Hello everyone!
First of all I want to apologize for not blogging since January 14th… and I wouldn't even really consider that a true blog. Life has been extremely crazy between getting sick in the Philippines to our time there drawing to a close and having to prioritize everything.
I have to say that the Filipinos are what captured my heart; not the country. Where we stayed it was very crowded and you constantly had people around you. That was a struggle for me. The people in the Philippines are beautiful. They find joy in the simplest things. Honestly walking with our children was probably some of the best moments we had. Because they would constantly be singing and always making us laugh
Towards the end of the Philippines we started to hangout with street children. Let me tell you… the street children have grabbed onto my heart and will forever have a hold on it. Seeing these children live under a filthy bridge every night made my stomach churn. I walked the streets of Manila and saw the wealthy people constantly going to the malls but never once helping these children. And if they glanced at these kids they would give them a dirty look. It breaks my heart.
I met this little 12 year old named Erwin. He doesn't go to school; he has a family but there are either financial problems or family issues. He works on the streets… begging for money. He sniffs rugby (glue) to forget that he is hungry and thirsty. He smokes cigarettes because that is all him and his friends have ever known. He can't live as a child like he should.. He has grown up way to fast. The part that rips my heart apart the most is when Erwin jumps in my arms every time he sees me just so that he can feel loved and feel what it is like to be held.
I have been in Malawi for about a week now and I cannot stop thinking about my little Erwin… and God has been telling me to look at a journal entry that I had made in Nicaragua. It was from a time that my old team and I where in Leon doing hostel ministry. We had decided to do listening prayer (which is basically writing down what pops into your head.) Well I had this whole list of things and none of it had applied to Nicaragua. So when God told me to look back at it the words came to life as I realized that He was telling me my team and I were going to work with street kids.
Sitting on a street corner (us sitting with the street children on stairs)
Yellow (the McDonalds that the children where by)
Lost (all the street children)
Workers (the jeepney workers)
Twirling (me and my Erwin every time we where together)
Loud (all the chaos going on around us)
Teens (Our journey for hope teens)
English (basically all the people walking by us… plus some white people)
Seeing how God wrapped up our time in the Philippines put a peace in my heart. I found out 2 days before we were leaving that people are opening an orphanage for the children that we hung out with every single day! Praise the Lord for when you pray He does answer your prayers! I am absolutely in awe of everything that He has done for me and everything that He has shown me so far!
God Bless.
my baby Erwin and I <3
Beckah Shenk
