In the aftermath of Team Ulot's crusade they, along with Team Dolores and the Media Team, journeyed back to Can-avid for a day before we were to meet up with Team Oras and travel to Borongon to join the Mountain Trek team for midsummer break. Well that day in Can-avid became a day for many surprises and a great deal of bonding. Team Oras surprised us all and showed up mid-day to see everyone and it was unanimously agreed on that we would all go to the beach close by.
Before the group headed out though there were a few things that needed doing and one of those was one final basketball game with the worship band members from the church we stay at who had come to help with the crusade. I tagged along hoping to get some good video footage. While I got good footage, I found something that I'll treasure far more.
It's one thing to hope that what you're doing impacts someone, it's a whole other thing to see and know that you do make an impact and that people are happy to have you around. I was privileged enough to be able witness the bond that had formed between our team and the worship band from the church, despite language and cultural boundaries. It's truly a heartwarming sight to see the smiles and hear the laughter of each group of people when they get together despite differences.
There were no boundaries to struggle across or awkward pauses between trying to translate properly, just the pure joy of playing together. The camaraderie was universal and with a smile or a clap on the back everything that needed saying was said.
It really drove home to me that the people here do register our presence, that we make a difference, whether big or small. And I think I really needed to be reminded of that because it's easy to feel distanced from people when you can't fully communicate.
Pray for language and cultural boundaries to be torn down for all the teams, that they can really feel themselves connect to these people on a personal level and that God will continue opening doors for more opportunities for us to bond with our national partners.