The children of Hidden Island live in a part of Naga, Cebu that is very poor. It is a community that sits along the river that can only be gotten to by foot on a narrow trail that has been carved out by the trampling of feet. Most of the children do not go to school due to the financial cost. But the thing Gepher told me about these kids that struck me the most was roughly half of these children did not have a pair of shoes. When he told me this, it immediately brought tears to my eyes as I thought about the numerous pairs of shoes I had in my closet. A child should not go without a pair of shoes. That night I began asking God to open doors to allow us to minister to these children and not only meet their spiritual needs but their physical needs as well.
For the past three months, Gepher and Fred (the other minister at Naga) have been having a Saturday Bible School with the children at Hidden Island. They have been studying the stories of Jesus with the kids. More importantly they have not been doing this alone. The young people of Naga have been going every week serving these children as well. This Saturday was the last of the series. and called for a special celebration.
Last year we had so much fun with children in other parts of Naga at the 1st Annual Bible Land Carnival (click the link to relive that special chapter in our adventure), that Hidden Island seemed like the perfect location for our 2nd Annual Bible Land Carnival. This year's Carnival was extra special as we had the members and young people of Naga there to help us work the booths and play with the kids. We could not have pulled this off without their help. They were great at helping get everything set up as well as making sure every child got to play the games and had fun. There is nothing better than seeing new Christians and the members of a church actively participating in the ministries. This is truely a sign of God working in the church and lives of its members.
From the oldest to the youngest, every child had so much fun playing the games. The older kids were quick to help the workers with the games. They were the perfect cheerleaders as the younger children played the different games.
The kids could not wait to show us the prizes they won after every game. This year the whistles were the coveted prize. After Fred taught them how they made noise, we heard the sounds of whistles and laughter all over the area. The rain and gloomy skies did not "rain" on our party, as everyone had a day filled with fun and laughter.
As if the Carnival wasn't celebration enough, God opened doors for us to be able to meet the physical needs of these children as well. Through conversations about the work in Naga before I left for Cebu, my sister and David heard the story of the Hidden Island children and offered to buy shoes for these children. I couldn't believe it! I was so excited knowing these children would not have to go barefoot any longer. More importantly, I was so excited they wanted to show their support and be apart of our journey and ministry. God was answering our prayer for these children in ways I couldn't imagine.
But God wasn't finished with our prayer. Lilia's Place is a ministry in Cebu that ministers to street children and their families. It is run by a wonderful Christian family from Texas, Doug and Lisa Simpson. They believe God's family should work as a family and support one another as we minister. I could not agree with them more. Gepher and I were so touched when we received an email from Lisa, offering to provide clothing if we had a need for it in Naga. We immediately shared the story of the Hidden Island children and they graciously shared the donations they had received from their home congregation.
Everyone has clothes in their closet we no longer like or that no longer fits. These clothes get pushed to the back or thrown on the floor or crammed in a box and forgotten about. These clothes to us are trash and have no more life or use; however, Saturday I witnessed these clothes actually becoming a TREASURE. Each child was so proud to receive the gift of a "new" outfit and pair of shoes as they graduated the Saturday Bible School program. The look of pride on these kids faces was priceless. The children didn't speak much English (as many are not in school); however, the one word they did speak was "THANK YOU". And they wanted to make sure we heard it loud and clear.
Sunday morning when Gepher and I arrived a church there was a precious little girl sitting waiting for me and Gepher with a huge smile on her face. I whispered to Gepher that she was wearing the outfit we had given her on Saturday. The shirt, pants, and shoes fit her perfectly. It was as if we picked it out just for her. In typical male fashion, he responded "are you sure?" I quickly said, "I couldn't be more sure!" As he spoke to her in Visayan complimenting how cute she looked and I gave her the thumbs up sign, she smiled. I realized this was the same smile of pride and positive self esteem I have when wearing a new outfit I bought at the mall. In that moment, God reminded the blessings we often take forgranted and consider "trash" are actually "treasures" when shared with others. The next time you get ready to clean that closet out and get rid of the "trash" think about who you could share it with so that it can be turned into a "treasure".
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