WWW in Manila - Seohyun

This trip was my first service trip and I would like to say that it was really good. We did many things during these weeks and especially playing with the kids are very impactful. Even though our team did hard constructions, I think the thing that will last in my memory for the most time is playing with the kids. The kids at KIM, street kids, and the kids at feeding, they were all sweet and so friendly. I went to feeding one time, as a small group, and it was really fun, but because I did not go there frequently, I do not have many memories. However, I played a lot with the kids at the street, and at the KIM. I do not like swimming that much, but when I was swimming with the street kids, I was so engaged playing with them, and I was so happy when the kids were laughing because of me. I feel so sad that I can't remember their names a lot, but if I have another opportunity, I would really love to come back again. And also, I will really miss the kids at the KIM. On the last day's concluding devotion, I got a letter from a little boy named Danile, and at that moment, I was so touched because I didn't really expected that. So I wrote another letter to him and I'm going to write some post cards when I get back to Singapore!

A Very Wet Day (A little paragraph by Veena)

Today was a wet day. The entire Manila team got physically soaked and emotionally drenched. Let me explain.
In the morning, we drove to Tent City. The drive could have been half an hour or it could have been two (I can't estimate). As soon as we got there we were surrounded by dozens upon dozens of excited little children with a common goal: to get balloon animals. We immediately got to work. Some of us played with the children while others pumped balloons and twisted them into life. Everyone was covered in the salty liquid most commonly known as sweat. After this wonderful chaos of a morning, we made our way to the highlight of the day: the waterfall. The water was breathtaking and the bonding we all had was as well. Almost everybody jumped into the turquoise water. I could have sworn I felt like I was turning into a mermaid. When it was over, I felt satisfied and emotionally invigorated. I really needed this for what was to come. The final liquid that wet us were tears. Some of us cried at the children's home and some, like me, cried as the team was sharing about their experience. Throughout the trip there was a lot of water. From the tears of the little children and the chlorine water of the swimming pool to the sweat that danced down our back and the spilt Mountain Dew on the cement ground. Being wet can make you cold, warm, refreshed, or sad. Today was a wet day. I believe it was the best day yet.

Angel Chen _(: 3 J < ) _

Well I have too much stuff to say but I don't think I can write that down because I am not a literature person, so I gonna try to use my ways to write my feelings down as AWESOME as impossible.

Hey guys I have to say that this is really CRAZY! You will enjoy it! You will have to sweat a lot, laboring under the hot sun,hammering big nails out of woods, or waving your shovels digging out whole bunch of dirty stuff, that was really mad! (Smiling like a bad guy) But also, you will have chance to playing with kids who are very very poor, sharing your happy time with them, get to know more really cool people in this trip.

When people are in Singapore or any other places which gives they shelter, they feels like the world is definitely good, they can not realize that there are so many people suffering in the world. Even sometimes they saw news about that, they probably thinks "Yea~So?What is that about me?That is not my business~~~" or like "Oh yea,they are so poor,but I can not help they~" This idea is SO WRONG when they are out of the comfortable place. They are going to get to know more about the world god had made, and they will notice how much they owe their god because they are just having nice times hanging out with their friends when there are uncountable people suffering uncomfortable stuff that maybe they could not even image! Only when they are out of the shelter, got the same feeling of them, notice what UNCOMFORTABLE really means, them they can realize that "Oh Yes I am being so loved!". But the point I want to say that is not how this STUPID IDEA is, but is trying to help people in need is very very very AWESOME! They gonna feel uncomfortable when they are laboring, but the pain in hearts hurts most, shouting out loudly inside your soul "Hey I really feels uncomfortable for I can not help them more!" YES!That is it! The strong desire of WE REALLY WANT TO HELP OTHERS!This is the point! These desire is so strong that only when you are laboring suffering outside like crazily, you can feel a bit comfortable.

......Sorry for being to emotional. _(: 3 J < ) _

I mean...It is very very very very cool to get out of the small world people had been through before and understood how silly they were and tried to be smart by helping others which God wants!

Yea anyways,this WWW trip to Manila is truly AWESOME, we met new people here, and help people here, understood more about our school mates and teachers etc. These is too cool! I have too much things to say but I think is better for me to not to write too much. Join us and you will feel you are awesome than ever before!

