This morning very early I was drinking coffee in the hotel lobby looking out at one of the busy Manila streets. The streets here are crowded with taxis, jeepneys, tricycles, motor bikes, buses, cars, but most of all, pedestrians. I watched for over two hours as the mass of humanity just kept coming- surging forward. Never stopping, ever marching, they continued in the streets, on the sidewalks, anywhere they could find footing enough to stand. They darted in and out of jeepneys or tricycles, constantly moving forward.
My mind was mesmerized by the expressions on their faces. Mostly young, but all Asian ethnicities. Professionals and domestic workers alike. Some middle class and a few wealthy, but mostly a mass of poor human beings desperately trying to exist or seeking the next meal, or trying to climb the ladder to the next level by going to school or, in some instances, being trafficked by the worldwide net of human slave traders.
And they just kept coming. They never stopped. Later, we hailed a taxi and immediately swam right out in this sea of humanity with horns blaring, four lanes of traffic turned into eight and every passenger living dangerously close to the edge. It was then I remembered a conversation I had with a denominational superintendent who oversees Metro Manila. In a frustrated and deeply concerned tone, she said, "I'm still searching for the key to reach this city. We desperately need more workers to do the job. Sometimes I can't sleep at night thinking about this mass of humanity.
Manila is a huge city of 18 million people. But it is only one of the major cities of the world. As Jesus looked at cities and villages, He said, "Pray The Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers." Superintendent Pol Guazon and I prayed that laborers would be called into this vast urban landscape of helpless and hopeless humans. Jesus is 
still looking for laborers. Moments ago I checked down on the street again. They're still coming. They just keep coming.
