It is true, what I heard: the days are long, but the months are short. Three days ago not only did we wrapped up month 4 ministry, we finished ministry in Asia. It was my favorite month so far! Everything I heard about the Philippines and their people rang true. My squad and I began this month by welcoming the New Year with bottle rockets only hours after landing in Manila, and then a few hours after the erupted stroke of midnight, we all found ourselves catching a flight to Bacolod.
After that, we hit the ground running. From learning about what ministry would look like to meeting all of the locals, time spun, and for the first time the race became what I expected it to be. I lived in a small gecko and snail filled house with running water that was usually brown. There was no AC or Wi-Fi, and the unexpected popped into our lives daily.
What really surprised me was the draw the Filipino people had to my hair, and because of it, a lot of conversations happened. 2 months ago, out of necessity and practicality, I decided to tame my curly frizz and save the two-hour process of hair washing by getting dreadlocks. What was practical and fun became a useful tool. I didn’t go unnoticed anywhere because not only am I an American in a part the Philippines that rarely sees foreigners, I’m an American in the Philippines with dreadlocks. To them it’s cool, and if it opens up the door to friendship, I’m okay with that.
Even from day one, the conversations flowed. After a day full of meetings, we were all cheerfully greeted by the members of Sunshine Baptist church. The ladies and children all commented on my hair asking to touch it. They loved it. As I asked questions and got to know these women, one pipped into the conversation with “your hair looks like spaghetti! Come to my house and I’ll make you real spaghetti.” They all oooed and awed at her comment and touched my hair some more.
I never went to her house because our schedule never allowed it, but as the month went on, we always found each other and talked for a while. At school, there were always kids making comments and coming up to me because of my hair. Sometimes, all they wanted was a selfie, but not always. From playing chess or throwing a Frisbee around, conversation after conversation, the love and freedom of Jesus was shared.
And that is the point of all of this—to share the gospel. It’s more than Jesus dying on the cross. It is Jesus dying on the cross because he loves us and wants us to walk in freedom. It’s playing games, making friends, and finding joy. It’s saying it is ok to not be ok because life is hard whether you have a relationship with God or not. It’s a silly thing, my spaghetti hair, but it started more conversations than I would have ever imagined. It is a connection I didn’t know I’d have this month, and that’s cool!
Right now, I’m sitting at debrief. I am resting and preparing because in three days, I’ll be heading to Africa. With the new continent comes a new team, and I’m excited to say that for the next few months I’ll be on another all girls team (I’ll be writing a post about that later). I’m also only a few days away from my final deadline, and I still have a lot to go. If you or someone you know are interested in partnering with me for the rest of the race, that’d be amazing. For everyone that has supported me and is praying, thanks! You’re all awesome!
