Manila, Philippians March 30th, 2010. This is a blog I wrote a long time ago but still wanted to post it. Taken from my journal.
Twenty-four hours ago my heart was longing to leave this world behind. Frustrated with the reality of these people’s situation and feeling helpless and hopeless I was ready to pack my bags and move on. However God has set forth a course of events that have softened my heart for the Philippians.
Last night sitting under a full moon and talking with one of my squadmates, Nicole, a woman by the name of Lydia who works at the orphanage approached us to tell us about a child named Alona. Her father works here at K.I.M and does all the fixing up. He has six children and his middle one Alona is six years of age and has cerebral palsy. Last night her family rushed Alona to the hospital searching for medical care; however the reality in this place is no money, no care. Three times they were turned away and they had no choice but to return home.
As Lydia sat and spoke she revealed a heart of brokenness that could have only been from the Lord. Tears rolled down her face and words became few, but you could see past her dark brown eyes and into her soul. I could see it crying out to God to have mercy, for a miracle. Nicole, so passionate and broken for these people and the healthcare they receive was a pillar of strength for Lydia as Nicole showered her with words of love and affirmation. I sat in that moment truly moved by God’s timing. His ability to reveal to us what he has been trying to say for a month…PRAY! Not acting to complete God’s will but praying that God would use us as a vessel to reach the poor in spirit, the hurting and the lost. This is not about how we can throw together an action plan via Tash, this is about prayer. So we prayed that God would heal but if he didn’t heal that he would use this young girl’s life to reach this community of squatters.
The next morning Jeff Long, who runs K.I.M, gathered thirty racers in his living room to surround little Alona and her family. Her breathing labored, her body shriveled in her father’s arms; brothers and sisters standing near her side. We reached out and touched them and we prayed that God would move in a mighty way through comfort, healing, rest, and peace.
The Long family paid for Alona’s family to go into the providence for a few weeks, to spend time away from the city and alone with their dying child. I don’t know if Alona survived those weeks but I do know God used that moment to soften my heart. Even now typing this six months later, tears come to my eyes. I remember that moment in that living room you could see God move. Streams of tears rolled out of pairs of different colored eyes, and as hearts of racers broke and cried out to the Lord for a girl they did not know you could see the spirit move. As I left that place I believe or at least for myself I know I was a little more broken, my heart a little fuller with compassion, and my spirit yearning to be a vessel.
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