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Headlice and Hard Goodbyes
7/29/09
As I write this, Tammie is picking through my hair for lice. Sharing beds with 14 teenage girls and their long beautiful hair, it’s been impossible not to get lice. For Tammie and me, lice has been part of our incarnational ministry this summer – along with eating what is served, using the tabo (water bucket) instead of toilet paper, and getting sick. Five of us have lice, so debrief has been filled with toxic shampoo and knit-picking parties.
We are no longer in Manila, which is unbelievable. The last two weeks after mid-project retreat went all too quickly (I wrote a blog entry last week, which sadly got lost). Much has happened.
We met last Friday to visit Living Springs Church, started by Servants to Asia’s Urban Poor in Pajo’s slums years ago. Pastor Wenchie and his wife Minda wanted to serve us lunch, so we waded through a downpour of Manila rain to cram into their tiny home.
Hospitality has been a summer theme; we are overwhelmed by those who share with us what little they have. Pastor Wenchie entertained us with magic tricks and led us through Kamay Krafts, a livelihood project for women.
We went to Samaritana to learn more about ministering to women in prostitution. It was a heartbreaking discussion of the Philippines’ sex industry. We spent over an hour in a prayer walk around the Samaritana center for women and men involved in prostitution.
The evil in the world seems overwhelming, but I am learning to turn to prayer and cry out to God. Samaritana is a place of hope, changing one life at a time; it was inspiring to meet some of the women and hear glimpses of their stories. 
While saying goodbye to our new families, it became clear that the relationships we’ve formed in Manila are life-changing. We love these friends deeply, and are deeply loved as well.
Janet spent every evening last week looking at me through deep, sad eyes, begging me not to leave: “Ate Gracie, don’t leave! I pray to God that you stay until 2010!” I tried to comfort her as best I could.
There was much laughter and tears as we cooked dinner at a goodbye party for our girls the final night. Filipinos love to laugh a lot. As I sat there crying, they tried to make me laugh, touched my shoulder and joked, “Monster!” (implying I had lice on my shoulder).
Janet switched roles with me and became my comforter, “Ate, it’s okay. You will see your mother and father and brother and sister. Don’t cry.”
God has blessed us with friendships that were heartbreaking, filled with hilarious laughter, and revealing of Jesus. Friday we sadly said team goodbyes at the Navigator’s center while packing and preparing to fly next day to Bangkok. We wrestled with sickness again this week, and had to leave AJ in Manila, as he had a high fever. Hopefully he will join us in Bangkok for our last day of debrief.
Yet God is good. Blessed be Your name through sickness, through muddy feet in the slums, through soaking rain and through sad goodbyes to people we love.
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