Day 11

Today the house is saying farewell to one of our residents - A, who will be transfered to a long-term shelter on Monday. We have cared for her since April and we are excited about this new opportunity for her.

As a gift, A. was given a small leather journal with each of the staff and residents writing a message to here. As I was going through the messages before writing mine, I was struck by the note written by one of her "sisters" - M. In a mixture of English and Cebuano (local dialect), M. expressed how much she loved A. and how much she was going to miss her. She wrote how she hoped to someday meet up with her after they were done living in shelter care. She closed by saying that she would pray for her, and then told her to read Luke 12:22-31.

I looked up the passage in my Bible and was moved almost to tears of joy. Once you read it, you will know why.

Please pray for A as she resumes her path towards restoration in her new shelter. Pray that her walk with Christ will continue to grow and that she too will learn not to worry because her Heavenly Father cares for her and to also seek His Kingdom first.

We finished the day by celebrating at a nearby Jolibee (Filipino version of McDonalds or Burger King), where each of the girls and the staff enjoyed a meal together. We had a great time, including a great laugh when of our girls, I. expressed confusion on how to eat french fries. Apparently this was the first time she had ever seen or tasted them. When her shaved ice desert came, she started eating it by sipping it through a straw. We all laughed again! What simple joys!