The Philippines & Cambodia
Anyone in the know will tell you that May is the worse time to visit both the Philippines and Cambodia, but we did it anyway. Why is this such an inopportune time? Because it is crazy hot and humid! This is the period right before the monsoons unleash themselves and flood everything in sight and create mud, as far as the eye can see. So many people tell us to come in November or January, when other tourist flock there, but we aren’t sightseers. We were there on a mission. Firstly, we flew to Manila then to Cebu City in order to finally board a smaller airplane that would take us through puffy white Cumulus clouds and over countless volcanic islands until we landed on the small tarmac of the Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Busuanga on the island of Palawan. This is the biggest island of the Calamian archipelago and is a popular destination for scuba and snorkeling aficionados due to the World War II shipwrecks and colorful coral reef scattered at every turn in the azure waters. Although we were able to take a pleasure day off on a boat that offered kayaking, snorkeling and lunch on a beach, we were at this glorious destination for a more meaningful, poignant and exciting reason.
We were there to partner with a church called, Northgate, in the town of Coron for two summer camps. It is the first ones that they have ever put on. And when I say camps, I mean it literally, all the kids all slept in tents that belonged to their parents or were provided for them. The first camp was for younger children and had approximately 80 in attendance. The following camp was for teens and young adults and had a whopping 225 or so campers! Everyone at both events bubbled with anticipation and excitement.
As soon as the tents were erected, the kids couldn’t wait to get inside!
The minute teams are formed, friendships are forged.
A taste of our first day, raw and unedited
We brought a small group from our own congregation in Arizona, Calvary Chapel Dayspring Church because we want to mobilize our congregants to be more internationally mission minded. The best way for a person to develop a heart for third world nations is for them to go and see what is happening, interact and fall in love themselves. I am pleased to report that this very thing occurred. Each member of our small group was moved to tears on many occasions, as they began friendships, heard stories and poured themselves into the lives of others. We plan to facilitate this trip every year and will be inviting more people to come and experience this for themselves. Yes, they will sweat, sometimes feel uncomfortable physically or emotionally, but it will change their lives and those
they come into contact with forever!
We were in the Philippines in January for our vision trip and were so thrilled with the relationships that we have forged and will continue to nourish. This time, in the sweltering heat of May, Cambodia our vision trip. We flew into the capitol city of Phnom Penh, which is pretty huge in its own right. We had a church there that we had been in contact with and attended the day after we arrived. From this assembly comes many nonprofits and charity organizations, so we met many people who wanted to show us what they do on a weekly, if not, daily basis. The first place we got to get involved with was at a trash dump on a nearby island. A group of young adults faithful go every Sunday to lead a children’s church outside, in the open air-come rain or shine. They sang songs with motions, told a Bible story, colored pictures and gave treats at the end. It was no different than what I would see at home, except the environment was dire and dirty, as people peeked out from lean-to shacks to see who we were. The youth were shoeless and ungroomed as you would imagine someone living inside of a city refuse would be. They were joyful though, as they clapped, sang and listened intently to the message. Afterward, they showed us their “neighborhood,” which compares to any slum that we have walked through in India. On the edge of the trash dump, the children ushered us through open fields that were packed with many acres of lotus flowers that were being cultivated in the mud. The juxtaposition of these breathtaking flower fields and the pathetic shacks, strewn amongst the thrown away rubbish piles, was not lost on me.
The children picked numerous lotus buds and presented them to us and showed us how to pull off the seeds inside the central pod and snack on them like peanuts. As the sun began to set, we rode in our tuk tuks across the ferry to the bright lights that reflected in the harbor. It was a blessed day and like every other time that we have been involved with outreach toward the “least of these,” we received far more than we gave. Sometimes, I think that we in the West are the actual paupers.
Another opportunity that is cemented in my mind is when we visited a school that has been set up and run on a wing and a prayer by a man who was once homeless. This place of education consists of several buildings and teaches reading, writing, math, music and art to the offspring of “gleaners.” These are people at the lowest strata of society that push carts around or motorcycled powered carts and recycle the trash on the streets. They pick up cans and plastic and whatever has a possible minuscule monetary value and exchange it for coins to live. We met the families whose children are students in this free school and got a first hand look at their abodes. Many of them were constructed out of corrugated metal and had dirt floors. Their kitchens were outside and dishes and laundry were done in bowls with a hose. We are being asked to come back next year with our team and conducted a Vacation Bible School program which we are very interested in doing. The founder, Pastor Rin, has an amazing testimony of how he was saved from the streets of Phnom Penh and received a vision to educate these children, who otherwise would have not opportunity in life but to become a gleaner as well.
I look forward to seeing what God has in mind for the future for all of the people who we had the privilege of meeting and teams that we bring from the United States. I never despise small beginnings because I have seen tiny starts blossom like the lotus flowers that we cradled outside the neighborhood in the dump.
Stay tuned! -Launa
