Kids International Ministries

No Longer Invisible

2010-08-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Alonamae Cardinosa is made in God's image. At just a few months of age, she had a high fever which went untreated and caused a severe form of Cerebal Palsy. Along with the debilitating affliction, she suffered severe seizures throughout the day and her eyes were crossing frequently. I met her in August 2006, in Santos Compound in Antipolo City, Rizal, near the site where First Love International was going to build the Arthur Center. Her mom brought her out to me as I was telling the community how the Arthur Center could help them. Alonamae was screaming and writhing in agony when her mom handed her to me. My heart broke, I wept, and began to pray. Her seizures stopped at that moment. A few days later, her eyes stopped crossing.

The impoverished culture in the Philippines is frustrating. Though certain services were available, the family was embarrassed to ask for help, and didn't have any resources to help Alonamae with. So when I arrived in the spring of 2008, I found Alonamae frozen in time. She looked much the same as before, and her mom was caring for her in the same way; breast and bottle feeding her at age 4.

In the summer of 2008 my family provided some funds to Jeff Long at Kids International Ministries to get her involved in better health care. Kids International receives ongoing funds to pay Alonamae's father, Tirso, a salary. Funds were also provided to build a sturdy concrete home in Cuatro community, the squatter area near the New Faith Family Children's home. These were all positive steps to get the family closer to a resource that could help, but Alonamae still wasn't getting the care she needed. The reasons go back to the impoverished culture and Alonamae's mom not understanding the proper way to care for and nurture her special needs kiddo. Alonamae is the fourth of soon to be 7 children in a very small house in a squatter area.

God brings a variety of missionaries through the area where Alonamae lives, and Jeff Long tells them about her. Certain heroes have stepped forward and are working on long term solutions to Alonamae's posture and mobility as well as her nutritional health. Among them; Holly Clark, Paula Pittman, and Linda Zipprich. I'm extremely thankful that I can network with these good people who truly care about Alonamae and want God's best for her.

She was not out of harms way when I arrived in Manila. Her mother still fed her while Alonamae was flat on her back, so she aspirates the
milk frequently; choking down the only food source offered. Her mother felt that Alonamae couldn't handle other kinds of food so she didn't try to feed her anything but the cheap powdered milk they could get at the market. Alonamae was lying on the floor of their home when I met her. She had aspiration pneumonia, and was starving to death. At the age of 6 years and 3 months, she weighed 12 pounds and was in respiratory distress. It was painful to watch her just try to survive. When we tried to make her more comfortable, I witnessed a "silent scream". It was horrifying to watch. She couldn't muster the strength to cry out or even cough. Only her face told the story of the pain in her tiny little body.

Alonamae is now on antibiotics, nebulizer treatments, cough medicine, and is getting better quality powdered milk, cereal, and tasty combinations of fruits and vegetables under the guidance of Lydia; a nurse at the Children's Home. Alonamae's health is dramatically better in just the last 5 days, as we observe her relaxed breathing, and the doctor told us she now weighs 16 pounds. Some new friends; Brian and Emilee Helton, provided a baby stroller for Alonamae which has been a huge advantage to keeping her sitting up and allowing her to breathe much more easily. The stroller also provides much needed mobility for the family so they can take Alonamae to Lydia for check ups, and go to church as a family more easily.

Alonamae Cardinosa now has a hopeful future although we wait to see what God is going to do in her life. God willing, Alonamae will be a delight to her family and so many people like me who have fallen in love with her for many years to come. It is extremely gratifying to me that Alonamae is no longer an invisible child in the vast sea of poverty in the Philippines.

Tom Wenzl
Cañon City, Colorado

Don't Know How to be American

2010-07-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Christie Albaugh and I have been serving with K.I.M since April 2009. Tomorrow, July 11th, 2010 I am headed on a plane back 'home' to California. Since I have headed up the blog posting during my time here, I thought it only appropriate that I share one last blog on some transitioning home thoughts. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading....

I take my coffee with 1 splenda, 1 Tbs. of hazelnut sugar free creamer, and 3-4 ants. The last part isn't a preference, it's more like a reality. There's always ants in the coffee pot here. There's just too many to get out, so instead we ignore them and brew the coffee, ants included. Because this is the Philippines-- T.I.P. as we like to say-- there's a long list of normalcies that you would never find back in the good 'ol US of A. But that's okay, because not only have I learned to live with them, but I've accepted them, and they have become a part of my everyday life… a part of who I am. This is my life.

This is my life. Instead of wake up and smell the coffee, I wake up and smell the fish. I live in Cuatro, a poor, mostly squatters area representative of your average Filipino "homes". The streets are filled with trash and dirty, hungry kids playing in it. The mangy, starving dog with ribs popping out and sores covering it's body begins to blend in with the background…. a sight that would previously make me stop and stare in genuine concern for the 'poor dog' has now become normal. How do I worry about the animal, after all, when their are so many starving and needy people instead?

This is my life. I live in the dirt. It blows into my window and on my bed every day. I sweat 70% of the time. The other 30% is when I'm sleeping. I drive like a native. I swerve, I honk, I never signal, and I regularly cut people off; I drive on the opposite side of the road when needed, I go through the intersection when it's not my turn, and when I'm driving, pedestrians never have the right of way. I eat fruit about five times a day, it's so cheap and so delicious! I live in a house with anywhere from 10 to 100 people, depending on how many teams are here. It's always a mess, always noisy, and the dishes are sprawled out everywhere. And no matter what, I know never to plan anything, because plans always fall through, things are always changing, and you always have to keep on your toes!

This is my life, and somehow it's all worth it. The completely different, often frustrating cultural differences, the lack of a comfortable home, the go go go and the constant exhaustion, the being away from family and friends and the difficulties of support raising…. it's all very much worth it! Because when I feed my two little rascals breakfast or give them their first shower in days, it's worth it. When I'm greeted at the children's home by la pair of tiny legs running at me, arms wide open, yelling "Tita Kissty," it's worth it. When I look at Roseanne and I see the wheels turning and my devotion message start to make sense in her head, it's worth it. And when Vanessa jumps up to hug me at the end of every devotion, and thanks me for sharing, it is very much worth it!

This is my life. I live in a community of focused, intentional people. I share my life with other people called to minister to the same people group as me. We share stories over meals and meet for 10am coffee breaks, sweating extra but enjoying every second of it. I walk up the street with tons of kids yelling my name who I haven't even met yet. They smile and they wave yelling "hello" until you return the gesture. We fight for kids who can't fight for themselves. We provide education to kids who can't afford to go to school. We talk to anyone who will listen about our experiences because these kids and the people we meet have become our family! I'd give up my life to protect any one of them because they mean the world to me and I love them.

This is my life. This is how I live. And the thought of that changing is absolutely killing me. I don't want it to change. I don't want to say goodbye to my friends. I don't want to not be there to feed Imon breakfast. I don't want to stop Tuesday/Thursday devotions with the older girls. And I don't want to live in a place where people are more focused on themselves than they are on others. How can I be okay with my big room and soft, clean carpet, when my two favorite boys in the world are sleeping on hard dirt floor? How can I go back to school to get my masters degree when 14 year old Vanessa is still in grade 5 and needs a lot of help to catch up. How can I share a house with my two dogs, healthier than most of the kids I meet on the street? How can I yet again adjust my "normal" and return to the way things used to be???

I'm addicted to the dirty Manila air. Somewhere along the way, I got used to it. I've been breathing this dirty, polluted air for so long now that I'm not sure I even know how to breathe clean air anymore. I don't know how to be American. And I'm not really sure if I want to....

First Visit

2010-06-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

Liz Philllips (Nashville, TN) and her sister Ellie and brother-in-law Mark Hymes (Kansas City, MO) came to Manila and the NFFCH to provide teacher training on use of the Academic Associates Reading Course—a comprehensive phonics-based reading program—being incorporated into the Cuatro Christian School’s curriculum. Below is a poem Liz wrote of the sights and experiences of being in Manila.

First Visit

By Liz Phillips

Should I go to Manila with Mark and my sis?
Leaving Scott back at home, it would be him I would miss.
Though the kids needed care and money was low,
I was off to the Philippines, friends told me, "Just go!"

The jet lag no fun, all your strength it will sap,
2 a.m. arrival, then tucked in for a nap.
We woke to the sounds, Filipinos out walking,
We peered from our porch, the roosters were cocking.

The sights, sounds and smells; the food, heat and training;
The pool time with Ellie when it wasn't raining.
The jeepneys! The traffic! No one could conceive it!
So many close calls! I still can't believe it!

The time on the train, not my favorite place.
Oh, WOW! It was full! Sardines have more space!
First view of the squatters, sights too sad...Oh, my!
This pen can't convey, I won't even try.

Orphans inside the gate, so well cared for,
Can't help but notice the smiles they wore.
Fed other kids who were hungry, the poorest of poor,
We'd give them their scoop—ran out...needed more.

The sweet time at Erroll's, so proud of his place,
No wealth from this world, just quite rich in grace.
The teachers we trained, those women so dear,
Last day said good-bye, with gifts, hugs and a tear.

How can I say thanks for a privilege so rare?
To learn what I mean, you too can come share!

The Norco Gals

2010-06-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! We are Rachael, Trisha, Jessica, and Jocelyn from
First Baptist Church Norco in California. We arrived here on May 10th
and have about a month of service to go, as we are planning on
returning to the States on July 5th. It has been an absolute delight
for us to be here and we have already been blessed ourselves in many
ways.

Our involvement here has been diverse, allowing us to gain a wide
variety of experiences and serve in several different areas. Rachael
and Trisha, for example, were able to spend their first few weeks in
the Philippines serving in MalayBalay before returning to us here in
Manila. Jessica and myself have been rooted here in Manila from day
one and it has been fabulous.

One of our key focus areas since we have been here has been working
with a group of 18 community girls that Josie Long disciples, each
with their own unique personalities and stories. Serving at the
children’s home has also been a priority: spending time with the kids,
working shifts in the nursery, and leading devotions. Other activities
have included participating in community feeding projects, and simply
doing whatever else arises as a need. We have grown to love all of
these kids so much and are sad to be leaving in just a month, but
cannot wait to see what God does in the time we have allotted. It is
crazy to us how quickly our time is passing. Our trip has certainly
been dynamic, as we are continuously gaining new environments to serve
in and to be grown in. God has already blessed us in innumerable ways
just being here; we feel right at home and pray that our service is a
blessing to those around us.

10 Nationalities for One Cause

2010-05-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought five years ago that a 12-year-old little girl (referring to Janel Long’s request of her parents to help the children) would have had such a worldwide impact. When Jeff and his family opened their hearts and their door to orphaned and unwanted children, they probably wouldn't have guessed at the number of lives they would touch.

Today K.I.M. is accustomed to opening its doors to volunteers from around the globe, although it is not often that they host such a diverse group of nationalities simultaneously. This week sees the return of Seoul Foreign School on its fourth annual mission trip, whose students and staff come from around the world.

As you look around the Ministry Center, you will see 10 different nationalities: Korean, American, Canadian, Filipino, British, Australian, Japanese, German, South African and Taiwanese. In addition to our school joining the efforts, we had two Aussie construction company owners join us, and man, did they work hard and fast—yet they interacted great with our kids. Also, a father/son combo joined us from a school in Taiwan. Together these all worked side by side with the 15 or so Filipino workers in a very harmonious way.

It has been a pleasure to see God's wonderful people from around the globe join together in one place, all with a heart to serve.

Written By: Seoul Foreign School teacher

Four Years of Service

2010-05-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

Every year 50+ high school students come from Seoul Foreign School to sweat, sweat, and SWEAT for a week full of heavy labor. Over the past four years they have played a significant role in four of our ministry sites at KIM.

Three years ago, in 2007, they helped pour the second floor of our Cuatro Community Center, which is now the main sanctuary for the Tugumpay Evangelical Baptist Church and also doubles as the location for several of our Cuatro Christian School classes.

