Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 9/1/2010
Along with losing a couple of minors in the last few weeks, we have also picked up a few more. It's never a "joy" to see another boy come to the jail, but I do see the positive in having another life to transform. I know not all the boys will leave the cell with a new life and new commitment, but that doesn't make any of them less valuable. So for today, I will write about these two together because they have added a new level to our group.
Both of these boys have been into some level of high school and know perfect english. While they will help us translate from time to time if one of the other boys don't understand, rarely will they actually speak with us because they are ashamed and don't feel like they are smart. It always a joy to hear Jodi celebrate with them and remind them how smart they are whenever they get the answers right.
So, minor #11 is our oldest member and quite possibly our most shy. I feel like there are times when he feels like he doesn't deserve our affection or attention, but I do feel he is beginning to warm up to us. During our classes, he tends to be the one that is very advanced compared to the others. However, he keeps his answers to himself and often lets the other boys answer first. The other day, we were playing a game that involved opposites where the boys would race to a pile of words to match the opposites. When it came his time to race, he walked up as the other boy ran, and he pointed out the words while the other boys picked them up. He's such a smart guy and he's helping us encourage the rest.
Minor #12 is a little bit younger. However, he has just finished his first year of high school and is not shy at all to answer the questions. The first day he came in, he was not allowed to join us, so he just sat in the cell. When we went to interview him, I think he was a little shocked to see the smiling faces that cared to know about him. It was easy to see the shame and disappointment on his face, but it didn't take him long at all to warm up to us. Now he is playing the games and getting involved with the rest of the boys like he's been here the whole time.
While these boys are getting an education, it is also our goal to raise them into Godly men. No longer will they act and be led by their youth, but they will know what it means to be a man and they will walk in that. That is our prayer for these men as they step into this new stage of life. We praise God to have the chance to impact new lives...
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/31/2010
Over the last month or so, three of our minors have been released. For an outside perspective, this is a great deal because the boys are no longer behind bars. The sad side of it however, is that we've lost contact with two of them and don't really know where to find them. That was until yesterday.
When one of the minors was released, I asked for an address of where to find him. All I got was a town and a neighborhood. Since the neighborhoods here are in the woods and makeshift houses, hidden from sight, I knew I wouldn't have much luck taking off on my own. So I waited a little while until yesterday when I could have a couple of friends join me. The town was only about 15 minutes away, so we took off right after lunch, hoping to find something before dark. Our goal was to just drive to the elementary school and start asking around for the family.
Our first stop was a small karaoke bar. We showed them the address we had and they said they knew that area. When we asked them about the Corpus family, the immediately recognized the name and said that one of the oldest, Ryan, stayed there often. Not only did they know the name, but our first stop was a place where the boy we were looking for often sleeps. They told us he was working for the day, but pointed us to the house so we could talk with the family.
When we showed up, the family quickly welcomed us and we were able to meet Ryan's 6 younger brothers and sisters. We found out that all the kids were in school in June, but because of financial troubles, they all had to leave school because they couldn't afford the 500 pesos (about $10) for the YEAR'S tuition. As we talked, we found out all the kids missed school and the parents really wanted them to return. They even talked to us about encouraging Ryan, who only made it to grade 5, to return. Most boys his age are more encouraged to work and bring money in for the family, but it seemed this family saw the value in education. We all talked and decided we would make sure all the kids could return that next week and the accounts would be settled.
As we kept talking and waiting for Ryan to come in from work, our translator told the family who we were and why we cared so much for their son. As soon as the father heard this, he looked at Jodi and recognized her. Come to find out, the first thing Ryan talked about after his release was Jodi and the work she was doing in the jail. He showed his family the pictures Jodi had given him and so the family was so thankful to meet her. These are the moment you realize you're doing something right.
That day, the parents allowed us to take Ryan with us and told him he didn't have to go back to work. We were welcomed to come pick him up any day to continue his studies and get him ready for the acceleration program, ALS, that would hopefully allow him to catch up with the rest of the students his age. Ryan hid his face when he first saw us, but it didn't last long until that smile returned and he remembered how much he was cared for. Having a supportive family is a great gift here, and we pray this family continues to support Ryan.
