On Day 10 we visited the New Life Rehabilitation Home in Milaybalay. When Jodi, a former World Racer, was here at New Faith Family Children’s Home in 2009, she felt got calling her back to the Philippines to start a full time jail ministry. She returned and acquired a home at a low rent because of it’s location. It is across the street from a cemetery and Filipinos do not like to rent the home because they believe that the spirits escape the cemetery and it is too close. When we first visited, she had one living at the home for a while and had just gotten another one a few days before. These boys have gotten in trouble with the law in some way, and Jodi has met them through her jail ministry. She attends their court dates and makes an attempt to convince the judges that they can come live with her instead of being sentenced to jail time. She has a full time house parent that lives in the home, and social workers that come by. There are also tutors that come to the home so that the boys can work toward a high school equivalency exam. They participate with her in the jail ministry and are sometimes asked by the boys still behind bars if the American is paying them to visit the jail and tell people about Jesus. That must be a tough thing for them. The men on our team are helping bushwack a field behind the home that is part of the property so that a basketball court can be put in, and the two boys have been helping them. My teammate Christin has been helping with data entry. A few of us painted a CR and also painted a wall in Jodi’s office with primer. She wants a mural on that wall with the theme of redemption and my teammate Tiffany has been painting it. The love that she has for Christ shines through her and she wants these boys to understand that in Jesus, their slates are wiped clean. When she gets all of her paperwork approved through the government, they will start sending boys to her home and she will no longer have to attend their court dates and negotiate this deal. She has taken in two additional boys since we arrived, and sadly one of them took money and they both ran away in the last couple of days. It probably won’t be the last time something like this happens and it is hitting her hard of course. The orphanage has the same rules, that once the kids run away, they cannot return. Please keep Jodi, her boys, and her home in your prayers. The two boys that still live in the home now are so great. God is already changing them in so many ways and I’ve heard one of the men that is on my squad comment that the love and joy that they emit inspires him every time he is around them. As Job and David shouted praises to their Redeemer, these boys remind us to do the same. He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall be looked upon with light.
On our last day off in the Philippines, we traveled to the Dole Pineapple plantation, to lunch, and then rock climbing and rappelling . We decided to bring the boys along with us. I know it means a lot to them when we include them in our activities and it means a lot to us too. We were so excited to have them along it was all everyone could talk about the next morning at breakfast. We packed 15 people into the van and headed out for our big adventure day. You wouldn’t believe how many people you can get into one of those vans. I think our record so far is 28. The back seat is a little bumpy and a little dizzy, but it's so worth the ride.
