Face To Face In Davao City February 2011

FACE TO FACE IN DAVAO CITY  (FEB 2011 )

Connections

This is the introduction of my journey to a beautiful land and people who have touched me in such a way, I can never be the same again... 

Giving is a good thing, but it does not meet long-term needs. The hungry has to learn how to make bread to feed themselves. First, we help them buy the ingredients, then provide the instruction manual.

There were many faces of people I met. There are faces you put to names you've heard, and they turn into acquaintances, then friends, and every once in a while, people you simply know will be alongside you for a long, long time because they share the same vision and faith.

There is the face of someone dear to me, whom I have not seen for months. He has grown a little thicker around the waist, but also taller to compensate for the spread. Older, and mature beyond his years, yet he has not lost that impish boyishness that makes the whole package uniquely special. There are ties that bind, which transcends time and space. Such sweet reunion!

There are faces you can never forget

At an orphanage, there was this boy...His eyes bore the scars of emotional trauma left upon his little heart which beats for barely 18 months. They were wary eyes, like those of a hunted animal, watching, waiting for something to pounce which will hurt or maim. J carried him and wept for him. At first, he could not cry. He could not even hold out his hands to grasp the loving arms which held him. Other babies cooed, smiled. and reached out for a cuddle, for a gentle touch that doesn't come often enough...J could not let go of him; she cradled him and prayed for the wounded spirit to be filled with joy, and for him to let go of the nightmares which haunt him. After more than an hour, it was about time for us to leave. I laid my hands on his head, and together we prayed with a fresh fervour and desperation. Finally, it broke - he was able to cry and there was some measure of release. J and I cried with him. 

At a slum settlement where houses stand on stilts on top of the sewerage, there are other faces. These have eyes that are empty and do not see; there is no light that shines through them because of the bleakness that surrounds them. Among these faces, one face stands out. This is the face of the pastor who has made a committment to them to be their servant, their friend, their spiritual mentor. His face is as weary as the parched wilderness where his feet tread, but a light shines from his eyes because of his love for his people, reflecting our Father's heart for his children.

There is the face of a young widow who was only married for 1 month before her husband died suddenly of an illness. Immeasurable grief, confusion and loss.There are  matters of the heart for which the passage of time may not heal. It requires a supernatural healing and restoration. She has encountered the Lord through her pastor, and is slowly picking up the pieces to put her life together again.

There are faces of need everywhere. Poverty is rampant. Young children roam freely on the streets because they have no schools to go to. Some days, they have nothing to eat.

There are faces of anticipation and delight framed by the expressions of children who are biting into an oreo cookie or even a roll of white bread. These are treats for special occasions when visitors come and hand them out.So much for so little. Theory of relativity - what is it?

There are faces of strength in character moulded by difficult circumstances. At Love The Children Foundation (LTCF) for abandoned children, many share the same story - they were left there by their mothers ( their fathers were already long gone earlier ). As days turned into weeks into months into years, they waited and waited for their mothers to come back for them, until their memories of her slowly disappeared and they could not even remember her face nor the sound of her voice.

One teenager resolutely set his face to be a youth pastor to minister to street kids. Another wanted to be a worship leader. Pasted on the walls of their dormitory were sheets of paper containing their prayer requests. Many were blank. I checked with the Director of LTCF for the reason why. Their prayers were all answered for last year. We saw a sheet of paper containing a dozen prayer requests and curiosity got the better of us. A boy was believing God for a pair of pants, a shirt, underwear..and towards the end of the list, a guitar and ipod. It brought a lump to my throat. I was quite sure that he would not be too particular if these were not brand new.

Then there are the faces that connected with us, like loose pieces of jigsaw that fitted together and you can see a picture emerging. Led by a gentle but sure stirring in the spirit, I have travelled thousands of miles to pursue a vision that has been planted in my heart to work with an orphanage. Across the thousands of miles in Davao, two people shared a vision to give up everything they once had to provide a home for abandoned children;  to raise them, give them spiritual food, teach them life-skills to make a living through making beautiful jewelry. There is a connection. 

Moving Forward

First a tiny stream, then it bursts forth into a river, flowing into the sea of abundance, then out into the deep ocean of unlimited blessings . I look upwards to the harvests ahead...