Thank you for reading my crazy non-sense talking. _ ( : 3 J < ) _

Manila Post- Angel R

Hi people! Tonight is the last night we are in Manila. I'm very sad that we have to go, I feel like I want to stay longer. One memory that will always stick with me is the children's laughter when I played with them (Especially in the sports fest). I met a lot of kids who I will remember my whole lifetime, and memories that I will always remember. All of the activities were awesome, and I felt like we've bonded as a community and as a family. I really liked the river because everyone was working together as a group and cheering one another. A lot of my friends and I almost have no intention of going back home. I really feel that all of us are close friends now, and what I'm afraid of the most is that when we go back, none of us will feel this way anymore. However, I know that it won't happen because of our bond as a family. I really want to come back next year, and the next year after that and all of the years, actually I want to relive all of these memories. If I had the chance to go back in time and relive anyone of my days, it would be one of these days because this trip was just that awesome. I'm really happy I went to Manila, and I hope I really did make an impact on this community.

Last night in Manila - Yujin

After we went to the waterfall, we had some free time. Team Manila all went to the children's home for devotions and final goodbyes to the children. After the devotion, Ms. Bandy gave us some free time to say goodbye, hug them, or anything you wanted to do for the children. So I, Yujin, took one girl who was super close with me and started to cry outside. Jessica, the girl, made me calm down and told me to stop crying. So I stopped crying and started to take selfies with her and others. I kept chasing Rozert who is super duper cute boy who loves me, but he kept ran away from me. Finally, he hugged me and took a picture with me. I tried not to cry, but then everyone was crying so right after I left children's home, my tears started to come out. Almost everyone including me was crying during the whole last meeting. We had time to talk about the week, but because I cried so much I could not think of anything except for missing the children. Aaron's parents bought us pizza so we enjoyed it then we all packed up and went to sleep for last day in Manila.

Yujin with a kid from the community

Manila Thursday second to last day- Patrick

So on the second to last day here after having a awesome week we continued to have yet another awesome day. We started out the day with going to a feeding at tent city and played with the amazing kids that lived there. I myself had an awesome time just playing frisbee with the kids and making ballon for the kids even though they were slightly impatient but I still had an awesome time with the kids. After that we went to Daranak Falls where we swam for about a couple hours and had a great sack lunch and then a two hour bus ride back to K.I.M. And for dinner we had a huge pig that was cut up and it tasted delicious.

New Friends, Better Memories (Tristen)

Hi :3 Going on this trip I admit, I was a little disappointed that my original trip [Shalom] was cancelled. But I could not have been more wrong. This Week Without Walls was honestly one of the most enjoyable and impactful service trips I have underwent in my life. I've made so many new friends, both from ICS and the children here in Manila, and I really feel like we have helped the community. From painting murals, to picking trash out of a river, to just getting to spend time with the kids here has been an awesome experience. I got to listen to wonderful sermons, heartfelt testimonies, and the things I've experienced and learned here I am certain will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was an absolute joy to be able to give back to people who really aren't well off, and in return made me realise how lucky I am to have the things I've been given. One of my favourite memories was going on a feeding, which is basically driving to an impoverished part of Manila and giving out free food to people who lacked it. We got to play with their kids, give out food, and all in all just connect with the community. If you have the chance next year I highly recommend going to Manila, I can promise you won't regret it \;w;/

Manila Journal - Jaehoon

Today was the second last day in Manila. It was different from the packed schedules of the other weekdays and much like the relaxed ambiance of Sunday. Instead of the hard labor in the dirty waters in the new property of KIM, granted they taught a valuable lesson about difficult work and the magnificent outcomes, we had fun at Tent City, a slum town about an hour drive from Cuatro. Though the team didn't stay for long, we had a hectic but fulfilling and gratifying time getting to feed and play with the children there. After the morning in Tent City, we detoured to a nearby waterfall called Daranak Falls, where we had lunch and enjoyed ourselves for the afternoon. It was a rewarding and relaxed afternoon away from stress and too much hard work. Also our room still smells extremely similar to poop.

Rachel's

Tomorrow we are going back to Singapore, though this trip had been only a week, it felt as if it were a really long trip. There were many hard days, however, there had always been great moments. Moments of bonding, giggling, and just having fun. Our team this year was very close and it is sad that this trip is coming to an end. See you tomorrow!!!

Round 2 (Aaron Misa)

Being able to experience the Manila trip for the first time last year, I knew what to expect this time; hard labor, strong heat, and lot of kids. But that didn't mean that God didn't have anything new for me this time around. Having to experience all of these with a whole new team made me hesitant at first, but I slowly got to appreciate the opportunity to get to know each and every one of them better, and they made this trip a whole new experience for me.

