Photo Blog

We Need YOUR Help!!!

This past Christmas one of Ms. Cantrell's former Sunday School students from the state Georgia came to spend her Christmas break at K.I.M. (Kids International Ministries) with her family.  While they were here, Chandler and her mother taught a mom from the local community how to make some bracelets.  So then it caught on from there and they realized that if they could sell some of the bracelets they might be able to feed their families.

So K.I.M. has now started a new ministry.  Every Friday over 200 local Filipino women line up outside of the gates here with all the bracelets that they have made from the week before.  They come in a few ladies at a time.  After they have participated in a Bible Study they then turn in their bracelets for inspection.  They are give 10 pesos (25cents) for each bracelet that is deemed saleable.  K.I.M then gives them new materials so that they can make more for the next week.

Right now in Jeff's office (Director of K.I.M.) sits over 10,000 bracelets, and they need to be sold so they can keep buying bracelets from these women and help them to provide for their families.  If these ladies can provide for their families then many of them will have the courage to leave their abusive homes and provide for their families themselves.

So we need your help!!!!!!!  We are bringing home over 700 bracelets in our school colors, and another 300 random bracelets of many colors.  We will be selling the school bracelets for $2 and the other assorted bracelets for $5.  ALL of the money will be sent back to K.I.M. so that they can carry on the "Community Cord" ministry.  Can you think of ways to help us sale them?  Will you be willing to buy one for yourself, maybe even two?  Would your family and friends be willing to help support this great cause?  You may comment directly on this blog if you would be willing to help, or you can email Coach Bandy at abandy@ics.edu.sg.  If you are from ICS we will be selling them at the school!

Please pray how you can help us continue to serve this great ministry even after we fly out of here tomorrow!

Computers and Bible Studies

Today I went to help Mr. Yoo set up the internet in the library for the Cuatro Christian School. We had started the project yesterday and today we finished it. After we connected the computers to the internet, we set up some of the computers and installed some software.
One cool thing that happened today was that I had a Bible study with a couple of kids off the street. One boy named Aiken had asked me to hold a Bible study for him and some of his friends. They came to the courtyard and Gabe, AJ, and I led a Bible study with them. We talked about Daniel and how even though he was taken captive, he was exactly where God wanted him to be. I was very happy to see that the kids had so much enthusiasm for the Word of God. Tomorrow, we will hold another Bible study per Aiken's request. It was a very exciting and fruitful day and I am excited for what is in store for all of us tomorrow. Keep us in your prayers!
Jeffrey

Josie

     Today we met Josie; one of the world's best human beings. She has overcome so much struggle and pain in her life yet she has persevered and used it for the greater good. At the age of 19 she packed up and moved half way across the world to America. When living with a less than great role model she started to make poor choices and get entangled with sin. She became a wild child. After a year of this lifestyle Josie hit rock bottom in her relationship with God and her life. She called up her parents and asked for help, this was the start to her recovery process. She moved back to Manila, vowing to stay only for one year to fix up her life. Throughout her time here, girls on the street would always come up to her and ask her to hang out. She was completely uninterested and even annoyed by the consent presence of them. One day while talking to her father he convinced her to hang out with the street girls once and then she could be done with it. With hesitation she agreed, this one visit turned into once a week bible studies. While outside before the bible study Josie saw one of her girls limping, trailing behind the rest. She walked up to her and asked what was wrong, then she saw that the girl's whole leg was swollen because of a small cut that turned into a large infection. This moment changed Josie's life forever. Picking the girl up and carrying her to a doctor, Josie decided that she had to stop this cycle of neglect and abuse among these local girls; and Josie's Angels came to life. Josie's Angels grew into a safe haven for the broken. Ranging from ages 6 to18. The JAZ house is the epitome of God's home. Filled with color, life, and giant smiles the home is a place for the girl's at their best and at the worst.

