Hi friends and family!!! WOW, what a month and can’t believe we are in November and our first month is coming to an end. I leave for Thailand Tuesday but a piece of my heart will be here in the Philippines. But excited for what’s ahead in month 2.
I was sitting here asking the Lord what he wanted me to share and highlight and I keep coming back to this picture I took, this one single picture out of hundreds that I have on my camera.
During our time on the Island of Mindoro we got to visit the remotest villages. They are made up of the Mangyan people, and don’t even speak the official language of the Philippines and have their own dialect.
Then for the first time on the island it happened….. I had to fight back tears. My heart officially in that moment broke for what breaks his.
Then the questions started…
Why?
Why do my eyes have to see this?
Why is this even a thing?
But then in the next breath…
Why should my eyes not see this? Then I heard him say “Lauren, I have called you across the world so your eyes could see this very thing.”
That my eyes might be opened, even though I wanted to walk through the village with them shut.
You hear about this but when you SEE it, your bubble is popped and you really truly realize ignorance is bliss. But I don’t want to live like that and when you are smack dab walking through the reality of it, you realize there’s a part of you that is ignorant to what’s going on in other parts of the world. I will be the first to admit it.
I couldn’t talk with this sweet boy but I could smile and wave as I fought back the tears and just silently pray that he could feel Jesus by my simple presence as I walked by him. It almost felt wrong to take the picture but I knew the Holy Spirit was prompting me to.
Would you do me a favor? As you are reading this would you take a minute to reflect on this picture? And see what it means for you as I invite you all on this journey with me and what he might be trying to speak to you through this picture. Because let me tell you, every time I look at it, it brings me to my knees.
It’s a hard picture to look at. No clothes, one shoe, but this little boy is not forgotten in the least. In the remotest of villages the Lord can be found. He’s in the eyes of this little boy. I don’t know his story but this picture stirs something up in me. Gives me perspective like I’ve never quite known before and as I move on to the next country, my prayer is that the Lord continues opening my eyes to what needs to be seen, no matter how hard the visual.
Much love to you all!
