For the past few years I’ve been watching a lot of videos about people from other places experiencing poverty, about children with no home, no food to eat and etc. Whenever I do see such videos I always feel like going to the place, that I may be there to actually help them out, give them a hug, let them know that there is a God who loves them. There was also a few times where my Sunday school class was asked if we were interested in going into the mission field. A few of us were, but I guess that just wasn’t the time for us to go. So in the beginning of the year it was my cell group leader’s turn to ask, “If there will be a mission trip this year, who wants to go?” That was when I put my name in.In the middle of the year, when they asked again who wanted to join this mission trip that D-Way was leading, I put my name in again with a little prayer. Preparing for this mission trip, I did not think much of anything. To me, whatever comes comes. In terms of children, I spend a lot of time with my younger cousins which are 4, 9, and 10 years old. I do play, and be a nanny but I also try to keep my distance from them when they are dirty, like after playing and sweating or after a meal. Playing with them or not usually depends on my mood at that time because they are really spoilt and I usually feel like using a cane on them.
As for preparing for the trip, it was not till the last week before going for the trip that I started worrying if I’ll be able to get along with the children as I remembered how sometimes kids don’t really get along with me and also the times where if the child is dirty, I would not dare to go near, especially if they smell bad. I started worrying about this but I did pray that I’ll be able to accept the children, as they would accept me. I kept reminding myself to smile, and the reason I’m in Philippines is to spend time with the kids and to share God’s love with them. So, when we went to Tay Tay, I told myself the same thing, and praise God, I was able to get along well with the children there. It was also my first time getting hugged by so many children at the same time and yet I did not think much of if they were dirty or smelly. It just felt good to play with them and to get to know them. Having to leave them and seeing one of them cry was difficult.
As for the street kids ministry, I did not really get much contact with the kids, as I was wondering if they would understand me if I said anything, and Pastor Salzi did most of the talking and giving the milk and bread, so I just kept quiet most of the time, mostly in my own world wondering why were we in the rain, and how the kids survive the really cold weather, but later figure it out to be part of God’s big plan. After that, we went to the kids in Delpan. Seeing the children, seeing how they keep trying to get out from the rain, wiping the water of their faces, seeing how their situation is far worst than in Tay Tay made me wonder how they survive. During the praise and worship, when the first boy came up as a volunteer and got drenched with cold water, I felt really bad, felt that this shouldn’t happen to them, I did not want the second volunteer to get wet as well, as such I switched places with the kid. When being told that I would get wet if I stood there, I just felt, where else could I stand? Would you rather if the kid got wet again just because I might get wet? I did consider the fact that I’ll get wet if I switched places with the kid, but we were there for the kids, and they do not deserve getting drenched with cold water just because I wanted to stay dry. Therefore, I rather get wet than letting the kid get drench.
Right after the 2 ministries in the morning, going to the Mall of Asia was a real impact for me. I got really worked up seeing the spoilt children in the mall and wonder if these children know how the other not so privileged children are living outside. It was an upsetting sight. How it will apply to me, and what I am to learn from this, I’m not quite sure, and still figuring it out, but I’m sure God is working and teaching me something through this. Since I’m back, the one thing I’m really learning to do is to not over react like a spoilt child when I’m given a task that I seriously do not want to do.
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