This was our last week in Cebu working with Cebu Mission Foundation, and many of us have mixed feelings about leaving. We find it hard to say goodbye to these amazing people, but at the same time, we are excited to see what God will show us in Manilla. A mentor from our DTS once told me that it's important to know the time; is it time to plan, or time to enjoy the party? I think God made our transition easier by giving us a party of noble proportions.
We have been blesseed to see God's love at work during these past three weeks. We saw grace in a prison, dance parties in a church, families living in tombs, schools in the garbage dumps, and children born in our homes. CMF does an incredible job of showing Christ's love in a holistic manner, but we could tell they wanted more. They kept refering to "the annual Christmas party" with excitement and anticipation; reminding themselves that it was quickly approaching. I expected the kids to be excited, but was astonished by the way adults would glow when the topic was brought up. What kind of party were we going to?
We woke up early on Wednesday to drive over to an old gymnasium, surrounded by vendors selling everything from t-shirts to popcorn. We realized this was no ordinary party, but nothing could prepare us for the festival awaiting us. There were over a thousand children filling the bleacher seats in the building, and the roar of laughter was filling the spaces in between. As the party began, we felt mixture of joy and honor dancing with kids who woke up that morning in a cemetery, a garbage dump, or in a family without parents. We felt honored, because we respect them so much. We have been treated like royalty while visiting Cebu, because they wanted to brighten our days. How could we not respect people who treated us like royalty even though they were battling hunger, poor living conditions, and disease? They gave so much in exchange for one smile. I began to ask myself while writing this: if one smile could change a person's day, why didn't I smile more? Why didn't I spend more time dancing, and singing and loving the them the way they loved me?
So for one day, we returned the favor by treating them like royalty. We served them food, we gave them presents, we pulled out our best dance moves, and we called the girls princesses as we twirled them in our arms. Our prayer is that they realize that they are in fact princes and princesses. We hope they see themselves as sons and daughters of the most High King, because many scars can be avoided by living out that identity.
It was a tangible example of another party that I will attend one day. A party that has been talked about for over 2000 years; a party that will have joy and laughter filling ever crevice, a party that will leave me frozen in wonder as i walk through the door. Looking back on our three weeks in Cebu, i can't imagine a better way to celebrate the one who was born in a stable and will be married in royal palace.