In 2008 they returned, this time to help with our children's home extension. At maximum capacity and running out of space, the SFS Team helped with adding a new wing onto the far side of our children's home. This new wing included a sala (living room) for the children's home boys, a bigger, more spacious kitchen, a state-of-the-art nursery for our babies and toddlers, as well as a nice, large dining room for mealtimes and other special events.

Then last year, in 2009, they came back to work on the church building next door, the JCCV (Jesus Christ Church in the Valley). In the early stages of adding a fourth story to the building, SFS played a huge role in transferring hollow blocks up to the roof. The seventy-five high school students and teachers/staff made an assembly line that started on the ground level and climbed up two flights of stairs, went through the church sanctuary on the third floor, and then climbed another flight of stairs on the back side, all the way up to the roof (soon to be fourth story). For a week they passed hollow blocks, mixed cement, swung hammers, and even helped to dig the first three holes for the footings for our YMC Extension Project. They even found time to help transfer hundreds of books from our old CCS Library to the new location.

This week, May 22nd-May 29th, SFS is back and already working very hard! Despite the exhausting temperatures as of late, the SFS students and staff are up early everyday, working with shovels, axes, hammers, scrapers, paintbrushes, and a variety of other tools. They are working on a two hour rotation that includes scraping and re-painting the Cuatro Christian School (at two different locations), digging, moving dirt, and mixing cement at the back of the YMC for a new building currently being constructed, and also playing with kids at the children's home.

And somehow, despite the many hours of hard physical labor, each year, the SFS Team also finds time to hold a community carnival, do devotions at the children's home, have a community concert, and go shopping for donations for the children's home, the cuatro christian school, and the community kids.

As the famous expression goes, the SFS Team comes to Manila every year, and pours blood, sweat, and tears into Kids International Ministries. On behalf of KIM, thank you for all your help, thank you for getting dirty and working hard, thank you for the many donations and your giving heart, and thank you for the impact that you have on this organization and in the Kingdom of God.

We can't wait to see you next year!

A Place to Belong

2010-05-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

I first visited KIM back in 2007 while my daughter Christie was serving with the World Racers. She absolutely fell in love with KIM and the Filipino children and that was just the beginning. Fast forward to April 2009, which is when Christie returned to the Philippines to serve as a long term missionary at KIM. God had placed in her heart a desire to to come and show his love to these children. Along with the children of KIM she has now found that He has also given her a passion for the community children. On several occasions, while chatting with Christie, she told me about these two little brothers in particular named Manny and Iman. Although I could sympathize with her from across the miles, now that I have come to visit, I know exactly what she means and how she feels. How could anyone not love these beautiful boys.

Upon my arrival on May 20th, while being picked up at the airport, I was introduced to little seven year old Manny. He has grown quite fond of Christie and follows her around on a regular basis. The next morning I met little four year old, beautiful, big brown eyed Imon. These two little brothers are desperate for a sense of belonging, so Christie has welcomed them into her heart showing them love as a mother would her own.

I love seeing firsthand how God uses a willing heart. God first asked her to come to Manila and in her obedience she said yes. Then God showed her these two brothers and placed a special love in her heart for them and asked her to show His kind of love and she responded yes Lord. Christie now is on a quest to implement a sponsorship program for these children to help the community children who have so many needs to get monthly support that will be used to help feed and educate them. It is her hope that they will know that they are loved and will be cared for and that God sees them and has not forgot about them. He is using KIM to help them and to let them know that they have a place to belong.

Written By: Jackie Albaugh

A Shot at Education

2010-04-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Written by William Miller, missionary with the World Race...

This video is presenting the children in the New Faith Family Children's Home in Malaybalay, Philippines and how many of them will be going to school this coming summer. Many of these kids have just recently been orphaned, abandoned, or rescued and have never even sat in a classroom setting. The cost is around $400 per year for each student and God has placed it on my heart to make this goal happen by June 1. If you are interested, please contact me and I will tell you a little more about the program and how you can help....

If interested in sponsoring the education of one of our Malaybalay children, please contact Jeremy Moody @ moodyjs@hotmail.com

New Faith Family Children's Home from warren cheely on Vimeo.

Invitation to Change

2010-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is the World Race.
I told my team today during a meeting that I have enjoyed watching them work this month.
Most of them come alive when we step into our small community called Karlangan.
And the amazing thing is, we all come alive in different ways.
So here's a small taste of what our days are filled with.
I hope you enjoy watching a little taste of my team coming alive.
My favorite part of every day is at the end of the video.

Karlangan Kids from Margie Termeer on Vimeo.

Blog and Video By: Margie Termeer

Feeding of the 5,000: Emily

2010-03-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Malu

2010-03-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Naomi

2010-03-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

Should This Be Reality???

2010-03-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know I am on an 11 month journey God has directed me to, I went with unsure answers but walked in faith. At this point I am in my third month. We have traveled to New Zealand, Australia and now I am in the Philippines. I love it here, each day I have a new adventure and story to tell. I have been heartbroken for the people and lives here. I have a few stories I would like to share with you to give you a glimpse of what we encounter here each day, that truly makes me burn for justice.

As I mentioned in my last blog, we have been doing a census here in the community, trying to connect with over 5,000 people. Every day we ask people what their immediate needs are, they respond with needs of water, food, vitamins and medicine. One family said they just wanted plates to eat their food, another said diapers for their new born baby, and the list goes on. Then we ask for prayer requests, person after person responded with asking for a better life. My heart sank and broke into pieces as I held back the tears. Most houses are made from anything they can find, scraps of old woods, medal and old signs. Holes invade their whole house-I am afraid for when it rains. How will they stay dry? The wires of electricity unsafely stream everywhere. This is what we walk into everyday, one day I was walking through sewage trying to get to some homes and I said to myself, " this is the worst I have seen", but as the day flew by I seemed to be hearing and seeing situations that seemed more hopeless then the next.

I met an eight year old girl named Roxanne. She has one leg and the other is prosthetic. The first encounter with her was with Michelle and David, she was hobbling home from school and they asked if they could carry her home. The prosthesis barley stays on and sits on an angel so her foot is twisted to the right at all times. A couple days ago Michelle and I decided to go see if she would like go to the swing set with us. We got the ok from her mom and carried her down to the set. As we were talking with her trying to get her to a crack smile, I started to think, " If it is for only one person I am here I will be honoured and blessed to serve and love" ( just like Angelica in Australia). We took her to get some ice cream, sat and ate it together, laughing as we smeared the ice cream across our lips as lipgloss. I asked Roxanne her favourite song and she began to sing Jesus loves me. I could not stop smiling; at that point I knew her hope was in Jesus. We brought her home and said our goodbyes and walked away. I kept my tears back, telling her we will come back to color with her soon. I truly believe God is a big God and wants something big to happen in her life. I am praying we can help her as the process is already in play for getting her a new leg. Please keep her in your prayers. This is reality for eight year old Roxanne. Where people, old and young stare at her and point. WE just love and encourage.

One afternoon as I arrived back from a specific village, I was broken and crying out to God. A team works there daily so I went to them to inquire more information. They began telling me a story about a blind eleven year old girl who cannot walk. She lives in a house alone, with her stepmom down the road. She sleeps on a plank of woods as her bed and lies there all day. If she has to go to the bathroom she just goes because there is no one to help her up. Most days they do not know if she eats or not. The team has invested time into her, speaking life and love into her life. A nurse has come to look at her, and they have brought her back to the place we are staying to give her a real bath and clean her up. This is another story that makes me angry and I stand wondering why. I trust this team is doing the best they can. Please pray and ask God to keep intervening to give her a better life. This is reality for this blind eleven year old girl. Abandoned and forgotten.

Another ministry a group is doing is under a bridge where over 100 families live. Families, babies and children living in the garbage dump. They have nothing, each day they dig through the garage hoping to find metal or copper so they can sell it for a little money. Eight years old kids sniff glue so the hunger pains go away. They have been there since the flood in October. They sleep on old piece of carpet or cardboard; they have no water to keep clean, no food, nothing. I wonder why them as anger and frustration boil over inside. This is their home, their reality.

I hope these stories just give you a glimpse of what we see and hear each day. It is not easy coming back to a bed, food and a shower each night, knowing many do not have what we have. It is sad that the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. What would happen if the rich invested into the poor? One day we hitch hiked home and a young man picked us up (do not worry we were safe). We hopped into his nice car and he drove us home. He was talking to us with perfect English keeping a good conversation and as he dropped us off he said he lived down the street from where we lived. I wonder how someone can live here without noticing the poverty and do nothing about it. It seemed as if he just closed his eyes and pretended it was not there.

Imagine this; you're in the line for the ATM machine. This time the line is long but you notice people acting weird when they get to the front. When you approach the front of the line you see an eight year old boy passed out from alcohol right before the ATM. What has been happening this entire time is people see the boy, step over him to get to the ATM, finish their business and walk away. How would you react? What would you do?

This story happened to one of the ministry workers here in the Philippines. As he approached the boy, he picked him up; made sure he was breathing and brought him to the police to contact his parents. Before this act everyone ignored the boy, as if this was normal but when did something like this become normal?

Please be praying. This is reality for many but the question is- should this be reality? Should this be normal? Living in the garbage dump, being walked over, living in homes no bigger than our bathrooms as nine people sleep there, being abandoned blind at the age of eleven, sniffing glue to take away the hunger pain at age eight. Having no education, water, plates to eat off of, the list just goes on. THIS IS NOT OK and not suppose to be normal. Please be praying and lift these situations up to God. Pray from the depth of who you are, with passion and fight for justice, intercede for these lives with me.

I am humbled, broken, blessed to serve here in Cainta, Manila. As for prayer requests please lift me up whenever you think about me; each day seems to get harder, battling with the hard unknown answers of injustice.

Written By: Charlotte Clark

Feeding of the 5,000: Paul

2010-03-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Evelyn

2010-03-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

How I Ended Up on Stage in Front of 600 Chinese-Filipinos

2010-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning I had no idea I would be on stage at a high school speaking to 600 Chinese students and their parents. Thus is life on the World Race. Fortunately, I love random so I was thrilled with today's outcome. Let me work backwards and explain how I got here.

I have started helping with a local magazine called the Jeepney a couple days a week. The Jeepney is a street magazine, modeled similarly to homeless newspapers sold in many major cities in the U.S. The concept is inspirational-it is a magazine featuring local homeless, raising awareness of issues facing the multitudes of Filipinos living in poverty. It is then sold by homeless vendors as a way for them to make an income and support their families.

The Jeepney office is located on the property we are living at, so it was a natural fit for World Racers to start pitching in. We have opportunities to help with everything from photography to graphic design to editing and layout to promoting, and more. I have been working with a few other girls to promote the magazine and search for homeless people on the streets that want to sell the magazine as a source of income. This morning we left for Chinatown at 6:30 am to assist with some street promoting. We visited Chinatown once last week. While promoting the magazine Jeanne and I ran into a firecracker named Annie, a spirited Chinese woman in her early 50's. Actually, she found us. She approached us and asked if we were tourists. She seemed alarmed and told us it was not safe for us to be in Chinatown walking around by ourselves. We assured her we had a local assisting us nearby. We explained to her why we are in the Philippines and then told her all about the Jeepney magazine. Then we parted ways.

We learned later that Annie sent a text message to the Jeepney a couple hours after our encounter saying "I met a couple young Caucasian women in Chinatown today and I want to help them". This morning when we went back we contacted her on the off chance she would have some tips for us. She was available and offered to meet with us. She gave us some great insight into the area from a local perspective and directed us to an area she felt would be our target market. A couple hours later through an amazing series of events, which I will spare you, Annie managed to get us on stage at an assembly at her children's high school, where students and parents were gathered for their final day of school. Had we continued street marketing this morning we would have only contacted a handful of people, but thanks to the help of a complete stranger who was willing to sacrifice half her day to help us we were able to reach hundreds and encourage them to support the local homeless community. Annie also invited us into her home and offered us a place to stay if we ever return to the Philippines.

