Leaving Africa meant one thing; the first chunk of the race now over, and a new season was about to begin. Neither my team nor I had any idea what Asia was going to be like. All I knew is that for some reason I had this pit in my stomach, and a weird butterfly feeling just thinking about the Philippines.I’m not really sure why, but maybe it was the fact that a month prior to us arriving, a huge typhoon had taken place. That would mean that the country was probably still in mourning, and would need Jesus more than ever. It could have also been the fact that Asian culture was completely different than African, and I had just spent the last 3 months getting comfortable in that aspect of the race, so that would mean getting to start over fresh. Either way, I was super eager to enter this country. I had no idea of all the many blessings I would recieve this month.
Our first week was spent in San Filipe on the island of Zambales at debrief. We spent a beautiful week at The Circle Hostel, with sand floors, and the beach just a two minute walk away. I found the break from ministry refreshing, and gave me time to focus on what this new chapter would look like. With my toes in the sand, mountains all around me, and ocean before me, there was no better place on earth to do just that. That is when I realized that I had already fallen in love with the Philippines, and hadn’t even been apart of ministry yet. I just knew that my heart belonged there. I was given a place of peace, a place of beauty, and a place where I could spend as much time with the Lord as I wanted, and I couldn’t have been any more thankful.
After spending a week in San Filipe, me and twelve other girls took a forty hour bus ride to the city of Tacloban. As you may or may not have heard, Tacloban is where the storm search or Typhoon Yolanda hit the hardest. I had no idea of really what to expect or what it would be like, so I tried to keep my mind pretty open. I did, however, think that we would be bringing hope to these people, and bringing joy back to their lives. To my surprise, after spending a week there, it was quite the opposite.
When we finally arrived, the city was just as we thought it would be, in shambles. On the other hand, the people were not. Of course they weren’t happy go lucky like nothing had happened by any means, but their attitudes were nothing like you would expect them to be. Once settled in our room at a school that hadnt been completely damaged, in our tents and without electricity, it was time to start ministry!
Our job was to go out and do “feedings” every single day. That meant that we would be chopping vegetables such as onions, garlic, and ginger, and mixing it with gallons and gallons of rice and pourage to make this meal called Lugaw. We would then drive to different areas in different suburbs of Tacloban and pass out the food to people who needed it. We went to places whee the destruction was almost unbearable to look at. There were piles and piles of debris everywhere you looked. Homes where torn apart all over the ground. Cars were destroyed. Boats at been hoisted onto the shore and tipped. Tops of trees had been snapped off. If there was even a half of a building left, there was a family living in it. Even a month after arriving, there were still places (especially along the bay) where bodies were being found.At that point they were unidentifiable, so some faimlies who had lost loved ones may never have actually found theirs. All they know is that they were one of more than 5,000 found dead.
You may think it would be a hard task to accomplish, and you would be correct. Aside from all the hard things we had to see, I can honestly say that going out on the feedings were the best part of my day. People came with smiling faces, and greeted us with much thanks for what we were doing. Even after losing everything that they had, the people of Tacloban and surrounding areas were full of joy and so willing to give you anything they could for helping. The children just wanted to have some fun, and play with you. I spent some times learning some Filipino games with some children one day, singing songs another, and dancing in the rain on yet another day. Memories that will never be taken for granted.
You can imagine my surprise at the effect that week had on me. Here I thought I would be going there to do relief work and change peoples lives, and those people changed my life. I can’t imagine something like that happening to me, and yet when it did, nearly everyone I talked to turned to God. They thanked Him for second chances at living. For keeping them safe throught the storm. Even for bringing us to the Philippiens to provide them with food. I heard survivor stories about people swimming for blocks in the waves to find somewhere to be safe, even if they didn’t necessarily know how to swim. About people holding onto telephone wires for hours in order not to drown. About mothers who would hold their new born babies in their arms while nursing them to keep them warm, at the same time clinging onto something to save both their lives! It was all so much, yet it influenced me in every way to thank God for opening my eyes to the realization that even when things are tough, you should still be submerged in His word, and His strength.
