My time in the Philippines taught me how to find comfort in the uncomfortable. Me and my team stayed at Kids International Ministries (KIM), and there are ALOT of people who stayed there. This proved to be uncomfortable for me, I like small groups and quiet spaces.
To go along with the theme of being uncomfortable, there wasn’t very much structure. We could wake up and have no idea what ministry would look like that day. Even if we had a weekly schedule, it would change so much that it didn’t look anything like it did before. Back home, I’d be happy to do the same thing every day just because I would know what each day has. So all the unknown wasn’t the easiest for me.
This was the most poverty stricken place I have been to. Kids standing in the street begging for food and money, their ribs sticking out. It wasn’t easy to see. Twice my team was brought to a place called Tondo, it is the poorest city in all of the Philippines. Mountains of garbage could be seen everywhere. People digging through the garbage for food, but not to eat themselves. If they found chicken in the garbage they would refry it and sell it again. Streams of water mixed with lots of unpleasant things flooded the streets. It was hard to see.
These are just a few examples of my uncomfort. It was also really hot and really humid. We didn’t have a fully working ac unit, so sleeping was also very hot. We would also do pool ministry sometimes (just playing with the kids in the pool) but I didn’t do well with water so it was a challenge. Despite all these things, I was able to find peace and comfort. God was with me, strengthening me every day to handle the things that I couldn’t on my own. He heard my prayers and answered them. He didn’t take them away, but gave me the strength to go through it. My Goliath didn’t disappear, but God gave me a sling and a stone.
It wasn’t all hard, there were things that I enjoyed too. Most of our ministry was feeding families. We would carry buckets of food into different communities and distribute it amongst those who lived there. So many kids would run over and just want to be with you, it was enough for them to get even just a little bit of attention. We would also get to preach or act out a Bible story at these feedings.
The highlight of my time here comes from when we got to go visit a tribe. Or time there was short, but it left a big impact on me, and I hope we were able to leave one on them. The team was given one opportunity to preach the gospel, and after praying about who it should be, the team felt that it should be me! I was so excited, and I definitely went beyond the 5-10 minutes that I was given. God was moving in that place, and at the end of my talk I asked if any of them would like to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 37 hands went up. 37 people said they wanted to accept Jesus and live for him. Praise God!
Micah 7:7
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my savior; my God will hear me.”
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