Today I am in total adoration of God. I simply have too. You see when I asked God to break my heart for what breaks his, he did. He total me to go out and make disciples of all nations. He didn’t say it was easy, he said it was worth it. Every bone in my body believes it is but my heart aches in pain for his people. The last 3 days I have been totally blessed by God. When he gives you brokenness he gives you joy. When the world breaks your heart he gives you peace. When you see the desperate he gives you love. Ask and it will be given to you. How beautiful is it to be so loved by him.
Thursday was our last official work day, friday began this thing called debrief. This is were people from AIM come in every few months and you discuss whats been going on and stop and digest what the Lord has been doing. Pretty cool but also sad because I didn’t think I would be able to see my kids much. Boom, false, God showed up. Friday morning I woke up to some ridiculously loud music to Filipino women dancing in the street. There went my whole sleeping in thing. So I said God I’m awake now, use me. Honestly, don’t ask that unless you are ready, he will do it. So I go on the little porch to do “quiet” time. That worked about as well as walking into a concert for Justin Bieber and try to skype someone. However God showed up. I hear “tita faith, tita faith”! , and I look down and see some of my street boys. Why weren’t they at school!? God said go, go now, right now. Onto the street I went. The boys said we don’t have enough money to ride transportation to get to school. Heartache begins. It takes 8 pacos to get to school in a jeepney, roughly 18 cents. So now it begins to set in. School isn’t for everyone. There is no carpool, there are no school buses, there isn’t any laws to make parents take there kids to school. One of the boys is 14 and in the 4th grade another one is 12 and in the 2nd grade. That is the moment I understood God needed to work through me. I realized giving them money to get to school wouldn't resolve the problem and I began to pray. God said teach them, so I welcomed them into the compound and began working on math and reading. 3 hours quickly went by and the boys learned addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and sight words within that time. They were sponges and beyond smart. The confidence they had walking out of the compound is unbelievable. They were finally proud of themselves and Im pretty sure they didn’t know that was possible.
I just thought teaching them was powerful but God wasn’t done with me yet. I ate lunch and starting back at my quiet time. Oh how beautiful is my Father! We still had some free time and there was a feeding coming up. I wanted to go see Jennifer and Evelyn so I began begging others to come with me. I finally convinced someone, so I was excited. Then God showed up and blessed me again. My street boys that I had been tutoring asked to come with us. So of course I found a way to bring them. As we arrive we begin to serve soup to the hungry and homeless. The rain began to start and with in minutes its pouring. We begin dancing and rejoicing in the Lord. I know, crazy awesome right. I then get to see Jennifer and she pulls out her guitar and we begin to worshiping together. Yeah, exactly, be jealous, God is too good.
As we get back to the compound and we are soaking wet I took the kids inside to the pool and we just jumped in the pool in our already wet clothes. Teaching them how to swim and do fun flips. It was beautiful and excited and such a blessing. Yet God is still not finished working. I go in take a shower and get ready for dinner. Then a friend comes in the room and said there are some boys on the street asking for you and want you to do a bible study with them….ummm what? Yes please, I come down and Im greeted by 6 guys and begging for the word!!!!!! So of course we go in and have an epic bible study about the Lord. We talked about 1 corinthians 13, love. What love looks like and who God is. It was awesome and as the boys were leaving they asked when we could have another bible study! So I quickly go to my debrief meeting and was blessed again! How great was that day!
Saturday was a new day but I was ready to be the hands and feet again. So we had another bible study and this time we talked about peter walking on water. We talked about being afraid and doubting that God is always there. It was beautiful and by the end the boys began to start opening up more. 5 out of the 6 boys fathers have drinking problems which leads to no money for food or clothes. The other boys father left him and his family and started a new one. Each of them have been hurt and afraid and don’t have a father figure in there life. However we got to see the true Fathers love for them and that he will never leave them. It was heartbreaking but beautiful. Each of them prayed for one another and their situations.
Sunday was beautiful and some of them got to come to church with us and worship together. We didn’t have a bible study but that didn’t stop God from blessing us all. I was able to go to a mall and see the american band Relient K play…How randomly beautiful. As we got home I saw one of my boys one the street. I talk to him for a few minutes and he begins to tear up. He said he didn’t want me to leave on tuesday and that he was very sad. He said he wanted to give me one of his shirts so that I can always remember him. So we are going to do a shirt swap and I am going to give him my Faith world race shirt!
Today is monday, my last official day but I am going to the christian book store soon and buying them bibles! Yay and hopefully will get to have a bible study with them later. Oh the blessings are abounding. God is good and I am brokenly blessed.
