God's Agenda

I am only a few weeks away from finishing my ten-month apprenticeship here in Iloilo City, Philippines!  As I look back and reflect on everything that has happened and all that I’ve learned, I realize that God had an agenda for me that was way more important then anything else on my to do list. 

He wanted me to step into the family’s world and do things like simply hugging His children, sliding down a hill on dirty pillows inside the dump and laughing until our stomachs hurt. 

After walking a day in their shoes, how can I go back to living a normal life? I have seen and heard enough. Now is my time to follow His plan.

GTN Iloilo City, Philippines Apprenticeship 2011

Divine Visitations

As soon as we set foot in Calajunan for our weekly visit, we are hit by the intense smell of neighboring piles of garbage.  In between conversations with the children, our mouths are shut due to the innumerable flies buzzing around us.  But above all, we are bracing ourselves for the unexpected – getting ready for divine appointments.

This past Saturday, as we were getting ready to leave, I noticed a barefoot little boy sitting on the side, watching his friends play.  Christopher had cut his right foot while working in the dump, where you can find just about any hazardous thing imaginable. To my dismay, he only had a bandana wrapped around his swollen injured foot. I asked if I could pray for him and with his consent, I told his friends to join in prayer as well. I told them what the Word of God said about healing, and then we all prayed. While I was laying hands on him, one little girl imitated what I was doing and decided to lay hands on another little boy who was praying for Christopher!

This unforgettable experience reminded me about the importance of showing acts of kindness towards people and how those acts will be inevitably reciprocated towards someone else. What an amazing privilege; I get to visit God’s best friends and be used by Him to touch their lives in special ways! 

Selling Goodies for an Education

     Most of us have fond memories of starting a new school year when we were little kids. For me, it was not the fact that I was going back to school that had me all excited, but it was knowing that my mom would take me shopping for new clothes and new school supplies! I never had to do anything to earn money for my school supplies and it was the same for most of my peers as well.

     About a few months ago, on a normal hot Saturday afternoon, Abigail and I were doing our routinely visitations to the children that we minister to on Sunday’s. We made a few stops before we found ourselves outside of Mia’s house. She was selling some goodies right by the fence.  Abigail asked her a few questions in Ilonggo and we found out that she was selling all those things to fundraise money for a backpack and other school supplies. I was so impressed to see such a young girl like her fundraise her own money for school. With this strong determination and all the talents and gifts God has placed inside of her,  I am sure she will reach all her God given dreams and goals! I am definitely blessed to be a part of her life! :)

Mia played a special tune for us while we visited and purchased some things from her little store!

And They Ran Away...

A few weeks ago I was spending some time with Lyn Lyn, a young Filipina girl who I am mentoring.  We had been at the mall and when we walked out we saw two street children begging for money right outside. It took me a few seconds to realize that the older kid was the same boy who had attended Kids Club at Calajunan for some time but later stopped going. He was the boy with the physical condition on his feet that I wrote about in my blog at the beginning of the year.

After recognizing him, we stopped to talk to him and his little friend who was about seven years old and had no shoes on.  They both asked us for money so they could buy something to eat. Then I told them that I couldn’t give them money but that I could go inside the mall to buy them a couple of burgers, fries and drinks. They readily agreed, so we went back inside to buy them their food. However, when we returned, they were no longer there. After looking around, we soon found the younger boy and he took us to his friend. We gave them both the food and as they ate we found out that the older boys’ grandmother had kicked him out of the house, and he was now sleeping on the streets.  As we were talking, I noticed that a security guard walked passed us and just stared at the boys. Then later he came back with a little notebook ready to take their names down. The boys had apparently broken something outside of the mall, and the guard was going to report them. Both of the boys denied breaking anything. For a quick second the guard turned around to talk on his radio and immediately both of the boys picked up their food, leaving their trash behind, and ran as fast as they could!

I felt helpless not knowing what to do or how I could help the boys.  After all this happened, I looked over to Lyn Lyn with tears in my eyes and placed my arm over her shoulder. I couldn’t believe what had just happened and the more I thought about it, the more my heart broke as I realized that those kids were running without direction. I was moved with compassion for those kids and I cried out to God on their behalf. The burden for children like them increased in such a way that I even began to feel like I was mourning for the loss of a loved one. I know that I was feeling the Father’s pain for those hurting kids.

Bobby with his old friends from Kids Club.

Planting Seeds (Kingdom Quest 2011 Summer Camps)

     This summer, Camp Sonshine Center had the privilege to host nine camps all across the Western Visayas.  I was blessed to help with all of the camps.  In total we were able to plant seeds in the hearts of  over 1,200 children!

