Imagine you’re sitting in Starbucks in downtown Manila, Philippines. You’re drinking your (iced … because … it’s hot here) pumpkin spice latte and looking out the window people watching. You see a young boy, no older than 11 years old. He’s dressed in dirty over-sized clothes and you see that he has a somber look in his eyes. He’s sitting on the curb and occasionally gets up to approach adults to ask for money and/or food. The people who walk past this boy either ignore his presence altogether or look down upon him in disgust. The young boy gets up again but this time he skips over to a bike with a sidecar. There’s a tarp covering it and underneath the tarp, you see the boy’s family – his father, mother and sister all piled together under the tarp. It suddenly hits you: this is the boy’s home. You can’t bear to watch any longer, so you turn back to your pumpkin spice latte and try to breathe again.
Let me be upfront about why I’ve created this scene: I want to invite you into the reality of some of the children I’ve been working with here in the Philippines. My team has been in San Mateo for two weeks and the majority of our time is spent loving on street kids from Manila and the surrounding area. These kids have no possessions to call their own, but they have SO much to give. Despite the immense brokenness of their circumstances, each and every child radiates love and joy. The more kids I meet here, the more of my heart I give away.
We’ve been staying at a camp two hours outside of Manila in the mountains of beautiful San Mateo. It’s a place where kids come and run and play basketball or volleyball. They eat Sweet Mama Jo’s masarop (“delicious” in Tagalog) cooking and afterwards get cleaned up to rest their heads after a bedtime story. They have movie nights and roast marshmallows over a campfire. They sing worship songs and learn about Jesus. This place might be heaven on earth – I’m convinced it is at least.
I wish I could say that kids are rescued from the streets of Manila and come to camp and live happily ever after, but unfortunately that’s not the case. The ministry we’re partnering with here in the Philippines runs this camp program and also runs a shelter for street kids in the city. So the kids who come out to the mountains for the weekend eventually have to return to Manila, but they’re given access to the shelter where they can go and sleep, eat three times a day and stay off the streets. Everyone I’ve talked to (myself included) is praying and working towards a longer-term solution, but for now we have to trust that God is in control and is planting seeds through a long weekend at a place that looks a lot like heaven on earth.
There are four boys who stole my heart the first weekend we were here: Dennis, Bernard, April and Joshua. I only had three days with these young boys (ages 8-11), but the amount of change I saw in them during this time was incredible. They came into camp pretty rowdy on Friday night, but by the time they left on Sunday afternoon there was a night & day difference in how they played with each other and how they played with us. They came in with walls and they left with freedom. You can imagine how my heart broke when I said goodbye to these boys, knowing where they were returning. But if I’ve learned anything these past few weeks, it’s how to surrender. And this is no different. I trust what the Lord is doing in their lives and I trust that He will protect and provide for them. As much as I want to save them, I’m not called to be their savior. What I can do is pray for these boys. And guess what?! You can join me! If you feel led to pray, I encourage you to read a bit about each boy below and talk to our Father about them. Here are a few ideas to get started if you don’t know where to start: safety, protection, provision, love, joy, kindness, good health, pray for their parents/siblings, etc. get creative!
(Pictured left to right: Dennis, April, Joshua and Bernard)
Dennis – He immediately clung to me. On the second morning, we took the boys to the river which included a mile hike down a steep mountain road. Dennis grabbed my hand and led me the entire hike. He’s shy at first, but Dennis is so warm and inclusive of everyone. He has a heart to give to others, always offering his food and snacks to the other boys. Though he didn’t speak much English, I saw love in his eyes and felt love radiating from him to everyone around him. Our last day together, Dennis started calling me Ate (pronounced “Attie” – it means big sister) Mommy. My heart felt so broken, yet so full at the same time.
Bernard – He was the oldest of the four boys at 11 years old. On the first night I thought Bernard was going to be the troublemaker of the group…boy was I wrong. Although he was the biggest, Bernard was the gentlest of the group. He was easy going and got along with everyone, which isn’t something I can say about all the other boys. He’s a natural leader – he has a quiet and humble spirit which makes it easy for the other boys to follow his lead.
April – He was cheeky, but SO joyful. He has a childlike spirit that’s always looking to play, poke fun and have a good time. He was the giggler during the bedtime story and the last to fall asleep. April has so much love and joy to give, and it was his fun-loving spirit that kept the boys going even when they were completely exhausted.
Joshua – He was the youngest and the smallest of the group. He was the most reserved, but maybe the most content of them all. Joshua easily played with the other boys, but he was always happy to play on his own too. At first, Joshua was a bit timid and worried to venture out too far, but that quickly changed. It was a beautiful transformation. Joshua has a servant’s heart. We had to hike about a mile uphill after the river adventure, and at one point I looked back and saw Joshua take the heavy water jug from my teammate and he carried it as far as his little arms could. His heart to serve others was so evident the entire weekend.
Thank you for reading and thank you for joining me in prayer. Much love to you from the Philippines! Mahal kita! (“I love you” in Tagalog)