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/29/2010
Not all stories have a very happy ending and sometimes I just sit back and question why things happen the way they do. I have these huge arguments as if I could question God and could actually make things happen better than He could. But, I know that His plan is better for all involved whether it looks like it now or not.
Isabelita is one of the women in the jail and she has been there for quite some time. She is actually the oldest female prisoner, but because of her condition, has been more like a kid sister to most of the other women. Isabelita has a mental handicap that makes her unstable and somewhat violent at times. She has been placed in jail because she's somewhat unpredictable and after she was left on the streets, she had no one to be beside her. Eventually she ended up in the jail, and has just been detained there until someone would come to take care of her or until the government came up with a better idea. Well, after several years, no one has come forward to even visit Isabelita, much less claim her as family. Therefore, the government has been forced to make a decision and she will be transferred to a mental facility that will lock her up until her time is up.
Unfortunately, because of her condition, Isabelita has no idea this decision has been made for her. The authorities will just show up sometime this week and escort her to her new home. The other women in the cell have been informed of the decision so they won't be surprised with the action. After-all, they have been the ones taking care of her for all these years. Whenever they have visitors, they share their gifts and even allow her to talk to their families. These other women in the cell have definitely come around Isabelita to help her make it through all these years despite her condition.
Yesterday, I was talking with the other women and they expressed their desire to figure out a way to keep helping her, but they didn't know how. They wanted to send her away with gifts (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.) but didn't know how they could do this. They want her to know that someone loves her and cares for her because she might not ever hear it again. It's been so cool to watch the transformation in these women because while they have been taking care of Isabelita for years, they don't want to just stop at her needs. The last thing the women told me was they wanted Isabelita to know they cared for her by giving her gifts, but more importantly, they want her to know the love of God. Even if she never hears it again for anyone else, God is always telling her. What a transformation.
It's hard for me to hear stories like this because I feel completely powerless. I can't do anything other than buy her a few groceries. I just have to learn how to trust that God knows better than I do. Sometimes, all I'm asked to do is trust and pray. Some things are outside of my power so God can show His... | |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/28/2010
I don't really know how to express my thankfulness for this next person. All of the experiences of the past several weeks wouldn't have happened without having a local by my side that was willing to go with me wherever. Joy has been that person for me. She's currently in school getting her Master's, but while school is very important to her, ministry is what drives her. She has been on somewhat of a break the last couple of weeks, so she sent me a text message that said, "I'm willing to go wherever, whenever, just let me know."
Now it's one thing for me, a foreigner, to come into a town and not be afraid to just go out and talk to people, but it's something totally different when it's your home town. I think it's almost harder at times to share the Gospel and live a life for Jesus in your home town because people know you. They know your past, your family, your faults, and now they're supposed to listen to you? As much as I can tell, this hasn't really hindered Joy as each day I have a new adventure for her and I push her willingness to follow. In a town where I am one of few Americans, it's easy for me to gather an audience, but without people like Joy, I would never be able to communicate with them. One of these days I just need to learn the language.
Aside from just being with me or other volunteers like Jodi, Joy is not shy in taking the lead with ministry as well. There are times where we talk about a purpose for a visit or gathering, and I won't say a word. She will just take the lead and let me know how it went as I just stand (or sit most of the times) in silence. It's fun for me to work with people like Joy because they can see that they don't need people like me to do ministry. They can do it wherever, whenever.
It has been a lot of fun to have Joy by my side and I can't wait to see the ministry that continues for her even when I leave in a couple of weeks...
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/27/2010
I feel like this one story keeps progressing almost to a point where I should just write a book about this one family and our interactions. God has blessed this so much with reunions, plenty of tears from everyone, and just the rebuilding of a family. I'm actually not too sure why this family has been on my heart so much, but I have just become such a part of their lives and they've become a huge part of mine. So, this may be my longest blog in a while, but PLEASE read this one.
One of my first visits back to the jail, I sat with Rosario for a while. We had chatted a couple of times back in March, but nothing much because I mostly stuck with the men. However, one of our first conversations on my return, she told me pretty much her whole family story. She told me about Kim and Axel, and how her parents treated both of them and my heart just began to break. Towards the end of the conversation, almost as an afterthought, she mentioned she had a third daughter, Marla. I asked her why she waited so long to mention her and she said, "Well I haven't seen her in almost 10 years."
