Monday, April 11th, 2016
This morning at the market, an old woman told me I was beautiful. This is becoming a common occurrence- I’m picking up that most people here consider Americans to be the beauty ideal. This is strange to me for a few reasons. First, Filipinos are LITERALLY the most beautiful race of people I’ve ever seen. They have dark skin and round eyes and look forever young. Not to mention, they’re just happy-looking people. Secondly, I don’t exactly fit the American beauty standard anyway. No one back home would ever stop me to tell me I was beautiful on the street. Here, my blue eyes and fair skin and pointy nose gets me far. I guess I don’t hate it. In the early afternoon, we packed our bags and boarded a bus to Manila. It costs like a dollar to get there. In Asia, as it is in Africa, public transportation works like this: no matter how much room you think you will/should have, divide that by four. The driver will let anyone and everyone on the bus, whether or not there is space for them. It was crowded. I sat between Cadence and a stranger carrying a large bag of something and listened to dirty nasty trap music. We were dropped off in a random driveway in the city and caught a light rail train to what we thought was a stop near our hostel. It turns out, that was not true. After wandering around the city for a while, carrying a giant box of food and all of our day packs, we caught two jeepneys that dropped us off at the Pink Manila hostel- a yellow building with no signs or indications of life. We entered through what looked like a garage-turned-gym that was filled with tough-looking men pumping iron to Total Eclipse of the Heart. The actual hostel part begins on the fifth floor of this seemingly empty building. By the rooftop pool, the risqué artwork, and the hoards of beautiful young travelers lounging about, you can definitely tell that this is a party hostel. We didn’t stay long, just wolfed down our dinner and headed out to check out the Mall of Asia. Again, navigating the streets of Manila was an interesting challenge. One long walk, one train, and one jeepney got us there. As far as malls go, it was large and overwhelming, but nothing spectacular. I did see a bookstore for the first time in ages, though, and I was overjoyed. Upon our return to the hostel, I sat with my feet in the pool and made friends with two very charming young Germans who were headed to the beach the next day, and then into the slums to feed children. We chatted for a while, and when we said goodnight, the more charming of the two (I mean it. God bless Germany.) wrote his name on my hand so we could connect on Facebook. I’m not saying it was a love connection, but we’re probably going to get married.
Tuesday, April 12th, 2016
Spent the entire day at the mall in the air conditioning. I really miss air conditioning. Some highlights of the day: a lady stopped my friends and I and asked us to take a picture with her and her children. I was surprised, because there were a lot of white people at the mall- I even saw some Americans. She told us we were beautiful and thanked us for the photo. Being a celebrity is weird, and I’m glad it’s not my normal life. We saw a movie (well, some of us slept in an air-conditioned movie theater) and ate Pizza Hut. I got my eyebrows threaded (sorry, America, but I no longer trust you to make me look this good) and faced my irrational fear of giant Farris wheels by riding a giant Farris wheel!
Yeah, I rode that. No big deal.
The mall is right on Manila Bay, and the sunset was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Sometimes God surprises me with beauty that I didn’t know I was looking for. We met up with Pastor Dave and his family to say goodbye, as he is returning to the States in the morning. After a full day of feeling like an American, we headed back to the hostel to rest up for the journey back home.
Glory.
Wednesday, April 13th, 2016
Goodbye, Manila! You were beautiful and so, so good to me! I ate a Big Mac for breakfast this morning. Don’t judge me, I have zero regrets. The one big difference between fast food in America and fast food anywhere else is that you can get spaghetti and fried chicken at every single restaurant, but there isn’t a single nugget to be found. Once we got home, we spent the rest of the evening preparing for our first day of VBS the next day. I also somehow got put in charge of our book writing ministry. So, here’s hoping that goes well.
Thursday, April 14th, 2016
Today was our first day of VBS! We got up and met with the youth group who are shadowing us this week, and made the 1.5 mile trek to a small, poor village called Libis. At 9 a.m., it was already about 100 degrees. We walked down a long cobbled road with pools of stagnant water (my nightmare) on either side, past small shops selling coke and candy and brightly colored packets of laundry soap. As we walked, we chatted with the youth about what VBS looks like in the United States, and what they could expect. I wasn’t a Sunday school kid, so I actually have never participated in VBS, and I certainly had no idea of what to expect here. Our goal this week is to model what a vacation Bible school should look like, and train the youth to run one on their own. I didn’t have a set job, so I floated, mainly doing crowd control. The children at Libis are beautiful, and were so excited that we were there. We played games, did face painting, and told a Bible story. Our theme for this week is “God’s Love is Wild!” We sang songs and taught them Genesis 1:31- “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good!”
