Renew Recap

My second week at Renew was a LOT more uplifting. I actually got to live at the shelter house where they keep the girls that have been rescued from prostitution and my time there was amazing! I had already met one of the girls the week before when she took us to the bars and since I liked her so much I figured that I would like the others as well. But as I learned about the other girls I realized that it might be a little bit more difficult then I thought. The one that I had met had come the farthest out of all of them. She had been rescued for almost 3 years already, while another girl had only been rescued for a week when I arrived. Another was trauma induced schizophrenic due to the life she's had, 2 of the girls had kids, and several were struggling with depression. I took all this information in on the Jeepney ride to their house and was preparing myself for a really tough week. I prayed for my attitude to be respectful to the girls and to be able to put myself on their level as friends, as they were almost all within a year or 2 of me. I wanted to leave them with the feeling that I cared about them and that I would have a positive impact on them while I was there. But I was pleasantly surprised as I grew to love each of the girls SO much throughout the week making it especially hard to leave. I had so much fun with them that I completely forgot about their pasts and tough lives they had experienced. We bonded over watching "Princess Bride" as they gasped and laughed the whole way through. I immersed myself in their culture and their lives to the point where I ate their prized Balut (fertilized duck egg) to get the "true Filipino experience". I learned a lot of the language and so awesome to see how the simple act of trying to speak to them in their native tongue meant so much to them.

I didn't realize how difficult the language barrier would be for me. I was told that most Filipinos speak English and that it wouldn't be too difficult to communicate. This was true, but since their native tongue is actually Tagalog, that's what they spoke to each other most of the time. They were always laughing and giggling about something and knowing the language would have crated far more opportunities to connect with each other. (Since I've been home I've been trying to learn some Tagalog through youtube videos and it helps a little but I'm hoping to someday get the RosettaStone to do it easier and faster...in case I can come back some day! :] ) Despite this difficulty I wasn't going to give up. Instead of journaling in my room I sat outside with them and tried to speak to them in English and they did their best despite their broken, simple English. I quickly realized that this was the furthest outside of my comfort zone that I've ever felt in my life. I was 3 hours away from anyone that I knew, in a room full of girls who have lived a completely different life from mine, speaking a language that doesn't even resemble anything I've heard before... what did we even have in common? The answer to this question I discovered was "Babies"!! hah. 10 month old Paula was the ice breaker as she

would get us laughing with her adorable giggle and easy going personality. Before we knew it we were taking pictures of each other and making silly faces in every shot. We ended up laughing and goofing around just the way I knew how! From then on we were officially friends. We did the best to communicate but somehow it became far easier after that. They taught me as many words as they could throughout the week, and the girls that spoke better english translated to the others for me.

Being in the Philippines has been one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much in the short time, and full of ups and downs. The girl that was schizophrenic was difficult to understand as I spent half of the 2nd morning I was there trying to convince her to go to her doctors appointment. It was so important b/c she was on the wrong medication and may be moved to a different house if they couldn't get her to a stable condition. The day ended unsuccessfully and very frustrating as I know I did everything I could apart from dragging her out the door by her arms. I tried to explain the gravity of the situation and the importance of going, but she was very skeptical of me and thought that since I was a student that I would "get a good grade" if I convinced her to go. I told her that I had only been there a few days but cared about her and the other girls very much, and I think that was what resonated with her the most. Although she never made it to the doctor she became more trusting of me after that and was so much more open to me and I really enjoyed how much closer we had become. I wonder what time would of done with that relationship...

That was only one of the conversations that I had while I was there. Throughout the week I was

able to have conversations with the girls about Church, God, America, boys, and spent a lot of time laughing! Each of the girls has an amazing story and I haven't gone a day without thinking about them since I've left. My dream is go back to the Philippines (with enough Tagalog under my belt to be able to understand them)! I don't know how much of a reality it is at this point as I would want to make sure that it is something that is part of God's plan for me. I would want to be able to contribute and be able to be of service beyond just being their friend. I did that. That was the easy part. But would I be able to be able to help them in their emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs as well?

I'm really glad that I was placed with RENEW. It's been so stretching for me and taken me the one step further outside of my comfort zone and onto the stormy, uneasy waters as God was commanding me. Even if I never go back I know that this was exactly the place that I needed to be. It changed me so much and the knowledge I gained from this trip needs to be shared. The situation of prostitution is so sad and angering and would constantly weigh me down with this helpless feeling. But I've been learning to not let these emotions to take over me but instead to ask further questions and learn what can be done to stop this misery from occurring and change the world for even one girl. Now that I've actually seen the issues with my own eyes and I've placed a name and face with the horrible statistics that I could barely comprehend before, I have now felt burdened with the many issues in the Philippines; Orphans. The hungry. The impoverished. Prostitution. They are all people whom God loves and asks us to care for. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" -Edmund Burke.