We're Taking This Show on the Road

Hi family and friends!

Thanks again for checking in on me! I pray that you're doing well. In my last post, I mentioned some exciting events that were taking place in March. The 3-day summer camp for our street youth from Alabang and Sucat was a great success, and I know the youth won't soon forget the abundance of food, fun, and inspiring messages they enjoyed. Unfortunately, I was only able to enjoy the testimonies of the youth after they returned, because a foot infection kept me from going to the camp. Not to worry though - the infection is already completely healed. Also, in having no choice but to stay at home, I was forced to actually take a rest and accomplish some planning for my other ministries. It's fairly easy to contract infections in the very polluted and dirty areas that we're reaching out to, but I'll be taking every necessary precaution in the future to avoid infection.

On Saturday March, 20th, I was the guest speaker at a youth concert in Cavite City (not far from Manila). Even though my Tagalog leaves much to be desired, I shared some of the messsage in Tagalog. However, I brought along my friend Che Che to translate from English the more difficult parts of the message. I am continually amazed by the unexpected things I've been asked to do, the places I've been able to go, and the opportunities God presents me with each day...all of these began simply with stepping out in faith (despite a lack of experience!) and being open to the places and the people that I might serve. I am thankful to have met so many youth from numerous churches and cities at the concert. In the message, I encouraged the youth with regards to such topics as peer pressure and influence. I know that many of the youth here are not only susceptible to countless mixed-messages in the media, but they also face such real and prevalent influences as gang violence, substance abuse, and rape.

Pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming, or if I'm really standing
before of a multitude of youth at a concert in the Philippines.

Just this last Thursday, on March 25th, we threw a huge celebration for the students in our small but very inspired daycare/school. Ten students graduated from the first year of our program, and we couldn't be more proud of them...neither could the community and the family members of the students who attended the ceremony. The celebration included games, a song and dance number from the students, a message from Pastor Joshua (my team leader), plenty of food (spaghetti, fried chicken, and cake), and the giving of the certificates and awards. Each student received some sort of award - whether it was for the "most helpful" or the "most positive". Since our students vary widely in age and ability, there were no direct comparisons made with regards to academics. All of our students made great strides in the last few months both socially and academically, and I'm at a loss for words when I attempt to express my joy in witnessing their growth and accomplishments.

Some of our students (in their finest outfits!) proudly show off their certificates.

The students perform a special number for their parents.

So much delicious food!

The main teachers - Toph (on my left), Tin Tin (on my right), and I - have
become very close with the daycare students. We'll miss seeing them each day!

Now you're probably wondering what I'll be up to for the next while in the absence of daycare during the Filipino summer holiday (April and May). The reason why we can't run our daycare throughout the summer is because our team will be travelling around Metro Manila and even to some rural areas to run a DVBS (Daily Vacation Bible School) program for the kids - sort of like a summer camp program, but we'll be bringing it directly to the community. From next week until mid-May, we'll be travelling to a different place almost every week on trips lasting between 3-5 days each. I'm actually most excited for our first destination - the rural tribe in Kanawan. If that name sounds at all familiar, it's because we threw our first Christmas party in December for the kids there, and I still cherish many incredible memories of bonding with the Kanawan kids.

There's one last thing I want to mention and really thank God for. The children's ministry that we run every Thursday in an extremely impoverished community in Sucat has experienced lots of new provisions this month! Thanks to a partnership with two other humanitarian organizations ("Action International" and "Feed My Starving Children"), we've been given enough food and vitamins to feed the children three days a week (every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) for at least the next 6 months. We'll be monitoring the weight and nutrition of the children each week as they improve in health, thanks in part to the nutrious meal and the vitamins we are giving them. Last Thursday, over 80 street children came out! Each child was fed.

Thanks for reading! Take care and keep the pananampalataya ("faith" - in Tagalog).

I can shout "Ako din!" too...

Hello again family and friends!

How's the weather at home? Here in Manila, it's only getting hotter! The hot season has arrived earlier than usual, and the country's been suffering from a drought. I truly cannot recall the last time we had any precipitation - it feels like it's been months! Temperatures have been in the 30's (Celsius), although with the humidity it feels like the 40's...but many are saying "just wait, it'll get much hotter."

