July 12th, 2019
Month seven. Antipolo City, Philippines.
My time in Asia is soon coming to a close. I have two weeks left in the Philippines and then I’m off to Argentina!
This month in the Philippines at Children’s Garden has been by far my favorite month on the Race. This place and these people have my heart and I’m not ready to go. I will try to tell you why as best as I can, but my words probably won’t do it justice. So here it goes…
In the Philippines, over 1.5 million children live on the street. Many of them still live with their families, though they pass their days begging or working the streets to make money to survive. Some have been orphaned since birth, and have lived on the streets as long as they can remember. Most children are forced to live on the street because of poverty, family issues and abandonment. And for those left to the streets, most wander place to place, never knowing where they will go next or how they will find their next meal.
Children as young as 5 turn to drugs like “rugby”, a glue which they inhale to fill their hunger cravings. Most living day to day, not knowing what their future holds.
But God loves these sweet kids so much and has clearly been fighting for them. Children’s Garden began in 1955 as an orphanage for street children. The orphanage held up to 200 children at one time, from infants to 18 years old. Unfortunately, in the 1970’s a major donor dropped out, causing the home to close. In 2000, the board of directors purchased a property in Antipolo City, hoping to have community involvement in restarting this home, however this never happened and the property was left unused.
Fast forward about four years, Sharon, a young 20-something year old, came into the picture. Sharon served at a church in Antipolo City in the early 2000’s. Her heart gravitated toward the street children who congregated in the cathedral’s courtyard late every night. With the help of her pastor and a few of her friends from church, she started visiting these children every Thursday night, bringing food and playing games with the children in hopes of building relationships with them. One night a week turned into two nights and then eventually turned into every night of the week as their group continued to grow. Sharon desired to find a way to help these children out of their current situation. So she began to pray.
In 2004, her pastor connected them with an older woman – a board member from the original Children’s Garden – who told them that they owned a property in Antipolo City which they would give to them for free. And then began the journey to opening a new and improved Children’s Garden, which started in 2008.
Today, Children’s Garden is a home for former street boys, ages 12 to 18. There are currently 16 boys under Sharon and Billy’s care (Billy is Sharon’s husband and is also a former World Racer!) 10 of the boys are living in Children’s Garden (CG), while the other 6 boys have moved into Second Phase (a smaller home tied to CG for boys ages 18-21).
For the past three weeks, we have been living at CG, eating meals together, playing basketball and other games, discipling, teaching, and building relationships with the boys. Within a day or two of being here, the boys and the staff made us feel like we were a part of their family. It’s crazy, in meeting and spending time with them, you would never know the things they’ve gone through. They are some of the most kind, hard-working, well-behaved teenage boys I think I’ve ever met.
I didn’t know any of these boys before they came to Children’s Garden, but I’ve met a lot of street children through our daily outreach, and I can confidently say that Jesus really has transformed these boys into children who know they are loved, forgiven, and valued by their Heavenly Father.
I specifically remember one day during a community feeding outreach, one of the boys was telling me, pointing to one of the street boys who was high on glue, that that used to be him. My heart broke, not only for my friend, but for all of the kids who are still living day to day on the street. I still can’t wrap my head around it.
I really look up to Sharon. What she’s doing for these boys has changed the trajectory of their life.
One of the boys who has been living at CG for the last several years just graduated from high school and is now eligible for college!! This is huge! Most of the boys that come off the street enter into the Children’s Garden with little to no formal education. Some young boys don’t even know the essentials of reading and writing. Others are so far behind in their schooling, they are unable to join into the public school system. CG educates some of the boys through an Alternative Learning System, with the hopes that they’ll be able to catch up quick enough to enter back into public school.
My time here is way too short and I hope to come back in the future. Thank you again to everyone who has helped me get here. These boys are changing my life and have showed me a hope and a love that does make sense given their circumstance.
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August 10th , 2019
The Philippines has now come and gone. I absolutely loved it. Fast forward to today- I’ve been in Argentina for the past two weeks serving at a foster home. Most days we hang out with the kids, help cook and clean after meals, paint some part of the house (outside/inside walls, murals, etc), and organize donations. It’s been really great so far. And COLD which is a nice switch up from the last seven months in the heat.
Ooh and my parents came for a week during my last week of the Philippines!!! It was really cool for me to get to do ministry with them for a week and have them see a glimpse of what I’ve been doing all year. It was so nice to see them for a little bit.
Mom & Dad, if you’re reading this, thank you for coming!! I love you both so much and can’t wait to see you again in a few months.
Ok I think that’s it. Here’s some pictures:) Thanks for reading!
