Heaven vs Reality

I’m so sad, which is frustrating since I have nothing to be sad about. The New Faith children’s home had a grand opening party today for the new wing of their home. So we had an excellent evening. The kids were all clean and dressed in traditional Pilipino outfits, caterers were stationed with food, there were two ice cream vendors, the kids were singing and dancing, music was playing, pictures were being taken, people were laughing and we were hanging out on the beautiful green grass all within the gates of  New Faith. 

There were about ten dirty little faces peering in the doorway trying to catch a glimpse at what exactly was going on inside. They were looking into all of the joy, excitement and fun that I had just been experiencing. Their faces broke my heart.

I just keep thinking about the life of the two kid groups that I’ve experienced in this area of Manila. The kids at the orphanage either have no family or have family that they rarely, if ever, see. But, they do have clean clothes, showers every day, beds to sleep on, three meals a day, a play ground to play on, and staff members who love them and put them to bed every night with a song and a prayer and kisses and hugs. The kids on the outside of the gate have families. But, they are dirty, have limited showering capabilities, live in shacks made from wood and tin nailed together, sleep on the floor, wander in streets covered in trash and human and animal waste, limited food supplies and many live in abusive home situations.

 

                                                                                                                                       

I keep asking myself what situation I would prefer to be in. Honestly, I would want to live in the home. I would be praying that my family would give me up so I could have the possibility of a better life.

But would it be a better life?  Would it just be a different kind of hard life?

Another question that I keep thinking of is if I’m even making an impact. The first few days when we were here in Manila I would go outside and play with the street kids because I wasn’t quite plugged into New Faith yet. After I started working in the nursery I forgot about the kids in the street in some ways. Yes, I would still talk to them when I saw them, but I didn’t invest in them. It was just easier at the children’s home because many of the kids speak English and they are so good and sweet. Was my ministry really suppose to be to the street kids? The kids at New Faith have a new ministry team come in every other week or so to work with them, but who takes time in those groups to invest in the street kids?

When are they going to have their turn? When are they going to have beds to sleep on, showers, food to eat, people who love them surrounding them and encouraging them? When is it their turn?