Good afternoon from the Philippines, my friends!
This month, we have the pleasure of working with KIM Ministries, which stands for Kids International Ministries. Fun fact, KIM has an administrative base in Lawrence, KS!
If any of you are interested in coming to the Philippines, I HIGHLY recommend you stay at the ministry and volunteer for a few days. Here are the different things we have been doing:
Feedings:
We travel anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours to bring food to the poorest communities around the metro-Manila area. We give them the word of God and do many kid’s programs beforehand while others prepare the food. It is a very beautiful to get to know the kids in the area and their parents. Many families have more than 6 kids, I even met one family with 15 kids. ALl of them usually live in one tiny space. The level of poverty I have seen here is the most I have ever seen on the World Race.
Pregnancy Clinic:
Many ladies on our squad have been involved in assisting in the birth of a baby. The ones who have done it have deemed it as a powerful experience! We have also asisted in the weekly/monthly check-ups, helping with blood pressure, pulse rates, weight counts, and belly measurments. It has been very interesting for me personally, because I am not a science person… like at all. However, it has been amazing to see us step up and do things we are necessarily used to!
Children’s Home:
KIM has an incredible children’s home, the best I have seen so far on the Race. The children are well taken care and the money is well managed for them. We like to go play games with them and take care of the babies. There is a one year old in particular who is going to be a prodigy in rock climbing. He is constanly climbing fences and anything he is able to shimmy his way up. This child literally has biceps as a one year. He is very entertaining to watch.
School:
KIM also has a Christian school they manage. They are currently trying to build another school when they have the funds. So far, they have the plot of land, but yet to build the building. I actually got to teach 4 music classes the other day. It was a lot of fun for me to get back into the rhythm of teaching!
Construction and Storage:
I have assisted in mixing gravel and cement. We have help lay foundations for buildings and have done some work in carrying boxes of food, organizing storage closets, and assisted with some heavy lifting.
All in all, KIM Ministries has been amazing. We are working with Americans, which is much more fast paced than we are used to, so we are slowly adjusting back to our culture before we come home.
We’re Going on a Pilgrimage!
Please pray for us this week as we go on a pilgrimage to Banaue rice terraces to process our year and ask God about the next steps. Especially for my body, because I have pulled my back muscles and reawakened a previous injury (Sorry Mom). It will be a couple weeks before I post again. In my next post, I will reveal some things God has been calling me to and tell you what I am doing after the Race. Thank you supporters for your prayers and love! This journey has been so lifechanging. I can’t wait to share with you what’s next!
With Love,
Mary Beth
