At the beginning of March, myself and my thirty five squad-mates bid farewell to Nepal and boarded a flight which would fly us to India and then Malaysia and then the Philippines. This would be our final country, and I planned on finishing out this last leg of the race strong. I wanted to grow more, push harder, and love even deeper than I had the past six months.
We landed in Manila, and stepped out into the hot, chaotic, beautiful country that we would call home for the next three months. I was thrilled to get to live in such an incredible place for the longest stretch of my race. After going through customs and grabbing our packs, half of my squad boarded buses headed for Kids International Ministries, a ministry in the city that does community outreach and provides a home for kids in desperate need of food, love, safety, shelter, and stability. We would be working with this organization during our first week in the Philippines.
Once we arrived at the base, we were given an idea for what we would be doing over the next seven days. At KIM, we could volunteer at the pregnancy center, work with the kids in the children’s home, teach English at a local church, or participate in feedings that occurred all over Manila twice a day. I decided that I was going to spend the majority of my week going to the feedings, and put my name down on the list for several different ones.
The next day, I hopped on a van loaded with a group of friendly missionaries, a first aid kit, several ladles, and two giant storage containers (the kind you buy at Walmart) full of chicken soup. As we drove into one of the neighborhoods, little Filipino babies started chasing after our car, pouring in from every direction. They smiled as they shouted “Feeding! Feeding! Feeding!”
As we got out, they crowded around us carrying plastic bags, bowls, tupperware, and empty food packages. We spooned as much soup into the containers as we could until we ran out, and then we spent the rest of the time talking, playing, laughing, jumping, and braiding hair. I walked away from that first feeding with JOY in my heart– the kind of joy that comes from something not of this world, that isn’t superficial, that can’t be substituted, that can’t be taken away.
I spent the rest of my week taking part in other feedings in all different neighborhoods with all different kiddos. As I ladled spoonful after spoonful of soup into containers held by little appreciative hands, I was struck by the beautiful simplicity of it all. The people at KIM had heard Jesus’ commandment “feed my sheep,” and they had taken him at his word. They didn’t ask questions, they didn’t make it into a big spectacle, they didn’t spend hours discussing exactly what Jesus meant by those exact words in that exact context… They just fed his sheep. They let hungry people come to them, and they fed both their bellies and their spirits. They didn’t care who the people were, what they had done, or where they had been. They could have been feeding babies or the elderly, Saints or sinners, nuns or drug-addicted prostitutes, high priests or Samaritans. Nothing mattered except fulfilling the commandment of “feed my sheep.”
Those feedings revolutionized the way I saw ministry. I saw people saying “yes” to God and meeting a problem in a simple way. They didn’t spend hours upon hours huddled behind closed doors discussing what to do next and how to do it. They simply took to the streets to face the issue head-on. Ministry doesn’t always need seminary school degrees or cool graphics or loads of money or a catchy slogan– all it needs is a container of soup, a couple big spoons, and a willingness to say “yes” to God.
From those feedings during that revolutionary week in Manila, I now see the way that you and I can change our households, change our communities, change our nations with a simple “yes.” The most important factor is our willingness to surrender our time and energy into feeding His sheep in every corner of the globe.
For the Kingdom, Ellen
Also, thanks for taking the time to read my blog, friend! The love and support is much-appreciated. If you are interested in helping me continue on this journey and supporting me financially, I am still in need of about $600 by May 1st. You can donate through this blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
