One of the ministries I worked at in the Philippines was the Children’s Home. We would do different things with them: play with them, spend time and get to know them, pray for them, do bible studies with them. One of the things which I especially liked was take them swimming at the YMC compound.
We were supposed to take the toddlers out, but there was only one nanny working that day, and she said it’d be better to do it the next day. So we ended up taking the older kids instead.
These kids are so precious. All you could hear the entire time was, “Ate (big sister), look at me! Look at me!” One by one they showed me how deep they could go, how fast they could swim, and how well they could float. I could do this all day for my kids. Keep affirming them and letting them know that they are special, and that they can do anything they put their mind to, and more importantly, that they are worth somebody’s love, time, and attention.
One of the boys, I noticed, had a lot of bruising on his torso. Just black splotches all around his chest and back. My first thought was that this kid must be in a lot of fights. Whether he initiated them or was the target, I wasn’t sure. So, I asked him.
“What are those? Why do you have a lot of bruises?”
“No ate… those are cigarette burns.”
I was dumbfounded. I was so shocked I was left speechless. I did not see that coming at all. I was ready to talk to this kid about not getting into fights and reprimanding him. Instead, I was put in my place.
“Bad kasi yung mom ko.” (My mom was bad).
It took all my effort to not cry in front of him.
Reality hit me hard. I see their lives now as they live in the Children’s Home. I see that they are surrounded with family and friends and plenty of house parents that love them and care for them. I see them in comfy beds and places where they can play and be kids. I see volunteer after volunteer coming to spend time with them and teach them about the bible and about Jesus. How easy they have it now.
I see all this and I forget… this wasn’t always the case for them. That they had to go through an ordeal to get to the Children’t Home in the first place. I forget that these kids had it rough. Real rough. I forget that there’s so much more needed prayer for healing and affirming their identities in Christ. I forget how much love they really need. They deserved more compassion than I was giving them.
I hope I’m not the only one that gets lost in the mundane day to day life, even on the mission field. Because it is quite easy to do. But I hope this is good reminder for those people out there, that these people that you meet on the field are extra special. These are the people you sought out for when you left your home for a year, and raised all that money for. These are the people that God intentionally put in your path as you travel around the world.
Treat them with love. Treat them with compassion. Reach out to them. Seek them out. Put extra effort in getting to know them, and praying for them. Don’t forget what you came here to do.