     I can't say I have a favorite camp because they were all unique and God had something specific He wanted to accomplish in each camp. The camp in Cadiz, a city in Negros which is in a neighboring island near the Panay island, was one of my most memorable camps. To get to this island we had to ride on a Ro-Ro, a big boat, and that happened to be the first time I got on a boat like that one. But that was not the main reason that camp was special to me. It was during this camp that our team bonded even more and as a result of our unity, God moved in a special way in the hearts of the people present. His presence was so tangible and heavy in the gym where we met that nearly everyone was crying as they prayed. I remember being surrounded by children worshiping the Lord with tears streaming down their cheeks and feeling so assured that that experience wouldn't be the last one. After our last time of prayer together, there was a strong spirit of freedom that caused the counselors, children and the staff to dance to the songs we played during our assembly times even though the camp was officially over! It was a powerful and special moment.

Below are a couple of videos and pictures of the different camps. Enjoy!

Video produced by Nomil Adorada.

His Little Worshipers

     This past month I have seen a glimpse of what I long to see until the Lord comes back for His church, children who know the One they are worshiping! How is it that God being so mighty and majestic chooses to manifest Himself to the little ones who love excessive amounts of candy, can play with just about anything, and who have so little? The more I spend time with the kids here, the more I realize that the He desires to show Himself to them. His little worshipers are sometimes more receptive to His Spirit than grown adults. Some of the children that I have worked with are so hurt that it’s a little more difficult for them to trust a God who seems to be distant and angry. My Father’s desire is to help them see Him for who He is and to help them start a journey of trust. The dream of seeing these children come to Him and worship Him has become my consuming addiction!

The Privilege of Being Sent

   My first month in the Philippines has been one of many new experiences along with new God given relationships. As hard as it was for me to leave my family, God has given me the grace I need to embrace this new season. It is a privilege to be called by Him, to go out and be His hands and feet here on earth. This partnership to fulfill His dreams bring me extreme satisfaction and joy, because I get to see lives transformed by His tender love.


   I am currently witnessing this amazing transformation first hand with a child from Calajunan, the place where we have Kids Club. I would like to share with you what God did in my heart. It was one sunny afternoon on a Sunday, and I was helping with Kids Club. Many children were present but one of them got my full attention when I noticed he was throwing rocks at another little boy during the program. I could not understand a word he was saying but his tone of voice made me realize that he was angry about something. One of the helpers quickly moved him towards the back, so that she could talk to him to find out what was going on. When she finished talking to him, I asked her why he was upset.  She told me, “He is mad at the other boy, but he is acting like that because he is hurting emotionally.” I knew he was hurting physically because he had a disability on his feet and could not walk properly. As she continued to explain she told me, “Both of his parents left him when he was just a baby to be cared for by an older lady. I prayed for him and he began to cry as I was praying for him.” As she was telling me this, God reminded me of the children He was calling me to minister to. The feeling was so strong and I began to tear up. I quickly wiped my tears away because I didn’t want to cry in the middle of the lesson. Towards the end of the day I saw him again, but this time he was smiling and having a good time playing with others! He has been attending Kids Club ever since that day.

   I consider myself blessed to be the one to who can tell him that Jesus will never leave him or forsake him. And it’s an honor to be an expression of His love for this child. The One sending me has filled me with hope so that I can impart it to those who don’t have it. I cannot help but wonder how many more children I will meet and be able to see God’s dreams for them come to fruition in their lives!

Rays of Hope

     At the beginning of each new day when the sun starts to rise, the rays of light begin to invade the darkness. And with each new day you have different challenges to overcome, tasks to get done and victories to bring to fruition. The missionaries I'll be apprenticing under, Nate and Abigail Shuck, have embarked on their journey of new beginnings, and I am blessed to be a part of the vision that the Lord has given them.

     Calajunan and So'oc are the target areas for ministry and their combined population consists of approximately 15,000 people per one square kilometer. Kid's Club in Calajunan, a children's ministry program designed to minister to the poorest of the poor, started 3 Sundays ago and the number of children who attended last Sunday was 116 children! Thankfully the missionaries have been able to train 20 leaders for children's ministry within the last 4 weeks. Also, since the beginning of this new project nearly 300 meals have been given to the children.

    
     Society may look at these children to as outcasts and think that they are good for nothing. But I choose to believe that we are ministering to the future ministers and leaders of the Philippines, the ambassadors of Christ who will transform this nation for the Lord. My desire is to be with them when the world tells them that they won't amount to anything when they grow up so that I can remind them that they are somebody already!