Recently, my good friend and roommate from university came to visit and help out, and I was so encouraged by his support! John Lee stayed for one week, and he assisted us in bringing several street children from Alabang to the "Museo Pambata" (Children's Museum) for a day. The kids (along with myself...the biggest kid) had an incredible time. They experienced many things they never get to experience from their life on the streets. The museum offers countless exhibits on science, health, history and culture. My fondest memory is of the kids learning Native Filipino dances from a world-renowned Filipino dance troupe. After leaving the museum, we provided a picnic lunch for the kids in Manila's famous Rizal Park (named after their national hero Jose Rizal). I know the street children will never forget this rare and special experience. Everytime I see them at our Nightlife ministry, they beam as they show me the souvenir bracelets we bought them from the museum.




The daycare/school run by Toph, Tin Tin, and myself continues to be a blessing not only in our community, but in my life as well. I'm learning daily lessons in leadership, humility, and compassion. Sometimes my "efficiency-oriented" mindset as a Westerner conflicts with the more relaxed and relationship-oriented mindset of Filipino culture, and I need to humbly adapt my priorities. While I might base the success of our daycare on how much the children are learning, I notice that Toph and Tin Tin are already reveling in the strong relationships we've built with the children and the great lengths we've come in providing them for the first time with a safe and warm environment. Another aspect of Filipino culture, at least in urban society, is the importance of graduations and celebrating accomplishments. After just about any course, seminar, or program, there is a graduation ceremony and a certificate for each participant. The certificate is promptly and proudly hung amongst many others in that person's living room. Therefore, in accordance with tradition, we'll be having a graduation ceremony even for our daycare kids are the end of the school year. All the mother's will be invited that morning (...many of our children either don't have fathers, or their fathers have work in the day), and we'll have a celebration with certificates, awards, and a big lunch. Please pray for the preparations for the ceremony, which will occur on March 25th. After that, our students will enjoy a 2-month summer holiday, although our other weekly programs for them will still resume. This holiday will give us time to plan, re-organize, and enhance our daycare/school for the following school year. We will also be traveling around and doing several DVBS's (Daily Vacation Bible Schools) in various squatter communities throughout the summer holiday (April-May). This allows us to reach out and to bring provisions to children outside of our immediate community as well.

Take a peek into our daycare center.

The daycare teachers have sweet, new uniforms!

Toph (left) first envisioned the daycare so kids could learn
and play in a safe environment away from the streets.

Nicole exemplifies the adorableness of our daycare students.

We also recently celebrated the second anniversary of our church - Jesus King of Kings Community Church. I was astounded with how much work and passion our community put into the event! We actually held the celebration in the parking garage at the bottom of our building, and the congregation spread out from the garage and into the streets to enjoy the festivities. Our children and youth presented numerous song and dance performances, our pastors shared encouraging messages, and the mothers in the community prepared and served a great feast. Please pray for the future of our church as we're considering our options for moving to a new location in the next few months.


In other news, we had some new street kids at our Nightlife ministry in Alabang. I was moved by how desperately they craved attention. They gave tight hugs and much affection when I showed any kindness. As I was eating, they would continually ask if they could get me more water or take away my dishes when I was finished. Sometimes, the roles of who's actually serving who get blurred when genuine compassion and kindness guides the interaction. On a more humorous note, I have a brief story about our new kids. The street children always love it when I pick them up high in the air, and I often have more than one child on my shoulders or in my arms. The children shout "Ako din! Ako din!" (which means "Me too!") when they see me picking someone up. When I get far too exhausted to carry the children anymore, sometimes I'll shout "Ako din! Ako din!", and the kids will all laugh as I jokingly try to climb onto their shoulders. However, the new kids at Nightlife were so brave that they decided to rally together and actually pick me up. Around each leg, about five children attached their arms, and together they lifted me into the air! I don't think I stopped laughing for about ten minutes.

Finally, I want to mention a few other prayer requests. Next week, we're taking 25 street youth from Sucat and Alabang to a summer camp for three days. I'm excited to be one of the camp counselors. Also, pray for me as I prepare for a youth conference on March 20th in Cavite City. I spent a week in November helping organize a feeding program for the street children there, and the community has asked me to return as the guest speaker at a youth concert. And finally, pray for my friends Brett and Grace in preparing for their wedding on March 13th! Brett has come such a long way as a missionary and a pastor serving in the Philippines, and I'm overjoyed that he's found such a compassionate and loving partner with the same priorities he has in serving others. Take care, and thank you again for your prayers!