Working with KIM (Kids international ministry, website link here) this month we go out to different feeding programs everyday within the community and provide meals to children/families. KIM works with churches within the community and feed between 5,000-7,000 individuals each day.
Yesterday we went out into one of the barangay. We feed the children Leugau (rice poorage). Once we arrive in the community we walk around announcing that we are there to make sure everyone knows that food is being served. Well most of the time everyone comes running and I have never seen anyone not willing to come out from there home to come eat. Yesterday I saw a little boy, named Ronnie. He was standing with a cup in his hand to fill up with leugau but would not leave his home. He did not have any pants on and only had a shirt. His mother spoke English and continued to say he was shy. I started to grab his hand and lead him down the road where we had set up to scoop food for the village.
He just wouldn’t come. With continual effort his mother finally put shorts on Ronnie and he reluctantly help my hand and started walking down the road. After getting to the car I realized that the three-year-old boy could not hold his cup filled with poorage and walk back because he was to young. So, I picked him up.
At first Ronnie kicked and acted like it was something he didn’t want to do or be a part of. I was afraid he was going to cry but he never did. He just stared with scared eyes in silence. After a few minutes of standing in line for food he was hanging on to me and wouldn’t let me go.
We walked back to his home. His mom came over and started feeding him lunch. He started laughing and smiling and giving me high fives.
After he finished lunch we started playing. I started tickie tickie (tickling) him and he continued to hide his face. He started running through his house and we were chasing each other around and around (his house made a circle). He was having tons of fun and lots of laughs and smiles. Well… we played for about half an hour. It was time to leave and I was holding him again and he didn’t want to say goodbye. I gave him a huge hug and then we waved goodbye to each other and I told him I would see him next week.
It was amazing to me to see how much of an impacts someone can make on you in just one short hour. I cannot wait to see how much the relationships with the children grow in this remaining month in Tacloban, Philippines and getting to spend more time with Ronnie.
