Rachel Hampton

Goodbye Manila…for now March 30, 2009

Tomorrow morning we sail from Manila and head on to Taiwan. It is the first time since joining the ship that I will be out of the Philippines. I’m excited to go to a new country, but know it will be more of a challenge. We were blessed that many people in the Philippines speak English. We’ve been told very few in Taiwan will. But language barriers always make for great stories so you will have to check back here often to see what happens

I really enjoyed my time in Manila! It has been exciting to see part of the city where I will be living for a year starting in February. Two very exciting things happened while in this port. For one, i was able to travel about an hour away (due to traffic) to see the office where I will be working next year and, more importantly, the people I will be working with. It was amazing. Carola and Crystal (both from Australia) went with me because A. they are good friends and B. we aren’t allowed to leave the ship alone. I have been corresponding with Dawn, my future boss, through email for a long time. She was probably doubting that I would ever come. I got to sit and chat with her as well as two girls that work in the office for about an hour before Dawn had to leave for a trip to Thailand for business. After her departure, Aileen and Erlene (that won’t be confusing!) took me and the girls out for a bite to eat.  It was afternoon so we walked to Aileen’s apartment and got some ice cream, chips, and drinks at a store nearby. It was like a sleepover without the dark or the pajamas.  We chatted and stuffed our faces for a few hours before the girls and I had to head back to the ship. It really encouraged me to meet everyone. I think I’ll really enjoy working there next year. It was a blessing to get to meet them before my actual move. Is God good or what? And today Dawn surprised me by showing up at the ship to say hello and goodbye (for now anyway). She brought me a really cool Monsoon mug and also introduced me to a guy that I will be working with in the office next year. His name is Kenji and he is from Japan but has lived in Canada for awhile. His wife and adorable son also made the trip.

Another amazing thing that happened….I met one of my sponsored children! I began sponsoring Carla a few years ago, knowing that one day I would be in Manila and hoping I’d get to meet her. Well, I emailed the director of the program here and she emailed me back saying they would visit the ship on Friday. All day I was waiting in expectation. They didn’t tell her where they were going but just said it was a surprise. They said as soon as she saw my face she recognized me from pictures. She was as sweet as can be and gave me plenty of hugs and beaming smiles. Though she doesn’t speak much English, we had a great time together. Her mom also came along and was so kind. We ate dinner on board and then walked through the bookstore, hung out on deck, and took some photos. Then they had to head back home because it was quite a journey for them.  We’ve already talked about getting together when I’m here next year. They told me they’d take me out for Balut (please google it and you’ll understand my apprehension). Another thing on my list of “to do” things while on the ship can be checked off. I’ve only been on board for about two months and already God has blessed me tremendously. Man, I love Him! He’s the man.

In ministry-related news, I had two really difficult e-days. Tuesday and Thursday of this week I had edays. More than usual. The first day we went to a slum area and did a children’s program for about 20-30 kids. Highlight? They loooooved Father Abraham I have a video of us doing it that perhaps I can upload one day….maybe.  At the end of our program we got to hand out packets of soap, toothpaste, washcloth, toys, etc to them. There was so much joy on their faces as they clutched the bags to their chest. It was difficult prying it away from them so I could get them to show me what was inside. It was like they were afraid we would take it from them. It’s just heart-breaking to see such poverty. But Thursday was even worse. We went into one of the worst slum areas in Manila. When we pulled up one girl in my group commented, “I don’t want to go in there.”  We did another kids program. Only this time we had nothing to give them at the end. I left feeling discouraged and that we did nothing to really help them. We showed up with our full bellies and clean clothes (or clothes at all), sang some songs, told some stories, played some games, and then left. Yes, we talked about Jesus, but we wanted to do more. We wanted to help the tremendous physical need that was before us. You may hear about extreme poverty but to see it is something completely different. And I saw some in Ecuador, but this was so very different than that. I pray that God will continue to break my heart for these people and to give me an opportunity next year to do something to help. You’ll hear me mention this same issue in my upcoming newsletter (soon, very soon) because I think it bears repeating. We are so much more blessed than we ever understand. So I found a cockroach in my food….I HAD food! It’s amazing what poverty does to your perspective. If you haven’t done it today, thank God for his blessings. They are abundant!

Until next time…from Taiwan!