It's cool to see how God opens up opportunities sometimes. We got connected to Annie randomly on the street. We wouldn't have been able to get into the school if it weren't for her personal connections. If we had gone out any other day we couldn't have reached that audience because it was the very last day of school. Sometimes things add up way too much to be coincidence, even a skeptic like me must accredit days like today entirely to "a God thing".

Written By: Jillian Hensley

A copy of this article can be found at http://jillianhensley.theworldrace.org/?filename=how-i-ended-up-on-stage-in-front-of-600-chinesefilipinos&bookmark=true#comments

Feeding of the 5,000: Sarah

2010-03-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Henson

2010-03-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Cathy

2010-03-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

No Longer Addicted to Rugby

2010-03-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

“The first time I heard a kid say, ‘I’m addicted to rugby.’ I thought he actually meant the sport, but I later realized it was a drug similar to an adhesive that helped relieve hunger pangs.” said Courtney, a WR missionary and volunteer at The Children’s Garden (TCG).

The Children’s Garden takes 15-18 year old boys off from the streets, from under the freeway bridges, from within the dumps, and from the sewers to give them a hope and a future. Some of the boys parents have died or they chose to run away from home. Most have been on drugs since age 8. It’s not uncommon for their parents to put their kids on drugs and force them to beg for money for the family. Drugs were a way of control.

The Children’s Garden picks up these kids and immediately puts them on a drug rehab program. Then, the teens would gain job training skills in welding and woodworking, learn karate, and attend Bible studies.

Keturah, a WR missionary and a volunteer at TCG, says that her greatest joy is being able to see their lives change. She says, “It‘s been amazing being able to connect with them because we have more in common that they or I would‘ve thought.” Kim, one of the boys in the program, says that his parents have been dead for years, but through the program, he’s gotten off the streets, quit drugs, and now wants to be a missionary. Kim’s life testifies that life can be different for all the boys from what they‘ve known. His life testifies that God indeed does have a hope and a future for all their lives.

Written By: Christine Louie　

Feeding of the 5,000: Derek

2010-03-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Tom

2010-03-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Juliana

2010-03-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

Feeding of the 5,000: Introduction

2010-03-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

In the middle of February, a team of 11 youth and adult chaperons from Hong Kong came to minister to the Cuatro Community where Kids International Ministries is located. The pastor and leader of the trip, Nathan, has put together some videos of their time here. Today's video will be the introduction, and each day for the next 11 days will tell one of the team member's testimony. I hope you enjoy seeing how God is working in the Cuatro Community.

Three More Signs of the Invisible Hand

2010-03-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

Healings happening. People coming to know Jesus. A feeding program thriving. Then, comes

Three more signs.

Through

Three more people.

Emily. Rose. Gina.

Emily found my team and invited us into her home as soon as we arrived in Ramaville. She shared with us that her husband use to play the guitar for the church and that he wants to play for us. She asked to have a Bible study at her home. She said she was going to talk to the owners of one of the buildings so that we can host church services there. Her prayer request was that God would send workers, instruments, and a building so that they can have a church in the community.

There is a thirst for fellowship.

Soon after we left Emily's place, Rose invited us into her home. She began to share with us her former involvement at church and how she wanted to have a Bible study in her home as well.

There is a hunger to know and be known by God.

After leaving Rose's home, we ran upon Gina. Gina had been a seminary student for two months and had once been committed to the way of Jesus.

There is an opportunity to serve. An opportunity for a revival of the Spirit.

The first three people we met that morning were the few Christians in that entire community yet in those encounters we recognized the continuing confirmation of God's desire to plant a church there.

Written By: Christine Louie

A version of this article appeared on March 5, 2010, at www.christinelouie.theworldrace.org.

Modern Day Miracles

2010-03-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

We went to do home visits in the morning to listen to the stories of the families that suffered from the typhoon to learn about their lives, to take a needs assessment to see what aid we could provide, and to offer prayer for any requests and petitions they had. My team split up into two groups with Brook, Jake, Margie, and Pastor Ray in one group and with John, Emily, Pastor Jun and me in the other group.
One of the homes that Brook's group visited was the home of Linda, Ann, and Mercy. After they spent some time talking, Linda and Ann shared their prayer needs including good health and financial provisions. This was very common in the families we visited because they were malnourished and had no medical care at all. Moreover, many of them were unable to find jobs. Mercy, however, said that her one request was to get into heaven. What? Of the many things she could've asked for, she wanted to know the certainty of her eternity. That team explained to her that it's never about doing things to be "good" enough to get into heaven, but that her faith and trust in Jesus would be the key to the present and eternal freedom of her spirit. She invited Jesus into her life.*

My team was going around different homes for visitations when a woman named Ana, who we had never met before, pops out of her house and tells us to come in. We see a man of at least 40 years old lying on the floor curled up next to the door. Ana explained to Pastor Jun that he was her brother, Fernando. Fernando has been having stomach pains for the past twelve days. He has been in so much pain that he hasn't been able to go to work, which was also a huge problem since he was the bread winner between the two siblings that lived together. He could not walk and could hardly move. We asked him to put his hand on his stomach and we laid hands on top of that hand and prayed for his healing in Jesus name. We didn't know if anything happened to him or to anyone else we had prayed for that day. The next day, I was leading a study of Ruth with the women in the community and Ana, Fernando's sister, declared that her brother was fully healed. She asked for the group to pray that her brother would know Jesus. The very next day after that as my group was leaving for lunch from the home visits, Fernando ran into my team as he was walking to town and tells us that not only is he healed, but that he has invited Jesus into his life.

I never know where God is going to take me or my team next. I can never predict what He is going to do. I just know that his heart is always in pursuit of our hearts and our freedom.

Written By: Christine Louie

A version of this article appeared on March 4, 2010, at www.christinelouie.theworldrace.org.

How Can Someone Like Me Help?

2010-02-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

I've done several short term mission trips in my life. And if you ever have yourself, you know that sinking feeling you get in your stomach as you head back home. The guilt begins to take over, and you feel it physically as much as in your head... you are going back home to comfort and convenience, while the people you leave are still hungry, still naked, and still need to know about the Savior! You wonder to yourself, how can I just go back to my "normal life"?

And the truth is, I've been there, and I've done that. I've traveled thousands of miles, seen some of the neediest people in the world, and somehow, at the end of it, I've managed to go back to "normal life."

This past January, a team of 15 college students came from Taylor University in Indiana. They came as a part of their academic program, needing hours for their social work and physical education degrees. But they also reached out to those in need during their time here. They touched people's lives and in return, their lives were touched. Angie, one of the professors that accompanied the students, wrote us an email explaining her thoughts as she returned back home...

"Well, it's been almost a couple weeks since we've been there with you and your staff but I think often of KIM and the Philippines. I finally got all my shorts and summer clothes put away. Everything makes me think of the Philippines and the kids and the people there. I spoke in my church Sunday. eople were very moved by the information (feedings, etc.) I am hoping they will step up and support KIM. I speak to another church at the end of the month. I have also been asked to speak to two different groups after I spoke to the church Sunday. None of this I ever expected to do. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before I left but I was deeply impacted by staying there with KIM and seeing the needs there. Please know I want to help however I can but I have never seen myself as a “missionary”. How can someone like me help?"

How can someone like you help? You're doing it right now! You're speaking, and you're getting the word out. You're sharing your experiences. You're keeping in contact. You're sharing your heart with those around you. You're not just going back to "normal life."

Thank you to all those people who have not only come and served here in the Philippines, but continue to serve back at home through awareness, prayer, financial support, and by remembering the names and the faces of the people you met during your time here.

We hope to see you again one day soon!

Prayer for Ate Genalyn

2010-02-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

I would like to leave you with a story of Ate Genalyn. Ate Genalyn is a mother of two of our kids at the school. She and her family never attended church but after we had started school we invited all the parents to come to the services at either of the two locations and she started coming weekly with her two kids. Her husband was against her going to church and to Bible study that she started going to soon after she accepted Christ at church. At the same time the opportunity was given for some ladies to be trained to do hair and nails. We started this to help give parents a way of life to provide for their families. Genalyn was one of those ladies. They have been training for a while now and are receiving a small salary the three days that they are training. out of this meager salary of about six dollars a week she would have to feed her family of four. Over the course of time going to Bible studies and services, God has shown Genalyn how to trust His provision. There are times where they have no money and no food. But Genalyn continues to pray and trust and God has provided food for her family in so many different ways. through this time her husband still has softened and been asking questions and letting her attend church and Bible study. Her husband asks her "what is happening why do you do this?" She answers "It is because it is the Christian way." Please continue to pray for Ate Genalyn and her family.

But What Can I Do

2010-02-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

I live at the Yun Jin Lyso Ministry Center (YMC for short). I live ten minutes from the nearest mall and nearest starbucks. There's a mini stop convenient store less than a mile from my door, and several "sari sari" convenient stores less than 30 yards away. The movies, malls, bowling centers, spas, and grocery stores are all within a short driving distance from where I call home. I live in a city and access to "things" is pretty easy.

Which sometimes makes it hard to remember what else is right outside the door. I live in the Cuatro Community, named so for the location alongside the 4th hole of a neighboring golf course. Cuatro is home to 5,000 people (and no, it's not that big of an area.) Those 5,000 people live in about 800ish homes, packed in to little shanty houses like sardines. They live in the dirt, they sleep in the dirt, and they don't have three hot meals waiting for them throughout the day.

This morning, Manny, a young boy that has heavily weighed on my heart since I came here, was found wandering around by one of our teachers at the school, when he himself was supposed to be in class up at the CCC, our other school location. We brought him inside and asked him why he wasn't at school. One of the common excuses we hear from students-- his uniform was dirty, so he couldn't go to class.

Manny is 7 years old. And as I look into his story more and more, it feels as though it keeps getting more and more hopeless. Manny is the eldest of his siblings. He has a 6 year old sister and a 3 year old brother. Either both his parents are dead, or the the mother is dead and the father leaves Monday through Friday to go to work in another province, we have heard both stories and are not sure which is the truth yet. Regardless, this little boy is 7 years old, trying to take care of his siblings, trying to be the man in the family, while only just a little boy himself. He collects paper and plastic at the school each day to turn into the recycling center for money. A large bag will get him 10 pesos, or about a quarter. He told us he needed to get money to buy rice for the family.

My heart breaks for this boy. I want more for him than how he is living right now. I want him to be a kid and for an adult to do the providing and the caring. I want him to continue going to school, to learn English, continue on to college, and go places in this life! I want him to come to church and bible class on Sundays, to learn about God the Father, who is the Father figure he has never known but always needed, the Father that won't let him down and will always be there for him. I want him to have three meals a day, vitamins to keep him healthy, strong and sturdy teeth, and a place that he can feel safe each night.

What can I do for Manny? Or Angela? Sunshine and Sanjie and their family? For Pin? These are just a few of the many kids that need help. What can I do to help them? How can I help to break them out of this cycle that they are in?

When my time in Manila has come to an end, and I go back to my home in California, Manny WILL NOT be in the exact same place as when I came. Though at times I feel helpless, and the situation feels hopeless, something will change. It has to.

Prayers Answered

2010-02-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

A number of months ago at our D Group someone read a passage out of the NLT (New Living Translation) Study Bible and its corresponding commentary. Since then I have wanted to get one of these Bibles, but have been unable to find one here and didn't want to order one from the States.

A few weeks ago, Jeff Long came down to Malaybalay with a bunch of damaged Bibles that had been donated while he was on a recent trip to the States. Well, among these was a NLT Study Bible, the one I had been wanting for six months. Huge blessing to me!

