I have been waiting to write this blog until the story was finished. So without further ado I’d like to tell you about what exactly I’ve been doing in the Philippines this month.
This is my final month of The World Race. In a short 2 days I will be on a plane headed back to the states. So before I go home, I wanted to share with you what an incredible time I’ve had this month. This month we were at Kids International Ministries here in Manila. We were actually supposed to stay at their other base further south in the Philippines but the Lord worked it out for us to end up spending our entire month and final debrief in this location which I am very grateful for.
The ministry opportunities here many. We got to choose from multiple different options each day of what we would like to do. One of my absolute favorite things to do was go to feedings. Feedings are where they make large containers, like the kind you store Christmas decorations in, of rice that comes from donations by the Orphan Grain Train and take them into the poorer parts of the city and feed the community there. We would load up the food and head out into the city and after driving for sometimes up to 3 hours, we would arrive at the feeding site. It wouldn’t take long before a giant line of people, usually kids, would be there with bowls or Tupperware waiting to receive some of the food. We would share a quick bible story and pray for the food, then we would serve the food until it was gone. There was never any waste. We always were able to empty the containers. Sometimes I was able to help the little ones carry their rice home so that they didn’t spill it. Walking through the village and getting to speak to the people was so special. Then we would hang out in the community and play with the kids. While some of us would play with the kids, others would help lead bible study for the community. This was where I always found myself. I loved playing with the kids, but I loved ministering more to the women who would show up to listen to the word. It was such a blessing to be able to encourage these women and help them feel appreciated and loved. Then we would load up, come back to the center, and do it all over again in a couple of hours. These were always good days.
I didn’t get very many of those days though. On my first day of ministry this month, I was helping paint a building that they are renovating in the center. I also noticed all around Manila and even inside the center there were murals. I had just painted a mural last month and didn’t know if that was something that they needed here or even if it was something I wanted to do this month. I found myself having to pray over if I should offer to paint a mural for them or not. Going into this month, I felt the Lord wanting me to make my relationship with Him my priority. I knew that painting this mural would give me the space and time to spend with the Lord in a way that I only get through art. After praying about it, I approached Norm (the head honcho around here and fellow Texan) and asked if there was any murals they might be needing. Surprise. Surprise. There was. They actually had two different things they wanted painted. One was a nursery at the children’s home that they have. (Going and helping at the children’s home was another ministry option, but I never got to do that.) The other option was a mural for the birthing center that they have.
I asked what exactly they were wanting. For the children’s home I had complete freedom. They just wanted something cute for the kids. That was exactly in my wheelhouse. Cute animals and a cartoony scenic background. I can totally do that. I was totally ready to jump on that one, but then they showed me the one they wanted for the birthing center.
The birthing center used to be in a different location. They had a mural done there that everyone really loved. Mom’s would take pictures in front of it. People always talked about it and how much they loved it. Well, when they moved locations they lost that mural. (You can’t exactly bring the wall with you.) So they had been wanting someone to redo that mural in there new location for quite some time, but no one really had the ability to do that. I took one look at the photo and said, “Nope!” There was no way that I could do that. The mural before was so detailed and way outside of my comfort zone. I don’t like committing myself to something that I don’t know if I can do.
I asked for some time to think about it. I wanted to choose the easy mural, but I knew pretty quickly that God was calling me to do the other one. I wrestled with the idea of committing to something that I might not be able to pull off. In the end, I felt like I knew I could possibly do the harder mural, and how long would it be before someone else like me was here to do that for them? I found Norm later that day and committed to do the mural at the birthing center for Him.
My days changed pretty quickly after that. This mural was very complex and I knew it would take me the rest of my time while I was here to finish it. We went and bought the paint (a pretty cool experience because the guy mixed all the colors by hand) and I started to try and replicate the drawing of the previous mural. It took me two days to draw out. If you stood to the side you could see the eraser marks left behind from the many different tries it took me to get it to look somewhat similar. Then it was on to painting. I spent every day after that painting for hours.
Some days they would be doing check-ups while I was painting. The moms would come in and get weighed. Then they would take their blood pressure (another thing I was able to learn how to do during my stay here), measure their bellies, and check for the baby’s heartbeat. I got to hear so many little hearts as I worked on this mural for the center. This center is completely free for the women. The mom’s come in weekly to get check-ups so that the workers can build relationships with them. They get prenatal vitamins and get to take home some eggs to help them with groceries. Then they get to deliver at the center for free. It is a huge help for the people here because hospitals are expensive and many people cannot afford them here.
It took until the last 2 days of ministry to finish the mural. It didn’t look exactly like the original, but everyone is super happy with it and I know that it is one that I am very proud of. Are you ready for the big reveal?
I know, its a fetus. If I had painted it anywhere else it would have been weird, but this is in a birthing center. So its actually pretty perfect. During my time painting this mural I was able to pray over the birthing center. I prayed for all the babies that were going to be born here. I prayed for the moms as they came in for their check-ups. I was able to listen to worship music and spend hours in the presence of the Lord. It was definitely what I was supposed to do this month. Once I finished, I was told that if a mom gives birth while I am here, they would have her give birth in front of the mural and I would get to be there for it.
