Day Seven: Payatas

Good morning (or Good evening depending on which side of the globe you are on). We just finished our fourth day at Payatas, and we having a hard time putting into words all that we have seen, done, and the ways in which we have encountered God. On Wednesday, we were part of a small prayer and worship time with the mothers who work in the feeding program. These women put any church in America to shame, they know their creator, and cling to him everyday, we sensed it, and their worship brought us to our knees. Today, we split up and Jill helped with the preschool at the church while I and Ptr. Julius went to the homes of people in the community. We just sat and talked with them, laughed, and prayed with them. I am falling in love with this place and these people, i feel at home here, like no other place i have in my life, or at any other time. Thankfully, my wife, my helper, my seer of danger (thanks uncle tim for the explanation of what a helper really is), is less prone to the extreme whims of my heart, and reminds me that we will be returning to the US, i know she is right, but i am scared to forget what i have felt here, how my heart has been broken. I had my first bit of culture shock - it was when we went back into the business district - as we shuffled through the Porsches, Louis Vuitton purses, and Hollywood, i became so sad and depressed, it didn't feel like the place i used to call home, it was empty, God had left the building, and all i wanted to do was run back to my home, back to the garbage. When Jill and I prepared to come over here we knew that we would take away more then we could ever give, but i never thought it would look like this.

Lord, thank you for your love, and your mercy. Thank you for your will, help me to see it, recognize it, and trust it. Amen.