Well everybody, I am excited to announce that I will be going to the Philippines this summer (July 16-August 20) -- to Olongapo City to be precise. Lovely picture, isn't it?!
As part of my grad degree, I am required to complete a practicum, preferably in my area of passion/calling/thesis development. My blog is pretty clear about where my area of calling lies (ha!), but finding a suitable place to do a practicum has been difficult.
Enter: YWAM (Youth With A Mission).
It has a Mercy Ministry in Olongapo City assisting female victims out of the sex trade. YWAM is a great organization (we took our youth on an urban plunge in Vancouver last summer, in fact!), and it's doing great work around the world.
But there's more. Oh yes, there's more!
YWAM Olongapo lives in intentional community.
The staff share life, Christ and journeys with the women coming to live with them. Coming from a largely independent, compartmentalized, and often institutionalized mindset in Canada, this aspect is probably the one that will stretch me most, and is also most exciting for me.
So for 5 weeks I will likewise share life and Christ with those around me -- staff, participants, volunteers, kids -- all equal in the loving eyes of Christ. My personal space will be threatened, my stomach will certainly have a thing or two to say about the change in diet, and I have no idea what the shower facilities are like. Stretching... stretching... stretching... and excitement.
What if...
What if...!!!
What if intentional community could be learned here in Canada for child victims of trafficking?
What if discipleship and mentorship became a lifestyle of love, rather than a book or program?
Oh so many things to be learned in Olongapo... I will keep you all posted!
