Hey fans!!!!
We have arrived safely in Thailand, our fifth country of the race. But I leave behind the Philippines, a country very near and dear to my heart.
It reminds me of what Paul writes about the church in Philippi, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5) My prayer and heart for the Philippine people echoes Philippians 1.
We were apart of a ministry called Street Light in Cagayan De Oro on the Island of Mindanao. Our heart was to be with kids living on the street, to love on them, befriend them and get them off of drugs so they could escape a life cycle of poverty.
Street Light is brand new in Cagayan. The contacts launched it a few weeks before we arrived, our man-power enabled them to actually start many projects they had been looking forward to for months. Our time revolved around a click of ten boys 80% of the time. The other 20% was filled with feedings for impoverished local groups, visiting juvenile detention facilities, boys homes, and playing basketball. The Philippine men love basketball even more than Americans, and everybody plays 🙂
Our first day in Cagayan we found that our thirteen world race men would be living, cooking, doing construction, going to the bathroom, showering and sleeping in a 12X30 ft converted snack shop. At first we were overwhelmed, but we soon dropped our sense of entitlement, got cozy and began to bond as men. The boys we were ministering to had never visited the snack shop, but day one God wowed us as a few of them showed up. We stopped our briefing session and threw away our day to throw kids around, give piggy back rides, play games and sing songs. The first time ever these kids had ever had men play with them. It was the start of transformed lives. Good way to start man month!
The next weeks included much of the same. Two of my favorite memories included a day at the community pool. These kids never get to go to a pool. Many of us have pools in our backyards. We played and swam for 4 1/2 hours straight. It was great to be a kid again. We threw kids again, held our breath under water forever, made pyramids, and got super pruney. The kids saw a glimpse of what it was like to have a Dad. Thirteen men saw a glimpse into the type of Dads they could be :).
An opportunity came up at the very end of the month to send five kids with five chaperones to a 24 hour bible camp. I was honored to go with my buddy Tomyong. Tomyong had fun playing and participating in activities (which is a miracle in It’s self, remember these kids have zero rules, total freedom and a very short attention span). What made it my favorite memory was Tomyong’s attention during the bible session. It was the first time he had heard of Jesus laid out plainly in his own language. God did mighty things in his heart despite his other friends goofing off and trying to escape camp. He got such joy out of filling in the blanks on his note packet. When asked if he had anything he would ask of God, instead of a request he said “I just want to serve God always.” I had been praying that God would bring me to tears more, they came, hard. They dripped down my face as he who had nothing and could use anything declared he wanted to SERVE always.
With that experience I feel qualified to piggy back onto Paul, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,” (vrs 6-7)
After camp things changed. Kids we had been battling with all month started asking questions about Jesus, they began to love each other. Aljamir, a Muslim in the click, began to invite all of his friends to church, even making sure they’d be there ten minutes early. Praise Jesus 🙂 It is the start of something amazing. Later our contacts told us their month’s goals: to form better friendships with the boys, and to have the boys visit the snack shop. God smashed that goal in one day and blew their year goals out of the water.
In addition, a side story changed the way I will forever treat people of different religions. During our night ministries I spent time with a different boy. 12 year old Aslon and all his buddies. They hang out and help park cars to make extra money. Aslon, and all of his buddies are Muslim. We spent time hanging out a few nights a week. Playing, talking about everything, asking questions about Islam and explaining Christianity. Letting him know I wasn’t there to change him, but to be his friend, changed him. He had never met or made friends with an American or a Christian before. A week after I left, this is what he posted on Facebook, “I am friends with Jacob MacLean…met us at Cagayan de Oro City…. I am a Muslim….thank you for accept me.” That post changed my life. While Aslon didn’t become a Christian, he still learned who Jesus is both in mind, and in heart. In theory, and in action. Bonus points-I made a new friend, that’s a win :).
Off days filled in the cracks of my time in the Philippines. Not to brag, but they were great and worth mentioning. Lots of laughter, deep talks and adventure. We were able to go to the beach, spelunking in a cave, swim in waterfalls and snorkel around an amazing reef.
God blessed Man-Month.
While the leaving the Philippines makes me sad. I can’t help shake this feeling of how much it reminds me of Philippi. God led me to study Philippians all month. Paul LOVED Philippi. He longed to be with them. My prayer for my boys in the Philippians is this, “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (vrs 9-11)
God’s Blessings be on the Philippines 🙂
Love,
Jake