And yeah, hi mom and dad I'm doing fine, thanks for worrying.  :)

Lucas Nakashita - Sports Festival

Wednesday my group (Jaehoon, Shannah, Yujin, Erin, Kean, and me) went to the school to the sports fest that they were having that week. The first two hours we played a lot more with the kids and we carried them around and played with them outside of the sports. There were a group of kids that were constantly around us and they kept trying to climb on us or have us pick them up. For the last couple of hours that we were there until lunch, we watched the kids play basketball. There are some really good players there and the rest are probably still better than I am. The referee was wearing a hoodie, a black shirt, and long, black pants for the whole time he was out in the sun. And that day was really hot, there were no clouds and the courts weren't covered. Then some of us (Jim, Bryan, JungMin, Austin, Daniel, and Patrick) played against their varsity team for ten minutes. It was a really fun day and watching the kids play was entertaining.

Days in Manila Feng

Coming to Manila was the greatest choice i ever made, because I have made so many new friends here and they made my life more exciting. Here in Manila, I learnt that I shouldn't take things I have for granted.There are so many kids here have no food, clothings and gadgets. The best activity here I think was 'Feeding'. I think the kids are so adorable and innocent. They deserve more than they have but they are content with what they are given. I would love to come back to Manila again next year if I am given the opportunity.

Movie Night - WonWoo

I am WonWoo who has given chance to come Manila with these awesome teammates. It is really blessing to be in Manila and I want to share about one of my best moment. Our whole team went to have a Movie Night with the kids at children's home. We watched Indiana Jones and it had some scenes that would have possibly scared some kids. Therefore, I asked Christian who was sitting beside me, a kid from children's home, if he was scared but he said "No". He asked me if I wanted to know the reason why he was not sacred and I told him that I would be happy to know. Then, he told me that it was because Jesus is in his heart. I was really impressed and I appreciated God for being with him. It just made me pray for Christian immediately. I believe that all the kids in children's home will be with God and God will take care of them.

Suffering For the Greater Good - Daniel Jungnickel

Today (Thursday the 19th) is pretty much the last working day for the Manila Team. Through out the whole week we have all suffered for Jesus. Since Monday there has always been a manual labor shift that every single one of us took part in at least twice, if not more. For some of us that was no problem, until you have to do the most gut wrenching and back breaking work three times in a row for four hours. I was one of the hand full of guys that saw the river three times. The project started when a son of Jeff, the founder of K.I.M, Kirk bought a patch of land which included a river. The river was affected by the 2009 typhoon, which we cleaned up. There was rubbish stuck under heavy rocks and in clumps all over the place. The reason I say "Was" is because we all suffered so much and gave so much to clean and dispose of probably 70% of the rubbish. The majority is gone and I can not say that all is gone, but the change is significant.

To my parents: I am fine and have not sustained any major injuries just a few cuts on my hands, arms, and legs from the many rocks that I dragged out of the river.
I miss you all,
Love Daniel.

Jevan's Perspective of the Manila Trip

My name is Jevan. I am a freshman at ICS. One day we (Monkey group: Wonwoo, Rachel, Feng, Angel R, and Angel C.) went to a children's home. All of us played with the kids there. It was quite fun to play soccer with the kids there and also play basketball with them too. I got to make many small new friends there. I got to put them on my shoulders and run alongside them. A small kid named Rans wanted me to go on my shoulders and I let him. I carried him for about half an hour. I was tiring and fun at the same time as I asked the Rans where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. The Manila Trip here for me has been very fun and interesting. I got to make new friends and better relationships with people I went with on this trip. I got to see and meet new people from different countries that aren't as fortunate as me. This trip really helped me to get out of my comfort zone to help others.

Overview of the trip- Seong Woo Hong (Jim)

When we first arrived in Manila, we were assigned our animal groups, the groups we will stick with throughout the work days. I was in the Cheetah group alongside Lucy, Austin, Deborah and Sunny. At first I was unhappy with team I was assigned but after hanging out with the team, I got to know the team better. We basically spent majority of the time together which allowed us to really bond. Now I am really comfortable with my team and I think we are really clicking together. Throughout our whole trip, we did many different kind of constructions, swimming, helping out at the children home and the feeding. Our whole team is going to Tent City Thursday for our final job. We will be doing feedings, balloon animals and playing sports with the kids. I hope we will be able to invest in the children's lives for the remaining time and end our trip on a high.

