I can hardly believe I only have a few short days left in the Philippines, time has flown by here. I wanted to share a little more about what we have been doing here in Malaybalay.
A big part of our ministry this month has been helping at the New Faith Family Children’s Home. I have become quite attached to the kids that live here, specifically the toddlers. It has been a challenge watching over 5 toddlers and 4 infants but has also been a great blessing to me. They are always looking for a lap to sit on while we watch Dora the Explorer or a person to tell them how to pronounce ‘zebra’ or ‘monkey.’ They especially love giving us a handful of dirt to hold while they continue to dig their holes. It always brings a smile to my face to see how the smallest of things excite them. For instance, when they see a dog across the field it causes them to freeze whatever they were doing and stand in complete awe. They are so sweet.
These kids warm my heart probably more than I do theirs. They have learned many bible songs and stories already and you can usually find one of them singing “Read your bible, pray every day, pray every day, pray every day” to themselves. There was one day when the kids were all getting pretty cranky and not playing well together. But one sweet 2 year old girl came up to me and said “Ate, let’s pray” (Ate means older sister here in the Philippines) since she wanted them to get along. Their love for the Lord at such a young age is so encouraging to me.
One night while I was putting the kids to bed, one of the little boys would not stop crying. So I picked him up and he immediately fell silent. I rocked him back and forth for about 5 minutes until he fell asleep. It hit me at this point, that because there are so many children here the staff cannot give each child the special attention they require. They all need their own set of parents to rock them to sleep and tuck them into bed.
It will be tough to say goodbye to these children, but I can rest assure that they are in the hands of people who love them very much and want the best for each child. My prayer for these kids is that they will continue to grow in faith and one day have a family to call their own.
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” Psalm 27:10
Just an update- next month I will be going to a closed country so I won’t be using internet for the entire month. Please pray for our time in Asia and I look forward to catching up with all in November.
