Erickson’s Philippines Updates

Andrea, pictured on the left with Bebe and kids from the street, has been relentlessly heading up the street feeding ministry in San Pablo City. For the past three months I have watched as she has continues to grow this ministry through consistency, love, compassion, and building a great team. It is amazing to see the faces of these children light up every time we come out to spend time with them.

A typical night involves singing action songs, sharing an inspirational or Bible story, giving of bread and juice, prayer, and usually an activity (like the middle picture, when we gave out balloons and then let the kids draw on them…and many of them asked us to sign them). Every time we go out there are 30-40 kids and teenagers who show up for the ministry.

What really inspired me to write this post is the last picture. I was so touched when I was looking through photos and saw this one of Josiah with his arm around one of the girls from the street. Josiah does not usually go out with us, because I usually have to spend most of the time chasing him down or just making sure he is not wondering off with strangers (he is VERY friendly!), but on occasion he does get to enjoy an evening on the streets. As I looked at this picture I realized that to Josiah, there is no difference between any of the kids out there and himself.

As far as he knows they are exactly the same. He doesn’t know that many of them sleep on a cardboard box on the sidewalk at night. He doesn’t know that many of them do not eat three times a day like him…he simply doesn’t know. What he knows is that he gets to go out and “play” with his friends in the town. What he knows is that he can put his arm around the kids, and laugh with them, and sing with them, and be a part of their lives.

Of course, I am not talking about being blind to the hurt and pain that is out there. Josiah is only 2 years old. I am talking about removing the pre-set mentalities that divide “us” and “them” and simply loving people regardless of our differences. Like Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 9:22:

”To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”

Being a father has taught me so much, as I am learning that I can gain as much in my relationship with Josiah as he can gain with me. In this lesson I was reminded to come to Christ as a child, seeing other people through the eyes of innocence, and realizing the only boundaries of love are the ones that we put up ourselves.