Imagine having all of your belongings destroyed in a typhoon. Everything you own being washed away. Imagine being taken away from your neighborhood and placed in a sea of houses that all look the same. No clothes, no furniture, nothing to make this new house your own. Automatically loosing your job because your new house is too far away from where you used to live and in the middle of nowhere. Realizing that this is your new life, since 2009. It’s not going to change. Being thankful that you have a roof over your head and having a source of water to bathe and wash what little clothes you have, even though you have to share it with about 50 other families, outdoors.
Welcome to Tent City.
Most, if not all, the kids have some type of medical problem; whether it be sores all over their body from lack of hygiene, extreme cases of pink eye or the common cold. There is so much need here it’s overwhelming. We are able to take food twice a week and feed those who can find something to put the food in. A cup, bowl, pitcher, plastic bag, I’ve seen it all. Nurses come to offer what aid they can but the majority of the people need some type of antibiotic.
After 2 visits the people remembered our names and started to invite us into their homes. Trying to share Jesus is a little more difficult here because a lot of the older adults haven’t been educated and don’t know much English. At times I feel like we aren’t doing enough. I get frustrated with not being able to feed every person or provide medicine for the 3 year old covered in sores. It breaks my heart. When we leave the kids run after us; some of them crying because they don’t want us to leave, others laughing because they have nothing better to do than chase a van full of Americans! I have to constantly remind myself that all God wants from us is to trust Him with what little we can and grow in loving people around us with the same love that He shares with us.
Love God. Love people.
