Tonight, I seem to be having trouble putting my words together to share this story with y’all. I am not sure why, but its one of those times where, “you just have to see it for yourself.” My heart is heavy as the Holy Spirit speaks to me about different things that I have seen and experienced throughout the day. Today was one of those days where I witnessed something that just gripped my heart. Down to the core it shook me and rattled my cage. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it just seems to be burnt into your memory. You know those times.
As I sit here in my host home, about to call it a night, I cannot help but think about 2 little children just up the hill from where I sit right now, who stole my heart. There was never an exchange of the first word, but it was one of those moments where your eye contact says it all.
If you walk just up the road about a half mile, you will find a FH squatter community, sitting on the side of the mountain, that overlooks San Pedro Laguna Bay and off in the far distance you will see the Manila skyline. There you will find a row of homes, placed together by scrap pieces of wood and tin and whatever else can be found. The families live there illegally on a plot of private property, because they have nowhere else that they can relocate too. Most families live off less than 84 pesos a day ( about $2 in the USA). So there they sit, stuck, unable to make a better life for themselves. We had the opportunity to spend sometime getting to know some of the members of the community. During one of our visits, we were asked to come into one of the houses and sit for a few. We accepted, and had an amazing time listening to the stories a Mother and her Son had to share.
After a bit, I got up and wandered outside, back onto the street where some children were sliding down a broken paved hill on a slate of wood. As I watched them playing and enjoying something so simple, out of the corner of my eye I noticed some slight movement… There they were. A little boy no older than 5, and his baby Sister who may have been 2. There was something different about these children. They were not out playing like the other neighborhood kids. They just set inside a doorway, with only each other. I approached the doorway to get a closer look, and that’s when I noticed, both the Brother and the baby Sister, had downs syndrome.
Instantly my heart broke for these kids. Not because they are any less capable than any of the other kids, but because here in the midst of such poverty, live these 2 beautiful children. I noticed the little boy was holding something plastic in his hand, but was having trouble because several of his fingers were not there. His hands were deformed. Once again my heart broke. As I set there, holding back my tears, I prayed for the lives of these 2 kids. I prayed their situation becomes better in some small way. I pray they know that God loves them.
Soon it was time to go, and I turned one last time to glance at the children. “Lord please bless that family” is all I could think as I walked away.
I wonder what kind of life those children will live. I wonder if they will know that somebody loves them. I wonder if they will ever have a chance, or if society will look at them as a burden and push them away. I wonder these things. My prayer tonight is, I pray that they never have to wonder if Jesus loves them. And for what its worth, a 24 year old kid from Western North Carolina loves them too.
