Matthew 25:40

"...Truly I say unto you, as you did it to the {least} of these my brothers, you did it to Me."

It was towards the end of our time in Manila, and I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed, 

and unsure as to how much more I wanted to see.  

I realized halfway through the day on Saturday that I was a little depressed, and finally was able to figure out part of the reason why.   Stories and scenes of human and animal suffering were overloading my mind, 

and I was starting to question the purpose in it all.  

I didn't want to see one more child walking through the lanes of traffic trying to beg a few pesos for something to eat...

I didn't want to see one more mangy, homeless dog or cat wandering around or dead on the side of the road...

I didn't want to hear of another girl sexually abused by a family member, 

or see the hardness in the face of another young girl selling herself to a foreign man she didn't know or love for the sake of money and a few material comforts in life...

and I didn't want to see the hopelessness behind the eyes of hundreds of thousands of adult men and women eking out an existence, working 16-18 hour days, 7 days a week, for 100-200 pesos a day (equivalent to a few American dollars), never an end or better way in sight.  

Selfish of me, perhaps...but it's such a helpless feeling - where do you even start?

How do you even begin to make a difference when the need is so enormous?

And what of hope?  What is the purpose in a life like that?

Quietly, but surely, Jesus spoke to my heart, and reminded me that indeed there is hope, 

because of what He did on the cross...we know that those who are found believing in Him will have a life after death free of suffering and pain, and more beautiful than anything we can imagine.

And He also reminded me that while I probably won't fix any cultural tendencies towards poverty, I can start with one person...the "least" of these...by giving a smile, a word of encouragement, a cup of cold water in His name.

His ministry was always about the "one"...the one needy person in front of Him received His full attention and love.  The woman at the well....the tax collector...the woman caught in adultery...Peter after he had betrayed his beloved Savior.  The realization of that is to me a huge relief in many ways - not to say that I can't or shouldn't have big dreams, but not at the expense of the one person Jesus brings across my path today.  

So we went out on the streets to help with the children's ministry

...and we gave out cookies and juice and hugs and smiles,

and breathed prayers and spoke words of life into those children...in the name of Jesus. 

And we played games with the students, and laughed together...had heart conversations with some of them, and took walks arm in arm.

This is Darwin :)  All I know about him is his name, because he speaks only Tagalog and I speak only English...but we were collecting the children to start the program, and he came running over to me and gave me a huge hug - I picked him up and carried him for a while, the whole while he was chattering away with the most beautiful smile on his face....totally stole my heart.

While it's sad to see so much pain and suffering, I came home encouraged that God is at work there in Manila, and around the world - through His people and their willingness to stop for the "one".  

Never underestimate the power of a simple act of kindness.  Zec.4:10 says, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." (NLT).  

The more you give, the more joy fills your heart in return....even that which seems small and insignificant to us can be used by God for great things (John 6:1-13).   

There are lots of other things that I've been thinking about as a result of that trip, but that was one of the main things. :)  On the plane ride over, I read an interesting book by K.P. Yohannan, 

the founder of Gospel for Asia.  

He has a beautiful heart of love for the people of his country (India) and a passion for world missions.  All of his books are wonderful, but Revolution in World Missions, and No Longer a Slumdog 
are two that I've been reading lately...they've reinforced some of the things God has been teaching me lately, and further opened my eyes to the fact that all the world problems of hunger and slavery and 
human trafficking and whatever other means of suffering 

{begin with the individual}. 

A child is hurting...a human being is hurting...and if I can help that one person, God can multiply it a thousand times over, beyond my wildest imagination...if I am doing it in His name and for His glory.

"...Truly I say unto you, as you did it to the {least} of these my brothers, you did it to Me."

-Matthew 25:40