Today we partied with the very poor in Baseco who are perhaps the poorest slum dwellers of Metro Manila. The live in "homes" made of bamboo slats and scraps surrounded by green standing water, rotting garbage and mud in rainy season or hard baked dirt in dry along Manila's north harbor. ACTION's Street Impact Team has been involved in Baseco since it was burned to the ground in January 2001 doing relief and develop work along with evangelism, medical clinics and nutritional feeding programs. We've worked with Pastor Noli and his wife Fe who are planting their second church here in this grinding poverty and seemingly hopeless situation.
This morning the Malino's church, Christ's Mission, hosted a Christmas party for about 75 malnourished sickly children and several adults. We sang many songs lead by their 17 year-old joyful daughter Kathy who is extremely gifted in children's work and leading worship. Several children recited memory verses and sang special numbers which were beautifully done. I gave the message (which I was asked to do when we arrived at the church) from John 3:16 asking and answering the question "why do we celebrate Christmas?" then we gave out gifts of groceries to the families and cooked food and drinks to the kids. Pastor Noli gave an alter call and several adults come forward to indict turning from sin and trusting Christ *only* as Savior. There was great rejoicing!
Pastor Nolie told us his church is praying to put up a shelter for their worship services and church activities. The other day, he said, a truck pulled up to his home (the Malinos live in Baseco) and dropped off 100 sheets of plywood for the church which an anonymous person bought for them. Now they're praying for galvanized sheets for a roof and chairs which I'm sure the Lord will provide through someone. They have such strong faith! After the party as we were leaving we met two children who need immediate medical attention but the parents are too poor to provide it so we'll do what we can to help them.
Through-out the day I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
Praise God that through His incarnate Son we know what He is like--kind to all, sympathetic to our need, merciful to repentant sinners and responsive to human suffering.
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