Dear fellow first-world Christian

Three beautiful weeks...

In a breathtakingly beautiful country, the land of hubby's and my births, our beloved Philippines... a country that is utterly full of brokenness at the same time. Brokenness that I believe our God will take and make something beautiful out of. Darkness that I believe our God will bring light into.

Because He is good, always good like that.

As I type out these thoughts of mine, our family is on an airplane, our eleventh and last flight in three weeks, flying back to the first-world which we call home. Somehow, a part of me doesn't want to go back home.

These three weeks, the Philippines and its beauty and its brokenness have together captured my heart anew in a way that I am having a hard time explaining or fully understanding.

God breaking my heart all the more for the things that break His.

This is Jamson. A Compassion child from Love and Share Children Center.
He is our friends' sponsor child! They sponsored him after reading this blog post written by my girl.

Jamson and John. John is our newest sponsor son from Compassion! He is so adorable. We are in love with him!

John playing in his neighbourhood.

John and his cousin, Lester. Lester is also a Compassion child. This is the path to their homes.

Family photo with John and his parents, Dondie and Michelle.

And I don't want to go back home to being a safe and apathetic first-world Christian all over again.

Because being surrounded by the comforts of the first world makes one forget. It makes one selfish. It makes one not care as much. Out of sight, out of mind.

Don't get me wrong, friends... safe and apathetic first world Christians aren't only sheltered in Canada like me. We are actually all over the world. We are even right there... in the Philippines, living right beside the extreme poor.

I am not talking, therefore, about where we live or which country we are citizens of... but about our economic status as compared to our brothers and sisters who live without the bare necessities of life and our posture towards them and their plight.

Those who live on less than $1.25 a day.

I believe that it is time for us first-world Christians to wake up. Those of us who live on waayyy more than $1.25 a day. Atrociously more... and mostly for ourselves.

Because...

When you have worshiped God alongside brothers and sisters who, even though they have barely nothing in terms of material wealth, sing their hearts out with arms high and hearts abandoned... you realize that your worship is anemic and you need to wake up.

When you hear about a seriously ill child who has no choice but to face death, unless a miracle happens, because the life-long medication he needs is not feasible financially for his family who barely has their daily meals figured out... you realize that you take the provision of your daily bread and healthcare as entitlement and you need to wake up.

When you meet families who've lost everything, whose homes were washed away by Typhoon Haiyan, who are thankful for a few sheets of plywood and galvanized iron to repair their shanty... you realize how vain it is to think about renovating your bathroom and that you need to wake up.

When your girl sits to pray with a group of third-world teenagers and their prayer request is for the opportunity to continue their education... you come face-to-face with the reality that getting an education is not a given and you realize that you need to wake up.

When you hear atrocious stories about minors being forced into modern-day slavery, into prostitution, because their parents have no other choice but to "sell" them because they are so poor... you realize how much evil is in this world and that you need to wake up.

When you see a family so grateful for the now-paved cement floor on which they can sleep on because it is a vast improvement from their previous dirt floor bed... you realize that the reason you have a queen-sized bed to sleep on, in a house that is infinitely bigger and infinitely more luxurious than that one-room shanty you set foot on is all because of grace and you need to wake up.

When, for Sunday worship, you sit in a world-class facility which cost an equivalent of $65M in Philippine pesos to build and you contrast it to the church you just visited in a poverty-ridden community, with intermittent electricity and without running water, who can not afford to purchase 200 Bibles and you lose it emotionally, bawling your eyes out during the entire worship service... you realize there is much disparity in this world and that you need to wake up.

When someone from the affluent church happily sends 200 Bibles to the church-in-need... you realize beautiful things can happen when you take the time to tell stories and bridge the disparity gap and that you need to wake up.

Dear fellow first-world Christian...

It is truly time for us to wake up and walk alongside our poverty-ridden brothers and sisters and make something beautiful out of the brokenness.

Because... together, we can eliminate extreme poverty. 

Yes, the Bible says that the poor will always be with us. That's why God commands us to love them... it is not a verse to get us off the hook!

Poverty will always exist, yes... but extreme poverty doesn't always have to exist. Did you know that it is projected to be eliminated by the Year 2030? We, both individually and as the church, the Body of Christ, can help to vastly improve the situation of the world's poorest, both physically and spiritually. Perhaps, extreme poverty can even be history before the Year 2030! 

By living with just enough so we can give sacrificially and generously, living simply so others can simply live. 

Starting with our daily living and indulgences that we so often take for granted, and extending out to those bigger ticket expenses that we so often think we deserve or are entitled to.

Starting with how we spend our time and how we apportion our resources that we so often think are rightfully ours.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. ~ Luke 12:48, NIV.

By being light in the darkness. By being Jesus' hands and feet. By being love in action.

Because...

When the worlds of poverty and wealth collide, the resulting powerful fusion can change the world.

~ Shane Claiborne.

This is my prayer. 

That my world will continually collide with that of the world's poor.

Will that be your prayer too, my friend... my fellow first-world Christian?

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. ~ 1 John 3:16-18, NIV.

As an act of worship to our King. An endless hallelujah! Because of His great love for us.

:: :: ::

Here are some starting points: 

~ Sponsor a Compassion child today. 

~ Free slaves with International Justice Mission.

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!

