I’ve officially made it through my first week of ministry in the Philippines. The entire M squad is spending this month at Kids International Ministries (K.I.M.) My team has been assigned to work at New Faith Family Children’s Home, which is run through K.I.M. So, the short way of putting things is that I get to love on just over 30 kids every day. Their smiles are beautiful, their laughs are contagious, and their spirit just jumps out and grabs you. In short, I love it.
The first day of ministry we had a bit of an orientation with the Children’s Home staff. As part of it, they gave us a tour of the locations we needed to be familiar with. There are 2 schools (one for pre-k and 1st grade, the other for 2nd to 6th), the Children’s Home, and the church campus (where my team is staying for the month). On our way to one of the schools we took a little concrete path that went straight through a little valley that is filled with trash and other obstacles. I could imagine the walk being pretty interesting without the path.
As we walked, the staff person explained that this path was done by a World Race team in 2008. In that moment it hit me…I’m not just here for a month and then I leave and the ministry here stops. My presence here brings with it the power and blessing of God Himself! The impact made here is lasting, and it’s not us…It’s all about God working in and around us.
I’m sure the racers that mixed the concrete and built the molds for this path got tired. I bet they even got a little sweaty and dirty as they worked. Maybe in their work they wondered why God had put them in such a hot place to do manual labor. But as I walked the path I realized this is what it’s about. This path made life a little more comfortable for the beautiful kids that walk back and forth to school every day. It’s a path that represents a work of love. The racers that poured sweat into their work didn’t work in vain. They get to leave a lasting impression on each child that walks that path.
