Shawty
had them Apple Bottom Jeans. Boots
with the fur. The whole club was
lookin at her. “Not again,” I
tell myself. I rub my eyes to make
sure I can see my watch. Yep, it’s
5:45 a.m. Oh well, it always good
to start your day early and with lovely music. Why am I complaining? I put my hand under my right leg and
pull my sweaty leg from the sheet and then do the same for the next leg. I try to be as quiet as possible trying
to not wake up my other 12 roommates. I make my way to the bathroom, trying to get as much
composure of myself as I possibly can find, I put my running clothes on and
head out the door.
I
think to myself while waiting on a teammate, “Maybe today will be
different. Maybe we won’t stick
out as much.” It was definitely a
good try. We head to Leon’s
aerobics on the beachside to work out with some awesome Filipinos. After some major sweating, dodging of
cars and people staring at us, we make it back to our hostel. Breathing heavily from the five flights
of stairs, I spend some time with the Lord, pray with my team and eat some
breakfast.
The
door slams and all 13 of us are compressed in a truck-type car. Blessed
be the name rings from our voices as we travel from our hostel. Smiles ranging from anxiousness to happiness
shine from our faces. All of the sudden
a strange odor seeps through our windows that sticks deeper within then you
could imagine. Not sure how to act,
we just search with our eyes this place people call their life.
As we pass heaps and heaps of trash
we take a right into a place that seemed to just appear. We pile out of the car and walk into 
a
gate. There is still that distinct smell in the air but we smile at the people who
welcome us in order to try to not show our discomfort of the smell. How could we be uncomfortable when the
faces I see are just gleaming with happiness because we have come to be an
extra 13 hands and feet for their ministry.
We
walk down a barely lit hallway and are bombarded with little hands grabbing and
asking, “What’s your name?” We answer their question and realize that this is
the only thing they know how to say in English. It brings joy to their faces knowing they could communicate
even that much.
We
are then introduced to this sweet little lady whose name is Cathie and she
takes us on an adventure that will be embedded in my mind forever. Before reaching the destination, Cathie
mentions that we will be seeing the homes of the kids who go to this school. As we reach our destination my heart is
just burdened for these people. I
don’t even have to step outside the car.
I can just fill these peoples lives in my heart.
I,
22 years old with clean hair, clean clothes, nice shoes and a nice camera walk
into this place and receive smiles from ear to ear. I cannot put into words how much joy they brought to my
life. They have nothing. Their houses are made out of boxes that
we save for our next garage sale and their toys are paper bags from the grocery
store. Despite this, they still
have joy in their lives.
They
don’t know any different. I do
know they are content and they show that with their eyes and their smile. I yearn for that contentment. I cannot help but think that these
people go through the trash that I throw away everyday. I am humbled by the fact that I still
complain because I want something different than what I have been provided.
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have
learned to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:11-12