But the story gets even better. That same evening I took the remaining Bibles to Grace Ayala's place; she wanted to give some to the Saturday Kids Fellowship workers. One of them, Pastor Rhogene, recently attended a hermeneutics seminar and the speaker used the NLT for the classes. Pastor Rhogene started praying that day that he would be able to get a copy of the NLT and about a week later, he did. Isn’t it wonderful how God meets our needs and in such unexpected ways?

Jeremy Moody

A Franciscan Benediction

2010-01-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into Joy

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.

Partying in Mindanao

2010-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Party Party Party, thats is what we were doing at Mindanao for the week we were there. The staff and locals are friendly and welcoming and are so keen to get together for any reason to celebrate in fellowship. We attended 4 parties in the 5 days at Malaybalay. The biggest and best of course was the KIM Christmas party.

After planning for weeks before the 19th Dec the preparations started 24 hours before the party. Over 65 volunteers were devoted to making this party special for the local underprivileged families. All day on the 18th volunteers sat making lumpia and bulabula and cooked them late into the night. Other volunteers turned up to decorate and make hamburger patties. We began setting up and putting together 300 gift bags containing candy, toothpaste, toothbrushes, noodles, marshmallow sticks, pencils, juice, soap, canned sardines, and more candies.

There was a problem, the donations had been spent and there was no rice to feed the guests or to put in there gift bags for them to take home. Grace asked a couple of us to pray for 7 bags of rice. We did this and went on with the preparations. 1 hour later 7 big bags of rice were delivered. The rice was already bagged into 1kg lots to place straight into the gift bags. It would have taken longer than 1 hour just to bag the rice. Wow God is awesome! He knows what we need even before we ask for it and He provides. Not only did the rice arrive but more noodles, sugar, canned meat, candies, soap and more toys. What a blessing. We then distributed this into the bags as well.

The morning of the party people were being picked up in the minicab by the hundreds. They usually have around 150 people turn up to meetings so they were estimated and planned for up to 300 people but ended up with over 700 people. More than 500 children. This was an awesome turnout and we wanted to bless all of the children with a gift bag for their families so we had to work fast and make 300 bags into over 500. More noodles and candy were purchased as well as plastic bags and we split the contents of the other 300 bags. Hamburgers were made up and put into the bags as well.

Every child received a gift bag and there were some left over for the parents. The looks on their thankful faces were precious and their smiles were heartwarming. Everyone enjoyed lots of food, songs, plays, dances, games and a service to learn and rejoice in the birth of Jesus. This was an incredible day of witnessing Gods love in action. Im sure everyone involved was greatly blessed. I know we were.

Mandy Cooley

Made Unique by God

2010-01-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

After spending time with the teenage girls over our 3 trips to Manilla we noticed their low self esteems and were pained by their statements that they thought they were ‘ugly’. It was paced on our hearts to do something with them to try to help them see their beauty that God had given them.

We decided to do a fun filled teenage girls afternoon and sleepover. It was a total surprise for the girls and when we collected them they were told they were coming to do jobs for us. They were not happy! We told them to bring some jeans and a good dress with them as well as their pj’s as they may be working till late. They became a little suspicious and kept asking questions. All I could do is smile and tell them not to ask questions they would see when they got there.

When we got to the green house one of the girls picked up a broom and started sweeping. We got some basins to do foot soaks in and had the girls carry one each into the room. They thought they were going to wash the walls. haha..... I told them to sit on the lounge and that their job for the afternoon was to relax and enjoy themselves. They just looked at me puzzled and asked again.

We rolled up their jeans and stuck their feet in the basins to soak. Each girls received a foot wash and massage followed by a pedicure and manicure. They had a face cleans and then we did their makeup and hair. They were all starting to smile by this stage.

Dressed in their white shirts and jeans we did some photos of each of them on their own and some of them together. After this ordeal they got changed into their good dresses and we took a couple more photos and then took them out for dinner. Some of the girls couldn’t make up their minds what to order and changed their order at least 3-4 times. The food took a while to come and the girls were getting hungry and a little impatient. When dinner arrived they loved it and where flattered by the waiter calling them maam. We returned to the green house after dessert and changed into pj’s and laid on the mattresses on the floor. We gave them facial masks as they watched movies with popcorn, chocolate, candy and soda.

The girls have seen their photos and picked out some they would like printed. They can see that they have outer beauty and that they should be respected for who they are. That it is ok to smile and have fun and that they are all special and beautiful on the inside. Each unique as God made them to be.

No Longer a Haunted House

2010-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Our friends next door at the JCCV have been blown away by God's graciousness in 2009 and for good reason. Their building, which was previously a hollow block structure with no finishing plaster or paint on the outside of the facility, had been referred to as a haunted house for the past 20 years.

In 2009 a massive effort by countless teams and a construction crew from the Cuatro area, affectionately called the “magnificent seven,” brought this reconstruction project to a beautiful finish as seen by these posted pictures.

Besides housing a seminary and the Cuatro Community School where the NFFCH elementary kids attend school, the JCCV also is a church—Jesus Christ Church of the Valley—where many new families are now attending… men, women, and children.

While the NBA touts “It’s Amazing” in its promo commercials, the real “amazing” is what’s happening now at the JCCV as lives are being changed as people are studying God's word and knowing Him in a personal way. To God be the glory
great things He has done!

Starting the Year off with a BANG!

2009-12-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

Filipinos love holidays. And New Years Eve is no exception! Although it isn't declared an "offical" holiday, there are many traditions, beliefs, and celebrations that occur annually on the last day of the year. Families usually spend all day cooking and setting up to prepare for a celebratory dinner and party.

But the main event is the FIREWORKS! For weeks leading up to the day, malls and street vendors can be seen selling all different kinds of fireworks and firecrackers to the masses. Even this past week leading up to New Years Eve, fireworks can be heard on the street all throughout the day! (And we can be seen jumping in our seats when we hear the loud POP). But on the actual night of New Years Eve, as soon as it gets dark, the show begins! Sitting atop a local hill provides access to firework shows all around the city! And the closer it gets to midnight, the crazier and more frequent the fireworks get.

At the strike of 12:00 midnight, the noise becomes defeaning: churchbells ring, firecrackers rule the sky, kids gape in awe as they see the different firecrackers, blooming in the sky. The banging and booming rises to a climax which includes clanging of old pots and pans, blowing jeep, car or tricyle horns, and ambulances sound their sirens for one full minute as they countdown to the New Year.

To put it mildly, New Years Eve in Manila is like the 4th of July in America... on steroids!! Two years ago I was here in Manila over New Years and enjoyed the experience very much! It's a fun holiday and an amazing sight to see.

Wherever you are, and however you plan on ringing in the New Year, be safe and have fun, and start planning on spending your next New Years in Manila. We guarantee you will have a BLAST!

Faith

2009-12-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

Faith can describe my year. In February I was told that the school where I was teaching would be closing and I needed to find a new job. I had faith that God would provide. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to go back to school and work on my Masters that I had been dreading. March came in and I had filled out all the paperwork and was pretty much accepted into the Masters program. Then I felt God telling me now was the time for me to go to the Philippines. I took a step of faith and contacted Jeff to see about going to the Philippines for 3 months and getting a feel for life there. He gave me two options A) 3 months at the Children’s Home or B) 1 year at Faith Academy. Surprisingly he was going to be in Kansas City the next week. While driving to meet Jeff I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I was pretty sure the 3 month option was the right choice for me. We met and were talking and it came to the point of the conversation where I had to choose. I told him that I would teach at Faith Academy for a year. At which point I was sure those could only be God’s words and I knew I could trust Him. I had faith that if God wanted me there I could raise the support to be there by August. By April I was accepted into Kids International Ministries and began raising support. The beginning of July I found out that my support was nowhere near where it needed to be. I began doubting if this is really what God wanted for me, but I had faith that if God wanted me to be there he would provide for my needs. The beginning of August I got the OK that my support was where it needed to be in order to go over. Now came the hard part of saying goodbye. I don’t do well with that but I knew God was there and I had faith that he would take care of me and those that I love. I boarded the plane on August 9th to come to the Philippines. I had a long time to think about my life and what it would be like. Each time I would get nervous I had faith that God was there and He would put the right people in my life to help me to adjust to this new foreign land. My first steps onto Manila soil where that of relief and a sense of belonging. I knew without a doubt this was the place where God wanted me to be. I had faith that no matter what happened, I was doing the right thing. My first day of teaching 2nd Grade was filled with excitement. We are just like any other classroom that you might find in the States. I did have some adjustments to make though. I have 14 students from 5 different countries. We bring different backgrounds but we all believe in the same God. I was a little nervous about teaching all these different children, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to communicate clearly what I needed them all to know. I had faith though that God would provide a way, and He did. We all understand one another most of the time. We are all learning new phrases and words in all sorts of different languages. God has been amazing. Teaching at Faith Academy is not like teaching at any other school. There is a sense of belonging. Since arriving I had faith that I was where God wanted me to be. As I look back on this year I am so glad I took that first step of faith and ended up at Faith.

Katy Herman

Three Trips in Six Months

2009-12-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Brittany, i’m an Aussie who lives in Hong Kong. i came over with my mum in the summer on a mission trip with my youth group. Whilst here we helped build the foundation for the new teenage wing in the mornings and then we ran a afternoon camp for both the children’s home kids and the kids from the streets. We had 16 hour days and every minute was busy, but i felt at home, like i belonged somewhere.

Before we got home, we were already planning our next visit.

So 2 weeks later we jumped on a plane and came back dragging my little brother and Dad along for the ride. The second time here we spent most of our time in the Nursery with all the little ones. We fell in love with them straight away. We ended up staying in the nursery each night. During the day we went out and visited some of our little buddies we had made during our previous visit. Jenny was one of them, I took my family down to visit her and while we were at her place we met her neighbor. A single alcoholic mother with a 4 & 5yr old boy and girl and a 6 month old baby named James. James was very malnourished he would lay in a hammock all day, not making eye contact, not making a sound. Not even urinating. He was a vegetable. His Mum picked him up and handed him to Mum and told us to take him. That he was better off with us. But as you know you can’t just take a baby. So we gave him back and went home.

We bought food, clothes, nappies, formula, soap, toys & many more things and took them up to the family. But they were all so dirty and had so many infected bites that we took them back to the guest house and bathed them, dressed them, fed them and treated their wounds. We did this everyday.

By the end of a week we could already see improvements in James, he was smiling, looking around and getting bigger. By the end of our visit he was laughing, lifting his head, and had a fat belly. We left enough formula to last him the rest of the year, but the Mother very well could have sold it to buy alcohol.

We also met many other families, one with a 16 year old blind girl Joanne, a 2 year old boy with TB, deaf, mute and crippled, and another girl with with fluid on her brain.

We left knowing we would be back for Christmas. Boy that was a long 3 months.

So now we’re back, our third trip in 6 months. This time we headed up to Malaybalay children’s home for a week before coming back to Manila. Whilst in Malaybalay we helped with a big christmas party for needy families. Over 600 people came. Overall it was a very good day. We got to meet lots of people and spend time in fellowship with them.

A couple days into our visit in Malaybalay we got two new additions to the home a little boy John Carlo (1) and a little girl Mary-Grace (2). They came in very late at night and poor Mary-Grace couldn’t get to sleep. She was tired and im sure very scared. So i sat with her for an hour or so until about midnight. Went to bed and got up 5 hours later to be there when she woke up. She and i got very attached. She is such a sweet girl who is lots of fun to be around even if she wouldn’t let me put her down without her screaming. I did not want to leave her.

Right now we’re in Manila. We were here for Christmas and helped with a community christmas gift giving and also spending time with the Children’s home kids. Were also involved with going to feeding programs where we take 2 big containers full of a rice and meat substitute where we feed over 100 people.

I just love it here. Everyone is friendly and the kids are gorgeous. I don’t want to go home. Im trying to figure out ways to stay. No matter what i will be back. There is no way to keep this aussie away.

-Brittany.

The Worst Thing About K.I.M.

