My Pasalubong

I took the opportunity to sit in one of Ken's classes last week. I was reminded that a lot of these students have travelled a long way, often from very poor areas, sometimes without their family's support, to become campus missionaries. Giving up well paying careers and relying on the support of those who catch their vision, they have come to BGC Manila for three months to prepare themselves for the mission ahead. These young people are laying down their lives to carry a message of hope and life to the next generation and they are already working hard to make sure they do it well.

16 years ago, I lived on a missionary ship that docked in Manila for a month. I had been playing with the homeless children that lived in the Port area when a young lady came up to me. She clearly had trouble walking but said she had travelled 3 hours to come and visit our ship. Long before the days of Uber, her trip would have involved multiple Tricycles and Jeepneys. She'd met missionaries from this ship in the past and knew it would be worth the trip. I invited her on board to shower, have a meal and take some blankets back to where she was sleeping in the Port area. Yes, she'd been sleeping along the pier.

What is it in the Filipino spirit that propels them to give up not just comforts but necessities to follow what they believe God has laid on their hearts?? If we could pack that into our case and take it home to Australia as Pasalubong (souveniers) imagine what our nation would look like...