As I heard her story, I initially didn't think much of it because Rosario had been in jail for over five years, but then I was curious as to why the other five years. I pushed a little more into the story and found out that while Rosario was strung out on drugs one day, her father sold Marla to another man to marry off to his son. Marla was 9 years old. Unfortunately, because of her condition, Rosario couldn't do much to fight her father's decision and she just continued to spiral deeper and deeper into the drug scene until she finally landed in the Malaybalay City Jail.
When I hear stories like this, I try to fight getting so involved, but I can't. Hearing about her three girls, I knew I needed to help Rosario because despite her decisions, she's worth another chance. I began to dive deeper into her family tree and did everything I could to reconnect Rosario with her daughter. Kim and Axel were easy because all it took was driving to Valencia and handing them the phone. Marla would be a little bit more difficult.
I began to search everywhere to try and find some information on Marla. We interviewed family, asked friends, tried to find the man she was sold too (who has disappeared), and even looked on Facebook. I began to give up hope and even picture Marla in those bars I went to in Malaysia. I tried not to think about it and just push Marla to the back of my mind, and luckily it was somewhat easy because of all the other things on my plate.
This past Wednesday, I went for my weekly visit to Kim and as usual, there were so many people in the house. People were coming in and out, drunk and screaming, and I made eye contact with this girl that couldn't be over 18, holding a baby. She looked so familiar, but I had no idea why. I just went down to visit Kim and talk with her for a few minutes and ask about Axel. When I turned around, this girl was there, listening to our whole conversation. Immediately it hit me. I didn't recognize this girl, I recognized the combination of Axel and Kim's face. When I asked my translator to ask her what her name was, she said, "Marla".
I dropped to my knees and said, "You've got to be kidding me!" She was a little shocked by my reaction, but I just told her we had been looking everywhere for her. Come to find out, she heard about Kim's situation, and even though Kim was four when she left, she had to come check on her little sister. She confronted the man that sold her ten years ago and she was only in Valencia for those two conversations and would be leaving in a few hours. I told her about Rosario and how she always asked if I had found her. We invited her to ride to the jail with us and see her mother. As soon as she heard, tears started flowing and she ran to grab her bag.
The ride seemed like it took forever with traffic, but we finally pulled into the jail property. Rosario was expecting me to bring Kim and Axel to her that day, but when I went to get her out of her cell, I told her I couldn't bring two of her daughters, but I found someone else. She kept trying to guess who it was, but I just told her to be patient. We walked into the visitors center and I pointed to her guest, and she just stared at her. The longest five seconds went by as we all sat in silence before Rosario screamed out, "MARLA!" It was a tearful reunion that I just had to walk away from.
I gave them a couple of hours to talk things over and reconnect, and then I returned because visiting hours were almost over. When I returned, Marla informed me that she would be staying in Malaybalay and wanted to bring Kim here to stay under her care. Rosario just looked at me and said, "I've found my baby. And she has a baby. And I'm a grandma." The next conversation was how we could get Kim and Axel there. I was a little worried about how to legally handle these things, but since Marla is 18, she can legally claim custody in her mom's stead without any argument from the grandparents. So we set out to make another reunion.
I was a little worried about how the grandparents would respond, but they actually cheered when we told them we would be taking Kim, and all of a sudden became the most helpful people around. As much as this broke my heart to see grandparents act this way, I couldn't shake how big Kim's smile was. I had never heard her say anything other than "Yes" and "Thank you", but she talked then entire hour home to the jail. When we carried Kim into the jail, all the guards cleared the way and made almost a tunnel for Rosario to run to her daughter. We couldn't find Axel, but hopefully she will return when she hears the good news.
Rosario came through the doors with a little more purpose today and she ran straight to her 60 pound, 14 year old daughter that had been in a prone position for several months. The family is almost whole and they are getting their second chance to start over. There's still a long way to go with getting Kim healthy, and providing some livelihood for Marla as she takes care of a sick sister and an infant, but there is true joy in that family for the first time in a while. As I left yesterday, Rosario said one last thing to me that I will never forget...
"God has given me another chance and this time I will live for him and so will my babies..."