Wild Grace!

What a beautiful and inspiring day it was!

We traveled to the island of Masbate, considered one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines, and spent the day with our sweet Compassion daughter Florianlyn and her entire family... so awesome to see her again after three years!

We stepped foot on and saw with our very own eyes the classrooms that Eucharisteo: A Celebration of Joy built!

We also saw a Compassion project in full operation and bustling with children, staff and volunteers.

There are no words to adequately describe what the day meant to me. It was pure gift. God truly is so good... such wild grace!

I am in awe and humbled that He would invite our family, as unqualified as we are, to partner with Him in His Kingdom work... to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him.

He calls us out of our comfort zones to the kind of fasting He's after.

His love truly relentless.

He takes our yes, one yes at a time... our obedience, one step at a time.

His grace truly indescribable.

He makes our joy complete.

His gifts truly extravagant.

Arriving in Masbate, after missing our flight the previous day!

Masbate's very small airport.

Masbate's only paved road.

One of the many rice fields we drove past on our way to Patnubay Child Development Center.

People in Masbate spend a lot of time fetching water. There is no running water in many places.

The sight that met us upon our arrival at Patnubay Child Development Center.

It took us a while to spot our sweet Florianlyn in the crowd of children!

The classrooms (and three washrooms) that Eucharisteo built! It is, apparently, the most talked about building in Masbate. :)

Florianlyn and her friends.

Just before the morning's worship service started. This was where I experienced the most authentic worship in all of our time in the Philippines this trip! The kids sang like they really meant the words.

Florianlyn even sang a solo! :)

After the worship service, kids went into the classrooms for their classes.

Inside one of the classrooms that Eucharisteo built!!!

They are still using some of the old classrooms as they are continually growing in numbers.

Our family, with Florianlyn and her parents and also Pastor Ben.

Home visit! We brought her a Canada Day t-shirt. 

Flipping through the encyclopedia book that we brought for her.

Hubby talking to Florianlyn's dad about their home. The home is much improved as compared to how it was during our last visit. This is proof that a small gift (small, in terms of dollar amount to us) makes a world of difference in how a family living in extreme poverty can have shelter.

Siblings through Compassion. :)

She has kept all of our letters.

Devotion verses are posted all over their home. This really warmed my heart!!!

This is the small convenience store that we helped their family to re-start up. The income it generates now pays for much of their daily needs.

Florianlyn is fascinated with Jon's cube. :)

Our family and Florianlyn's family... connected via Compassion! 

The entire neighbourhood's children gather for a speed-cubing demonstration!

Florianlyn's cousin scambles the cube.

Sweet Florianlyn!

The center's medical doctor is doing one of the two yearly check-ups. We also met the center's dentist that day!

Lunch is being cooked! Pork abodo... yum!

New children are being registered!

Getting newly registered children's weight.

I can't get over God's wild grace... in allowing us to be a part in building this!

Lunch is almost ready...

The little ones get to eat first.

She's enjoying her lunch!

A special lunch of grilled fish and squid and vegetables was prepared for us. Wow, such hospitality!

Hubby takes a turn at serving the kids.

I take a turn as well. :)

The difference truly is Jesus!!!

We sit down to eat lunch.

Our family with Pastor Ben and his wife, Florianlyn's caseworker and the center's Project Director.

Children playing a game of basketball, not far from the Compassion center. Will you sponsor one of them... one of those outside the gate, for such a time as this?

After lunch, we went to walk around in Masbate's only shopping center where Florianlyn and her sisters experienced their first escalator ride! We bought their family some groceries and then went to Jollibee (a popular fast-food place) for a snack, where Florianlyn's mom Analyn said grace for us. So awesome to see her so full of faith... proof that the difference truly is Jesus! There has also been much transformation in Florio (Florianlyn's dad) these three years... he is a changed man!

Sisters!

The day ended with us back at our hotel room. The view outside was window was beautiful. Much like the day we just experienced! 

Friends, as you can see from the photos above...
Time and again our family has seen with our very own eyes how Compassion's ministry is making a real difference in people's lives, physically and more importantly, spiritually. Yet, I'm sure that you can also see that the need is still so great... the poverty situation so dire.

We had the opportunity to sit down at dinner with Compassion Philippines' Country Director, Noel Pabiona, this past Sunday night. It was an inspiring time of fellowship. We learned much about how Compassion's ministry is being run here... from how Complementary Interventions (CIV) funds are being disbursed... to how each child is required to learn at least one life skill before graduating from the Compassion program in order to ensure a livelihood... to how fundraising in-country works!

Compassion's work here in the Philippines as a field country is lauded as top-notch in many ways! The biggest Child Development Center (CDC) globally is located here. A third of all Compassion children globally enrolled in post-secondary education are from here... the most among all of the field countries.

Friends, will you heed God's call to practice the kind of fasting He's after?

Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins!

They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people— law-abiding, God-honoring.

They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ and love having me on their side. But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way? Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’ 

Well, here’s why: The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. You drive your employees much too hard. You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist. The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, GOD, would like?

This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. 

Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The GOD of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, GOD will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’ 

If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. (Isaiah 58:1-12 MSG)

Will you sponsor a child? 

Perhaps even a child from the Philippines?

Compassion is a command, an act of worship, a song of thanks to Him.

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God!