Feeding the street children.....

This was a night that we will never forget. Jeff Rice pulls up to the camp in his Jeep. We are running late but there is no van for us to get in. Jeff mentions that he once fit 19 people in his Jeep. Well, that shouldn't’t be a problem there is only 9 of us. “Lets take the Jeep and get to the streets!!!!” Well we get everything ready and start piling in… Deb and Danielle in the very back on side seats, Angi sitting on Deb’s lap, Blanca, Mark and Charles in the middle and Pastor Dave in the passenger while Jeff drives. Ok, this is getting worse and worse even as we leave the driveway, bumps are getting bigger and Angi is getting heavier and heaver on Debs lap. “Wow, it didn’t seem this tight before” Jeff said, “but I guess the 19 people were all child Filipinos.” Um, yeah, that does make a difference Jeff.

We laughed and headed on our journey. But now with a few more tactics from the enemy… Its getting hotter and hotter piled on top of one another and then suddenly we hear the awful dreaded sound of the engine puttering… yes… we ran out of gas! “Not sure how this could happen, I just put in 1,200 pesos!” Well Jeff, that’s really only about 11 dollars and that only gets you about 4 gallons. Thank God we were right in front of a gas station so the guys get out and push. So we put in another 500 pesos and headed to the streets excited to see what the enemy didn’t want us to see.

We pull up to the curb of a dirty street, before we could get out of the jeep we can hear the laughter and yelling from the children who spotted Jeff’s big orange Jeep. They yelled,” Kuya Jeff!!! C

kuya Jeff!!! FOOD FOOD!” (kuya means BIG BROTHER)We get out and we are surrounded with bright little yes on little dirty faces. We loved on them as our hearts where breaking to see the innocence behind such a dire situation. Their clothes were torn and they reeked with the smell of urine. Some of these kids are involved in forced prostitution, some are scent to the streets to beg for food and money, and do not dare to come home to their parents empty handed. Many of these children are addicted to rugby. That is a type of glue that they sniff to escape their life, escape the hunger, escape this reality of desperation.

But I tell you, when Kuya Jeff pulls up….. The world as they know it disappears. One moment they can be loved, one night they can have a full belly, this is the chance to truly feel loved. He sits them in a circle and has someone on the team share a bible story. Suddenly Jeff ask a question,” have you guys ever seen an ALLIGATOR?” they say,” noooooo….” “Would you like to see one?” They say,” Yesssss!!!!”

“How about tonight we EAT ONE!!!!” and he pulls out a big alligator made out of bread. It was such a neat moment for them.

What an amazing night that we will never forget…