THE PHILIPPINES – 2019
“…I have drawn you with unfailing kindness..” (Jer 31:3b)
*scroll down for pictures
The Lord still draws people to Himself through an unfailing kindness. I feel so incredibly privileged that God allows me to serve Him in this part of the world, and even play a small part in His relentless love for the poor and marginalized. All said and done, there is nothing better.
After 2 weeks in Bacolod – a city on the Northwest coast of the Philippines, I made my way back to Manila. We like to work alongside indigenous ministries and churches – many of which are struggling and in need of encouragement. Today, we spent much of the day in the slums. Drunks, pickpockets, criminals, children crying, prostitutes. Diseases are everywhere, which is probably why I keep getting sick. The heat and humidity add to the challenges of ministry in shantytowns and slums. My food of choice is hard boiled eggs – which I make in an electric teapot (and I got it down to a science!)
Although the Philippines has a growing middle class, there are still large populations living in abject poverty in shantytowns and slums – small, makeshift homes stacked on top of each other, made out of scrap metal, wood, and cinder blocks. They look like they could blow over in a storm – (and they often do.) Sewage and waste is a major problem, adding to the rampant health issues. The home visits are the best part for me, because the gospel comes alive where people live. In one common area – late night – there were drunks sitting around gambling and getting high. One man asked if we would visit his mother, so he walked us to a corner into a cubbyhole, where her body was lying in a casket (she had died two days before.) This is truly life on the edge.
PICTURES BELOW