Jung Min - Swimming Day

Yesterday, the Emu group (Inez, Seohyun, Tristen, and I) were chosen to teach swimming to the filipino kids outside the gates of the K.I.M ministry centre. We started off with a group of boys who were decent at swimming and only one of them good prove to me that they could swim to get a turn on the slide. After 30 minutes, we had to kick them out from the pool so we could bring in a group of girls who were waiting outside. From that group of girls, I met a cute filipino girl named Joyce. She could not get in the pool because she was scared of water. I went up to her and asked her if she could come in the pool but she resisted. After a long time of pleading she finally walked down the steps one by one and finally grabbed onto Inez and had fun in the pool. Thirty minutes passed and we had to kick the group of girls out and Ms.Bandy suggested if we can continue to swim with another group of kids who were waiting outside for a long time. We took the last group of kids, most of them were small girls and one baby boy who was attached to Ms.Bandy the whole time. Finally the thirty minutes were over and we had to kick them out.

This story from Ms. Cantrell's perspective:

I was supervising from the second level and making sure little ones were making good choices.  As I was watching our students give these Filipinos their attention and care, I was bowled over by Jung Min's interactions with the kids.  He was so insistent making sure they could swim before they could slide.  But on top of that, he was intent on teaching ones who couldn't swim how to move their arms and legs.  As if that weren't enough, Jung Min helped the little boy who was clinging to Ms. Bandy when he was shivering from cold (it was an overcast day).  Jung Min used his own towel to dry off the little boy, then Jung Min took the time to put the little boy's shoes and socks on him.  It was my favorite moment of the day!  I really almost can't handle how amazing our kids are; their hearts are blowing me away! 

What today was like.

So like everyday there was something new and interesting to do- Some good, some better, but always different. Today we started with praying, (as always) then eating breakfast, and then off to our first task to do.  My group and I went on a feeding where we go to the slums and feed a bunch of poor families. Then end with playing with he street kids and anyone one else who would join us.  Yesterday was probably the best day of the week as I got to take over feeding a baby his food successfully, then got to go and join a bunch of guys in cleaning up a river for the land that Jeff had just acquired. Which was amazing and super smelly, but in the end worth it, great bonding for the guys and myself.
Not afraid

to say this
But I miss you Dad and Mom
If your reading this
Your Son: Austin

Monday - Kean

So we made it safely to Manila, day 4 and we're still alive. The food's good. The people are nice. The beds are sweaty. The bathrooms are less than clean. It really has been an amazing 4 days. We've been constructing, teaching, swimming, and a whole lot more, but the most fulfilling moments on the trip have been ones we spend with the kids here. The kids are everywhere. They literally jump with joy every time they see us because they are genuinely happy to see us. We've only been here for a short time, but the kids treat us like they've known us their whole lives. They remember our names, the things we do, the games we play.
Today has been one of the best days so far. My group, the Dolphins (Aaron, JaeHoon, Lucas, YuJin, Shannah), started off at the children's home taking care of toddlers. We sat down thinking about the best ways to avoid getting drooled, but when the kids came out of the rooms smelling like fresh baby, we went straight into work mode. The idea that those kids didn't have anyone more to than us to take care of them just made us connect with them even more. Or, you know, babies are just cute in general. After that we came back to our dorms to find around twenty kids all waiting to jump into the pool. The activities didn't feel forced like what I thought it would be like. All of us had a lot of fun playing with the kids even though we only just met them. There was this one kid that was just super cute. He couldn't swim yet because he was too young, but he kept trying to put his foot in the water, so we picked him up and waded him through the whole pool, carrying him all the way. By the end he was swimming as well as anyone and it felt just... fulfilling.

- Kean

Nick's Blog Entry- Day 5

We've made it to day 5 of the Manila trip and the team has really been bonding well together. Everyone at this point is feeling a little worn out but thanks to the closeness of the team members as well as the constant encouragement of the team leaders (Miss Bandy ESPECIALLY) everyone has been able to remain strong. This trip has definitely been a big eyeopener for me and to experience the day in the life of someone who isn't as blessed as I am, really teaches me to be more appreciative of the things I've been blessed with, such as the environment I've grown up in. I have really enjoyed myself on this trip and I look forward to what God has in-store for us in the next 4 days to come.

Angono Feeding on Friday 13 March - Inez

The Emu group (Daniel, Seohyun, Jungmin, Tristan, Inez) was assigned to the feeding trip last Friday. It was a relatively long ride to Angono. All of us with the exception of Daniel were not sure what to expect on a feeding trip. Angono was in the middle of nowhere, near a place where they burn garbage. Many kids were excited and came running to us when they heard that the 'feeding' truck has arrived. After we gave out all the food, we played with the kids. I scraped my knee while playing with them. I am thankful and grateful for everything I have after seeing the living conditions of the Angono's people. The Emu group would love to go back to Angono for feeding!

