I Heart Travel....

I Heart Travel....

It's been 17 days since I've been back from the Philippines and I'm already planning my next trip. I love traveling and out of the many places that I've been to around the world, the Philippines holds a special place in my heart. This was my third trip to the Philippines and specifically to the town of Pila, Laguna. It wasn't a vacation, it was a missions trip taken with 22 other like-minded Christian young adults from the Brooklyn Tabernacle's Transitions Ministry.

To sum up the work that we did there is simple, we loved people. Young, old, sick, poor, hungry, we loved them all and tried to meet their needs as best we could. We fed, clothed, nursed, hugged and kissed as many people as we could. We sat with them, prayed for them, and at times when we couldn't do anything, cried with them and tried to understand their pain. Hurting people are everywhere, they are in every ravine, barrio, slum, favela all over the world, next to the hotels and resorts that we travel to. You can't escape them even if you tried.  I remember talking to a friend a couple of years ago who had returned from an island vacation. I asked her how the trip went, she replied "It was great, but every time we stepped outside of our hotel, there were beggars everywhere, and we were right next to the poor areas, it was so annoying." Now I'm not judging her for wanting to enjoy her vacation without being hassled, but we're the ones going to THEIR countries and invading their space! All that to say, that as much as I love traveling and visiting new and exciting places, lately every time I visit a new country, I've gotten a burden for the natives.  It started in Egypt, this past May and continued into the Philippines. Nestled among the ruins of ancient Egypt were women and children veiled by poverty and injustice. Among the ricefields of the Philippines are makeshift one-room huts that house families of ten and more. I can't hide from it, I want to do something for the people of the countries that I visit.

There's a song by Brooke Fraser called "Albertine" that sums up everything that I've been feeling. The words are haunting, it says "Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead" So now everywhere that I travel, every person that I meet, I feel that responsibility. It can be something as simple as a hug, a prayer, an item of clothing, or monetary donation. It's an acknowledgement of that person, that they are God's creation and that they matter, faces and stories that will never be forgotten...