The faith of a 3-year-old

As I write this blog, I’m sitting in McDonalds. In New Zealand, McDonalds was a place we didn’t visit much, and when we did, it was usually the McCafe which was a good distance from our house, which made the ideal place to ‘turn around’ on a morning walk. (after a nice cappuccino, of course). But here in the Philippines, it’s one of the few places that are open at 8am. The malls don’t open till about 11am (probably a legacy of the Spanish influence) and even Starbucks, which I would actually prefer, in terms of comfortable seats to sit down with a laptop, is only open at 9:30. This morning, as I have to be back at Emily’s nursery school by 9:30 for a field trip, I decided it wasn’t worth fighting the traffic back to our apartment. My only other choice here closeby was ‘Jollibee’, which is the Filippine version of McDonalds. It’s a very similar concept, but instead of a tall, cherry-headed man with big red shoes, their mascot is a big fat bumble bee with a white chef’s cap. This morning, familiarity won out, so my blogging companions are Ronald in plastic and Karen Carpenter though the loud Muzak.

We’ve really been enjoying the international church here in the Manila. Part of the reason is probably that when you’re dealing with culture shock and just plain stress, your desire to connect with God seems to increase. Another part of the equation is that Emily and Zoe have settled very well into their Sunday School classes, so we actually get to sit through a whole service with no interruptions. This hasn’t been the case for about 3 ½ years!

Emily’s been paying attention in Sunday School. She’s been asking all sorts of fabulous questions about God, as she tries to assimilate the things she’s being taught. “Does God live in our chest?” “Why can’t we see God?” “When are we going to die?” “My sore is better – isn’t God clever to make our body heal itself!” “Sometimes I’m naughty.”

I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of talking with her about spiritual matters. While I find them far from easy, and I know I don’t have all the answers, I’m glad she’s at least interested in our creator. I was touched the other day when Emily declared “When I die, I’m going to give God a great big cuddle!” I was very proud of her budding faith, but then was promptly reminded that she is only three when she added “And Jollibee!”