Romano

This Saturday I went with some of the workers and kids to a Catholic orphanage where they take in people with special needs. It was an amazing experience, and I’m so glad I was able to go. One of the kids who used to live at Sankey, Ramano, is now living there. I’m not exactly sure what kind of disability he has. He is able to work at the orphanage, and help out by doing jobs around the place. He is very self-sufficient, and the orphanage has really helped him out. He also has a sister, Mary Ann, who still lives here at Sankey.

            So myself along with 3 of the boys, Mary Ann, and three of the workers woke up at 4:30 to make the 3-hour trek through the Pilipino traffic to spend the day with Romano. Now the people here haven’t seen Romano in 4 years, and that includes Mary Ann. It’s hard to imagine the feelings of her, but she was able to keep her emotions in check and greet her brother for the first time in a long time. Romano still remembered all their names. One of the first things he said was he wanted to come back to Sankey. Which breaks your heart, but we know he is in a good place where they take care of him.

            One of the Catholic orphanages goals is to help these kids become more self -sufficient. They teach them labor jobs that they will be able to do and to keep them busy.  They work on the farm, learn cleaning jobs, etc. It really is a great set-up where they all are looked after and properly fed.

            Growing up in our family we have always had a special place in our hearts for kids with special needs. My Uncle who has Downs Syndrome is one of the joys of my life, and becomes that for anyone who meets him. He is a loving soul, and is a living example of how we are supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves. Though I think loving people right is one of the inherit traits of people with special needs, I also think it is ingrained by how they are brought up. My Papa and Grandmother have been an amazing example how to treat someone with special needs. LIKE REAL PEOPLE! They constantly give him jobs, and shower him with love. Though it’s obvious my Uncle is different we have never treated him like he was different. We treat him like the equal that he is in our family, and I think that is part of why he is so loving to others.

Whenever I meet another person with special needs I’ve always thought of how treasured they are in God’s eyes. I couldn’t help but think that as I was privileged enough to meet Romano and some of the others that live in the Catholic orphanage. It was also an eye opening experience to think of all the people around the world who have special needs. They are so precious, and they needed to be treated as gifts not tossed aside and ignored.

 Michael, the special needs boy who is still at Sankey, came with us on the trip because in a year or so he will have to join Romano at the Catholic orphanage. He was so happy to be reunited with Romano. I’ve been told that when they were both here growing up at Sankey they were constantly together, and since Romano had to move out Michael constantly says his name. Whenever Michael is given food he sets aside part of it and says this is for Mano, or when he is given clothes he asks if there are any extras for Mano. It’s a valuable example of how we are supposed to act as Christians.

Ok this isn’t a Philippines story, but it goes along with the point I want to make in this post.

My Uncle Eugene is quite famous for referring to everyone he meets as either Brother, Pal, or Angel. One of my favorite Uncle E stories is when our Kvam family was out at a restaurant and had a male waiter who was a very flamboyant gay man. None of our family paid the man much mind, and they ate their dinner without really speaking much to the guy. Uncle E, who loves to pay the tip, asked Papa if he could give the waiter some money. So instead of leaving the money on the table, as most people do, he went and found the waiter in the restaurant. He went up to him handed the waiter the money and gave him a big hug. He then walked away with his famous “all eyes on me” strut, and told everyone it was time to split. As my Grandmother was walking out of the restaurant the waiter came up to her with tears in his eyes, and said he just wanted to thank her for her son. He had been having a really hard time, and told her how much Uncle E’s hug meant.

 My Uncle Eugene is a perfect example of loving people the way we are called to love. Not by the outward appearance, but to love as Jesus loves, us with all our ugliness and faults. I feel so privileged to be able to say that Eugene Kvam is my Uncle! He is one of my heroes, and truly a needed example on how to love people well. 

Though I’ve only been in the Philippines for a short time I’ve really developed some strong relationships here. God has been so good with providing anything and everything I need. Through the ups and downs I’ve really been able to learn to truly trust God with all things. I’ve always said that I’m just not good at prayer, but I was really challenged by a sermon I heard from my home church, which basically said prayer takes practice. I think of how many hours I’ve spent shooting the basketball compared to how many hours I’ve spent in prayer, and I can’t help but feel ashamed. I now realize that just like anything, practice is all I need. To stop talking about how “I’m just not good at prayer” and actually praying has made such a difference! The Lord listens to all, and I’m finding renewed reassurances all the time. To be convicted to pray my way through the day has really opened my relationship with God to new heights. To trust Him in all things and to have a true conversation with the Lord puts my heart at rest.