Now I know that sounds nuts, but I was so excited about the idea that I might get to see a baby be born in front of this mural I just painted. I started immediately praying that God somehow make that happen. I wanted so badly to be a part of a birth. Many of my squamates had seen and been a part of births while we were here, but I wasn’t ever able to be there. I hoped that a baby would come before I had to leave in a couple days, but that didn’t happen.
Since this is our last month on the field, our leadership gave us an amazing opportunity to go on a “pilgrimage” of sorts to the Batad rice terraces in the northern part of the Philippines. We would be going up and spend a week hiking and processing about what this journey has been, how it has changed us, transitioning home, ect. I was so excited about this when I first heard about it. Then, once it got a bit more real, I got nervous. I am not the best hiker. I am slow, scared of heights, and scared of falling. That doesn’t really make for a dynamite combination all the time. I was apprehensive but ready to take on whatever it was the Lord had for me up there. The day came when we were going to leave and monsoon type rain started falling. It is rainey season here but I have never seen it rain so much for so long. We had to cancel our bus out that night because of flooding.
It was now up in the air if we would be leaving and I was pumped. That means I would have more time and more chances of a baby being born if I stayed here an extra week. The next day I went to church and I found out we would have a meeting later that day to discuss what the plans were now. Upon arriving at the meeting, I found out that it was now a personal decision. We were asked to pray about either going to the terraces or staying here at KIM. I was pretty sure almost immediately what I was supposed to do. You see, the easy thing to do would be to stay. I could possibly see a baby be born. I could go to feedings. I knew what the living conditions were here, and I knew I liked it here. It would be so easy to stay, but the Lord wasn’t calling me to easy. He wanted me to choose what would be harder for me. He wanted me to choose the hike. He wanted me to choose uncertainty. He wanted me to choose Him. After a few minutes, I went to leadership and told them I would be going on the hike. I quickly ate dinner and went to pack my bags. We left that night for the rice terraces.
Upon arriving in Batad, I knew I had made the right choice. The Lord so clearly wanted me to take this time and just be with Him. To sit and reflect back on this crazy year with Him and allow Him to heal parts of this story that were hurting. During my time in the terraces, I found freedom and restoration towards my race and realized some things about myself in the process. The most wonderful part about Batad is that it was totally off the grid. There was no phone service or WIFI. There weren’t even any cars or motos. The only way to get to this place is to hike in. It reminded me a lot of Venice in the way that it is so void of the noise of cars or trucks. I was blissfully unaware of what was happening back at KIM while I was there. That is, until I hit WIFI again.
Our final morning in Batad, we hiked out and stayed in a little town called Banaue. It was there that I saw what was happening back here. In the span of 2 days there were 5 babies born. I was so sad. I tried to be excited for my friends who all got to see births, but I was actually jealous. It sounds silly but I had to pray about it and let go of the fact that it might not be what the Lord had for me. That maybe the work He was doing in the hearts of my sqaudmates was more important. It was then that I saw they had taken pictures in front of the mural. They had gotten all the babies born in the last month or so and put them on the beds and had a little baby photoshoot in front of the mural. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I knew that moment, if I didn’t get to see a birth I would still be happy with what I had gotten to do for the birthing center. I saw that it wasn’t about me and that painting, but it was about all those little tiny humans that were lying on those beds.
I came back to KIM for final debrief and I knew that there was still a chance that I might get to see a birth. Then yesterday morning I was told that there were (unconfirmed at the time) 4 moms in labor. I was crossing my fingers and hoping that I would get to see one born before I leave in 3 days. Then at 4:00, someone comes into my room and tells me its go time. I throw on my shoes and grab my phone and I am out the door.
I arrive at the birthing center and find out not only do I get to witness the birth, but I actually get to catch the baby!!!! I was so excited. I was also quite nervous, but I tried to hold it together. I asked the mom if she knew what she was having and she said no. I made a guess that it was a boy.
It took about 2 hours before it was go time. Then I gloved up and got ready to catch the baby. I can tell you now that this is one of the most special things I’ve ever had the privilege of doing. I got to greet this little baby as it came into the world. We were able to be the ones to tell the mom it was a boy. I was in tears as I held him and we wrapped him up and placed him on his mothers stomach. I cried at the beauty of life, while Rona, the mid-wife, laughed at me. Rona has delivered over 1,400 babies so she doesn’t get that choked up about them anymore. I, however, couldn’t help but cry at the tiny little miracle I got to hold. He was so precious and tiny.
Welcome, Christian Luke. 5 lbs. 3 oz. One of the newest tiny humans and one I will always remember.
So, that is what has been happening in the Philippines. That is what these last few weeks of my life have been. I could not think of a better way to end this adventure than this. It has been absolutely perfect. Until next time…
