Of Tender Kisses and Dirty Feet

Kiss is probably the most expressive way of affection. It shows passion – communicating words yet unsaid. It tickles one’s heart and even one’s soul.

One fine afternoon in late August, my spiritual family (City Baptist Church of Lagro: https://www.facebook.com/citybaptistlagro) went to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan to tour around the Bahay Sibol: Home of Hope. It is a children’s home founded by the collaboration of a Filipino-American missionary and church leader, Pastor Carl Gormley (Calvary Baptist Church head pastor) and his wife, Ms. Michelle Gormley, and American missionaries, Pastor Calvin Houser (City Baptist Church pastor) and his wife, Ms. Mindy Houser. It houses 16 orphans as of this writing. Continuous blessings from God are being poured into this ministry through the sponsorships from churches and other people both locally and abroad.

To tell you frankly, I’m not as fond of kids as you might think I am since I’m struggling with impatience, but one thing I really appreciate about them is when they kiss me. I never meant to sound pedophilic. There is just so much sincerity from a kiss of a child that makes me feel so filled with tender love. Let me put this in context in a bit.

I was able to have a chit-chat with a staff of the children’s home who is also my church friend, Eleanor Houser. She told me the story of a kid in the orphanage whom has been a street child in Bataan. “One evening,” she said, “I was saying goodnight to the kids and kissing them one by one. This kids asked me, ‘Bakit mo kami kinikiss?’ (‘Why do you need to kiss us?)”

“To that I replied,” she continues, “Because I love you.”

But the kid’s response was a cut through her soul, “Kasi sa bahay namin dati, walang kiss-kiss. Lagi lang nag-aaway nanay at tatay namin. (In our house, we do not kiss and are not being kissed. My parents were just always fighting.)”

Isn’t that heartbreaking? I, myself, got teary-eyed when I heard this story. I wonder how a little kid had felt so unloved and rejected. How could a child who should have been embraced tightly and kissed tenderly had felt uncherished. It’s terrible!

Each kid in that place has his/her story.

A one-year old boy was found under a car parked somewhere in Bulacan. His thumb had wounds and infection. Apparently, because of starvation, he sucked his thumb so hard to somehow comfort himself. Where are his parents? Nobody knows.

A lovely baby girl has been given to the orphanage from the time of her birth. It was an unwanted pregnancy and suspiciously, the mother has been a drug addict.

Yet another story speaks about this pretty baby girl who was left by her mother to the midwife who helped her deliver. But the midwife was no hero at all. A neighbor happened to see the baby girl crawling outside the heartless midwife’s house feeding on her own diapers. So cruel!

How could those parents leave their children just like that? It’s crazy! And it makes me both sad and mad.

As I was enjoying the fresh sight of the farm and barn and relaxing through the cool breeze, I met this three-year old boy. A pre-teen orphan girl asked him to say “Hi” to me, but instead of uttering that short cold greeting, he welcomed me with a hug. Such a sweet kid! I took him for a short walk and carried him for a while. He’s lovely and I couldn’t find a good reason for his parents to give him up.

All those orphans have stories to tell – stories that would melt our hearts and make us cry. They were once lost and hopeless but were now found and embraced with love. Salute to the founders and housestaff of Bahay-Sibol for this wonderful deed. It is indeed a great sacrifice and requires much going out of their comfort zones. I can’t help but picture God’s powerful love of adopting us in His kingdom when we were once hopelessly wandering in life. But by His grace, He gave up the comfort and gave us His extravagant love through Jesus Christ’s saving blood.

I could hear the laughter of the orphans giggling. They were running to and fro chasing one another, feet dusted with dirt and mud for it was raining then; but their eyes were glimmering with hope and joy. Finally, in this broken world, they have felt loved.

As of this writing, a second cottage is being constructed to house more orphans. And for the days to follow, that house will be filled with kids with renewed hope.

As we bade goodbye that afternoon, my favorite little boy waved and called me back. I ran back, approached him and kissed him on his forehead. He pouted his lips and kissed me on my right cheek. Now, he really knows affection; he knows love.

As I scribbled and chased for the right words for this blog, I’ve realized that this fallen world needs healing through God’s love translated not only through mere hugs and kisses but through passionate care and selfless service.

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How can we help Bahay Sibol on our own way?

1. Pray for the orphans.

2. Pray for the house parents and staff.

3. Help financially. (Give easily online at bemamissions.org and designate your donation for Bahay Sibol.)

4. Send in new or used clothes and other necessities for the kids.

For more info, please see their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BahaySibol.

And by the way, it is their first anniversary today!