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Short-Term Testimony: A Safe Place for Healing
by James Wilby, Short-term associate from the UK
10 July 2008 Had I known everything I would be challenged with during my five and a half months in the Philippines, I might not have gone! But, God used my internship to shape and mature me. Arriving in the country, l faced the challenges of culture shock, a huge language barrier, living in an ethnically sensitive community, and having to earn the trust of my new neighbours. A perfect fitBut I knew that God had brought me to a community centre designed to help drug-addicted young people, and I was anxious to start. The centre was a ‘drop-in’, where young people could play games, chat, and watch films. I worked with a member of the team who’d been building relationships with young people for more than two years.
The drop-in centre became my second home in the Philippines. It is where I spent time with the local youth, trying to show them that somebody cared about them. I spent six to eight hours a day at the centre, five days a week. So I was able to build good friendships with the guys that regularly attended. Sometimes we would have five or six, and on other days, almost 20 people would cram into the counselling room. We got a TV and DVD player to watch films, and table tennis equipment. Our aim was to create a safe place for healing and to show Christ's love in a practical way. Most of my young friends had little or no understanding of the Christian faith. Because of the language barrier, I was not able to explain the Gospel with words. Once, with the help of an interpreter, I had the opportunity to explain the importance of forgiveness. Later, my team leader asked me to share why I had come to the Philippines. For the first time, I was able to explain that I was a Christian, and that I had read my Bible, which encouraged me to go and help others. Tragedy strikesLate in May 2007, a fire spread through the community, destroying most of the houses and the centre. In the neighbouring district, two children were killed and 130 families were displaced. It was a huge shock to everyone. I spent my last weeks in the Philippines helping with relief work. Donors gave about USD $24,500 for food relief, reconstruction, and educational assistance. I was pleased when two of the teenagers I knew well, Michael and Thomas, received educational assistance funds. They are now attending school on Saturday mornings. The opportunity for education is restoring hope in them, and I pray that they will be exposed to other Christians at school. Around eight young people are now in school — something that wouldn’t have been possible if the fire hadn’t occurred. Life lessonsBefore I left the Philippines, some of my young friends expressed their gratitude to me. They thanked me for the time I had invested in them. They had felt accepted and loved, and because of this, they had either given up their drug addictions or were working on it behind. It was great to see these ‘outside’ changes in behaviour, but my greatest longing is to see an internal change in these young people, as they recognize the truth about God’s Son and what he has done for them. GoWould you like to have your faith stretched by serving on a short-term mission? 
 
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