“Christ is all” Colossians 3:11
He did it again! My team prayed that we would be able to spend some time in Tacloban to help with some relief work during this month, and I am writing this from the airplane on our flight from Manila to Tacloban. Last Thursday the six of us sat down at the table and begged the Lord to direct us and to provide for our needs (money for plane tickets, a place to stay, security, clean food and water, etc.). Exactly one week later, here we are- all of our needs have been met and we are ready to go. My God has proved to be faithful yet again.
As I am thinking about this upcoming week, I know that we will not have running water, electricity, or any of the comforts that we have enjoyed while staying in Manila. During this Advent season, I wonder if I truly believe that all I need is Christ. Preparing to see tragic loss and utter destruction, will my claim of Christ being sufficient remain true? Will I be able to introduce these people to the Prince of Peace through being an example of what it looks like to rely on Christ for everything?
It is difficult to genuinely predict what my week in Tacloban will look like, but I do know with confidence the things that I have experienced in the past few weeks here in the Philippines. Last week my team and I went to visit Smokey Mountain. Smokey Mountain is home to a community of families with dozens of children, all of whom desire to be hugged and loved on. This mountain is really an overwhelming trash dump where people spend their days scavenging through trash in order to pull out wood to burn to make coal. Each day these people work long, hard hours just to earn about 100 Pecos (about $2.50) per day.
Each step was taken with a new gratefulness for my shoes. Unrecognizable trash was layered on top of more garbage mixed with eroding food and muck. Children ran through all, completely un-phased by any of it, as if it were a plush meadow. In addition to the unclean ground, each breath taken fills the lungs with smoke from the wood being turned into coal.
To us outsiders, this scene is bleak and heartbreaking. To these kids, they see home.
Through all of the soot, the trash, the smells and the hunger pains, these beautiful children really only wanted one thing from us: to be loved. These precious ones understood something profound about life: having things is way less important than having love. They craved our attention. Literal fights and bickering over who would hold our hands, begging to be held, asking for just one more story to be read to them.
Here is the magnificent part of this day: when I asked the kids about why we celebrate Christmas, they immediately answer that this holiday was to celebrate the coming of the Messiah! They understood that Christmas was not about getting gifts, eating sweets or attending parties- they knew that there was a greater purpose behind the holiday. While the birth of the incarnate Christ is what we are celebrating this season, He eagerly desires to be all that you need, all the time.
As I am flying down to Tacloban to spend my first Christmas away from my family, there is a new level of personal understanding that all I need is Christ. While I would love to enjoy Christmas dinner and parties with my loved ones at home, I anticipate that this Christmas will be just as joyful and fulfilling as any other.
This Advent season is to celebrate that Emmanuel has come! He has invited us to enter into a personal relationship with Him where He captivates you and truly becomes all that you need and desire!
Please consider helping the families at Smokey Mountain. A donation of 100 Pecos ($2.50), you can provide 6 pairs of shoes for these precious children.
?Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.? Matthew 25:40
Please email Pastor Ramil for more information: [email protected]