2009-12-30T02:40:00.000-08:00

The worst part about Kids International Ministries and the Philippines is very easy to tag down: leaving. This was my wife Jessica and my first Christmas in this wonderful country and the first that we didn’t focus on ourselves and what the next wrapped box had in store for us.

That’s the beauty of KIM and serving alongside it’s mission- you don’t have time to get selfish. There are ample opportunities to give of yourself, to dig in and sacrifice your time, energy, and money.

This being our third trip to the PI, we were able to solidify friendships, learn more, and really get to know the kids at the Children’s Home. We had the opportunity to smile with them as they opened many Christmas presents from friends around the world. We also got to see them learning how to bless others as they gave away one of their gifts to the kids living in utter poverty right outside the gate- most of the time, being cheerful, sacrificial givers.

We also got to meet a family of 11 kids who live off of $20 a week, sleep on concrete floors, and barely get enough food to eat, yet smile their dirty little smiles just because we showed them attention. We saw children and adults lining up for Christmas presents, listening eagerly to the Christmas story, and going away happy that they would have food to eat that night.

The best thing we saw, though, was Jesus’ love being poured out of overflowing hearts. People from all over giving their time and energy to bless these Filipino people. It’s awesome, and it’s how we should be living all of the time, not just at Christmas. It’s hard to leave this place, and we will anticipate our return next Christmas. Until then, Lord, help us be thankful for the many blessings you’ve given us and help us strive to be a blessing to others.

-Russell Phillips

Every Tribe, Tongue, and Nation

2009-12-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

One of the many ways we are blessed at K.I.M is by the various teams, families, and individuals that come to our children's homes in Manila and Malaybalay. They come throughout the year, for days, weeks, months, or even years at a time, to be a part of the ministry here and use the gifts that God has given them to bless the Filipino people.

Our long term volunteers hail from Canada and the United States (North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, and California). Our short term volunteers come from all over the world! Just during the nine months that I have been here, I have met people from Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, India, Australia, New Zealand, America, Canada, Guam, England, Switzerland, Cambodia, Malaysia, Japan, Finland, and probably a lot more countries that I am forgetting!

In fact, on Christmas morning we were talking about Christmas cultural traditions when we realized that we had SEVEN cultures represented by all the people there.... people who had willingly traded in their familiar traditions and family Christmas to instead share Christmas with the New Faith Family Children.

We could not do what we do without YOU

A bold and honest statement! Everything that happens here at K.I.M is possible because of people who come from all over the world to be a part of this ministry... because of people who take the time to collect donations and send them halfway across the world... because of people who are focused on sharing their wealth and joy with others instead of keeping it all for themselves...because of people who every month send money to provide for the needs of our kids/staff/volunteers...

2009 was a blessed year for the K.I.M. family. Thank you for your generous and compassionate hearts for the Filipino people. We are so thankful to all our volunteers all around the world!

Christie Albaugh

Define Necessity

2009-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

In the Manila area or outside the children’s home there are hundreds of families, that are living off less than a few dollars a day. There are thousands in evacuation centers that don’t have running water and living in filth. Showers are taken on the street out of a bin, if there is water. Children are caring for children if there are no parents or adults.

If things such as water, food, and families for orphans are not indispensable but are needed then why are not all these and other needs being filled? I see families and children begging for money while I know that back in the United States people are driving $70,000 escalades. Ruby Payne in her book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, says that wealth and poverty are relative. I see that everything is relative unless it can be compared with something that is greater or less. Is that escalade a necessity even if there is greater poverty that trumps it?

In a previous blog, it was mentioned how here at K.I.M. we are moving as the body of Christ and that we are Christ to others. I believe this to be evident by watching the efforts done by many to help or care for families and orphans. I see teams and staff loving on the children in the community and in the children’s home. I see rice given to families on Christmas. I see also that everyday there still is more to be done here. There is more and more love to be given. This disparity is real but it is hard to understand when poverty has only been in a picture.

My eyes have been opened while being here in Manila to how much work does need to be done by God with our hands and feet. Psalm 54:4 says, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” I encourage those that are reading this blog to look around. What do you consider a necessity? What wealth of yours is dispensable to those who need it more?

Samantha Heacock

Christmas with 33 Kids!

2009-12-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a family of four. Dad, mom, sister (Sarah), and me (Christie). We also have a pretty small extended family, most of which lived far away when we were growing up. So on holidays it was usually only five of us, since Grandma would never miss spending a holiday with us! And every now and then some of the other grandparents would make it; but I never remember a holiday with more than seven of us.

So this year was definitely a new experience for me, spending my Christmas with 33 kids and over twenty volunteers!! Excited kids on Christmas morning takes on a whole new meaning when you're dealing with that many kids! We almost had to hire a guard just to keep the kids from ripping into their gifts before it was time!!

With a little help (from two locked doors), we managed to keep the kids away from the tree until nine in the morning. Around that time Uncle Jeff and the Long family, along with a bunch of out-of-town volunteers headed up to the children's home and we all piled into the Christmas tree/present room!

We sang Christmas carols, shared holiday tradition stories, and remembered the birth of Jesus together as one big family! We prayed and thanked God for all the many gifts donated and then began passing the out to the kids, with a few of our men volunteers jumping into the "Santa" roll.

On behalf of Kids International Ministries and all the kids, thank you to everyone who donated clothes, toys, candies, games, stuffed animals, and many other Christmas gifts. It is a blessing for these kids to have gifts to open on Christmas morning! We hope that your Christmas was as blessed as ours!

Christmas for Cuatro

2009-12-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the previous blog, we at K.I.M. are always looking for ways to reach out and bless the Cuatro Community that we live in, always with the goal of sharing the love of Christ!

So for Christmas this year we decided to welcome those in the community to the Yun Jun Ministry Center where we had some Christmas gifts prepared and bagged to be handed out (thanks to many donations sent our way over the Christmas season!).

We started the event off by bringing the two hundred or so people into the gates of the YMC and taking a few moments to share the real meaning of Christmas and to pray to God to speak to these people and to thank Him for his many blessings!

After Pastor Nick finished sharing the message, we had them line up and everyone was given a Christmas gift! Clothes, candies, stuffed animals, toys, shoes, rice, etc. were handed out.

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11

This is Normal

2009-12-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Meet Anthony. Anthony is one of our fifth grade students at Cuatro Christian School. Anthony is a great kid. I can honestly say I've never had any problems with him in class. He is completely obedient, a hard worker, loves to laugh and have fun, a little bit shy, and is always kind to all the other kids.

His mother works at the school/church cleaning and cooking, so even when school is out, you can often find Anthony hanging around the building. I also see him walking/wandering around the street a lot.

A few months ago I saw Anthony wearing his school shoes on the weekend (a dressier black pair of shoes). I asked him where his tschinelas (flip flops) were. Shaking his hand (wala) to signal that he didn't have any, he smiled and moved on. The next day I brought him to the chilren's home storage unit and found him a pair of bright green tschinelas that fit just right.

Anthony's dad isn't in the picture (typical for many Filipinos), his mother works hard to feed and support the family, while living in a squatters home in the community.

Maybe it's due in part to his sober demeanor, but I always get a little sad for Anthony. I'm sad that he has no dad around, especially in his teenage years. I'm sad that he doesn't get to go home and play in his backyard with his friends. I'm sad that odds are he doesn't have any running water at his home, sleeps on a mat on the floor, and his toilet is a hole in the ground.

But Anthony's situation isn't an isolated one. The Metro Manila area is packed full of 3 million squatters. People whose lives closely resemble that of Anthony's... struggling just to get by.

Right outside our door, 5,000 squatters live in the area that we call home: Cuatro Community. We may not be able to feed/help all 5,000 at once. But a tschinela here, a meal there, some clothes thrown in, vitamins distributed daily, a smile and wave to the half naked little boy sitting on the curb... and we can be Jesus to all those who God places in our path each and every day.

CCS Christmas Program

2009-12-28T03:19:00.000-08:00

The last day of classes before winter break were on Thursday, December 17th. The following day, Friday the 18th, all the students and parents gathered for a Christmas Program!

Pastor Ray started the day off by blessing us with a short message on the meaning of Christmas. Afterwards, the different grades took turns performing skits, songs, and dances for all those in attendance! From preschool all the way up to fifth grade, our students shared the joy of Christmas and the love of a Savior with their families and the Cuatro Community--the teachers even sang a Christmas carol a cappella!

And what Christmas program would be complete without food?!? To wrap up the morning program, pancit, spaghetti, rice, and juice boxes were handed out to all in attendance!

A Very Merry Christmas indeed!

He Makes Amazing Things Happen

2009-12-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

The school made an announcement that text cards (small playing cards) are no longer allowed in the school. I had a small talk with the grade two students about it. I explained that I know how important these things are for them because they invested their money and time in order to have them. However, I made a great emphasis that these things are not going to do them good. I told them that they need to trust us (their teachers) about matters like these. I assured them that we love them so much that is why we would do our best to guide them towards their growth in their relationship with the Lord. These cards have with them images that do not promote the beauty of God’s creation. I encouraged them to invest on things that are eternal rather than temporal. We ended our small talk and agreed that they would no longer bring them in school and I told them that I would not force them to give them all to me because I want them to make a decision regarding this matter.

Days passed by. Then one day I went to the class 2 room and saw these cards. I felt awful inside and I must admit that I was very uncomfortable knowing that dealing with an issue like this would take much time and might lead to uncontrollable emotional expressions coming from specific students. I must say that dealing with whatever kind of issues is never easy for a young teacher who just started teaching 7 months ago. For the past months, I encountered issues that made me realize how hard it is to deal with them. I am, in a way, aware of the possible outcomes of dealing with issues like shouting, crying, and other stuffs alike. But I know that issues should never left unsettled especially that the goal of our school is to make sure that the children would know Christ more in their daily lives.

To be honest, I had no idea what to do (like I always do). I was very silent. I took a chair and sat at the front as I try to earnestly seek God. I don’t want to miss this opportunity to minister to these children. Back in my school, our teacher in counseling always reminded us that we can rely on God in moments like these – that we can seek Him and He will meet us right where we ought to be. I know that the Lord would help me like what He has been doing for the past 7 months of my teaching. I sat there, very silent, and talked less about the agreement that we had. I sat there wondering what might happen, waiting for what the Lord has to do.

Then a student came up to me, gave me a handful of these cards. I slowly took the box of trash and tore them one by one. As I did that, I feel awful inside knowing that these things are important for them. But I would never be prepared for what happened next. Another student came up to me and out from his pocket came a great amount of text cards. All the more my heart cried as I held in my hands more. I took time tearing everything. I thought it was over. I was still not finished with the second batch of playing cards when another student came up and gave every card he has. I was so shocked to see so much. And I felt worse inside. I was holding my tears as I try to think how hard it is for them to do this.

But the Lord even more surprised me that day, my students came up to me and helped me tear the texts cards, their text cards and it was really funny because they started laughing (like what they love to do). As I try to look at them, I realized how powerful God is in the lives of these students. Once again, I found myself in a position wherein I was the one being ministered with instead of me ministering to them. That day, the Lord made me realize the reality of laying down what’s important for His glory.

I am privileged to be there at that point and see them respond in a very positive way. Up until now, that event still brings tears in my eyes and joy in my heart.

I am not sure if they would stop playing and collecting playing cards, what I am sure of is the reality of God working in their lives progressively. They might not be that perfectly consistent in their daily application of God’s truth, but I have faith that our God is alive and He has amazing ways to show His glory to us and also to these young hearts.

That day marked as an important event in my life as a teacher. The Lord reminded me that life is beautiful and life is worth living for His glory. He reminded me that He is amazing; thus, He can make amazing things happen. He showed me the impossible in so many ways. He taught me all the more about life. I went to this school to be an instrument by God, but most of the time, I found myself being ministered more by these children. Indeed, everything in life when lived for Him will never be predictable and boring – To God be the Glory!

