Philippines: Creation care
‘We were still metres away but I could already smell the coast. I was so excited the night before our coastal clean-up because I would be able to help nature and restore its beauty. But I also felt pity because I never thought that people like us could destroy something so beautiful that God has given us.’ (Mae, a student)
Every year IVCF Philippines in the Southern Mindanao region holds an event that focuses on caring for God’s creation. This year three groups participated. One group cleaned up a coastal area, another swept and picked up rubbish at a public market, while a third planted 803 cacao seedlings.
And it’s hard work! Kimberly described herself as ‘tired and exhausted’ at the end of the day:
‘It takes a lot of effort to plant a single seedling. It takes tremendous amount of energy to climb to the planting site. It takes courage to finish the work before the day ends. It takes perseverance. It takes strength.’
Why would they do such a thing? Shouldn’t they be holding Bible studies with their friends or attending a leadership development conference?
Or is caring for God’s world something that is part of moulding student leaders, part of equipping young people to reach out to others?
Ruth, another student participant, explains what God showed her during the event:
‘I realized that being a Christian is not only focusing on your own spiritual growth. Being a Christian includes a responsibility to be involved in community.
‘Some of the people living on the coast were not responsible enough to take care of their own place and it’s a sad thing. The waste that they had created will probably affect them especially in regard to their health. It’s an eye-opener for me as a Christian to pray for those people and not think always of praying only for myself.
‘Sometimes we can only see the things that we are near every day. It could be the limited number of friends that we chat with, or the usual things that we do. Sometimes in life we need to see the bigger picture, to realize what’s going on in our world outside.’
Merit sorted the trash for recycling and was reminded of the need to steward God’s creation.
‘Participating in the clean-up drive reminded me that even little things, when accumulated, can have a disastrous effect. And it further encouraged me not just to actively take the role of steward but also to influence the people around me to do the same.’
There are many lessons to be learned as we care for the world around us. Let’s pray for students as they strive to show the love of God in the communities around them by bringing restoration to the created world. And let’s pray too that we might know how we can better care for the wonderful world that God has entrusted to us.
Blessings.
Written by Penny Vinden for IFES