P.S Mum, if you're reading this, you can book Thai massage on Sunday night

Manila Trip Journal - Sunny

Manila, and the Cuatro region our headquarters is in is an area of need. There are impoverished children everywhere that need the support of organizations like KIM. We see so many kids with nothing but they are supported by the children's home and the schooling that KIM provided. It is amazing how deeply impacting the children. It is also amazing how we can be apart of this movement. We feel such involvement in the community when I see recognizable faces in the street, and when kids at the children's home recognize us and call us by name. My favorite day was when we went to Children's home(where children stay). On the first day, they did not welcome us and not really opened their mind. However, on second day, some kids remembered me and called me Sunny. It was the moment when I felt achieved and happy.

QT3.14 (from Lucy)

AHAHAAHAHAH....where do i even start
First 3 days = Manila = gained nearly 500 kg
Manila is actually amazing. I didn't think it was gonna be this awesome but WOWZERZ
I do miss my family, jazpoop, and mingzi, but I'm so glad that I got closer with most of the team members here! They're awwwwwwwesome
OHOHOHOHOHOH and I've been getting muscles in places where it's not necessary (fingers, second toe on the left side, and right side pinky)!!
I feel like I'm slowly finding my pace, and my inner identity. AND I'm so glad that God has been so faithful in keeping my team members safe and opening the hearts of the kids at KIM. :)

Saturday and Sunday from Shannah

March 15, 2015

Yesterday morning, after waking from a deep and refreshing sleep, we all arose to a bright sunny day, a hearty breakfast, and a whole new load of physical labor. All of us sore from the previous day with muscular aches all over our bodies, proceeded to transport bags of dirt, cement, and rocks, whilst the others went to undo nails, and take out wooden planks. Our whole team was wholeheartedly working on those physically demanding projects which were assigned to them. Blood, sweat and tears were put into all of our tasks until finally, that fateful moment, we got told we were able to stop and go to lunch. Relief.
After a wonderful lunch we had the privilege of going to the children's home to teach them dances, play with a parachute, make balloons, sing songs, and learn different sports. Tiring and draining as it might have been, rewarding it certainly was. To end this wonderful day filled, we went back to the children's home after dinner and had a movie night, share pop corn, and have more bonding time with the children, and our team.

This morning we attended church as a whole team and were able to spend some time to put our focus back on God. Mr. Whittaker had the privilege of sharing a testimony, and we were blessed to hear it. After church we came back to the KIM Center and were given some wonderful hours of free time at the mall, and we got treated to a delightful lunch at Chili's. Being able to go shopping in our animal groups this morning was so wonderful as we really were able to get to know each other better and laugh a lot. All in all, these first three days here have already proven to be greatly effective; construction, playing with kids, investing in their lives, giving swimming lessons, and simple team bonding activities have already been impacting our lives tremendously. I can't wait to see how we will be transformed by the end of the week!

Saturday from Deborah's Perspective :-)

 

 Hello Everyone! We have all arrived safely in one piece. It's been so much fun already! I love everything about this place. From the minute we arrived, the kids captured my heart (I know I'm not the only one!). It's been so fun getting to know not only the kids in the ministry but also the people in our team. They are so much fun, I don't think it would be quite the same without them. Today my group (The amazing Julia, Shannah, Inez, Seo Hyun and our boys Jevan, Aaron and Patrick) got to teach some of the kids dance. I was so proud that even the boys got into it. I think it's so special that even though we don't all have the same backgrounds, culture or language, we can all speak dance, we can all laugh and smile together and we can all love one another. 

We all had a good workout this morning during construction. It's so cool to see how the least expected were the ones who were the best at pulling out nails from plank after plank of wood or hammering their hearts out. Angel Chen is the world's best when it comes to using a crowbar. I love what I'm learning from the people around me and the places I see. I'm so excited to see how the rest of the week unfolds. See you soon!

Team Manila has made it safely to Kids International Ministries in Manila!  We started our trip with receiving a special treat from 3rd grade prayer buddies!  We are thankful for both our 1st and 3rd grade buddies this year!  As we handed the bags to each kid they smiled so big and were truly blessed!  They wanted to pass on their thanks and gratitude!

We are looking forward to a great week!  Starting tomorrow our students will be taking turns sharing some of their experiences while they are here!  They have already been engaged in some great stuff, and have been working really hard!

Keep praying for us!

Team Manila