Ministry in Manila (Photo Blog)

This "month" (you know you're on The World Race when you refer to the month as the country you are/were in & not the actual calendar month) in Manila, we've been working with Kids International Ministries so I thought I'd give you all a better look at what it is we've been doing here! The director of KIM, Jeff Long, is such a visionary and it has been great to come under his leadership and be able to choose from a large variety of areas to work in.

New Faith Family Children's Home (locations in Manila & Malaybalay)
The children's home is a home for children who have been orphaned or given up by their parents. The home is right around the corner from where we're staying so we have the opportunity any time to go up and play with the kids or work in the nursery. On Sunday afternoons, we've been putting on Kid's Carnvials. We invite local children to come in and we play, do activities, skits, and Bible stories.

Cuatro Christian School 
"The school was established primarily to provide a quality Christian education to the abandoned, neglected and dependent children from New Faith Family Children’s Home who, mostly, have never been in school due to poverty and other unfortunate circumstances." 

Construction on the Community Center
We've been doing construction daily on the community center which Cuatro Christian School is located. We've helped to start building a birthing center for the community. There are many women in the area who are pregnant but unable to get proper care. This center will provide them a safe place to give birth and the proper care they need. We have a few nurses on the squad so this month some of them have been working with local nurses and midwives to screen the ladies! 

Children's Garden/Street Kids Ministry
The Children's Garden is "a faith-based Christian organization committed to enhance the quality and productivity of the lives of street boys through physical, mental, spiritual and emotional empowerment." The men on of squad have been mainly working with this organization, going over to The Children's Garden and spending time with these boys and young men who have been taken off the streets. Every Thursday night, we all go to a particular area in the city where street kids congregate and feed, love and play with them.  Many of them show up high, in tattered clothing, hungry and without shoes. We were able to give a Thanksgiving dinner and host a carnival/play night for them (see my last blog for a video). This has been one of my favorite things on the Race so far…being able to go out and help these kids in a tangible way, build relationships with them and show them love in ways that they don't normally get it. My heart was broken last Thursday night as a young girl, Rachel, fell asleep in my lap while I ran my fingers through her hair. She lives on the street beside a mall and very busy intersection. She felt safe and loved in the short time while I was with her. I wonder, how often does she feel that? Has she ever had someone care enough about her to rub her head while she's tired and let her fall asleep on their lap? Every week as we leave in the back of the truck below, the children try to hop on a come with us. While we're driving away, they even run across the road to run after the truck so some of the guys from the Garden have to stay behind and keep them back. This past week, Rachel watched me as we left. She said "Next time?" I said "yes, next time." This Thursday is the last night I'll spend with her. 

Feedings
Every day at 10am & 4pm, we go out & feed local squatter communities in the Manila area. The first week we were here, we unloaded a 19 ton truck of food that would last about a month. The feedings each day are in a new place but every week on that day we go back to the same location. These feedings provide a way for the local church to connect with the community while meeting the community's needs. 

JAZ/Josie's Angels
The last, but certainly not least ministry we've been working with is the JAZ Home (Josie's Angels Zone)/Josie's Angels. Each Monday and Tuesday night, we hold a Bible study for young girls at the local church. From this Bible study, Josie Long (Jeff's daughter) realized that some of the girls were in abusive living situations, so she has started a home for young girls in the community to get them out of the sexually abusive homes they've been in. There are currently 25 girls living in the home. I have been going several days a week in the mornings and afternoon/evenings. We've also spent the night there several times to give one of the house moms a night off. We do Bible studies with them, let them read to us, help them with homework, and just hang out. Several of them have opened up to us and told us about what they've been through and the home situations they've come from. God has given me such a love for these girls and I want more than anything to see them grow into the women God created them to be!

This month has been an amazing experience and definitely my favorite so far on the Race. I love the Philippines and the connections I've made with the people here. I know that God brought me here for a reason and specifically had our squad here for 6 weeks instead of 4 so that we could really pour into this community and build strong relationships. I really hope to come back here one day (if not long term, then definitely short term). Please pray with me about where God is leading my heart in the future after the Race.  

*$2,089 left to raise by January 31. Please consider making an end of year donation so that I can continue on the Race and keep impacting lives for the Lord!

*Photos courtesy of Facebook & my camera!