Crime and Celebration

A baptism, a raid, a stolen wallet, and a sermon. The highlights of my weekend. The events that made this weekend very long, but one of the most exciting and memorable of my stay here in Cebu thus far.

My Refuge House, one of the aftercare facilities here that I am working very closely with, currently has 5 girls living in their care. One of the girls is getting ready to be transferred to a longer term shelter. However, because of the impact of the staff at My Refuge, and all she has learned there, she wanted to be baptized before she left. So the shelter pushed the baptism forward, and opened it up to any of the girls who wished to make a commitment. Amazingly, all five of them decided to participate! It was a great testimony of who God is, and although the girls still have alot to learn, their desire to allow the Lord to assist them through those trials is very exciting!

If you would like to see pictures and other comments about this event or this shelter you can check out the Interim Director's blog at http://russmegumikids.blogspot.com/

That baptism was Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening, on my way to the office, I stopped by the drug store to pick up some meds. As I was leaving, I felt someone move my bag. Usually when I feel someone touch my bag, It's nothing, just me being paranoid, so I shook my backpack a little, picked up my speed a bit, and climbed into a taxi. And when I got in I noticed my wallet was gone.

Needless to say, I was more than a little upset. I came into the office and called my credit card company to cancel my card and moped around for a little while (mostly just mad at myself for not reacting when I felt my bag move... and not wearing my backpack on the front instead of the back). My co-workers were great, one offered to take me to the police station to report it (although, honestly, I'm sure it wouldn't do any good). Most shocking to me though, was when two Filipino co-workers handed me money because "we know what it's like to not have any cash." I was encouraged beyond my ability to express.

That night I participated in my first raid of a bar. It was incredible to watch my co-workers in action and see how they rose up to the challenges, not just that evening, but also in the days that followed as they worked with the girls. I'm amazed and excited to be part of such a great team!

I left the scene early, arriving home around 5am because I had to travel out to the province for a speaking engagement at "Happy Church." This is the church that is part of "Happy Horizons Children's Ranch" where I lived and worked the last time I was here. I was pretty tired, but, again, the Filipinos there made it every bit worth the venture! The pastor, Ricky, went out and bought some "Lechon" (roasted pig-- the traditional party food) because they remembered that my birthday was in a few weeks. And I sat with the family most of the afternoon and rested before coming back to the city. And, of course, seeing the kids there never ceases to make my day joyful. It's a long trip to get out there, and I never want to go, but everytime I arrive, I never want to leave, and I'm always so happy I made the trip.

It was a memorable weekend in so many ways. And my favorite part, as always, are the amazing Filipinos I have the privilege of counting as friends!