I thank God for what He has done for me here, and for all the relationships I’ve been able to establish. This week I was pretty sick. I’ve only been sick a couple times in my life, so this is still a new thing for me. I had about a 106 degree fever, sore throat, headache, and I was dizzy whenever I stood up. The people here were amazing! They helped me through it, and now thanks to God and their help I’m back to normal. I can’t explain how much their love and care for me has meant. They really were there whenever I needed anything. It’s so comforting to know that I have people in my corner that truly care.

Friday the 13^th in the year 2013 we celebrated the 13^th anniversary of the Sankey Samaritan Home. We had a big dinner with all the boys and girls as well as the staff. We had a fun time just hanging out and talking about various things. Afterward we watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, which no matter how many times I see it, it still is a perfect adventure movie.

Quick little story from the anniversary party: The youngest kid here at Sankey, John Paul, is a big Hulk fan. I wear a hulk shirt ever once in a while with a picture of the Hulk on the front, and every time I wear it he asks me the question, Who would win the Hulk vs. (some superhero)? The Hulk always wins, and he loves it. Then he asked, “what about Hulk vs. Samson?” I said Samson cause he has God with him. There was a twinkle in his eyes and he started to smile. Then he said, “What about the Hulk vs. me?” Before I could even answer he said, “I win because God on my side.” I just smiled and said “your right! You would beat the Hulk cause you have God.” He got the biggest smile, and puffed out his chest a little. It was so cute to see him realize with God on your side nothing is impossible. 

Well it’s been awhile since I last posted, so this is a general update on how things are going. I’ve only been here for about a month and a half, but I’ve already learned so much from the people here at Sankey. I’m constantly amazed at what God has done here. It’s a true testament to the leadership here. The workers here are so genuine. They truly care about everyone, and it is so inspiring.

I’ve got my own little routine here, but everyday there are new adventures to be had. My Mom used to say when we were little “only boring people get bored”, and lets just say that goes double for life in the Philippines. Life is constantly going here, and with so many people it’s always easy to find someone and have a good time. I’ve been playing a lot of chess, ping-pong, guitar, and just having fun with the boys and girls here.

In school the speech classes are going okay. I still feel a little inadequate teaching an actual class, but I’m learning how to prepare lessons and even getting better at talking in front of a group of people. My favorite part of school is definitely Fridays when at the end of the day we have P.E. It’s so much fun just to play with the kids it’s amazing! I’ve taught them a few new games including red rover, stuck in the mud (freeze tag), and capture the flag. We’ve had such a fun time running around, and the kids seem to love it almost as much as I do.

The devotions with the boys have been going well. We are almost finished with The Measure of The Man book. It’s been a good intro book to get to know the boys better, and I’m really looking forward to going through the Bible with them. Once we finish this book we are going to start going through stories in the Old Testament and showing how everything points to Jesus. The first story we will be doing  is Joseph’s, and I can’t wait to get it going!

I’m starting to understand little bit of Tagalog, but I still a long way to go. The boys and girls have been great in helping teach me words, and hopefully I’ll be able to speak a little soon. I’m still so thankful that they all know a various degree of English!

God has been so good here! I have been so blessed by all the people here it truly is amazing.

I was asked a question by one of the girls here that really has stretched me. It’s not something I have ever even thought about before, but now I can’t get it out of my mind. The question she asked was, “If you were famous what would you want to be famous for?” When she asked the question multiple answers flew into my head: writer, movies, basketball, etc… But my New England side kicked in, and I didn’t open up completely. Instead I fired the question right back at her, and she said without any hesitation. “If I had to be famous I would want to be famous for bringing people to Christ. Maybe be a famous missionary.” She said it without a hint of self-righteousness. It was so genuine and pure, that I couldn’t help but crave for the exact same desire to overtake my heart. 

See I’ve truly come to realize that sharing the Gospel and what it preaches is really the most important thing I can do. I just hope and pray that I will always be ready for whatever God has planned for my life.

Love you

God Bless!

Here are some videos and pictures from last week. We had a great time on Thursday celebrating a Philippine holiday. This Cugley elementary kids put on a great show which included dancing, speech making, awards, and even some singing. We had a fun time, and the kids got to dress up in some traditional garb. Then on Friday I was able to go with some other teachers and help out with some of our kids that participated in the district meet. They play all the Olympic sports, and only the best get to move on. So that's a little explanation on the pictures/videos below.

Everything is going great here, and I'm really enjoying getting to know all the boys and girls here at Sankey.

God Bless!