     I have experienced these girls first hand, and they are some of the most loving people I've ever met. I have come to know a girl named Ella. She is 18 and has had a life that no one could ever deserve. But I think that I need her more than she needs me. By getting to know her I have learned how to care for someone greatly in a short amount of time. The teachers on this trip always talk about a moment that defines you, and I have had one. I sat down to give my devotion and at the end I asked her if she had any questions she wanted to ask me about my personal life. We sat there and she looked me straight in the eyes and asked what is it like to have a family.  My heart broke. So many times we count girls like these out because they live in such far off places and seem unreachable, but they are as real as you and me.

-Remy

Basketball Day

Myles and some of K.I.M staff at the game!

If you didn't already know, basketball is huge in the Philippines. Yesterday, we went to watch a basketball game with Josie's Angels and some of the people that work with KIM. Even though there weren't that many people in the stadium, you can tell how passionate the people are about the game. I think the excitement was contagious, and we had a lot of fun watching the action. For the girls, hanging out with Josie's Angels made the game even better. It was a good game, and Kirk, Jeff's son, made a lot of good passes. He also made a shot that gave his team the lead. In the end, they won by 10 points!

Anna-Joy

Read All About It

During the morning, we were able to do some of the simplest but most rewarding tasks to a student here in Manila. Our task was reading and interacting with them. In my opinion, reading to a student and knowing they are learning something is actually more rewarding than you may think. I take on the perspective that some day these kids will be empowered to use these new words to speak up and be confident. When they learn new words and phrases, our impact is only positive. Education is vital to this generation of the Philippines, because it allows independence and growth to the Philippines in unimaginable ways. I loved reading to these kids because it may seem small, but like every other task were doing in the Philippines, it is great to KIM and God. They were very enthusiastic and my student actually read to me. I am blown away everyday here how much these kids would smile and give me one of the greatest times of life even when they have way less than me. My time reading was a time for an even greater perspective than I had before and a greater love for this generation of the Philippines. I would probably read everyday here if I could. Hehe...

Andrew N.

Afternoon Feeding

Today was an emotional and hard day. Probably the most stressful and moving event on my heart was the feeding. We arrived at about 4:10 in the afternoon and unloaded the food for the feeding. The group of Seth, Easter, Andrew (Nugget), and myself unloaded the rice and put it on a bench close by. Then the people started rushing. They were any where from 3 - 50 years old, and they came with anything to put rice in. Over fifty percent of them had plastic bags. The others had some sort of Tupperware, bowl, or a pot lid. Most came back for seconds, because most of the kids had to provide for the rest of their family. One of the ladies, she looked about 35, said thank you for the little bag of rice that I scooped into her bag. God really hit my heart on that one, because that would probably feed her family for that day. God moved me to be thankful and grateful for what I have. I have never been without the basics, and the Lord showed me today that you do not need to have the basics and to be thankful, joyful, and happy about the little things that you're given.

Emma Oldreive

Weekend Pics

The boys getting ready to play in their basketball tourney with the community kids!

Pastor from the local community church.

Nugget and Gibby painting the ceiling :)

The kids doing their skit during the children's home devotions.

Bin Sou with the kids during the devotion!

Deon being read to by one of the school aged children!

Emma sharing her Bible story using her henna that she drew on one of Josie's Angels.

Christine drawing her henna!

Ms. Bandy with one of her many friends!!! :)

Sunday Fun Day!

Today was interesting! It was our "day off". We started the day with a yummy breakfast, and then went to attend the service at the church nearby. We were all still exhausted from the hectic day before, so some of us nodded off during the service! But it was a good message. Then we drove to another church in a mall. This church was huge! It was so different to the small community church we went to earlier. It was a good message about waiting for the Lord, and doing things according to his time. It was a good and fun service.

After that, we were starving, so Jeff Long and his family treated us to a delicious Italian lunch. Once we were all fed and ready to go, we drove to the Green Hills market. It was crazy and crowded! There were so many stalls selling things from clothing to snacks to shoes, etc. Everything was cheap as well! We were all split up into groups to shop. It was fun bonding with different people, and shopping together. And I think we all enjoyed bargaining, because we don't get to do it much in Singapore. We bought many random t-shirts and hats, so our suitcases will come back pretty full!

