Beautiful Souls - Eternal Fruit

I fell in love with New Faith Family Children's Home the second I stepped foot on its grounds. The first time I met the kids, they were having dinner. Before I had time to even think about where I should sit, I see a bright smile and a hand waving excitedly at me. Next, little Joy runs up to me, grabs my hand and brings me to her table. She runs off to get a chair for me and makes sure I sit right beside her and begins to share her plate of food with me. 

Looking back, there were times when I felt like I was thrown into such negative funks. I became frustrated that we were constantly doing things. It felt like we were going nonstop, with no time to ourselves. Especially when we did tedious construction work at the Jaz home and man! I never want to hear about grouting again! However, the Lord gently reminded me was that it was not about me. Josie's Angels deserve the absolute best, and all I knew was  that I needed to give my best. In retrospect, I feel so grateful that my teammates and I were able to be a part of building the wall and fences surrounding their house. 

On Wednesday morning, from 8 to 12, our team took on the challenge of entertaining fifty kids at Cuatro Community School. I was extremely impressed with the turn out, especially since we planned it out on such short notice. We ran short workshops of educational games, such as math games, memory games, games to practice English, and Bible games. We worked it out so that it was three to one ratio, fifteen minutes per game and then we would take on a new group of kids! 

I was in charge of one of the Bible stations. I started out by asking what their favorite verses were, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that each kid knew their personal favorite verse by heart. After that, I shared about Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It was not the first time they heard this Bible story, but they were amazed at the loyalty between the friends, their radical faith, and trust in God when it meant the most. The coolest part in sharing with these kids was when I asked them to draw pictures of what all of it meant to them personally. And before they went on to a new station, I got to pray with and for them! 

The highlight of my trip was being able to take part in bringing food to the poorest of the poorest.    We went to a place called "Tent City". Tent City is located out in the middle of nowhere. Because of the isolated location, the father of the families will often go into the city to make money. However, by the time he pays for his way into the city, a place to stay, and the way home, he is left with barely any money for his wife and children. The children of Tent City are often neglected, unwanted and abandoned. Something I will never forget is seeing the looks of desperation on each face. Yet they were so ready to welcome us into their homes, into their lives, even if only for a short while.

Another thing that I enjoyed greatly was time spent with my teammates and leaders during devotions and sharing testimonies. I appreciated how quickly everyone was willing to accept and love on one another, and even to be extremely vulnerable and real with one another. I loved that we were able to learn one another’s weaknesses and strong points. I love that we were able to edify and pray for one another. I loved each and every moment of it and will always hold these times with the Manila team 2013 close to my heart. 

I started out this week regretting coming on this trip. But as it is coming to an end, I find myself quite sad. I want more time. I want to get to know them more and on a deeper level. “Why aren’t you crying, tita?” Why wasn’t I crying when everyone else was saying tear-filled goodbyes. That kept me thinking. But then I realized, you know what? It’s not that I am not sad to say goodbye; I hate goodbyes. I just know that I can leave with full confidence that each child is in good hands. They are in God’s hands. I suppose you could say we really did find love in a hopeless place.

Will you carry His heart? Dearest teammates and leaders, my hope is that we would bring to remembrance the things we have experienced. Usually we are told not to look back but to look to what God has planned for us. I agree with that completely. But every so often, I hope that you would look back. That you would visit and treasure those darling memories. That you would remember their openness towards a complete stranger. I hope that you would always recall the reckless love of the Father which shines through the children of Manila. That you might desire to reciprocate that in your own life, bring Manila wherever you go. Remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and discipline. He’s not done with you and I.

All my love,
- Tabby

These are a few of our favorite things...

Ghislaine: My favorite part of the trip was the bonding times that we had among the team but also with the children and the angels. They all were very open to me and my team. They were interested in our lives while we were so much interested in theirs. We came on this trip to invest in their lives, but personally they have invested so much more in our lives than we ever could have done in theirs.

