Bababa ba?

(I’m sorry for the crappy writing. I did this within 20 minutes of waking up. And I’m in no condition to edit. So just publish, I did. Hahaha. God bless all of you.)

Josie and I have been volunteering for CRIBS for some time now. I was supposed to have written an entry about it within the week of our first visit, but it sounded too much like a reflection paper for school, so I scrapped it. The next draft also felt like it was an academic paper. It too, was scrapped. Now, I’m writing this first thing in the morning (straight from waking up), with no preparation whatsoever so it would sound as natural as it could be.

I’ve been planning to visit CRIBS since November last year to no avail. School has been a bit harsh and schedules were full, so plans didn’t push through. Hahahaha. Finally a month ago, Josie and I, upon receiving an epiphany from the Lord, decided to share all the love that we had, meaning, all the love God gave us (and continue to do so). God has been giving us unlimited overflowing love by giving us everything we need, and it just didn’t feel right that we didn’t share this love of His that we had.

After a few trips to the GK Brookside Village (which Josie plans to visit again btw, due to the calamity that occured), we next decided to volunteer where love was needed the most, CRIBS, the home of the abandoned babies. So I went to their website and got a hold of their number. And on Sunday morning of that week, we were on our way to Major Dizon Street of Marikina City.

Being first time volunteers, we didn’t know what to do. There were tons of kids, but there were only two of us. But things came naturally as we entered the crawlers section (babies of 5months-1year of age) of the orphanage. Babies literally came rushing towards us asking to be carried and held. Once you carry the baby, there was no letting go as the baby starts crying when you put him/her down. It was a natural sight to see Josie or me sitting down in one corner, carrying two babies while there were still more kids clinging on to our arms.

Since these babies needed all the love they can get, Josie and I shared what we can. As my Mom told us in our lone visits to CRIBS and RSCC the previous years, these kids most importantly need to be touched, held, and fondled (this is what she called the “touch therapy”). A few minutes into the fray, you could see Josie and I carrying, hugging, snuggling and kissing the babies whenever we had the time and energy to do so. It was exhausting, yes, for there were just too many of them. But to be really really honest it was more of rewarding. Every time Josie and I drove home afterwards, we felt the need to come back to that place. And that we did, and will continue to do.

Last night, after a day of volunteering, I plopped down to bed due to exhaustion. I went with Josie to CRIBS in the morning, and then to Loyola Memorial with the family in the afternoon to visit Michael. Before I fell asleep, images of the CRIBS kids popped up in my mind. Their smiles, their laughter, their innocence, their pureness, their yearning for someone to attend to them. And with that, I learned what Jesus was telling us in Matthew 19:14.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

Babies held on to us as if they had no one else to hold on to. Kids have this natural tendency to cling on to their parents or to whomever they look up to. The babies in CRIBS looked up to us and came to us, no one hindered them, and they got to our arms.

And I guess that’s how we could get to God’s arms, let’s hold on to Him as if we had no one else to hold on to. And if we realized that and accepted it, we would be well on our way towards His Kingdom.

Anyways. As Josie and I were exchanging text messages last night, I can’t help but tell her how now I was so attached with these babies. I guess that’s why images of them kept flashing whenever I’m idle. I miss these babies, and I have learned to love them.

I hope you do too. Love the children who don’t have all the love in the world. Love the abandoned, the maltreated, the hungry, the abused, the neglected. Love the children whom other people have forsaken.

And even if you think they couldn’t love you back, just think again, and realize: they hold on to you like you’re everything they had. If that isn’t loving you back, then what is?

I guess this is the mission God has given me and Josie, to share all the love that He has given us, and inciting others to do likewise. And that, I’m very much trying to do by writing this piece.

So don’t just sit there. Go outside and share God’s love. :)