Teacher Kim Aranas

Oh Night Divine, the Night when Christ was Born

2009-12-20T23:52:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the Christmas music. I just love Christmas carols! In all honesty, without Christmas carols, I don't think it would feel very much like Christmas to me at all. It's kind of a package deal!

So for over a month I've been listening to and thinking about some popular Christmas songs. Other than a few I had to cut out of my playlist this year (I'll be home for Christmas, Home for the Holidays, etc) I've been enjoying some of the classics, such as: Silent Night, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Hark the Herald Angel Sing, and many other favorites.

And today I was looking at the words a little more closely than usual. I think people often don't even realize what they are singing when it comes to Christmas music. Because let's be honest... if they did, they probably wouldn't be singing it! Most of the popular Christmas Carols are about JESUS. What a concept! Christmas music about Christ?!? Check out some of the words below from some popular Christmas Carols. Notice the words in green from each song... notice a trend?

Away in a Manger: "Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head..."

Mary's Boy Child: "...and in a manger cold and dark, Mary's little boy was born..."

What Child is this?: "Why lies he in such a mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?

Gentle Mary Laid her Child: "Gentle Mary laid her child, lowly in a manger..."

Do you Hear what I Hear?: "A Child, a Child, shivers in the cold..."

This Christmas is my first Christmas away from family, which can be a little sad at times (hence the banning of certain Christmas songs)... but it does me good to stop and think of these songs. We celebrate Christmas because it is the day that Christ came into the world. But the first Christmas, the honored guest (Christ) was in a cold, dark, lowly manger suitable for the animals.... not very honorable at all!

This Christmas, I am thankful for those that I do get to spend Christmas with. I'm thankful for the kids, who don't get to spend ANY day with their families, let alone Christmas! I'm thankful that they are my family in Christ, and that we can celebrate His birth together. And I'm thankful for the other volunteers here at K.I.M. who are spending their Christmas with the kids as well.

Wherever you are this Christmas, and whoever you are with this Christmas, I pray that our minds would be focused on the perfect, holy, gracious Christ... who came into this frustrating, dirty, sin-infested world to be born into a cold, dirty, smelly manger, so that one day you and I could have HOPE, JOY, and a FUTURE. Remember this as you enjoy some lovely Christmas carols this season!

OH HOLY NIGHT:
Oh Holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Christie Albaugh

Kaibigan Ko

2009-12-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

"Kaibigan Ko" translates to "my friend." And whenever I see this young man I greet him with these words!

His name is Manny, and he lives in Cuatro, the squatters area right outside our door. I've never been to his home, but through talking to Manny and to others, I've been able to find out some information about him and his family. Manny lives at home with his father and his older sister-- technically speaking. In all reality, he is his own caregiver. His mother left the family, his father is rarely around (and usually drunk when he is there), and his older sister isn't much help either.

Manny lives on the street. He wears grungy, dirty, ripped clothes. He has no place to shower. He has no one looking out for him. He stays out late at night. And he only eats when given food from others.

Thankfully, Manny has found love and care through a local church which we call the JCCV (Jesus Christ Church in the Valley). This church, which is next door to our guest house, a partner in ministry with K.I.M., and location of our elementary school (CCS), has stepped up and done exactly what the church is called to do-- help those in need!

Manny has been enrolled in our CCS school in the preschool class (a morning program). And in the afternoons, he comes to the elementary school and hangs out there. He also comes to church and attends Sunday school every week. And can often be seen visiting the YMC guesthouse many days of the week.

Manny's story is not a rare one. There are hundreds, even thousands of kids in the Cuatro community and surrounding areas that live life just like Manny... kids with parents who don't do their job as parents, eating one meal a day, no toothbrush, no showers, no shoes, and worst of all-- no one to show them love.

What a wonderful opportunity and blessing we have been given to reach out to little ones like Manny. As the church, as individuals, as members of the body of Christ.... who else could we be reaching out to today in the name of Jesus?

"let the little ones come unto me..."

Matthew 19:14

Christie Albaugh

Nanny Number Two

2009-12-17T02:06:00.000-08:00

i had the great opportunity of being able to come to K.I.M. this summer and being a "nanny" for the nursery kids for a couple of months. When i left in July i was not sure if i would ever get to make the big trip back over to see the kids and staff that i had gotten to know during the summer. After talking with my parents we decided this a trip back to Manila would be a great Christmas present!

As I landed in the Manila airport i became really anxious because I didnt know if anybody would really even remember that i was here just a few months ago. Walking up to the orphanage for the first time again was exciting though! When i walked into the nursery one of the little girls ran up to me and hugged me. The older kids knew exactly who I was and even though some of the nursery kids did not know exactly who i was, it did not take long to pick right back up from where we left off and start having fun together again.

Even though it made me happy that they had not all forgotten me, it was sort of a sad realization that these kids really do understand their circumstances. They understand when people come and go and they understand that i went home to my family while they stayed in the exact same setting at the childrens home. Coming back again really just made me realize that the people that do spend time with these children really are influencing the kids life whether they realize it or not. Everybody on staff and every volunteer truly does influence the children in the home!

Volunteering in Malaybalay

2009-12-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

Maayong buntag (which means good morning in Cebuano).

This is one of the many phrases the kids at KIM Malaybalay have taught us. We have been at the home as volunteers for a month now and expect to be here for two more months. Primarily we take care of the two babies, three toddlers, and three girls. This does not mean that we can’t play with the other kids, all of which happen to be boys! This gender imbalance can sometimes be a bit tough on the few girls, so they enjoy having us around.

We “work” at the orphanage four days a week, which is very nice. That way we also have some time to “explore” the town and meet with friends.

When we first came to the orphanage we got a nice, big welcome from the kids and staff, which straight away helped us to feel a part of the family. We were surprised to see how happy and friendly the kids are. They enjoy us playing games or reading stories with them and are very thankful for just being pushed on the swings.

Asides from all the fun and endearing times, there are of course some hectic moments… when, for example, both babies are crying and needing diapers changed, which starts the little kids to crying as well. And as some of these are not yet potty trained, there can be quite a bit of cleaning up to do.

Then again this is just the way it is with helping kids, and without some hectic moments, where would be the challenge?

However, we have given up playing soccer with the older boys as the game typically turns into laughter as they watch Ate (Tagalog for older sister) run after the ball. We must say they are quite good at that game.

Just recently a friend of the orphanage had his birthday and decided to celebrate it with the kids by inviting them to a Jollibee party (the Filipino version of McDonalds). Apart from the ones who got scared of the big mascot bee, the kids really enjoyed playing games with Jollibee.

So far volunteering at the orphanage has been a wonderful experience, and we are looking forward to the remaining two months of our time here.

Lea and Sina

Who's the Biggest Turkey?

2009-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

We at K.I.M have so much to be thankful for that we couldn't help but have a nice big "family" Thanksgiving Dinner!

So on December 1st (better late than never), families and individual missionaries from around Manila spent hours in the kitchen preparing food for over fifty people! Over 40lbs of potatoes were peeled, cooked, mashed and mixed. Four big bowls of sweet potatoes were made. 2 big pots of stuffing were prepared. Gravy overflowed. A green bean casserole graced the table. Cranberries and rolls filled in the cracks. And 7 pumpkin pies, 2 apple pies, brownies, ice cream, chocolate cake, cherry coffee cake, and whipped cream made the meal complete.

And of course, no thanksgiving would be complete--or even count as Thanksgiving--without THE TURKEY! So in preparation for this day, Jeff and myself sought out the perfect turkeys, weeks in advance. While each visiting the states in early November, Jeff and I did the unthinkable... we loaded a frozen turkey into our carry-ons and brought Thanksgiving dinner back to the Philippines!

I was the first to bring a turkey back. I was told to bring the biggest I could find. I ended up with a 21 pound turkey. It was a long travel day carrying that turkey from Los Angeles to Taiwan to Manila, but we made it safe and sound! A couple weeks later, it was Jeff's turn. Before going he told me that he would beat my 21 pound turkey and take home the biggest turkey crown. Though he claims no responsibility for the choosing of the turkey (or sharing of the contest details with others), he was given a 22 pound turkey to bring back to the Philippines from a supporting team in Minnesota.

Therefore, it is only fair to admit (in a public setting) that Jeff Long has won the crown of the biggest turkey. Congratulations!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!
Christie Albaugh

Mt. Moriah Saturday fellowship Christmas party, will you help?

2009-11-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

Adding Thailand to the list.......

2009-11-15T22:09:00.000-08:00

More than four weeks have passed since the destructive typhoons hit Manila and K.I.M. became involved in relief efforts here. During this time, people from New Zealand, Taiwan, United States and the Philippines have made huge efforts in sharing the love of Jesus with suffering people.

This week we added Thailand to the list. A group of ambitious students and staff from Grace International School in Chang Mai, Thailand, who were visiting nearby Faith Academy for a volleyball tournament, wanted to get in on the relief effort.

Here’s a report from Jessica Williams, one of our K.I.M. staff members, who joined in with the Thailand contingent:

“Earlier this week students from Grace International School joined us on our morning feeding program. Half of the group went to an evacuation center where flood victims have been living for over a month now as their homes are still waist-deep in water. Upon our arrival at the crowded gymnasium that has been converted to a living area for about 300 families, children and mothers came running up with their bowls, lining the steps waiting for their food. As soon as you walk past these steps you see rows and rows of sheets hanging up to provide some sort of living space for these families. It is a lot for anyone to take in, and these high school kids who had just arrived that morning responded with such amazing love and enthusiasm! They were so eager to serve and to connect with this Filipino community. It was also an encouragement to look out over the evacuation center from the bleachers and see the bright colors of our K.I.M. shirts all over the gymnasium. There were groups of people passing out food, taking pictures, praying, talking, and even playing chess. I was so blessed to see the willing and compassionate hearts of these students. It's easy to get caught up in the routine of what we are doing here, but the response of the Grace students to those they saw hurting was a refreshing reminder of God's heart for the Filipino people.” (Jessica Williams)

Wow! What an outstanding group of young people. As the students toured the community, schools, the Children’s Home and ministry centers, questions abounded as they realized the potential within themselves to come back some day to impact the people or to do the same right there in Chang Mai. In fact, this visit might result in a double-edged sword as we consider partnering with Carl and Laurie Ralston of Remembernhu who are actively involved in building several Children's Homes in their home region, including Chang Mail, Thailand.

It is very rewarding to see so many people from around the world joining the effort to keep kids out of harm’s way.

Wowed again after another great day,
Jeff

The Ref Blessing

2009-11-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

A number of months ago, Sarah and I moved into a wonderful house in Malaybalay and I came furnished. Included in that was a older small refrigerator, functional, but it needed to be defrosted a couple times a week. A friend was over one day as the defrosting process began, and they said we really needed a new ref, and they would be willing to help purchase it. So we were given 20,000 pesos toward new one. At that point, they also said why don't I pitch in 10K myself and make sure to get a good one. Although I had the 10,000, that's all of our "extra" money for the month of November. Spending it all at the beginning of the month and having nothing for just in case was a little hard. But, we figured it was worth it, how else could we get a 30K ref for 10k? A few days later another friend, Rory, and I went to CDO to go shopping. At the first mall we found a couple that were what we were shopping for, and almost went ahead and bought one for 32K. We then decided we should go ahead and go to the other mall just to be diligent in looking for all our options. Upon walking to the ref section there, a sales guys said come here, 50% off on this ref. We had a look, and it was a Panasonic 14 CF priced at 35,000. Half of made it 17,500. It was sitting next to the new model that had just come in and was at the same price point, but slightly larger, so they were selling off their last few at half off, and having just marked them down in the last few hours, now there was only one left. It more than met our needs, and with the "extra" few pesos, I also purchased a microwave and pressure cooker for Sarah, both things she had said she wanted whenever we had extra money. For me, it was just a blessing from God saying, don't worry about tomorrow, follow in faith and I will provide beyond what you could have imagined. So thanks guys for blessing us and helping me step into the windows of blessing from Him.

