after a total of 15 hours in the sky and 10 hour sin airport terminals, we departed from our final flight and packed ourselves and our belongings tightly into two buses… heading into the unknown.
as we road down the street i was instantly struck by the number of cars and motorbikes crowding the pavement. and the faces. there were so many faces. i wanted to stop the bus and say hi to them all.
small children running past sharing a baggy of peanuts… leaving a trail of the shells behind, women sitting at their fruit stands chatting with animated hands while waiting for the next customer to come by, and men tooting their horns loudly as they plowed through the roads in taxis and motorbikes filled to the brim [and way beyond their maximums] with passengers.
i finally decided to start waving at every person i made eye contact with. i was pleasantly surprised when each and every one returned the favor with a cracked smile and vigorous wave.
my heart was overjoyed.
as we passed over a huge bridge in stop-and-go traffic (cars aiming in every direction) i peered across the way and saw buildings. piles and piles of buildings. they were literally stacked on top of eachother. some were newer and made of brick walls and aluminum roofing. others were very old and held a strong feeling of the orient: strong wooden-stilted buildings with spiral staircases and wood-slat roofs that resembled gazebos… wind chimes and tassles hanging everywhere.
i found my eyes welling up with tears.
i couldn’t [and still can’t] explain why i had such a rich love for a nation that i’d never seen before.
This month i will be living in Mindanao, which is located in the Philippines. Our ministry (though not confirmed) will involve ministering to orphans, prisoners, and pretty much everyone else in between.
at 10:30am tomorrow, 5 teams will be heading from Manila (where we are now) to Mindanao. we’ve heard internet is limited there, so I will update when I can.
Love, ali
