The Philippines are beautiful. I thought Central American volcanoes and tropics were pretty, yet You continue to take my breath away with beauty after beauty, Father! The high coastal mountain dusted with sunshine and topped with whipped clouds (as I look to my left), and to my right, a glimpse of vast blue Pacific ocean through a sea of palm trees.
As I am living in, breathing in this moment, I ask myself, how do I breathe it out? How do I share this with my family, my friends back home?
…Share the stories…
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James 2:5 “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith?”
…I saw this in the eyes of Katrin, a 19-year-old mom with such a sweet spirit. I listened to her story at the feeding program as her two older girls ate, and she snuggled her 12-day-old baby close. “We can’t let anybody see him, or they’ll have to hold him!” she joked.
But there was sadness in her eyes as she matter-of-factly told me that one of her sons is in heaven already. Is this pain “just the way it is”? Is it a part of her life that she has grown to accept?
There was also more behind her gaze: a hidden strength, a mighty love. This young woman knows, deep in her soul, that Someone cares. As my team prepared to leave, she asked directly, and humbly, if we would all pray that God would provide a job for her husband.
…I saw that theme in the smile of Hilda Sarai, the sweet young woman whom my family has sponsored through Compassion these past seven years. I finally had the chance to meet her face-to-face! When I stepped into the school for our visit and saw her waiting down the hall, my heart skipped a beat – the feeling you get when you’re meeting someone you’ve loved across the ocean. Up until then, we had only spoken through letters and prayers. But at that moment, I folded her up in a bear hug and felt my eyes fill with tears.
She greeted me with a lovely hand-made paper rose dipped in sparkles. That rose explains her well, I thought later: beautiful on the outside, with an inward spirit that just shines.
It was a precious time. I remember asking her about her favorite Bible passage, expecting her to reply with a verse about God’s provision for us. But she responded, “Psalm 84:4 – ‘Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You.’”
She is so young, with so little earthly possessions. But instead of focusing on her needs, she chose a verse about praise.
…I saw that theme in the prayers of Ulices & Leila. Ulices helps carry the good news of Jesus to the native people on the islands of Lake Colcibolca. He uses his own fishing boat to travel across the water and encourage new followers of Jesus in their faith. This same boat also makes daily treks to gather building materials for their church, to find food for his family, and to help those in need.
Some days, a child on the island may fall deathly ill. There is no hospital on the island, and Ulices has the only mode of transportation to the mainland, where medical care can be received.
But there is one slight problem: the motor is failing, and the boat can only be used for one or two trips per day. “What do I do then?” Ulices asked, with anguish in his heart. “Do I help the child who is sick, or do I go give spiritual nourishment to the new believers who are in need?”
Ulices and Leila have been praying for three years for a new motor for their failing fishing boat. By God’s grace, we were able to be an answer to that prayer!
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Rewind to life before the race.
I felt pent-up in the U.S.: entitled, comfortable, not as alive. Disclaimer: I don’t know what this means for me when I come back to the U.S.. But I know I don’t want to come back to live a “normal”, comfortable, distracted life. I’m not sure if I can explain it, but more and more, my heart wants to be among the poor… that is a blessed place to be.