These little ones. I can’t even!
Overall, it was a good time, although I have no VBS experience to compare it to. I enjoyed watching the girls on my team step into different roles- the body of Christ really is very diverse. One thing God has revealed to me over and over this whole race is that joy and poverty are not inversely proportional. I have seen more joy in the darkest, poorest of places than I ever have at home. I know that this is a lesson I must remember and take back with me.
Friday, April 15th, 2016
Day two of VBS! Somehow the three-mile walk didn’t seem so bad this time, although it was definitely hotter. Today, I helped with crafts- meaning I assisted the little guys in making salvation bracelets, also known as chasing down every tiny bead that got dropped on the floor. It’s cool to see the youth interacting with the children. They’re super outgoing, and they bridge the language barrier gap really well. Today, I’m glad I’m not helping at the game station. I feel like dying when I think about playing duck duck goose.
Duck duck goose! NOT my idea of a good time…
In the afternoon, we split into groups to do door-to-door evangelism and work on book writing. How did I get this job again? I have no idea how to write a book. I am excited about it, though, and a lot of people have been affirming my storytelling ability. God, go before me, and help me not screw it up. In the evening, we were invited to the local swimming pool for one of the young men’s birthday party. It was fun, and nice in the 110-degree-no-air-conditioning-Filipino-summer-heat, but the most exciting thing was that we got to witness six baptisms- and FOUR of them were kids that had come to VBS and decided to follow Jesus! So so cool! We spent the evening celebrating with them and teaching them to make George Washington wigs with their hair… is that a thing that everyone does? In any case, that super-important skill has now been introduced to the Philippines. You’re welcome, humanity.
Saturday, April 16th, 2016
Today is the last day of our first vacation Bible school. It has been a real blessing. When a child you’ve met twice remembers your name, or runs to give you an excited hug when they see you walking down the road, it changes you. It’s a moving experience. I feel like all of my connection insecurities (that I won’t be able to relate to people, that they won’t want to hear what I have to say, that no one will want to sit with me in the lunchroom) are being brought forward into the light and tested. I’m starting to believe that two people don’t need to speak the same language to have a relationship- Jesus connects us all automatically. Also, I thought the Americans were supposed to be running this show- but the youth have really stepped it up! They are such cool kids. They remind me so much of the teenagers that I discipled back in my youth leadin‘ days. Being here is starting to make me miss that a lot. Our walk home from the village seemed especially long today, and so very hot. I think I’ve sacrificed eating lunch for taking a cold midday shower all week long. I spent the afternoon writing and editing things for the book. When ministry time was over, Maria and I decided to take a little trip to Walter Mart, mainly to visit the ATM(there isn’t one in town.) This “little” trip consisted of taking a tricycle taxi to town, catching a jeepney to another town, walking through a huge marketplace, crossing probably the busiest street I’ve ever seen in my life to catch another jeepney that would take us to Walter Mart. I would be lying if I said we didn’t almost die. It was quite the cultural experience… I’m starting to forget what it’s like to just hop in my car and get anywhere I need to go in ten minutes.
Sunday, April 17th, 2016
Slept in, went to church this morning. It’s handy, literally living in the church we’re going to. Spent most of the day working on book things. In the evening, we had youth group. We had a really good group discussion, the kids are super curious and eager to learn. Afterward, I decided to just hang out with them outside the church. One young woman I’ve been getting close to approached me and asked if we could talk. We picked a spot away from all the others, and she proceeded to tell me that her mom was trying to get a job in Dubai, and could I please pray for her? She told me that she didn’t want her mom to leave, but her family really needed the money. I told her that I couldn’t imagine being her age (14) and having to deal with such a big hardship. We prayed together, and she asked if she could tell me her life story. It was long, and filled with things that no child, no woman should ever have to recount when sharing about their life. I wondered why she had chosen me over all of the other Americans to share with. I’m nobody special. In that moment, God reaffirmed me: He has worked all of the details of my life out just for this one moment. Any and all miles it took to get me here have been worth it, just so this young girl knows that someone loves her and cares about her story. In moments like this, I always want to ask questions. Are you sure I’m the one? Am I even qualified to be here?
Today, as it often proves to be, the answer is “yes.”
