Rich Blessings

Today was my last day at Cashew and my last night at Mango. I have struggled with the knowledge that I would be leaving before the rest of the group due to the fact that I have to be at school on June 7th but it didn't really hit me until today how much I'm going to miss the people here in Payatas.

Yesterday, Tirso, the headteacher at Cashew, presented me with a Cashew Tree House/ASCF medal and card signed by all the staff members at Cashew. I will admit, the vision blurred for a few moments. Today, when we were packing up to leave, Tirso shook my hand and said how much he appreciated the work I had done over the last week. They have been the most gracious people to serve with this week. I'm not using the word "work" because never did it seem like real work.

Tonight was my last night with the Mango kids as I am expected to be on an Emirates flight to London at midnight tomorrow. Friday night devotions are simply fun and games (literally) and I had a blast playing with the kids. Just as everything was coming to a close, Christy, the oldest Mango child, called me up and asked that I sit on a stool at the front of the room. A representative from each age group (Elementary girls, elementary boys, senior girls, and senior boys) shared a few words, in English, which meant a lot because the elementary kids and the senior boys struggle to communicate fluently in English. They all finished their speech with a hug. The senior boys' rep, Christian, was very shy and needed much encouragement from the other kids to come and give me a hug. David, one of the group members, reckons Christian may have had a little crush. Bless.

As you probably guessed it, the tears began to trickle. This trickle became a stream when they started singing for me and coming up to hug me. They also presented me with a large card that each of them had signed. The tears, which had abated, were back in full force. Naturally, I had come ill-prepared so David let me steal a Kleenex from his stash. I was able to tell them how much I appreciated everything they had done for me this last week and how I very much want to come back to Mango if I can. This was met with loud cheers. I honestly do want to come back and will, if needed, move heaven and earth to make it happen. I also told them how they lived out the story of the women with only two coins (see Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4) who literally gave everything she had to the treasury. The people at Mango and Cashew have given us their home, their food, their drinks, and, in some cases, their chairs to ensure that we are comfortable, happy, and enjoying our time in the Philippines. How is it possible to not walk away from that situation without feeling overwhelmingly blessed?

A plus tard...

Kristen

A video of the kids singing during devotions. Apologies for the quality. Due to the high cost of electricity in the Philippines, they only use LED lights at Mango.