We came back, exhausted and broke! We then had a de-briefing, and visited the children's home for a while. We played badminton, soccer, and basketball with them. Some of the kids really opened up, and it was great to see the smiles on their faces. Then we came back for dinner. Some groups went again to the home after dinner, and presented their devotions. They had practiced really hard to come up with a great interactive message that would teach the children about God. The children really received the message well, and had a lot of fun! Some of them got a little distracted, because I guess it was because they were more comfortable with us! But it made it more interesting. Other groups will also present their devotions over the next few nights.

Tomorrow we will have an even busier day, but we are all still excited. We will let you know our activities over the week! Bye!

Keziah

Sweaty...really sweaty

Today, everybody woke up bright and early at 7.30 and we all wrote exciting journal entries. Breakfast was just as delicious as usual: scrambled eggs, toast, and pineapples. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm :) After eating, some of the guys went to the school and spent the rest of the morning painting the schoolhouse and very nice white color. We worked very hard and painted the ceiling with rollers and paintbrushes. While we did that, the girls played basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and kickball with Josie's Angels. They had lots of fun getting to know the girls even though it was hot and tiring.
Lunch was another sumptuous affair, consisting of rice with fried vegetables/chicken. Dessert was a delicious cookie cake, it was sooo gooey and chocolatey. Omnomnomzz. The guys had a very nice surprise after lunch: all of us got a 2 hour nap with the air conditioning turned on. While the guys were supposed to be snoozing, the girls spent the afternoon doing henna with Josie's Angels. After our refreshing nap, all of the guys proceeded to play basketball for the next 4 hours...straight. We mixed teams with some of the local guys and played a tournament.
Tonight, Eddie, AJ, Gabe Mak, Kennedy, and Keziah went to J's Salon to get massages/pedicures/manicures and those sorts of things. Most of us are getting ready for bed now. That's all for now! Will keep you posted! :)

Oh, baby!

What an eventful day! The girls got up, exhausted! But the day's activities kept us so busy that we forgot our fatigue. In the morning, we found out that we would be taking 2-hour shifts to take care of a newborn baby that was born 3 days ago. Her name was Daisy. Most of the girls were thrilled! Before the shifts started, we started a sports session with the girls from Jaz Home, a home for abused and neglected girls. We played sports like basketball, kickball, dodgeball, and volleyball. We had a lot of fun, but the sun was really beating down on us!

We then started the baby shifts midway through the sports session. It was so fun to watch the newborn baby's different expressions and behaviors. It really gave us a taste of what motherhood is like. Then, in the afternoon, we were ready to have some fun with henna! We had all practiced designs prior to this session, and had devotions from the Bible to explain the meanings of the patterns. The girls loved the henna, and were able to do some on us! So if we come back with strange drawings on us, don't be surprised.

Some of us girls stayed and watched the boys play basketball, and others went on a field trip to buy supplies for activities with the girls from the Jaz Home.

Dinner was delicious, as usual. I think we are all going to tumble into bed at the end of the night. Will keep you updated during the rest of the trip.

~Keziah

Chower May

Ok so in the nursery in the children's home there are three little boys named Ralph, Ken, and Christian (all around three) and they are the cutest group of boys. Their smiles are the funnest thing to look at (Ralph doesn't smile a lot but his smile is the best out of all of them). At their bathtime Ralph and Christian took a shower but when they came and were going to take Ken, he was holding my hand and wouldn't go. When i told him he needed to he started yelling "Chower may" after 10 times i finally figured out what he was saying. I said ok and then he immediately stripped off his clothes still yelling "chower may". We still had to wait for about 5 more minutes, but eventually i was able to give him a shower. The showering was really cute but it took me like 5 minutes to get his clothes on (there was a 12 year old girl who wouldn't stop watching me so i felt somewhat self-conscious. Eventually i finished and we left to eat dinner, but i still remember his hyper crazy face and huge smile. I really think i'll remember that forever.
-Seth

Bandy Bandy Bandy!

