Have you ever…
- Given your time to pack food (manna packs) for starving kids around the world? (through non-profits like Feed My Starving Children or Heaven Sent Ministries)
- Bought gifts to fill up a shoebox at Christmas time for children to receive around the world? (Operation Christmas Child- Samaritans Purse)
- Sponsored a child through Compassion International or World Vision?
Well, during my time here in Tacloban, Philippines, I have been witness to how these acts of service and volunteering in the United States DO have an impact on individual lives abroad. Here’s how….
LUGAW!!!
The Lugaw comes packed in these boxes from volunteers in the USA to KIMinistries here in Tacloban
The Lugaw is prepared at the Lighthouse in these huge vats….9 bags per vat.
Twice a day my team and the local staff from Kids International Ministries drive to a barangay (neighborhood) around Tacloban and yell “Lugaw” out the van window. We pull over and open the back of the van where huge vats of Lugaw sit ready to be distributed.
Taylor & I serving Lugaw at a school
How do we get the Lugaw to feed the people? It comes from manna packs that are packed by volunteers in the states. Shipments come as needed and are then used by KIM for feedings and also distributed by KIM to various churches that feed their communities. As we serve the Lugaw to kids and adults who’ve brought their containers, some members of our team walk the streets praying for and talking with the locals there. The lugaw opens a door for us to meet the people of the community and begin building relationships with them….
One such relationship I made was with a woman named Medy.
Me & Medy
She and her family live on the island of Samar (next to Leyte island where Tacloban is) in a town there that also felt the damaging affects of the typhoon just a year ago (hence the feeding weekly). I met Medy on a rainy afternoon after we had finished serving Lugaw. She opened up her porch to me as I sought shelter from the rain. I found out that she is 30 years old and had studied to be a teacher, which also meant she spoke English well. After she got married, she became the mom of 2 beautiful girls and decided to be a stay-at-home mom. At this particular meeting, I was also handing out Bibles and she asked for one. This began a conversation about what she believes and why. Medy attends the Catholic Church in the area, but only once a month when the priest visits. She does not have the means to travel into the city for church. She was excited to receive her own Bible and I encouraged her to read through the Gospel of John after we read John 3:16 together. As I was leaving, Medy asked if we could do a gift exchange the following week since I would not be around in December for Christmas. I was thrilled she invited me back to spend time with her and her family.
Lolleta, Me, GM, Medy & Jamie – kids will be kids!! Ha!
Leading up to our next meeting, I was praying for God to use the time however He wanted knowing that our paths crossing was no coincidence. That following Wednesday my team and I arrived back in their barangay and, go figure, it was raining again! But I think that actually added to the closeness of our time together. Medy, her two daughters, her husband Jose, and his mom Lolleta, were all there for our meeting. Medy was so excited to see me again especially knowing this would be my last time visiting. What commenced as we met was some intimate time of sharing about life, struggles, and what it means to be a Christian, all initiated by Medy and Lolleta. I was so thankful to see how God had brought Himself up in the conversation without me even asking. Clearly God was at work here in the family! As our time came to an end, we exchanged our gifts and also our information for facebook (fb friends J). I asked if I could pray for their family and household and did just that. We held hands, bowed heads, and committed ourselves, the house, the family – all of it – to the Lord. Then some tears were shed and we said our good-byes.
This is just one of many Lugaw tales I could tell in which God opened the door for me to meet some amazing people, pray for them, and share life with them too! Amen and thank you Jesus! To you be the GLORY!
Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritans Purse provided much aid here after the typhoon that helped with restoration of homes & health.
Each year right before Thanksgiving my church, Naperville Presbyterian Church, provides shoeboxes from Samaritan’s Purse for us to fill and give to a child around the world…The past several years I have filled these boxes. While I don’t get to see these boxes delivered here in the Philippines, I know there are several communities here affected by the typhoon that will receive some boxes for Christmas. In many cases, the families here do not have the means to get to the store, nor the money to purchase much for their families. What a blessing these boxes will be!!
CHILD Sponsorship
One of the many classrooms we visited...
There are many places that we travel to to serve Lugaw to the communities. One such place was an elementary school in Samar (same barangay as Medy’s). This particular day was a Saturday so no students should have been in school….yet when we approached the school, students were hanging out at the entrance. I asked them to show me their school to which I came across a classroom filled with kids! They were busy writing postcards. Some adults came over and explained what they were doing. These children were paired up through World Vision with a sponsor in another country. They were writing Christmas postcards to their sponsors. When I learned this I asked the adult volunteers if I could share something with the kids….I told them I sponsor a young lady in Kenya and love when she writes me letters. I reminded them how much their sponsors love them and love hearing about how and what they are doing. Sponsorship programs like World Vision allow these kids opportunities they might not otherwise have, especially in regards to education and nutrition. It was a very COOL moment to meet these children as I would love to meet Lilian whom I sponsor in Kenya!!
SO have you ever….
Considered that volunteering your time, effort, resources and money in these ways DOES make a difference somewhere around the world to SOMEONE?!
I have been SO fortunate to experience this first hand…..
- To see how lives are touched for Christ through the food we serve them, which in turn gives us an opportunity to show them God’s love and befriend them;
- To see that without the shoeboxes, these kids might not receive ANYTHING for Christmas because of their poverty;
- To see how materials are provided through child sponsorships to allow kids to get a good education and eat 3 meals a day.
That’s a difference everyone can be a part of no matter where you are!
As we enter into this holiday season of Thanksgiving and celebrating Christ’s birth at Christmas, may we consider ways we can give to others in our neighborhood, city, state, country and WORLD!
Thanks!!
Lauren
Proverbs 22:9
P.S. We did celebrate Thanksgiving in Tacloban with local missionaries – it was such blessing!!! With pumpkin pie and all!
