To start off, New Years in The Philippines was amazing. No exaggeration, my view of this country’s fireworks may have been the absolute best view of fireworks possible in the entire world. We all rode up to Faith Academy, walked out to the balcony that overlooks the city, pulled out our cameras and lined up to watch as all of Manila tried to outdo itself with each second. I’ve never been a huge fan of fireworks and honestly haven’t understood peoples fascination with temporary dots of light in the sky, but last night when this sky became illuminated, the feeling that overtakes me at the edge of an ocean or a view of a mountain range or a life changing moment once again took my breath away. My advice to everyone is to travel to Manila for one New Years of your life, the money and the time will be worth it simply for the fireworks. Though I hear Chinese New Year (sometime in late January?) is supposedly even more spectacular here so I’ll have to see which one tops.
Even though our New Years took place 14 hours before everyone back home, looking over the city last night made the world feel small for a moment. Our view was high enough so that the city fireworks appeared to be beneath us and I half way expected to hear the shouts of all my girlfriends surrounding me. In all that light, with all the suspense and surreal concept of the beginning of a new year, my whole world united for a moment. The crowd began the countdown and I heard the voices and the excitement of the earth reminiscing and bidding goodbye to the past 365 days. Home didn’t seem far away anymore and instead, with the change of December 31st 2013 to January 1st 2014, I felt shoulder to shoulder with everyone, Filipino, Honduran, and American alike. It was comforting to know we were all on the same page, or at least turning it together.
Yesterday, before heading over to Faith Academy to watch the show, I was on duty at the nursery in The Childrens Home. There wasn’t much longer on my shift and the pop of constant firecrackers had already begun in the streets below. I was having difficulty feeding a sick baby whose airway passages had closed up. After a forced bottle, I kissed him on the forehead and laid him in his crib for the night. I looked over and saw a team mate reluctantly putting a toddler in time-out. He was very gently trying to be stern and kept repeating “Well, honey you just cant be putting your green beans in others kids milk, okay” Worship music had begun downstairs and 2 of the toddlers started singing along and dancing. Another baby was sticking rice into the crevices of Lego’s and hoping nobody noticed. I scanned the room, laughing at the scene and quickly realized this was the strangest and most lovely last day of the year.
Unlike any of the babies I fed, changed, and put to bed on the last day of 2013, my first 15 New Years were probably spent sleeping in my own warm bed or on my living room couch watching the ball drop and sipping on some type of sugary drink through a straw. I was always surrounded by family who loved me and asked me what my resolutions were and threw me up in the air at midnight. These kids are still waiting on what I have taken for granted, to be known longer than a mission trip session and to be held and loved by the same person for the rest of their childhood. I believe they are fully loved by their Father in heaven, but I still yearn for their adoption and placement into an earthly home. I pray that on the last day of 2014, their kiss before bed on new years will come from their new parents.
