Of all the things I’ve learned in the three weeks I’ve been gone, the one probably most important is this:
I’m horrible at blogging.
I try to. I really do. There have been numerous occasions when I’ve found myself with little to do, staring at the computer sitting next to my bunk. But, somehow, I always end up doing something else, like watching Modern Family or playing Farkle.
So finally, here I am, sitting in an internet café in Malaybalay, a town on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, with absolutely nothing else to do but write this. My team and squadmates are yelling at me to blog and not letting me get distracted by anything else (which, as all of you know, is quite easy).
Without further ado, here it is, my first update from the Philippines, month 1 of my World Race.
My team is paired with Team SOLID in the middle of absolutely nowhere in the mountains of Mindanao, the second largest island of the Philippines. It’s beautiful here, and we wake up every morning surrounded by the most amazing scenery. We’re staying at the orphanage of Kid’s International Ministry, where we split our time between playing with the kids and helping to take care of them and doing manual labor around the camp.
The only internet is found in town, which is a 15 minute car ride from camp. The power goes off frequently and we sleep in two giant rooms with bunkbeds. We also take ice-cold showers, which are actually incredibly refreshing. We’ve been blessed by a Filipino woman named Roxanne who cooks for us and makes the most incredible meals.
We work with children who have been abandoned, come from incredibly abusive homes, or are a mixture of the two. I’ve read with them, listened to them talk and sat with them while they slept. Mainly, though, I pray for them. While they run around or sleep peacefully, I pray silently to the God of healing and restoration that their lives would be redeemed. Sometimes, when their abuse is so evident in their actions, I get discouraged and wonder how they could ever truly heal.
And then I look up and see the vastness of the mountains surrounding me – and realize that the God who created this amazing scene is also at work in their lives. He is very much alive today and is still the ultimate Healer.
That’s the beautiful truth I’ll cling to for the rest of this month, through all the flies and the heat and the rain. Because that IS truth, and I am incredibly honored to be a part of spreading that.
