Living in Manila.
I’ve needed to be here.
To be broken.
To be rebuilt.
To be here and not anywhere else.
Let me explain,
85% of Manila is in poverty
10% are in the middle class
5% are wealthy.
And it's an ugly thing.
Slums are everywhere.
Over population.
Teen moms who are scared to give birth,
They don’t want it to hurt.
So they diet,
And babies are born at two pounds
and barely hanging on.
It's sick
But it happens all the time
I legit want to scream.
Children at two years old are sexually abused
By family.
I literally want to run out of the house with weapons-
and I'm a pacifist
It makes me ache.
Others are taken from home
And put into the orphanage because of unhealthy homes.
Bad families.
Unhealthy and abusive environments.
You name it.
I don’t understand.
The worst fights in my family were over clothes
And name calling
And dumb things that don’t matter.
What does it even look like
When hate is everywhere in your home?
Older girls are abused
Unwanted
Treated as trash
But they get another chance.
Moved to a new home
Overflowing with 29 teenagers.
They are amazing,
Beautiful,
Loving,
Giving,
And after Gods heart.
I want to cry every time they hug me
Every single time.
The pain kills me.
It’s wrong and disgusting
All of it.
This broken,
screwed up world has done too much.
It's ruined minds,
Hearts,
And lives.
And I can't stand it.
But guess what
Satan has no victory here.
Or anywhere.
God has blown this place up
with resources and influence and his love.
There are so many people bringing hope
Missionaries and volunteers everywhere.
Some are spending the month with young moms
Or soon to be moms.
Telling them about how to take care of their bodies.
How to take care of the little lives growing in them.
How to nourish themselves and their children.
They show them the ultrasound and hold hands with women
Who are scared and excited.
And they tell them about the hope that we have in Christ.
Other people play with children all day
Tutoring
Teaching classes
And swimming lessons
Playing games with kids at the orphanage
Basketball, volleyball, soccer.
And occasionally passing lice to each other.
Yep, I’m now part of the lice club.
Some people go on feedings
To give food to those who can’t get in on their own
Others go out at night and get the bad guys
who are abusing their families.
And I spend my nights at the JAZ home
hanging out with the most amazing people I have ever known
Girls that have taught me what it looks like to love each other
To love your sisters
Your family
And your friends.
And all of these things are screaming Jesus.
Prayers are constant.
And redemption is everywhere.
It blows my mind how God chooses to love people
because we are freaking sick.
But he does care about every one of us.
And hope is here.
Fear is slowly loosing it's grip
Redemption is taking over.
I'm realizing how sick we all are.
But it's good..
Jesus didn't come to heal the healthy
or the self-righteous that think they are health
He came to heal the sick.
Our brokenness points to our greatest need
Healing
Restoration.
And this world needs that.
But it’s coming.
It’s here.
Dude, Jesus.
Keep doing your thing.
And forgive us
when our hearts are not focused on your will
but on our own.
because nothing else is good
or beautiful
or worthy.
