Sufficient Grace

Restless and wide-awake, I rolled over and pulled my phone out from under my pillow to check the time again…only 5:30 a.m.  Sunday morning.  Still another hour or two to go before daylight, but the noise on the street hadn’t stopped all night long.  It was my first night in the Philippines, and I didn't sleep.  Perhaps a combination of time difference, excitement and street noise...at any rate, I was thrilled to be here. :)   My dad and I had arrived just before midnight, and Andrew and Heather picked us up at the airport….so good to see them again.    

For some reason, the words and melody to Chris Tomlin’s song Your Grace is Enough were running through my mind at that early hour.  Maybe I had listened to it on the plane ride over.  But when we sang it in church later on that morning, as Andrew was leading worship at the Chinese/Filippino church they attend, I started thinking about it more.

“My grace is sufficient for you…”

Do I really live like I believe that?  What does that even mean to me? 

I look in the joyful faces of these 22 beautiful students here at the center…imagine some of the terrible childhoods they came from…and think, maybe I’m just beginning to see what grace really is.  I talk with one of the girls for a long time at dinner, and think, maybe she at the age of 18 understands grace even more than me.  She, who was abused as a child…whose mother just died on Wednesday…and who wants to be a missionary, having already counted the cost…she who shares her faith with everyone she meets.  I see the joy in her eyes and realize that is grace.  And tears come to my own. 

I watch these students prepare to go out on the streets to teach character lessons to the street children…many of whom were street children themselves at one point in their lives.  And realize that is grace.

Whatever I face in life…whatever comes my way…His grace is sufficient, always sufficient.  I’ve seen that in a beautiful way this week - getting to know the students here has been a blast, and we're only just finishing up our second day here. :)  Below are a few pictures from the week so far...

Sunday afternoon lunch in Andrew and Heather's apartment...Sharon, Kezia and Sam are the other American staff members that live here as well.

The street view from the balcony outside my bedroom door.  The Jeepney coming down the street is just one of hundreds that go up and down every hour...a cross between a taxi and a bus, it's the most popular form of public transportation here in Manila.

This morning, we all went to the park and played games for a while.

The kids are loving my dad...they call him Lolo Paul (Tagalog for 'Grandpa'). :)  

Kezia, Heather and Nesty

Joyca and myself

Some of us rode in a Jeepney to Rizal park for the afternoon ministry to the street children.

Anna Marie and Rachelle teaching the children a character definition and song.

Angel and Mark going over the Scripture verse

Rachelle with one of the kids that lives in the park

Loving to get their picture taken seems to be a universal thing for small children.
And of course I can't resist. :) These children all live in this park, and are going through their first years without many things that we would consider necessities.  It was a privilege to go with some of the students today and be a part of their regular ministry to these children.

More to come!