Be encouraged,

Jeremy

Rebuilding

2009-10-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Typhoons come and go…, international news headlines come and go…, the suffering continues.

Kids International Ministries has never before been involved with extended relief work. In the past, in the aftermath of such storms, we were accustomed to the problems of flooding in a big city of congested canals, rivers, and streets: people need help, roads need cleaned off, the river banks that were hours before overflowing recede, and the ebb and flow of living in this country goes on. Normally we just help pick up the pieces and allow folks to move on with their lives.

Not this time… The typhoons left a path of destruction that will not soon be forgotten. Why? The water remains and will for several more weeks; people, friends, strangers, kids, and old folks are left in stagnant, disease-ridden water that won't leave their homes, streets, and back yards. People are hurting, suffering, dying. This is not something you can turn your back on and hope they will come out ok.

We are sharing devotions, food, supplies, vitamins, and medicines, and imploring people to continue to help. Help is coming…another food container is on its way as the one we received in August, which usually lasts our efforts for 9-10 months, will be depleted in a few weeks. Servers are coming. Some we know, some only God knows. One such case was a Filipina Christian nurse who, after seeing our province under water and the people in pain, Googled and found our website, emailed, and WOW—God gave us a volunteer nurse for the next 4 months! Other God-sent people have arrived from Canada, Taiwan, New Zealand, and of course Filipinos helping Filipinos. Old friends from the U.S., Hong Kong, and Korea are returning to lend additional help. God is good and is drawing people to His Son who suffered the most by dying for us on the cross.

Our message of hope remains, and so we continue to bring God's restoring relief plan.

Jeff for the countless people who are helping

Pastor Ray

2009-10-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

A favorite word of mine for years in raising our kids was the idea of “balance.” Today my kids often hear me talk about “doing their part.” Short-term teams or missionaries who arrive in the Philippines typically hear the same theme as I joke with them about exploiting their God-given talents during their time of service. The truth is that all of us have passions and gifts God has given us to use for His kingdom.

While we have many friends around these islands, one of my favorite groups of people are the Provincial Pastors. These guys live on nothing. It’s flat out amazing to see their homes, churches, empty pockets, and empty cupboards. The people they serve usually have little "materially" as well, and yet they are very content, very happy people. I guess that’s why I love hanging with them.

As an example, Pastor Ray travels over 12 hours from the north to visit us each month. He comes to serve and share God's word with our construction guys, encourage me, go to my son Kirk's games, and teach our children's home kids how to garden. A few months ago our “Magnificent Seven” construction crew was able to bless Pastor Ray and his family by building them a new home in about seven days. It was our way of thanking him for what he does faithfully each month as he shares God’s word and disciples our men and our kids.

Pastor Ray is definitely doing his part and playing a key role.

World Compassion Network

2009-10-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Partnering with great people and organizations yields great results. Please help Joe, Josh, and Clark help more people around the world.

World Compassion Network

Typhoon Ondoy Stats........

2009-10-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Many people have been asking about the people in our area that have been impacted by the recent typhoons to hit the Philippines....

Our organization, family and friends have established six feeding/medical stations for the purpose of on going relief work. Many experts are saying the water in the flooded areas will not recede until January. We are committed to helping these areas all the while working with local Pastors, churches and govt offices to insure they get the credit and God gets the glory... Even through suffering God can bring Jesus to the hearts of people...

Thanks for praying,

Jeff

Here are a few things I found from this article: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173548/ndcc-puts-ondoy-damage-at-p48-b-death-toll-at-277

Tropical storm "Ondoy" (international name Ketsana) caused an estimated P4.8 billion in damage across the Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said Thursday.

In its latest report, the NDCC also pegged the number of fatalities to 277. The death toll is expected to rise pending reports from local government officials.

According to the NDCC, more than half a million people - or 686,699 persons to be exact - were affected and are now staying at 726 evacuation centers.

The extent of damage was broken down as follows: P1.59 billion for infrastructure and P3.216 billion for agriculture.

A total of 4,644 houses were damaged, more than half of them totally destroyed.

Last Saturday, Ondoy brought unprecedented rainfall in the metropolis of 341 millimeters in the first six hours alone, breaking the record for the highest 24-hour rainfall of 334 mm in Metro Manila in June 1967.

Missionaries Marilyn and Jessica are meeting the needs of lots of kids and adults.... Keep praying for their strength as they lead the charge.

Short Term Missions Matter!

2009-10-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

It’s been over a week now since the typhoon hit and left unthinkable numbers of people flooded out, displaced or dead. These are not easy times for these people. These are not easy times for relief efforts either—not that we have anything to complain about. God saw fit months ago to line up a team from New Zealand to arrive a day after the storm, and as they transition on to help another ministry, a group from Taiwan has arrived for a week's worth of work.

Short-term teams continue to play a huge role in what Kids International Ministries is able to do in the Philippines. We see passionate people using their God-given abilities to impact our Children's Homes, schools, and the surrounding communities; now the circle of love has increased as we give out water, food, vitamins, clothes, etc. in Jesus’ name.

Had it not been for these two teams, our efforts would have been minimal. We simply did not have the human resources to sustain what these folks have accomplished and will yet accomplish. God's timing was perfect months ago as we planned the dates for these arrivals.

God's plans for your adventure to the Philippines is perfect also. If you have the time, we have the cause. People need help in Manila today and in the days and weeks to come.

Won't you join us?
Jeff

The Flood

2009-09-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

As you may already know, last weekend brought one of the worst floods in the history of the Philippines. More rain fell in metro Manila and surrounding regions in nine hours on Saturday than the entire amount Hurricane Katrina dumped on New Orleans in 2005. In fact, the nine hours of rain exceeded Manila's usual rainfall in the entire month of September! In just NINE hours!

One of the worst hit areas in Manila was Cainta, where Kids International Ministries is located. Thankfully, no one at our organization was hurt or severely affected by the flood. We have been able to recover fairly quick and instead are focusing our time on helping those who were hit hard by the flooding. The Philippines is already one of the poorest countries in the world, making relief efforts even more difficult as hundreds of thousands of families have lost everything they own.

We at KIM have begun our relief efforts right in our community, which is called Cuatro Community (named for the golf course that borders it). Tuesday morning, over thirty people joined in at KIM to help those in need. A diverse group of people, foreign volunteers, some of our older kids from the home, the Long family, other local missionaries displaced from their homes, and several of our Filipino staff members all worked together with one goal: to help those who needed it most. To be the hands and the feet of Christ! What a beautiful picture it was, to see so many different people unified by a purpose: to feed the hungry.

We went out in groups, handing out 500 meal tickets to women and children around the community. Then we spent most of the morning preparing the food... cutting, peeling, and chopping vegetables, mixing, rolling, and baking meatballs, and cooking tons and tons of rice! Then between 12 noon and 1:30pm, we fed these people, gave vitamins out to all the kids, and along with the help of Marilyn, our nurse, offered medical help as well.

As with any major disaster, such as this, it will take time to rebuild. Hundreds of thousands of people need to rebuild their homes, cars have been completely filled with water and are not working, people's belongings have floated away and disappeared, trash and mud line the streets, and hundreds of people have lost their loved ones.

Please keep praying for the Philippines during this trying time! Pray for those who were severely affected by the floods and pray for opportunities for us to reach out and help our community! Also pray that the next 2 storms that are supposed to come in this weekend are SMALL and do not further damage people's homes.

To see pictures of the floods and our relief efforts, please check out the website!

1 John 3:17
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

By land and by sea: The Road trip

2009-09-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

It all started with a casual conversation with Jeff Long, the director of K.I.M. It went something like this; “Monday we’ve got a truckload of supplies headed down to Mindanao. It is a 3 day drive through beautiful countryside…”
“Really? 3 days through the Philippines?”
A nod.
“Is there any way I can get involved with that?”
Another nod.
“Alright, sign me up.”
58 hours, three major Islands, over 1,700 Kilometers, two ferry rides—all nonstop—altogether amount to the road trip of a lifetime.

Jun, Jesse and myself just spent 58 hours traveling from Manila to Malaybalay city. We transported a truckload of supplies from the YunJin Ministry center in Manila to the Children’s home in Malaybalay. We got off to a slow start Monday night, but once the alternator was fixed (it powers the lights) there was no looking back. We then spent the next three days venturing through beautiful countryside. Winding through village after village, jungle after jungle, I experienced the Philippines first hand. We only stopped a few times to eat in make shift restaurants, which were really people serving and selling food out of their homes. We would eat our “cinigan” or “adobo” with a plate of rice and a glass of coca-cola while we left the truck running. Besides that we did stop one morning to take a shower, or more like paid a woman to use her hose and bucket. However, amidst the mad-dash there were some enjoyable moments of pause. One night on our second ferry I stood on the top deck against the railing admiring a partly cloudy sky, bright stars, lightning in the distance and I remember thinking to myself “do you realize where you are?”—moments were all you can do is stand in awe (ps. 46:10).

58hrs later we arrived at 6am to Pal-ing, Malaybalay. The trip was one for the books.

(Continued series from Joe who spent the summer volunteering in Manila)

Isabella: Trip to the North of Luzon

2009-09-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

I never intended to travel to the Northern Province of Isabella. I did not even know about Isabella. But when I met Pastor Rey at the YunJin Ministry Center in Manila, I could not turn down his invitation to see his Province. A plane ride later I found myself in the province of Isabella, the most rural place I had traveled to in the Philippines. I stayed with Pastor Rey in his home. During the four days I was there I traveled to four different churches speaking and sharing my testimony of how Christ came into my life. The four days in the rural farmlands can be summarized in one word: unforgettable. Here is a little bit from my experience....

I slept all night to the drizzle of rain on the sheet metal roof. The rain cooled the air down, making it fresh. I woke up early and had a quick breakfast. I drew water from the well for my shower and added boiled water to warm it up a bit. The service was not until 9am but left around 8am to be sure we had enough time to catch a ferry across the other river to Santa Maria, even though it is only 10 miles from the house to the church. The bridge we had crossed just 2 days earlier was no longer visible...the ferry was interesting. All 25 passengers loaded on, motor bikes and all into the 30ft motor boat. We chugged along about a foot above water. I learned firsthand why locals do not swim in the river during rainy season. I think the 5+ mile an hour current and slimy foam would make me second guess as well. The motor almost gave out a few times, which didn't seem to bother the man emptying out buckets of water that had leaked into the boat. We got to the bank, jumped out and jumped into the next mode of transportation--a trike. Rey, his family, myself, about three other people and the driver piled onto the scooter with re-bar side car then we arrived to the concrete chapel in Santa Maria 15 after 9. Worship was a mix of English and the local dialect. I shared what I had prepared; speaking as clearly as I possibly could. After the service we gathered behind the chapel at the Pastors make-shift living area and enjoyed lunch. We finished our lunch and then gathered back in the chapel to close for the day. The congregation of Living Springs Community Church demonstrated their appreciation for my visit when they asked to pray for me before I left. So, the pastor and his deacons gathered around me and we prayed. We embraced and said our farewells. Isabella how can I forget you!?

(Continued series from Joe who spent the summer volunteering in Manila)

The Boys: Daily Life in Manila

2009-09-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Meet the Boys. When I have not been spending time in the Provinces, or road trippin', I have been in Manila pulling 8-to-5's with the Boy's. I have become good friends with the construction workers in Manila. K.I.M. has done an excellent job in ministering to the needs of the local squatter community in many ways, and one has been to create jobs for some of the Filipino men in the area--the construction workers. Witnessing these 20+ men in action has been a privilege. They are skilled carpenters, electricians, and masons. Their work ethic is incredible. Every morning they arrive at 8am and leave at 5pm. They work Monday through Saturday. I have not seen one guy miss a day, and they all seemingly enjoy what they do.

