The Philippines is by far my favorite country so far. The days are beautiful and sunny with a breeze just perfect enough to cool you off from the sun. Mangos trees, coconut trees, and pineapple plants covering the bright tropical mountains surround me. There is even a pet monkey that I can visit with daily who picks through my hair. When we have time off from work and ministry my team and I hurry to the beach as fast as possible and dive into the crystal clear water.
I am on an island called Puerto Gallero that is well known by tourists and the LGBT( lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender) community. The sandy shore of White Beach is lined with shops selling tourist items and drag queens beckoning you to come in and have food and drinks in their restaurants. When the sun goes down then fire dancers begin their routines to draw people into the bars and there is a comedy show done afterwards in drag. Many performers come to this island because of the money they can make in these shows.
Puerto Gallero is an island filled with beauty and heartbreak. There is a lot of poverty, but I love what I have seen of the Philippino culture because it is so based on community and helping each other. The people I mainly spend time with live in huts made of bamboo that is built into a mountainside. They are simple and beautiful. The huts seem great this time of year but awful when the humidity and storms strike, which is often. Everyone walks to the river to wash their laundry and little shops litter the community selling candies, chips and small random items. Roosters are tied to random places to keep them from wandering or starting a fight until they are in the cockfight ring. Gambling is very big here and as you walk the street you are likely to pass at least three groups in a mile radius playing cards. Everyone asks where I am going as you walk down the street, but my reply is limited to one of the only Tagalog phrases I know “bababa” which I think means “down”. Lucky enough for me most people speak English.
What I am doing here:
I am here in Puerto Gallero working with an organization called Threads of Hope, which provides jobs for countless families in this community by paying them for bracelets they make and selling them wherever possible, mostly as fundraisers for students, events, and missionaries. There are not many jobs on this island except construction and tourism so many men leave the island for work. Women don’t have the option to leave their families and are often in such desperation that it makes them easy sex-trafficking victims. Heck, men often become victims just as easily in this area. Threads of Hope prevent this by providing not only jobs, but by discipling and mentoring the people in their community.
That is what I have been a part of this month. I have done a bit of everything from counting bracelets that are made to setting up chairs for the Sunday services. We go to White Beach when we can and just hang out with the people working and try to bring a smile to their faces. We make bible lessons, made a skit and do what is asked of us. My favorite though has just been hanging out and getting to know the locals. I made a friend named Ana who I have enjoyed hanging out with and learning about the dreams on her heart. I told an impromptu story about Zacchaeus to some boys who pushed me in my hammock and I got to visit an elderly woman in her home while my teammate Hannah shared a bible lesson with her.
These are the moments I live for.
*photo by Paola Antenucci
