I know it's the same pic from the last post, but worth a re-post it was so welcome.
Sunday morning we split up SAGU and SEU and the SEU team went to a church service at ICS church, had lunch and then went back to ICS to do the youth service from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. We played a game, they did worship which was amazing, and then Jason preached, we each led a small group and then we taught them all how to play "Ninja." While I am able to easily sum up the day in a mere two sentences, I cannot even begin to tell you all the amazing blessing I received that first Sunday. Partially because it would require a lot of back story, but also because it's difficult to describe what I received/experienced without sounding cheesy. To sum it up, God answered a few of my prayers. God knew exactly what I have been dealing with over the last chunk of time and he let me know it. I was writing out a prayer during worship in the main service and I was telling God I really didn't know what to do after this trip and in general. I was a little lost as to what my "purpose" is and the sermon was on "God's Ultimate Purpose." Amanda (on the SEU team) shared her testimony in the youth service and said many things that I absolutely needed to hear in that moment and then Jason got up to preach and God had changed his entire message during worship and every word he said was... exactly what I needed to hear, again. I felt like 3 different times before I even ate dinner, if God had had a physical body at that moment, he would have been sitting right in front of me, making direct eye-contact and saying "Kristen, try to tell me I don't love you. I have heard every prayer and cry. And I know the desires of your heart. Try to tell me that I don't love you." In the small groups afterward I was able to share a little of my testimony with my small group and to hear from them and their hearts about some of their testimonies and some of the things that God has done in their lives. It was beautiful for all of us.
The youth group and SEU team getting together for a picture after a 45 minute game of Ninja at the end of the service
Monday we had a little bit of a rest day, in that we went out with XA (Chi Alpha) in the morning and talked to students around RTU (one of many, many universities here). We got to distribute Book of Hope and just commune with some students. I got to sit and talk with 3 girls in a restaurant for a while about their studies and what they are doing and wanting to do and what religion means to them. After that we, as I said, had a rest day and went to the mall to do some shopping and things like that. I sat in Starbucks and took a nap for about half an hour and I went to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for a while and had some sweet Jesus-time and really got refreshed. Tuesday night I also tried Balut for the first time (everyone else was too freaked out to try it, haha). For those of you who do not know, steamed Balut is a duck embryo still in the shell between 10 and 20 days old (usually 18 days). So there is still some egg white and egg yoke inside but there is also a partially developed duck fetus. Now, while you go get a drink of water to wash down the bile that just creeped up your throat, I will gladly let you take my word for it that it was amazing. Just know that I will probably be eating a lot more of it throughout this trip (Basically it just tastes like your average a boiled chicken egg with a, in my opinion, more appealing texture).
Half way through my first balut, the first of many... (Sorry for blurry pic, I handed my camera off to record it, so this is the only pic that's half decent)
Tuesday morning was a completely different story. On Tuesday morning we met up with Steve and Beth Dailey to go to Baseco. Baseco is a squatter community that has sprung up on what used to be a landfill on Manila Bay. The people there are extremely poor, the children are malnourished and many lack proper clothing and the people live in terrible conditions without running water and only spotty access to filtered water as well. They use wood fires to cook and the air is very smokey all around. The ground is covered in feeces animal and otherwise (human) and there was a very large amount of rain the day we went, such that the missionaries were concerned we might get stuck out there when we left to go. At the church there (which is right across from a Muslim mosque) we did a small program with some songs and Bible stories for a group of children that are in the church's feeding program (started by the Dailey's) and then we helped to feed them and we just played with them and loved on them. The mothers of the children were present as well and it was amazing to interact with them and the children. I honestly don't know how to tell stories about these kids, like the little boy in the striped shirt who is deaf and mute, can't be more than 9 years old, and his parent don't want him. He lives with his grandmother. He has never learned to sign. But we were able to love on him and when we went to walk around the community a little bit he ran and walked with us the entire time. He held my hand as we walked for some 10 minutes and he didn't want to leave. This boy that I don't have a name for was beautiful and he was only one of many.
The boy in the striped shirt who had no words to speak.
Manila Bay from the squatter community we worked at on Tuesday. This community used to be a land fill and now contains some 40,000 families... some 200,000 people, at least.
Transition from that? Tuesday afternoon I was able to eat filafel again and I was very happy about that and then Wednesday we were going to be going back to RTU again to do more Book of Hope distribution, but there was a typhoon and, most unfortunately, all of our plans for the day were put on hold, however, that unexpected and initially unappreciated forced day of rest was much needed for the emotions and, as we will not be getting a ton of rest the next few days with a midnight bus ride tomorrow night to Baguio, it was a much needed rest for the bodies. We ate some new fruits and we saw Captain America at a theatre and I had a salted caramel cappuccino that was downright divine from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Today I rode the LRT (elevated train) here for the first time and we went to the U(niverity)-belt where there are many different universities in one area and we did more Book of Hope distribution. I was able to talk to a few young people and really connect with them and was able to tell them about XA and the student ministry and hopefully they will be able to plug in with that. Then we went to another university (PUP, I believe are the initials) where the XA student group on campus was hosting a Time Management seminar which we were in charge of. Finoy (on of the SAGU team members) lead the session and each of the rest of us lead small groups afterward to discuss the material and spiritual things as well. My group was all Christian or Catholic, but when I asked them all what they got out of the session one of the young ladies responded that she really needed to spend more time with God and make Him a priority in her life and to think about eternal things more. It was beautiful to hear from her heart on that. And that brings us up to now.
In the morning we will be going to two different universities, one will be another Life Skills seminar and the other, which is what I will be doing, I honestly don't know. We are going back to RTU, I believe and going classroom to classroom because we have finally received permission from the dean to come inside the campus. So, I will find out in the morning exactly what we will be doing, but for now I must go do a little packing and get some sleep. We are taking a midnight bus tomorrow night up to Baguio where we will be working with another missionary and staying at APTS (Asia Pacific Theological Seminary). Looking forward to it. And one last side note before I head off to sleep, I have made a decision (much prompted by God Sunday and later confirmed) to go back home after this trip. I don't knave a ticket yet beside my flight out of Manila on August 8th back to Bangkok, but I believe I will be back in CA on August 9th if mom gets me a flight. ;) So, I am happy to be coming home and sad to be leaving in 11 days...
See you all soon (in one format or another),
-Kristen
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