When you are sending hundreds of young people to eleven different countries every year, you tend to reuse some contacts.
Over the last couple years, the World Race has developed some ongoing relationships with a few different ministry sites. One of them is Kids International Ministries in the Philippines. On my Race, the October 2008 Race, KIM was our first stop. The January 2010 squads are just making their way to the Philippines and some have stopped to debrief and minister at KIM.
Tyler Woodham writes of his impressions on his blog.
Jeff Long and his family planted the KIM ministry in one of Manila’s poorest areas several years ago. And Oh how it’s grown! They have a large children’s home, a community center that houses visiting doctors and dentists, and a ministry center for long-term missionaries and visiting teams. When I was in the Philippines, my team worked at a new children’s home the ministry had planted on Mindinao — a whole nother island!
As I read the blog, linked above from Tyler Woodham, I remembered rolling into the Cuatro community where KIM’s main base is housed. Tyler talked about the children flooding around their bus and I remembered when they did that to us almost a year and a half ago. I remembered walking around the community seeing the countless community improvement projects that had been carried about by KIM and their visiting teams.
I remembered one of the key teachings we received while we were there. Gary Black talked about how the Lord has called us to enter the Barrenness and turn it into the Garden of Eden. Through the power of Christ we walk up to things once dead and call them back to life. We bring hope and love to those cast asunder.
And this is what KIM has done in their Cuatro community. Families once forgotten live in the midst of a community where love reigns. All because some disciples of Christ were obedient to the call and set up shop in the Barrenness. They made their home in the Barrenness and brought the life of Christ with them.
All through my year on the Race I would walk into a place that needed new life. I would remember KIM. Often we think of Biblical principles and the Lord’s call on our life and we have to conjure some image of what it would mean to walk it out. When I think of turning the Barrenness into the Garden of Eden, I only need to remember Kids International Ministries.
Find the Barrenness in your area. Commit yourself to change. Watch the power of the Blood bring it back to life. Watch the rivers flow and the flowers bloom. Watch the Barrenness transform into the Garden of Eden.
