Hello from the Philippines!
These past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. Worldrace Launch, as well as the traveling that followed, is a blur. I distinctly remember saying a tearful goodbye to my parents, sitting in on a couple lectures regarding life on the Race, crying on the plane while watching Les Miserables, and being very, very cramped on the 14hr flight from San Fran to Manila, Philippines.
Once in Manila, I realized something very quickly: driving is very, very different. Our host pulled up to the airport and 38 weary World Racers climb in a bus, only to be barraged by the chaos that is the Philippine traffic system. Our bus driver weaves in and out of other buses, cutting people off, occasionally driving in the opposite lane, honking constantly as we proceed on our 45min ride to our new home. It was terrifying, yet amazing at the same time, and very fitting for my first experience overseas. We arrived at our new home around 6 in the morning, and found a paradise. We walked into the Youth Ministry Center(YMC) of Kids International Ministries(KIM) with our mouths wide open. We have beds, we have 3 hot meals a day, we have wifi(albeit very sporadic), we have a washing machine, running water, and we have a pool complete with waterslide and high dive. Quite frankly, we have everything I didn’t expect to have on the Race. The first couple of days here at KIM I struggled with that. I was disappointed in a sense. Something Father has asked me to do coming into the Race was to surrender. Surrender comfort, surrender my will, my wants and needs, to His will. I came into the Race prepared to do this, and was honestly kind of disappointed to have all these comforts around me. I struggled with how I was going to surrender my comfort when I have a waterslide outside my room. Honestly, I knew it was going to be much harder than if I didn’t have all these blessings. I expected to have nothing, so surrendering my comfort and instead looking to Father for comfort was going to be easy, since He would be really all I could receive it from. Instead, He gave me all these things and still asked me to surrender my comfort, which was much, MUCH, harder. I struggled with it for some time. I didn’t want to accept these blessings at first. I had a hard time knowing I was eating hot meals and sleeping in a bed when just outside the gate people went hungry as their homes were washed away by torrential rain(two typhoons have hit since I arrived). I had to slowly begin to realize that my God was blessing me. I had to realize that I couldn’t take these comforts for granted, and know that they were from Father, not from anyone else, and that I was to use these blessings for His glory. It was humbling, life-giving, and it broke me.
The ministry I have been involved in here in Manila has been spectacular. My squad and I have been working with Kids International Ministries(KIM), who mainly do work involving kids. I spend much of my time loving on kids at an orphanage a short walk up the road from where I’m staying. KIM also runs a couple of schools, so tutoring kids is a part of my weekly schedule. Aside from the orphanage and the schools, the kids in the community love being played with too. I walk out the gate and immediately am met with a chorus of “Will! Hey Will!” and a round of high 5’s. I quickly found out that the Filipino people love basketball, there seems to be a basketball hoop on every street corner. Thankfully I’m tall, and the average Filipino is about 8 inches shorter than me, or I’d have no chance and probably get laughed at. They’re so quick with the ball, goodness. Part of my time during the week is spent doing construction, which I absolutely love. We’re building a house for one of the ladies in the community, and it’s been really cool just to see something tangible in how me and a few others from my squad are helping. The joy she had on her face when she saw us helping the Filipinos working on her house was beautiful. Twice a week my team and I go on feedings. On feedings, we load a car with two big tupperware tubs filled with a hot porridge, and drive off to an impoverished area of Manila where we proceed to fill countless bowls with the stuff. On one occasion I made the beautiful mistake of lifting a little boy into the air. The rest of the children formed a line, and I lifted the laughing, grimy, and at times naked children over my head for the next 30 minutes. I worked up a sweat and I was sore afterwards, but the joy it gave the kids as they rose up into the air yelling “Superman!” was so infectious I couldn’t help but thank Father for how blessed I was in that moment. Every time I go back, the same line forms and I do it all over again. Monday afternoons have become one of my favorite times of the week, even when kids do spill bowls of the scalding porridge all over my sandaled feet.
I think I am beginning to fall in love with the Philippines. The people here have so much joy despite the struggles they face. Everyone always greets me with a smile and a “Hello”. They’re generous with what they have, and never hesitate to give directions when asked. It’s a beautiful thing to see the Filipino men who we do construction with call us over when we go on break and share their meal with us. Or to have a little boy you took swimming earlier buy you ice-cream because he heard you asking another boy where he got some. The people and the land are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen, and I am so blessed that Father chose me to share His chain-breaking love with the Filipino people for 3 months of my life.
I love and miss you all, thank you so much for your continued prayers for my squad and I as the Lord leads us on this journey. I apologize for how long it has taken me to get this first post done, and will strive to put them out more quickly in the future. Thank you so much for your support!
