Anatomy of a Short Term Mission
-- by Elisa Bowe, May 2008
Elisa Bowe is the contributor for this article. Elise is a long time supporter of the Children's Home taking numerous teams to serve the needs of the children in a variety of ways. As Rehoboth enters this exciting stage of growth, won’t you prayerfully consider giving of your time and efforts as part of a work team?
Since 2000, I have been bringing teams of people from Australia to help Rehoboth Children's home. The opportunity first arose when I was teaching at Southern Highlands Christian School in New South Wales. After another trip was cancelled I rang around youth leaders that I knew asking for places we could go. One of them said that they kind of had a connection with a couple who were building a children’s home in the Philippines. I got the phone number and plucked up the courage to call… my journey with RCH began! I spoke with Bob and Barbara and asked if they needed some extra hands for a week or two and if we would be any help. They were thankful for the help and said it was possible for us to come.
I flew with the director of the Christian Reformed Churches Seasonal Workshops In Ministry (SWIM) group to the Philippines for a weekend to check out the project. It was approved and decided that I would be able to bring a team in November 2000 and also take subsequent trips with SWIM.
The first two teams that were taken to Rehoboth helped around the worksite. Pouring concrete, painting, clearing land, sanding back walls, and digging trenches were some of the things we were able to do. Bob gave us clear instructions and we were able to lend a hand. I am so thankful for the guidance that Bob and Barbara gave in those first trips.
After Rehoboth Children's Home was opened in 2003, I thought that my time with the home was over. Now that the building was done, what else was there to do? I visited the Philippines in 2004 on another mission trip fact finding adventure. I really felt that there was more work to do, but what that was I couldn’t be sure.
I spoke to Fe about the possibility of bringing a team to work with the children of RCH. In 2005 this finally eventuated and a group of 10 students and one teacher from Heathdale Christian College, in Werribee Victoria (Australia) came with me.
We spent a week at the children’s home, giving a hand wherever we could. We mostly spent time playing with the children, giving them some extra love, care and attention that the carers may not be able to give, because of their busy schedules. We took the children to the Bario (local market) on tricycles, had ice cream out, played with balloons and drew on the driveway with chalk. We also played with balls and bikes. We took the kids for a walk, helped put shoes on, played blocks, read books, blew bubbles, played tip, and generally provided an atmosphere of fun, laughter and good times. It also seemed that most team members when they went to play also became climbing frames, monsters to run away from and also the big person to tickle and run away!
There were also the quiet times, when some kids had gone to bed, or were just getting up; all a team member had to do was sit quietly in the play area and a little one would come and climb up on them and just want to sit; or take the opportunity to pick up one of the infants and hold them while they fell asleep, or feed them a bottle. The times when there was not need for tickles or talking… just quiet time. In times like this it was clear that to serve, all that was needed was a lap to sit on, a hand to hold and a heart for these little ones.
After returning from the trip I reflected on what we had actually done. Was it fair on the kids to come in with 12 white people, invade their space, hype them up and then leave again? Was it OK to provide love for such a short period of time and then not stay?
In talking to Fe and the reaction she saw in the kids, and the changes she saw in them after we left, I became assured that what we had given was useful and effective and added to the fantastic program and home that Rehoboth provides. The children, especially the older children grew in confidence. They had so much fun and felt accepted by the team. They also had valuable exposure to people who had a different skin colour (apparently yellow!) and also were able to spend long periods of time playing and roughing around with young teenage guys. This interaction with men was so important especially for the older boys as they have more contact with women than men at the home.
As a team we had enough hands to hold all the little ones, so that each child got to spend some one on one time with a team member. At times this was spent slobbering icecream all over themselves (and the team member looking after them) but it was so valuable. We had the manpower resources to ride in a tricycle and bring them along, and the resources to keep them occupied with adult contact where the ratio was 1 to 1 or 2 to 1.
As a team we are also an extension of our communities; school, suburb and church, and bring their support with us. This support is usually in the form of prayer, and donations which are both practical and financial. Both school and bible study groups have made laminated (ie. indestructible) books that depict Bible stories, the alphabet and numbers. We also bring good quality 2nd hand and new kids clothes from supporting families in Australia to Rehoboth. The older kids are especially proud of their new clothes and get to choose which ones they would like as their own.
Taking a team of people on a short term mission is not an easy or casual task. It requires a great deal of planning, preparation and prayer! The staff at Rehoboth are fantastic and welcome us each time we go. They work hard for the well being of the kids and our intention is to work alongside and partner with them in the things that they do and enhance whatever we can for the time we are there.
We have the opportunity and privilege of working with fantastic people in an amazing place, to serve the innocents; the little ones who have done nothing to create their situation, but live, pray and wait each day for their new forever families or to be returned to a much improved home life with their birth parents.
The teams go to serve at Rehoboth, but there are not many dry eyes in the Jeepney on the way to Manila when we leave. The staff and kids of Rehoboth give so much back. The staff work hard and are welcoming and willing to allow us to partner with them. The kids exude joy and happiness. They bring light to dark places and let us all know that they need time, love, contact, fun; and appreciate every bit we can give. They show us that we don’t understand resilience and that serving in the simplest way is often what is needed most.
For more information on participating in short term missions going from Australia, contact Elisa directly on bowe@iinet.net.au. For others interested in participating, contact Craig Druckenmiller on cdruck@theglobal.net.