Day 6, 7, and 8: Moving Forward

Day 6 & 7:

We had been in the Philippines for about a week, and our time in Dumaguete City was coming to an end. We had some down-time on Monday, so we went to a marine reserve on the beach (we could see Apo Island from the shore!) and did some snorkeling. The next day, we said many heartfelt goodbyes to the friends we had made in Dumaguete at CCTC--we were on our way to Manila!

Our plane arrived in Manila at about 5pm (or 2am for y'all back home). Traveling through this city was quite an experience. We arrived at the YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base a few hours later.

Day 8:

This was our first day of ministry here in Manila. We started by going to permanent housing. We split off into four teams: Two of them did house-to-house visitations--sharing the gospel and encouraging the Filipinos in their homes. One team went to a small daycare center for malnourished babies. Finally, the last group went to a ladies Bible study for mothers of children with tuberculosis.

Our next ministry was at Smokey Mountain dump site where the team made more visitations (since people actually live on this landfill). Then we bathed, ministered, and gave food to the children in that area. Some of the girls on the team sang fun songs with the kids, and Oscar shared a Bible story with them.

Team Member Testimony: Katie Lutz

"Hey everyone, it's Katie Lutz and I just wanted to share with you guys a little bit about Manila and what we are doing here. Yesterday we went to YWAM's Nutritional Daycare where YWAM workers take care of babies who have third and fourth degree malnutrition. The team was split up this day so only a couple of us were with the babies. We were able to feed them and play with them. It was a wonderful experience! Later on in the day we all sat down at lunch and a couple of us were talking about what we did today and in talking I realized that I don't want this to be just a "wake up call" because it is something so much more than that. It is so easy for us all to become complacent. We can see these babies and families suffering and still go on with our lives. But we can help these families. It really is so simple, especially when it's 45 pesos to 1 dollar! It's little practical things we can do too, but it's not just material things that they need, more importantly they need Christ. Think of how much better their lives would be knowing that they have a Savior who loves them and cares for them and died on the cross to save them. In all of this, I am just seeing how important the gospel is and how fulfilling it is to share it with the Filipino people. (Oh, and by the way, love you mom!)"

Later in the evening, we went to YWAM's youth group. We led worship, performed our skit, shared testimonies, gave a devotion, and played a fun game! The team got a chance to see another youth group and realized that even though we speak different languages and have different skin color, they worship the Lord just as we do!

Your prayers are greatly appreciated!