This June I returned to the states from over a year straight in the Philippines. Reverse culture shock hit me hard. I literally started to cry in the isles of Target because I wondered what in the world we (Americans) do with all this STUFF! I love cute and cool and new and high tech stuff as much as the next person, but the shock of the abundance overwhelmed me. I could not buy a sandwich without thinking about how much food that money could have bought in the Philippines. I spent $10 to see a movie! What?! Many peoples’ lack of care for what is happening around the world was bothersome, especially when that is what I could not stop thinking about it. I felt the pain and injustice in the world more so when I was here in the States because my thoughts were so absorbed in where I had just come from! People warned me about this, and I wanted so badly to just be normal when I got back to the states. The first two weeks back were a whirlwind of adjusting and catching up with people. People asked me some great questions and got me thinking about how to tell my story, but with each question came so many things I wanted to share. Where do I even begin when I haven’t had any communication or more than emails with so many people?! The past year I have just lived and grown accustomed to my life and job in the Philippines. I hadn’t analyzed it or tried particularly hard to relay my experiences to others. It was life, day to day there did not seem so extraordinary at the time. And, in a way I sort of gave up because I knew so many things would just live inside me. Now here I am, trying to put all of that together. No amount of time with any friend or CH supporter is enough to cover all the amazing things that CH stands for and is actually doing over there. The individual stories of our kids and cool day to day things that God does need to be shared… so if you’re interested in a closer look at these things please add me to your favorites and stop in here to read!!
My favorite thing about the unique ministry of Christians' Haven is how our kids come to us to be rescued and taken care of, and as we do that we quickly turn them around to serve others at the same time. A street kid can come to us, and within the week he or she is the one handing the food out to kids still on the street. This is part of the discipleship process here at CH, imitating the way Jesus took His disciples on the go to help others. Our kids have ownership of their own ministry to these less fortunate kids, and the CH kids are the ones to pack & prepare the food, then give the food along with a message and praise. How cool are they?!? "Go and make disciples"...
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