I for a fact do not like any kind of bugs, especially cockroaches. But for some reason or another they seem to be everywhere in Manila. I have seen a few but people were always there and quickly killed them. But last night was when I almost died! I was in the shower and I got out I saw huge cockroach on the sink near my clothes and my ONLY towel. So of course being the logical person I am, I run and grab a hand towel and begin to scream at the top of my lungs "BANDY BANDY BAAANNNDDYYYYYYY!!!!". No one was coming and i began to picture myself stuck in the bathroom all night long. Finally since Bandy didn't care enough to come save me, sweet Mrs. Hane came and found me. Once I was rescued from the scary bathroom i went back up stairs to have all my supportive friends laugh and make fun of me. And i swear that as long as I live i will never step foot back in that bathroom again.
Drew Matthews

A Picture View Of Our Busy Day!!!!

10,000 Community Cords that our kids inspected before they could give the ladies their money.   This is an amazing story that you should ask someone from Team Manila about!

Drew Matthews at one of the feedings.

Gabe and Eddie loving on the kids!

Part of today's construction work was mixing cement and painting the ceiling and walls.

I Never Knew...

Today was a very fulfilling day; long, but exciting at the same time. It was filled with activities like painting walls, playing with kids in the nursery at the children's home, going on feedings, doing construction work, making friends with girls at the JAZ home, and sorting thousands of bracelets..
Even though it has only been two days, many of us are already tired. Our day seems non-stop until we get to devotions. But little did we know, a lot of our actions have positively impacted many families.
The kids that we handed out food to on the feedings came with any container they could find. Some had bits of sand in their containers, and some were just using leftover ramen noodle bowls. The other kids that could not find any containers were eating their lunch out of plastic bags. For many of these kids, this is the one good meal they will get all week. Being part of this experience and providing for these families in the way that we can is truly special. It is something we often take for granted.
We also sorted about 10.000 bracelets called community cords, made by women that sell them. It may not seem like much, but it was hard work. With the money they earn, these women can feed their families and support themselves. We were even told that with the money one lady made, she was able to reunite with her kids that she had not seen in a year.
Not that its a bad thing, but time seems to pass so much slower here than it does in Singapore. It's like we get so much more done here than we do at home! But knowing that all of our actions impact people in this community positively makes it a 100% worth it... all the sweat, energy, and effort we put in really pays off! :)

~Anna-Joy 

New team, new direction, and even higher goals

Arriving in Manila, everything seemed so hectic and overwhelming. However, even though our team consists of a higher percentage of underclassmen and first-timers, we were able to bring that together to make our time way better with the kids. The most surprising thing that happened was the first time we met our kids at the orphanage. One of the first things that i was asked was "do you wanna play tag?"
The connection somehow was even greater this year. I started seeing games of tag being played separately all across the playground and kids not caring if we were such a new team. Soon enough, i saw the blessing if having a younger team and our group dynamics in general.

Another surprise we received was the incredible schedule we got for this week. The catch was that we didn't know what it was. Our team was perfect for this because we are incredibly diverse, and we are stretching out boundaries this year. With no strict schedule, but tons to be completed, our team was ecstatic to do whatever we could. Some of things would need to be done is construction, art murals, and even tutoring for some students.

We've only been here one day and i can sense that God has had his loving hand over us the whole time. We may be new, we may be young, but we are capable of some great things this week.

Andrew N

Airport :)

We are at the airport now, relaxing before we board. We are all pretty excited and nervous about going to Manila. Some of us are eating breakfast such as delicious dim sum and delectable dumplings. We'll keep you updated on our adventures! Check back soon!

Henna Training

Our girls have been "training" to draw henna designs as part of our trip.  These henna designs are really cool because they have biblical stories behind them.  Be looking out for the blog update on the Henna Adventures of ICS Team Manila!!

Intro post

Welcome to the ICS Team Manila blog page!!!!  We will be updating the blog nightly, provided the internet is cooperating.  Keep a check to see what all the team is doing and how you can be praying for us!