Tabitha: I can't pin point what exactly was "my favorite part" of the trip. I'm still trying to absorb and process everything I experienced. It was just a fantastic trip overall. But one thing that I found myself looking forward to was any sort of bonding. Whether it was with our precious team members, kids at the children homes, the sweet girls at the Jaz home, the crazy kiddos in school, or the darling children we met on our feedings. I enjoyed seeing glimpses of what God was doing in the hearts of His people in Manila.

Do Kyung: The favorite part of the trip was the devotion we had everyday. We students and teachers gathered together as a family to share about our investments stories and honest testimony. Through the devotion, we were able to grow closer to God and to build relationships with each other.

Dylan: growing closer to both the kids and my teammates were the best parts of the trip. We shared our experiences with each other, which really strengthened my faith as I got to hear of how God works in other people's lives.

David: My favorite part of the trip were the nightly team meetings. The testimonies and investment stories really changed the way I viewed my fellow team members and they helped me to open up when it came to myself sharing. I am truly humbled by the testimonies of my friends, including those of the team leaders, and I hope that the impact that they have made on me will be a lasting one.

Joseph: I felt that the best part of the trip was everyone being open and honest with their feelings during our team devotions. This really showed how much we have bonded as a team over this week. I think it also brought us all closer to God. I did not expect to get much out of this trip but I was proved wrong.

Mark: I liked the shopping a lot because I got some time to relax, and when I tried to find a Wonder Woman shirt they only had kids sizes at every store

Easter: To me, the best part of coming back to Manila is to be remembered by the kids there. Though it has been a year, they would still remember my name or my face and they would welcome me back with open arms :)

Alyanna Elyjah: I guess the best part of this trip was being able to spend time with not only the kids there but also my teammates. To me that is one of the most memorable parts of the trip, I got to strengthen and create friendships on this trip which is something that really means a lot to me.

Gabe Mak: the best part of the trip for me was getting to meet all the kids again for the second time. I went on the trip last year and all of the kids really made a deep impression on my heart so I was really looking forward to getting to be with them again, even if only for a week.

Anna-Joy: one of the best parts of the trip was coming back to Manila for the second time and seeing the kids I met last year again. I also loved getting to know the people in the Philippines, especially talking to the people we met on the feedings and learning what their lives were like and everything they had been through.

Justin: My favorite part of the trip was meeting all the kids from the children's home and some from tutoring at the school. It was really awesome interacting with them and playing with them. I found it really great because although I came there to invest in them, they impacted me a lot through their smiles and happiness! :)

Scott: my favorite part of the trip was making friends with the new children especially Mishi and Princess. They always showed their smiles whenever I visited the children's home. I learned that those children need families to take care of them and loving them so that those children would be able to show love to others and inspire others.

Mateo: The best part of the trip was seeing the little kids happy. They were always so happy when we walked into the home. The kids would come running towards me and would hug me. That was an amazing feeling.

Remy: I was impressed by the sheer honesty that took place on our trip. People who held such stoic impressions willingly broke down and admitted their hearts to us. There is such beauty in pure honesty, it's a mere reflection of one's soul and that in and of itself echoes brilliance. Plus, the kids were super adorable!

Mrs. Donald: My favorite part of the trip was watching our kids and being a part of their lives for a week. Thank you all for letting me in, thank you for accepting my free hugs and letting me love on you, and thank you Lord for being present with us this past week.

Ms. Cantrell: it should be easy to pick my favorite, but part of me wants to be silly and part serious. Something that never fails to lift my spirits is hearing Mateo sing, "Don't worry about a thing, cuz every little thing is gonna be alright." However my time with Anne Shaira from the JAZ home is the most precious part of the trip for me.

Mr. Byrd: It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of this great bunch of students and my favorite part of the trip albeit hard to exclude any part would have to be the devotion time more specific the sharing after devotion. My heart was warmed when hearing the students share and see the bonding that took place with each one there. My passion to see students take a step closer to God heightened as each devotion and sharing time ended. To God be the glory!

What I wish to take away from this trip...