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/27/2010
Over the last couple of weeks, the jail ministry has really begun to take off. Naturally, I'm doing everything in my power to still proceed with caution and there are some men that I just walk away from, but for the most part, we have a lot to celebrate. Last month, we were walking out of the jail and one of the prison guards really caught my attention. I drove home and couldn't get him out of my mind, so I knew I needed to talk with him the next day. I told my company about him and how I felt like the guards were left out most of the time. Here we are preaching and reaching out to the inmates all the time and leaving them with nothing. If we could reach them, then we would not only touch another life, but would have more brothers to help us out.
I approached the man the next day and asked him his name and he replied, "Pit Bull". I asked him his real name and he just let me know that Pit Bull was all that I should call him. This confirmed all of my suspicions that the guards needed some outreach just as much as the prisoners. Unfortunately, I walked away from him because I had a lot of appointments for that day already and he wasn't the warmest character, so I walked away.
A little over a month later, once Jodi returned, she told me she had the same burden. She approached Pit Bull that day and just laid out the Gospel for him and why we do what we do. He was so shocked to hear the story and just kept asking Jodi what she got out of it. Jodi reminded him over and over that it wasn't about what we got, but it is all about what we can give. After-all, God gave us MORE than enough, so who are we to withhold?
She kept on telling him about the love of God and how we are used to just show His love and it's not really about us. The conversation kept going and ended up with Pit Bull asking for a Bible and Jodi leaving him with a few questions to ponder. Honestly, at times I see the guards with a much tougher exterior than the prisoners. They are often much harder to reach than the prisoners, because at least the prisoners are experiencing brokenness while the guards still get to sit up on their pedestals. There hasn't been some huge conversion experience with Pit Bull yet, but it's coming. God is sparking something inside those walls and no one can hide from the light...
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/26/2010
This man I will write about today is a man I am very blessed to know. He has a heart and a burden for the youth of this country and will do anything to serve them. Rodney is a pastor and is actually the leader of all the pastors in this province. On top of that position, Rodney is also the spiritual advisor to the governor and helps make a lot of decisions for how the Christian church looks in this area. I was excited to get to know this man because of his position, but developed a true relationship with him because of his calling.
The first ministry I was invited to with Pastor Rodney was a college scholars organization that is for the future leaders coming from the local colleges. Most of these students will be in politics and holding higher up positions in the upcoming years. So many of these students are extremely driven and will achieve their goals in the near future. Unlike a typical gathering of future leaders, Rodney pushes these students in ways to serve and be transformed by the Gospel instead of the world. Most of these students would do anything to get ahead and they see Rodney's positions and see him as a man to follow. Unfortunately for them, Rodney teaches more on servanthood than leadership.
This was the only ministry that I knew Rodney had a hand in until the last week or so. I found out that he also is the main supporter to Pastor Richard and the gang ministry. Also, each Saturday, he and his wife invite some of the poorest kids in this area to their home for a full day of reading, writing, and eating. The kids are making great progress because these two gives up their Saturdays for them. Another ministry is one that I always thought was needed, and he does a weekly Bible study with the guards and warden at the city jail. Also, Rodney took me up in the mountains the last few days to show me the literacy centers he is running and hikes to at least monthly. In the middle of the grueling hike, Rodney just looked at me and said, "You know, if it weren't for God, there's no reason I would be here."
I don't say all this to put Rodney on some pedestal, but I say it because he's not abusing these positions he has. God is putting a calling on his heart to take care of and raise up a future generation that knows Jesus and that includes the affluent, poor, rich, needy, schooled, and unschooled. Rodney has been a great friend to make while being out here and I'm looking forward to future ministry alongside this man as he helps me learn more about this culture.
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/26/2010
Archie is another one of the inmates that has gotten my attention. He is one of the guys that I often catch hanging his head and singing the blues. He has just recently started asking questions about what I believe and why I believe it. Usually he just asks me for more stuff and what I can bring him, but the last couple of days have been a little different.
His story is very typical with most of the men in the jail and he never fails to tell me the same story. Archie had a good life with two kids and a wife until he made a string of bad decisions that landed him here. His ultimate crime was drug selling, but the string of petty crimes has proven him to be a repeat offender, thus the reason his case keeps getting pushed off. This is a very typical story in the Malaybalay City Jail and so it's tough to hear over and over. However, whenever men begin show signs of change and transformation, that makes it all worth it.
