The young woman
stretched out of sleep and sat up in her tent. The first thought that crossed
her mind was, “I really need a washing machine for this sleeping bag!� Several
more bug bites had appeared as if by magic during the night and were
aggravatingly itchy. The lovely red welts now splattered her arms, legs, and
torso. Stupid Ugandan bugs… She cursed them in her head as she scrambled out of
her tent and headed to the edge of Lake Victoria to watch her final sunrise in
Africa. It was a glorious one, too! The early morning light stained the sky
deep hues of crimson, orange, magenta and gold and reflected in the gentle
waves that lapped the shore. Ruth sighed deeply in appreciation. She basked in
the stillness of the early morning light as she scampered about the shore, over
tree roots and rocks in order to capture the beauty with her camera.
The past two and a
half days had been long but wonderful, tiring yet relaxing. The bus ride from
Kigali, Rwanda to Entebbe, Uganda had proved lengthy, made even longer by a
flat tire. However, the seats were comfy and conversation and company were
uplifting. The following day, someone had handed her the first book of the
Hunger Games series and she had spent the next day and a half devouring the
trilogy. Between books, Ruth participated in the squad Halloween party – the
action hero Easy Loaf with his trusty sidekick Blue Band won the costume
contest (in Uganda and Rwanda, everyone had been served Easy Loaf bread and
Blue Band butter spread for breakfast nearly every day). Team changes also took
place; Ruth was slightly surprised when most of her team remained the same.
However, she was excited for still being on an all-girls team, and for what the
coming months would bring. That in itself was a miracle, considering where her
heart had been six months ago.
Breakfasting,
showering, and packing all occurred after sunrise that last morning. Her squad,
the awesome Y Squad, bid farewell to the hostel at 11:00am and headed for
Entebbe airport. Once there, everyone stacked backpacks and waited for an hour
until they were allowed to go though security, then waited for another few
hours until it was time to board. The flight to Doha was uneventful. During the
short layover, she half-jogged to the TCBY for a bowl of frozen yogurt before
filing onto the next plane for the flight to Bangkok.
Ruth inhaled the
muggy Asian air as she stepped off the plain in Thailand and grinned exuberantly.
She was back in Asia! The food, the people, the atmosphere… everything was
comfortable, friendly and familiar. Waiting in line at customs, though, she
felt a sudden evil chill. A glance behind her showed six unattractive European
males, none of them wearing wedding bands. She shuddered and said a prayer for
them as well as for the girls they would find, knowing why they had come.
Customs was successfully navigated and Y Squad made their way to a corner of
the airport where bags were once again stacked and the 46 young adults camped
out. During the next 24 hours, Ruth reveled in the authentic Thai food and, of
course, the ice cream. After a amusing game of sardines at 1 in the morning,
she finally crashed. Later morning came and everyone gathered their belongings
for check-in. The flight from Bangkok to Manila passed quickly as she dozed.
Upon landing, she navigated the maze of people, luggage, and baggage claims.
The first words spoken to her as she stepped off the plain were, “Welcome back
to the Philippine!� So glad I’m Filipino now, she thought wryly
as she grinned in response. The bus ride to the compound of KIM Ministries
lasted for nearly two hours. Thankfully, she’d had the forethought and blessing
to sit next to a certain Emily Chan who, having previously lived and taught in
the Philippines, shared a wealth of helpful information.
Then finally, after
51 hours, she was there! The place they were staying… it was like a palace!
After three months in Africa learning to live without things she had taken for
granted at home, she was overwhelmed with the blessings. Hot and cold running
water in the showers, American food (hallelujah for oatmeal with brown sugar
and chocolate pudding and ice cream on every corner!), a weight room, an
on-site spa filled with Filipino women ready to give you a pedicure or massage,
free wifi that’s as fast as it is in the US, and best of all, real washing
machines and dryers. She was in heaven. This is what ministry in the
Philippines looks like? She was captivated. Maybe this is the place where her
heart would finally allow her to remain for more than six months.
Dinner that first
night was delicious. Her introduction to Jeff the man in charge was shockingly
cold. Literally. He poured her a glass of water (with ICE!) then proceeded to
dump some of said water down her back. In retaliation, she poured some of her
water on his neck. Their friendship was sealed the next day when they discussed
American football. After unpacking and settling in, she went exploring.
Everyone in the Kim Ministries compound was friendly. Over the next three and a
half days, she quickly became good friends with several of the Filipino boys as
well as the women who worked as the main cook and head masseuse – obviously,
the best people to know. Acclimation to the way of life took place quickly for
Ruth. She went exploring with Emily again on Saturday and again on Sunday after
church, visiting two malls and a street market. Orientation to various
ministries took place on Monday, after which she attended a basketball
tournament at the church/school next door that several of the boys were playing
in. That night, she taught the on-site masseuses a few new techniques then oh
so graciously allowed them to practice on her. After all, who was she to turn down a massage?
Later that evening after her workout and
shower, she sat writing and pondered what the following six weeks would bring.
The ministries she felt called to included helping do construction and building
an addition onto an existing ministry building, working with girls from the
street at Josie’s Angels (also called the Jaz House), and hanging out with and
ministering to the prostitutes and street kids at least one night a week. Add
to those her existing friends at the main compound and she felt that she would
have a very full six weeks indeed. But God would bring much change and growth.
Ruth was thrilled to have the opportunity to minister among these people. The
love and the joy these people exuded was infectious, and Ruth hoped to catch it
and pass it on with the love of God. That was her final prayer as she drifted
off to sleep.