What does it mean to love? Is it a concept of time? It takes certain amount of time in order to love someone. Is it a matter of age? Only adults know what love truly is. Is it a matter of quality? The idea that we can only love certain amount of people. In reality, I think it's easy to forget how to love. I think it's sad that it took a whole new country in order for my mind to be refreshed of what love truly is. Love is a deep bond shared between people. In this morally poor society I have seen more love in this past week than I have in a longtime. Whether it be the love that our group has grown to have for the children of Manila or the love we have grown to have for each other. The love that the Long family has for this community or the community's love for KIM. It's weird to think in this past week I have truly grown to love each and every one of my teammates. The innocent love that I have seen in this society may be the only pure thing this community has to offer. It is something I wish and desire to take home with me. Instead of being jaded and nit-picking at the faults of my peers I want to show the love that I have seen here. As the week closes to an end and we are to head home in a few hours, I hope this experience is one that I can always remember and hold close to my heart.
-Remy

Enjoying a swim at Darenak Falls

After the feeding at Tent City our team headed to the Darenak Falls where we first had our lunch lovingly prepared by auntie Malu. With full stomachs we then one after the other dived into the thirty foot deep pool at the bottom of the waterfall. The freezing water made us all huddle up around the stone base of the falls. There we leaned against the cold rocks and enjoyed a shower curtesy of Mother Nature. Just swimming around and having a good time together got us all relaxed concluding a tiring week in Manila.

-David

Farewells

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you know that you will never see that person anymore. Today, our whole team had to go to the children's home to say goodbye to the kids for the last time. All the kids were really sweet and made cards for most of our team members. I, myself, got a few cards but the one that is the most important and significant to me is the one I got from two of the kids I got the closest to, Paulo and Zarina. These two kids, who are both brother and sister, are the sweetest kids ever and they just bring so much joy to my life even though I've only been with them for a week. I love them a lot and I sincerely hope that I will somehow get the chance to see them again in the future. They have forever impacted my life and I will never forget them.

-Gabe

Being a teacher for a day

Teaching kids is fulfilling but extremely tiring! A mere four hours teaching third and second graders left me tired and exhausted.

Our job for the day was to use games to teach kids. My partner and I created two games that we would use to teach math. When I went into the first classroom, I was greeted by a familiar smiling face of one girl I played with at the children's home. I was excited to see her and her happiness to see me warmed my heart. Soon after, I began playing the first game with the kids. The first group of third graders was relatively well behaved, and we managed to get through both games and have a lot of fun! But as the time passed, the kids got restless. I then decided a more active game would be appropriate and thought of a game on the spot. The children really enjoyed it and I too felt happy! I was also able to interact the with children as they talked and played with me. It was great meeting many new kids and seeing all their different personalities. Some were crazy, others naughty, and some well behaved. I got to play with all of them and my abilities to keep each of them engaged and on task were tested. I ran around with a few kids, wrestled with energetic boys, and talked to chatty girls. Though some kids were hard to control and I had to improvise a lot, I still had a good time! By the end of it all, my energy was gone but I felt happy that I was able to teach all the kids in a fun and interesting way.

As I reflect on the day and being with the kids, I marvel at my teachers' ability to keep us students listening and always learning more. Just half a school day was extremely chaotic and it was very hard physically as well as mentally. I am amazed at my teachers and how they manage to be happy and excited to teach each new day! Through my experience of teaching kids, I have not only been able to interact with children, but also developed a deeper appreciation for all my teachers!

-Justin :)

Devotional Disaster?

Wednesday night I did not know what to expect when I walked into the children's home. I do not know the first thing about teaching kids about the Bible and yet here I was preparing for a devotion to hopefully be able to invest something in their lives. The verse I chose to use for my devotion was Ephesians 4:24 which states: and to put on a new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. I found this verse very applicable to my life because as Christians, we should set an example to be Christ-like for other non-believers. So... How was I going to capture the attention of twenty children? By having them draw pictures, of course!

After fifteen minutes of intense drawing in their groups, they came up with some phenomenal drawings! They were able to think about what righteousness, holiness and new self meant and interpret those words into drawings. This is what it's all about, being able to engage and impress life values that would be applicable to the children and to be able to teach them to interpret verses in a way that they could understand.

- Chin