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