As I got off the plane here in the Philippines I was hit with humidity and heat. I couldn’t help but smile because it reminded me of Georgia heat! I was so excited to get to spend some time with some of my squad before we went to our new ministry. We explored a little and found some cool spots and I even found a starbucks! After two short days my team and I were picked up by my new host and taken to Children’s Garden Ministry. When we walked in about 18 teenage boys surrounded us and helped take our packs into our new home. The room was all set up for us from a huge sign that said, “Welcome world racer to CG!” to the coffee mugs and peanut butter& jelly fixings! We were introduced to everyone and shown two videos that showed how this ministry started and a testimony of one of the boys. Throughout the next week we drove straight into all the different opportunities that they had for us.
Some of us got the chance to visit one of the boy’s families and talk with them about if one of the other sibling would be able to come stay with CG (Children’s Garden). We drove about 25 mins away onto a street with small shacks that were made out of wood, metal, or plastic. I had never seen anything like it, when I got out of the car the people who lived there came out to see who the white people were. The family came out to greet us and invited us into their house but only a couple could go inside the house because there wasn’t enough room. The house had curtains and some plastic dressers and stuffed animals, the size of the whole house was about the size of two twin mattresses put into an L shape. We talked and laughed, I even got to learn how to use an extremely old sewing machine by his mom. The reason why we were there was because his younger sister started using drugs like he did before he came to CG, she is 12 years old and she has 9 other siblings. These boys and a couple of girls were brought to CG because they either had starting using drugs, were abused (physically or emotionally), or they were living on the streets.
There aren’t just one or two kids who are going through this, there are hundreds of children who have lived or are living like this. Each story that I have heard or the pain I see in their eyes breaks my heart. These sweet, loving, caring, and God fearing boys have been through so much. From being abandoned when they were 5 years old because their mother passed away and their father didn’t want them anymore to having been influenced by the multitudes of boys who sell drugs there are too many stories to keep track of. I see the pain in their bodies but you can see the change that CG has brought them through the love of God. They give them a bed, 3 meals every day, and a uniform for school to help make their dreams come true. I love sitting with them and hearing what they want to do after they graduate college. There’s a couch in the main area of the house where if you bring your bible out to read there you will always have at least two of the boys come and read with you. They truly have become my new brothers.
Now CG doesn’t just minister to these boys, they do outreach all throughout the community. I was able to go with Ante Sharon to the women’s jail that was originally made for 75 women but is occupied by 120. When they walked in they saw Libby and I and began telling us how beautiful we are or how pretty our noses were. We heard from a couple of women why they were there and for how long. One of the woman came to jail pregnant but when she gave birth she received no medical care and one of the inmates had to help with birthing her baby. She wasn’t even able to name him before he was taken away. Another woman was there from being at her boyfriend’s house who was a drug dealer but she was caught and thrown into jail. Libby shared her testimony which brought almost all the women to tears and I was able to share mine afterwards. When I was done I lead the devotional where the women listened through Ante Sharon who translated for me. she ended us in prayer and then I prayed for all of them and a couple of the women separately. They cried together and hugged us before we left them. You could feel the love that God was pouring into that space.
I could go on and on with so many different stories about what happened and how God moved in different ways with all the outreaches my team and I were able to go to. We have seen pain, love, and restoration within the borders of Antipolo City in the two weeks we have been in the Philippines. God has been so good to us and has blessed us with a ministry family that loves us.