The other day, I spoke to Archie's cell and right after he brought me a track that he had received from a group a few days earlier. He told me that some of the things in it seemed to contradict what I was saying and he wanted to know what was right. I just told Archie that I would give him my opinion and belief and it was up to him what he believed was true. I know what I believe, it's time for him to develop his own belief. He just looked at me and said, "OK then, you just tell me what you believe because I believe you."
One thing I always tell people is you have to make this thing yours. So many religions all over the world are passed down from generation to generation, but Christianity can't be one of them because it's hard to pass down a relationship. Archie, like many of the other men still has a long way to go. But I'm so blessed by these men and their stories...
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/23/2010
Alright, last one for today and then I will call it a day and write a few more tomorrow. The subject of this one is the man that I alluded to in the last blog with Jim. Pastor Eddie is one of the men that has dedicated his life to reaching this unreached population in the mountains of Minidinao. This is not a ministry that is just a good idea or temporary experiment, but this is a ministry you truly give your life to. There is no short term in this area. Pastor Eddie has already spent many years pouring into these people, and he may not even be the one that gets to see the fruit.
Whenever I run into a ministry like this one, I praise God. Everyday, I'm going out on the mission field, building what I think are long term relationships, but I can't even imagine this. Men like this will spend several years just earning a voice and learning the language while trying to learn their way of life. These tribal people will listen to everything the Pastor has to say, but to have any real change, they need to see these men of one of them. These tribal people are untouched and will do anything to keep their traditions and livelihood because that's what sets them apart. They could easily make their way down to the main towns and live like a majority of the population, but they choose to stay in the hills and keep separate.
I was able to talk with Pastor Eddie about his dreams and visions, and he believes he will see many of these people come to know the Lord. After-all, we hear the coming of the Lord will not happen until everyone has the chance to hear His message, and there are still people all over the world that have no idea who the man Jesus is that we are talking about. Pastor Eddie's burden is to make sure these people hear the message of the Gospel, but not just hear it, but understand and accept the message. As much as he longs for the coming of Jesus, he doesn't want these people to miss it. So until that day comes, he will work his way into these areas and build respect and relationships with these people.
As we hiked for hours, I just prayed and thanked God for these people because I don't know many people that would answer this call. There's not much to celebrate now and it's TOUGH. People tell me prison ministry it is an "impossible" ministry, but I think it pales in comparison to this. At least the prisoners no the difference between right and wrong and know who Jesus is, even if they've rejected Him. These people need men like Pastor Eddie to give their lives, and I pray they would see this man and a true servant that loves them enough to give up everything...
| |
|
Posted in my 365... by Will Miller on 8/22/2010
One thing I love about being on the mission field is meeting like minded people. I was blessed to meet Jim, an Aussie who has a heart for the tribal people. He visited the areas we went out to last year and felt the calling to return. He has teamed up with one of the local pastors and will travel around to the villages for a little over a week working on some construction projects. So even though he has a short time here, it will be full of walking the mountains and putting up walls and laying foundations.
He knows just as well as everyone else that reaching these people will be a long term project that begins with building relationships as well as homes. The pastors that travel to these areas will be the ones that will reach these people for long term, because they are so unsure of foreigners and visitors. You need to be "one of them" to have a voice among them. They love seeing the white man, and I was able to go to a couple of areas that have never seen a white man, but they will not take anything I say seriously. The ones to change and transform them will be the people that give their lives up for them.
Jim has caught this vision, and so his top priority on this return trip is to just poor into one of the lead pastors. In the midst of helping with a few of the construction projects, Jim is spending every moment with one of these pastors and encouraging him every step of the way. He is pouring into this man and hearing his vision and offering his connections and help to make this man's dreams happen. I was so excited to just sit among them and talk about future ideas and dreams for these places. It's a huge project that will take many years, but these people are committed to it and god bring men like Jim around to keep them going.
I've always wanted to make the trip to Australia. Who knows, I may have my chance...
| |
|
Next 10 Articles >>
|
|
|
