Here is my album from South Africa
Mindanao
is a great place. Were staying in dorms with 4 other teams. There
is an orphanage next door and we all have shifts to take care of the
babies 24/7 and to get the older kids off to school and to sleep at
night.
When were not helping with the kids
there are a million other fun things to do. There is a road that
needs to get filled in and there are bamboo buildings that need to be
built. One of the coolest ministries is the prison that is about 5
minutes away.
The people there are being held before
their trial, however, some have been there for upwards of 8 years.
There are 7 cells there and most of them are packed with about 30
people or more. It looks like most people have their own bunk, but I
think some are forced to share their small beds with another.
Some claim to be innocent and expect to
be released soon, and some are tortured by the memories of what they
have done. One thing most of the guys had in common in cell 5 where
I visited was a love to sing to God. They have an old, out of tune
guitar, but they are happy to have it. As soon as we sat down, they
asked if they could sing us a song. As soon as it was over they
asked if they could sing another, then another, then another. It was
an amazing experience to see people that have nothing, not even their
freedom, worship God with louder voices than I’ve ever heard in the
states. I hope to be able to visit with them at least a couple times
a week.
Another cool ministry I am looking
forward to is basketball. Tonight a few of us are going to town and
are going to play in a pick up basketball league. I love to play and
haven’t really had the chance to play since we left. It will be a
great opportunity to share fellowship with my fellow racers and the
locals. Anytime we go anywhere we are easily identified as
foreigners. While this is sometimes a nuisance, it does give us a
really easy chance to talk about what we are doing and what we
believe in.
This is going to be a great month. The
people here are so generous and giving. Even the men in prison were
quick to give what little they had because they just want to share.
We also get fresh pineapples and bananas every day. Now I just have
to figure out how to avoid changing diapers……
