First. Ministry. Update.
– – P H I L I P P I N E S – –
My team and I landed in the capital city of Manila on Thursday and it’s now Sunday night. 3 days. 4 nights. Endless amounts of stories. But first, what are we actually doing?
This month, we are working with the organization Kids International Ministries (K.I.M.). They are an amazing organization that has such a rich and impactful history. –>to check out their website click here! During the month of October, we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves into many of their ministry avenues.
The Kids Home: During the day while the older kids are at school, we serve the caretakers at the home by watching over the toddlers and the newborns. One of the toddlers favorite things to do is swim. KIM has a pool that they will open up to the community at times. Because certain areas can flood from Typhoons here, water confidence is really important to instill in the kids. At nights, we go back to the children’s home and will sing worship songs, play a game, do a bible study and skit, and then break off and read to the kids.
Feedings: These are offered twice a day. There is an amazing kitchen staff at KIM that prepares tubs of food to pass out at various locations (about 7 total). One way we help out is by waking up early with Elaine and helping her cut and chop. We end up with a mixture of rice and protein supplement (sometimes eggs too) to pass out to communities. Then we will drive to the location, station the food, and walk through the communities yelling “feeding po”! Po being a term of respect. Kids will run down to the food with their bowls/cups/baggies to be filled with the food to bring back to their families. In some locations there is even a church that we can gather in afterward for a bible study. And we usually will stay a little extra to play with the kids as well. They LOVE to spin.
Pregnancy Clinic: KIM offers a free clinic to moms from all over. Currently they are seeing 100+ moms! One day at a feeding, we actually brought back an expecting mom with us so that she could receive a check-up. One mom has already delivered while we have been here and 4 girls went to help with the delivery. We have also been repainting inside the center the last couple of days. Its crazy how fast paint dries when it is 90 degrees outside!
Construction: So KIM super recently bought a new area of land that they have so many hopes for. Seriously, their vision is so cool. One thing they are doing is building a high school. They have a system that will allow this to be free for anyone who goes. If you want to know more, shoot me a message! They also plan to use the land to build trade schools. This way, those who do not go to college will be able to learn a skill that will help them find work. In the center of the land, they are going to make a nice outside area. The kids here really have no where that they can just play outside in the grass. So turf will be put down (since it rains so much here) so that it will be able to stay nice and useable for years to come! Lastly, there is an area out front where they are going to offer gardening lessons to people in the community. One pastor is able to make a living from gardening since he is not being paid to be a pastor. He will help lead this so that others can do the same thing! They literally just knocked down the old building that was there, so when we help, it will be doing things like pouring cement, digging, and laying down cinder blocks. All foundational things.
So that’s it! I guarantee you that I am missing some things. And there is even some more stuff that we have done that doesn’t really fit into a specific category. Everyone involved in KIM seems to have their own avenue which has evolved and matured over the years. So every day, we are approached by so many people giving us the option to serve and do ministry with them. While this is amazing, it can also be a little hectic. Which leads me to…
PRAYERS
– That my team and I will be able to find a healthy balance between ministry & team time & our own bible studies & personal time.
– That as our relationships with all the kids strengthen, we will be able to have deeper conversations with them
– That we are loving well
PRAISES
– For the new healthy baby that was born this morning!
– For the conversations that have already taken place
– The joy and friendliness of everyone we have met
