My last update was about a month ago when I was in the Philippines working with street kids. It was a remarkable experience involving true cultural emersion. Going out to the streets every night gave me a true awareness of what life is like for people who live on the streets. Little kids care for babies, hunger and begging are ever present, and addiction to glue sniffing is often used to numb the physical pain of hunger and the emotional pain of being labeled and treaded as a social pariah. If I learned only on thing last month it’s that love is the most powerful way to get kids off the streets and your most valuable weapon in any battle. The organization we were paired with did an amazing job of loving the kids. Sometimes love was tough but more often it was merciful and it was never judgmental or condemning. Last month was very involved and exhausting, but also a very fulfilling time.
Three weeks into our ministry on Mindanao I flew out with one other teammate to meet our parents in Manila; after more than 8 months I got to see mom and dad! We spent a week together in an organized setting called the Parent Vision Trip. It’s designed so that parents can see what life is really like on the world race and get familiar with any changes their child has embraced over the last 8 months. We had lots of time to talk about life and we had some good discussions. My parents say they see a change in me, and other racers say they see something different as well. I have a harder time seeing the change but from what I’m told, I act older now. I still have a fun spirited attitude always playing pranks and such, but there is something within me that feels more mature. Good feedback for me to hear.
Over the week with my parents we worked with an anti sex-trafficking organization called Wipe Every Tear that offers bar girls an education and a new life that doesn’t involve selling their bodies. We spent 2 nights in Angels City, a town which exists solely for the purpose of sex tourism and has an estimated 15,000 bar girls in peak season. My parents and I went into the bars pared with an amazing girl who used to work in the bars but was rescued. The first night we got there around 9PM and left around 1-2AM. The girls dance on the stage and you call them down to talk to them and buy them a drink. So we prayed about which girl to call down, then we called her down, then we bought her a drink, and then we did our best to love her. We asked all about her life, if she had kids, what her dreams and passions are, and then we told her about Wipe Ever Tear which will give any bar girl 4 years of free college education with room and board and an allowance. The girl we were pared with helped as a translator and sometimes sustained her own conversation with which ever bar girl we had over at our table. Our “guide” would talk about her time in the bars and talk about her new life in college.
We never preached at the bar girls, we never told them about Jesus or salvation or sin. We just told them that they are valuable as people, as human beings, not just as physical bodies. As Staint Francis of Assisi said “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words”. That’s my kind of gospel, the kind that gets out and makes a difference. Most of them had heartbreaking stories. None of them were being held hostage there with shackles or chains, but they were held there by their economic desperation. The way they danced on stage made it clear to me that none of them wanted to be there, practically naked being paraded around with flashing LED lights in front of rich westerners who want to take them home and use them for their bodies. They all “danced” by swaying ever so slightly from side to side while covering themselves with their hands. Many were mothers, dancing just to keep food on the table. The last girl I talked to in Angels City was a mother of 3. Her husband couldn’t make enough to feed the family and the only job she could get was as a bargirl. Her husband desperately wanted her out of the business but there seemed to be no other option. She cared for the kids all day, then when her husband got back from work she would go to the bars all night long. Many of the other girls I talked to either had kids or were brand new to the business; some had just been there for several days.
When talking to the girls we told them about the girl’s getaway which is happening Tuesday May 19th (Tomorrow!!!). It is an all expenses paid 5 day vacation for bar girls to celebrate life together and get away from the bar scene shortly. During the vacation which was sponsored by Wipe Every Tear, the staff would tell the girls about the organization and the opportunity to get out of the bar scene and get a free education. I’ll be praying for a huge turnout at the girl’s getaway tomorrow.
We also told girls about a more immediate way out of the bar scene. We offered them a ride to the Wipe Every Tear safe house so that they could check out the organization themselves and pack their bags when ever they are ready. We invited many girls to get on the bus and to the girl’s getaway. After 2 nights in the bars, we gathered on a Wednesday morning to see how many girls would get on the bus to see the safe house. 37 girls got on the bus. I won’t lie, I get a little teary eyed just writing about it. There were girls (especially one) that I was REALLY hoping would get on the bus but never showed up. That is sad but it is also such a beautiful thing that so many girls are getting out of a business that brings down their soul, spirit, and zeal for life. The director told us that he thinks at least half of the 37 girls will (or already have) come to live at the safe house
There are so many memories from those 2 nights, dancing on stage with my mom, dancing on stage with my dad, looking right at scandalously dressed women with no lust in my heart, but I don’t really think words or stories can capture the essence of it all. I’ll just say this, if you want to support a cause that is making a true difference in this world, support Wipe Every Tear.
I’m now in Mongolia, a very cold transition from 8 months in humid southern Asia. It was snowing when we first arrived but has since warmed up a little. It’s been an interesting time as I’m thinking about the future. My current plan is to have a motorcycle shipped to Mongolia in August and ride to Europe after spending a couple weeks in Asia with my sister. I’ve had many lengthy conversations with my parents about this trip but it looks like it will actually happen now. My team is not really doing too much this month (friendship evangelism), and we are in what is essentially the only big city in all of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. It’s challenging for me being confined to the city in such a beautiful and wild country knowing that I’ll be back in 2 months with a motorcycle and complete freedom to explore. But I’m trying to stay present in my current journey. It’s also difficult for me to be so near the end of this journey and still feel like I haven’t come any close to God or a healthy spirituality. I’m honestly not sure what seeking God will look like when I’m back home.
You can pray for: Me to stay present in this current journey and not get too caught up in my next journey. For my parents to feel peace about my motorcycle trip and about letting go of this phase of parenting. But mostly pray for my spiritual walk after the race, pray that I will have the hope, the strength, and the determination to continue seeking.
Here are two videos I’ve made. Once from Vietnam (3 months ago) and the other from Indonesia (2 months ago). I still need to make a Philippines video.
