up a community that I know the devil wants to fill with his
darkness. This community is truly an inspiration to help keep my minuscule
complaints in check.
I
have already done things I never thought I would and I know there are so many
more experiences that are going to happen along my way. My prayer for the last
week in preparation for this journey is that my heart and eyes will remain open
to the things God has for my life during this next year. That I will see, hear,
and feel everything that God has planned for me in each and every country we go
to.
My team and another team from “Q” Squad are going to work
with Threads of Hope for our mission cite in the Philippines. We will be there
until October 9 after which we will go to Malaysia.
