I woke up on Tacloban, in the Lighthouse-a place part of Kids International Ministry- for the first time this morning. Here I have electricity, a bed, a pillow,a fan, and the access to having my kindle charging by my head. And after getting out that, “Where am I?” groggy state of mind after waking up I was finally able to see that massive body of water out the window. These comfort things and sights started to give me thoughts of, “Wow, this is amazing, am I on vacation?”
After breakfast part of my team and I walked along the beach across the street from our new home. The view consists of the blue water and mountainous islands in the hazy background. It is so beautiful. Something I’ve never seen before. We got some photos of our smiles with that jaw dropping background. But during this time we also saw the remnants of trees in the water, and a decaying animal, potentially a dog by the water. The trees are a reminder of Typhoon Haiyan also known as Typhoon Yolanda, and the animal being some sort of metaphor of the recent reality of this place. Those trees and animal started to make me wonder, is this shoreline still beautiful?
Later on in the day after hanging out with the kids, a part of my team and I were talking with Chris, an amazing man who has been in Tacloban since four days after the typhoon hit. While we were talking we learned more about the Philippines.
Like the government.
How in the area we are living, more than 200 lives were lost.
Houses by the now relatively empty shoreline got swept away.
After hearing this, the shoreline started to look even more different. To me, it appears to be a place of destruction, death, tears, and trauma hidden by God’s beauty. But I can still see the beauty of the place by the trees growing again. It’s weird though. I don’t really know how I think about the beauty of the place. I know it is beautiful, but its hard for me, being a half-Filipino American having little ties to this place. I don’t know. I have praying to do about this.
But what is beautiful to me, are the kids. They have all been through a lot in their lives already. Chris was mentioning that some have PTSD, even at their young ages. When they hear loud wind or a storm, they’ll shake. Through these kids I see God radiating through their tiny bodies by their laughter, smiles, and unique characters. I am so grateful that I can be here with them, and when the time comes, maybe I’ll have the opportunity in hearing their beautiful stories.
What else is beautiful to me is the house that we are staying at. It provided protection for part of the community here. Even though the waves reached up to the second story of the structure, people still found refuge in the attic in this building. It is amazing to me, that this house has such a beautiful history to it.
Tomorrow we also begin our part in the different ministries in the area consisting of construction, feedings, and meal prep. Tomorrow I’ll be helping out in the construction in the morning and a feeding in the afternoon and I am so stoked to see what God has planned for myself and my team in these upcoming months!
