Exceeding Expectations- The Philippines! Amazing!

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Well, I am back from my ISP trip to Manila and it was amazing. I didn't really know what to expect from the country, the people or our task but I was blown away and am still being blown.. if that makes sense.
First of all, what I saw on the trip was God's plan and hand in everything we did. There were many reasons we were there and it was wonderful to see God reveal them.
So our team worked with a church called CBL (Church at Better Living). Right away, I and the rest of the team fell in love with all the members. We served with them and saw their hearts for God and for their people.

Their dedication to their community and the Lord was inspiring. Their close church community was full of love, accountability and fellowship. I soaked up every minute I spent with them and cherish the memories and lessons I learned from them all. I miss them all so much already!

Women of Worth Bible Study

Some of the girls!

CBL has started a church in an annex, which is one of the lower income areas in the Philippines. On Saturdays, the children come for singing, a bible study and snacks.

This is the group of older girls Cassondra and I taught!

On Sunday, there is an afternoon adult worship service for the adults living in the annex as well. God is at work in this area and our team was blessed to be a part of Gods plan. It was amazing to play with the kids, teach them from the Word of God, and probably the best thing was hearing their sweet, little voices sing and yell out, "Jesus"!
We painted the annex and made it look nice and blue for the kids! We also had a great time painting until the rain came and washed it all away!

We tried to protect the freshly painted walls from the rain

We also walked through the annex, meeting the families, inviting them to the new church and praying for their needs-amazing experience. We became attached to many of the kids there and their adorable faces and personalities.

We also worked with a church called Fort A. Bonifacio Christian Church. They open their doors daily to the youth. Its a place where students can come and play music, study and hang out. We worked with them a few days and Kaitlyn, Clinton and I got to share our testimony to the students as well which was neat.

We did a lot of street witnessing which was a great test of our courage. Walking up to someone you have never met before, not sure if they speak English is something that took a lot of boldness, courage and FAITH. God was with us and we had some great experiences that was all God's work, not ours.

We were able to go to an orphanage, go to the mall of Asia, which is the 2nd biggest mall in Asia, eat lots of McDonalds and also some really great home cooked Filipino food, hike up a huge volcano to see the middle, drive in Jeepney's which is like a taxi, discovered that LA traffic is nothing compared to Mania and Filipino pizza is not the same as American. It was very hot and humid and we were sweating most of the time!

I probably should not put this picture up because it is so nasty but oh well. This was after we hiked up a hill.. yuck..

We constantly hear the sound of motorcycles, music, people, horns honking and kids. We saw people everywhere, kids everywhere, cars everywhere, small little stands everywhere, cats all over the place, and flip flops on every foot! :)

The streets..

We also ate Balut and Durian! Both were disgusting and probably my first and last time trying them.

Eating Balut!

I know I have not included everything that we did but there is just so much that happened, so many emotions, feelings, lessons, convictions and memories associated with this trip. They are trapped in my brain and its hard to get them all out and make sense of them all.

Our last Sunday at church

What I learned the most is that everyone needs Jesus Christ. You could be the poorest person, with no food, water, family but if you have Jesus, you have everything you need. He will provide and take care of you. You could have everything in the world at your fingertips but are missing Jesus, leaving you empty, hopeless, and desperate for something bigger. God is the answer to everything. He is faithful to those who follow Him- In today's world, that is hard to find!

I know that I was made by God for His glory. He created me, put me in this world so that I can love Him, share Him, glorify and worship Him daily. It is a constant battle with sin and our world but with His help, I can accomplish this and praise Him!

Sorry this was so long!

Thanks for all of you who supported me on this trip!

Here is a video of the kids in the Annex and driving along the streets!