This month my team is in Manila Philippines working with Kids International Ministries (KIM). KIM is involved in a lot of different ministry areas including orphans, street kid ministry, and feeding programs. On Monday a few people from my team and I went along to one of the feedings and my eyes were opened up to what true poverty is and to what real joy is.
The story of the people of tent city started in 2009 when a typhoon flooded out they’re squatter camp. They were evacuated into shelters until the land dried out again. But when they went back to where they had built their houses before, they found that the owner of the land had built a fence around his property and wasn’t going to let them live on the land anymore. This left the government of the Philippines with hundreds of people without anywhere to go. So the government loaded them all up on dump trucks, dropped them off at a place that’s now known as tent city, and left them. The problem with tent city is that it’s located outside the city in the middle of nowhere almost so it’s impossible for people to find work. This is the situation these people were left to live in.
Today we were able to deliver and serve a hot meal from Food for the Hungry to many of the people of tent city. People come from every direction for the meal because it may be there only good meal for the day or possibly the week. Many are still turned away because we eventually run out of food.
After the meal we went out into the community to talk to the people and get a better idea of how the people live. What I found was people who were satisfied with what they had. They invited us into there homes to show off the few things the did have. They also had a joy that I have never seen in people no matter what living conditions they have. Even though they had so little they were still joyful and thankful for all they did have.
This made me think a lot today about all that I do have. Even while I’m on the race living out of a backpack I probably still have a lot more than the people I met today. I’ll have even more when I go home. I’ll be able to find a job and a home, have food and clean water. I don’t have to worry about those things while the people of tent city have to think about these things every day.
God also calls us to care for the poor and needy. Proverbs 29:7 says “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” Then in Proverbs 19:17 it says “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
I challenge everyone to be thankful for what they do have and use their resources wisely. Next time you find yourself complaining about something remember all that you have to be thankful for. For me, God has blessed me with so much more than I really need and I have nothing to complain about. I’m going to do my best to always be thankful and joyful no matter how much or how little I have and I hope you will to. Ultimately I have Jesus and he’s all I really need because I know he is in control and he will provide.