Being able to work side-by-side with this group of guys has been an honor to me, and much fun. The day never goes without a joke and a laugh. We come together with humor. We usually admonish each other sarcastically yelling "Malupiton!" (This can mean champion or a kid who needs to be disciplined). We also pass time by singing. It starts with one guy softly singing a Beatles song or Michael Jackson then it builds into three to four guys belting out the chorus.

We laugh together, we work together, and we take time to read together. Beginning in the middle of July we began to have bible study everyday for a half an hour after lunch. Around 1pm we gather around, they read the selected verses in Tagalog and I use Tag-lish. After each trip upon my return they have always asked me, "Joe. Bible study today?" These are my boys.

(Continued series from Joe who spent the summer volunteering in Manila)

My Summer with K.I.M.

2009-09-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Joe. I am a 22yr old college student in Southern California. I came to the Philippines to serve Kids International Ministries for a few weeks; little did I know I would get more than I bargained for. I just had an unforgettable summer in the Philippines. Originally I did not plan on spending my entire summer with K.I.M. but luckily I did. I arrived in Manila on the 22nd of June with my fellow teammates from my local church. We planned to spend 3 weeks working with K.I.M., but after 10 days of being impacted by Manila I realized 3 weeks was not enough. So, I decided to stay with K.I.M. for the rest of my summer vacation. The next two months (July-August) gave me memories and experiences I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I split my time between the Children’s Home in Manila and Malaybalay City. I spent a week in the northern province of Isabella. And I took a 58hr truck ride from the northern most island of the Philippines to the furthest island south. In the next week I will be sharing some highlights from my experience in my own words. Keep checking back for those posts!

Amazing Blessing

2009-08-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

August has been a bit of a financially lean month for the Malaybalay children’s home. Last Wednesday we came to the point of having too much month at the end of the money. Our director, Belen, told me that on Thursday we needed to make a trip to Illigan to pick up two new kids, and that we needed money for fuel. I told her that the bank account was empty, but would work on finding it. I promptly texted Jeff in Manila, asking if he had any pesos for us for the rest of the month’s budget. He replied “I don’t, but God does.” We left if at that and spent the rest of the day going about normal business. About four in the afternoon, Belen asked if we had received any blessing yet. Since we had not, we made a plan to borrow some money for the trip. I started to leave for home but, thought I should probably go say goodbye for the afternoon to Glenn, Grace, and the other staff. That ended up taking 10-15 minutes, and as I was wrapping up the goodbyes an unfamiliar pickup truck arrived at the children’s home. When the door opened, a missionary friend, Trevor, got out. About a month before, he and his family had come by the home for a visit. After they left, his daughter, Deanna, gave him some money for us. He had made a few trips to Malaybalay since then, but had not yet had the chance to stop by and drop it off. After he handed me the envelope, I asked if he wanted to hear a really cool story and then let him know that we had been praying and waiting all day for provision, and had just a few minutes before decided we would have to figure out how to deal with it on our own. I also shared that I had planned on leaving 15-20 minutes before he arrived, but in hindsight now know I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to not leave yet. He was so blessed to be a blessing, and we were also just amazed at the timing God has. After Trevor left, I thought I should give Jeff a call and opened the conversation with “Did God answer you prayer yet?” He then proceeded to tell me that, yes, God had answered Jeff’s prayer, and that he did have money for us and it would be put in our bank account the next morning. We were so excited to share with each other the ways God had separately provided for us, and like Eph. 3:20-21 says “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Hope you are as encouraged and blessed by this as we were.
Jeremy

Blessed in Malaybalay

2009-08-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

My week in Malaybalay has been a real blessing! The kids here have attached themselves to our team and we have attached ourselves as well. As the ministry is still developing, most of our work was physical labor. It is awesome, thought, to look across the soccer field and see what God has accomplished because we were willing.

Saturday’s children's ministry was an awesome opportunity to interact with the children of the community. We got to play with them, serve them lunch and dessert, and even share the gospel with them. I am excited as I watch things develop here, right before my eyes, and I can’t wait to return and see how it’s grown! Praise God for Kids International Ministries! He is surely using it for His glory!

Becca Ubrun

Unfamiliar Familiarity

2009-08-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

It has been about a year and a half since I was here in the Philippines. Ever since leaving in January of 2008 I felt strongly that I would be back. So, when Colleen and I talked about where to go on our honeymoon, the choice seemed obvious. Beautiful Manila. Where the air is so polluted that just being here for two days has made my throat scratch again. Where sewage puddles in the streets making dinge fever a commonality among the people here, especially the poor. Where the traffic makes daily traffic in LA seem like a Sunday drive, and the dogs roam breeding all kinds of God knows what diseases. Where poverty is the norm, unclothed babies are everywhere, and squatter shacks are simply part of daily life.. it is to this industrial paradise that we chose to have our honeymoon.

To tell you the truth I couldn't be more excited to be here. Despite its inherent lack of beauty as a physical location, I can honestly say I have never visited a more beautiful place. Four years ago a missionary who taught at a local missionary boarding school was driving to his home in a condo right outside one of the few golf courses in Manila. As they were driving through an impoverished neighborhood, his youngest daughter asked the question "Daddy... why don't we do anything to help the poor?" The simple question would be the start what today, I would consider the most incredible ministry to the poor I have ever been a part of.

It has been four years since the question was asked. Last night around midnight, amongst a down pour of warm rain, a truck container loaded to the brim with food was unloaded by a dozen or so homeless Filipinos and a handful of missionaries from the surrounding squatter towns. The container will serve around 2,000 meals a week, to several hundreds of impoverished families for a whole year. This is only the surface. To go into depth of all that is going on here at the place we are honeymooning will take another blog for another day. The only thing I will say for now is it is simply incredible what a community of believers can do for a community, for a family, for an abandoned child. It is hard for me to find words to describe it.

I guess the words that comes to mind when we are here are words like:

redemption...
restoration....
transformation...

It is no wonder why we love it here so much, because really, I don't know of any words that are more beautiful and significant. They are the kind of words that move beyond simple physical descriptions to ones that suggest things that are new and different... things that heal and rebuild... things that bring new life. When all is said and done, I find that these words beat the sunny beaches of Tahiti any day. I would much rather be around new life. Life... where a simple question creating a spark of action can transform and inspire the lives of thousands. Life... where taking care of those who are forgotten is common place. Life... where the lives of those who have everything entangle with the lives of those who have hardly anything. Life... where the heart of God is seen in the actions of his followers like a light shining on a hill.

As I walk the familiar streets of where I was a year and a half ago... I am reminded that this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. When I think of my marriage to Colleen as the start of a new life, I truly believe that this place more than any other represents the kind of new life we want to live together. What a perfect place for a honeymoon... what a perfect place to inspire the hearts of our new life together.

Top Ten Reasons for Not Going to Church (in Manila)

2009-08-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I went to church – it was not like going to church in the US. In fact, it was a real experience. I’ve compiled some reasons why I shouldn’t go back next week.

10) It took too long to get there. It was at least 45 minute drive and that was by car. Many people had to take public transportation: bus, jeepney, trike or taxi -which even takes longer. This is unacceptable.

9) The church was difficult to find. (In fact, everything is difficult to find). This church is located on the 5th story of a high rise mall. If you didn’t happen to see the sign you’d never know there was a church in the vicinity.

8) Paid parking – who wants to pay for parking?

7) It was raining (again). We were soaked by the time we got from the parking garage to the front door. (Who thinks of taking an umbrella to church in Colorado?)

6) We were frisked as we entered. (All malls have security guards searching people and belongings.) Not exactly a holy hug.

5) 5 flights of stairs! We found escalators on the way down! (a little too late).

4) We had to fight our way through a crowded video arcade, food court and department store. – It was a sea of humanity.

3) Constant “invitations” from vendors. The word accosted is too strong but I was encouraged repeatedly to buy various items for my wife &/or girl friend.

2) Arrived at the sanctuary all hot, sweaty and sticky.

1) Too crowded – there were 5 services – all of which were packed. There are over 15,000 attenders every Sunday. It was an invasion of my personal space.

In fact, after all was said and done, there was only one reason to go to church at all – because our gracious Lord and Savior is worthy of our collective worship. I guess when you weigh the pros & cons, it’s really a no-brainer. I think I will go back next week. It’s funny to think that back in the US, we will use almost any excuse for not going to church. Studies have shown that if people can’t park within 100 feet of an entrance to the church building, it’s too much of a bother to go at all. I’m convinced we could learn a little from our Filipino brothers and sisters -that attending church may involve a bit of a sacrifice but still thousands are joyfully willing to make it every week.

Larry Chell, Pastor of Christian Family Fellowship in Canon City, Colorado
Larry and his wife, Joyce have been visiting their daughter Daisy who works in the nursery at New Faith Family Children’s Home

Thank you

2009-08-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

two years ago when you visited pal ing it was a camp only during summer time.The place becomes alive for 2 weeks a year only.We never thought you & uncle Ted would cross our paths.This year has been so unbelievable for Mt. Moriah.we had the most number of campers. I still couldn't believe the number of kids that came.The evangelistic camp that we conducted last april even opened more doors of opportunities to serve God.When the kids asked " when do we come back?" it actually opened the door for the saturday fellowship.From 15 kids to more than 100 kids now.God in His wisdom & faithfulness has also provided counselors.He used the kids from intervarsity who later tapped student leaders of PSALM to help. We have an average of 30 counselors come & help.Bob Stauble has provided our leaders with training & materials so we didn't have to register with AWANA anymore . we don't only minister to kids but we also now provide training to leaders and it is all happening in our camp.Some of our kids on saturday have opened their homes for bible studies .(more doors are opening) . Our attendance on sunday has increased too. Some of the kids come back for sunday school and some of our leaders come back too to help in sunday school. We never planned for this to happen but obviously God is allowing it. May we be found faithful till the end. All these Jeff because you , uncle Ted, & the KIM board have been faithful to respond to God's calling.Thank you very much.

Grace Ayala

A Dream Comes True for Six Couples

2009-08-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends,

While six couples getting married at the same ceremony may seem like something from a movie, it was a real-life event that we were privileged to witness and be a part of this past month. Hopefully these pictures and those included on our blog will give a glimpse of the joy these couples experienced as they honored the Lord and He gave them a dream-come-true wedding.

Though not evident from the pictures here, each couple is extremely poor and lives in the squatter community where Kids International Ministries is involved. These couples have been living together ranging from five to eleven years and have established families. Last fall, the Tagumpay Evangelical Baptist Church, which serves this community, offered in a step of faith to help couples get married by assisting with legal and ceremony expenses.

Since deciding to get married, these six couples have bonded through many special experiences: meeting weekly for group marriage counseling and then enjoying a culminating restaurant meal, seeing God enable them to purchase their wedding attire at $16 per couple, enjoying a ladies’ day at a salon in preparation for their wedding, and seeing the church come together to contribute financially and serve with the wedding arrangements. Indeed, God’s blessings are beyond our dreams and imaginings.

Looking like a scene from Arabian Nights, the room for the ceremony was elegantly decorated with sweeping fabric, hanging beads, and beautiful flower arrangements. Our dim understanding of the depths of these couples’ poverty and all that had been invested to make this day possible seemed to enhance the beauty of the decor. Nevertheless, it was the joy on these couples’ faces, starting with each groom walking down the aisle to get his waiting bride and bringing her to the front to make their commitment before God and others, that made this all very moving.

The photos included here read “Maraming Salamat Po!” —a respectful way of saying “Many Thanks!” from the Project Blessing Couples. This was indeed a project of blessing to these six couples, of which you were a part. Visit our blog to see more pictures of the couples at the wedding and in their homes. Please join us in praying for these couples and their future lives together.

God bless you and yours.
Frank, Kaye, and Rebekah Cherry

The Terminal

2009-07-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

In the movie, Terminal, Tom Hanks plays the role of a man who lives for a time in a busy metropolitan airport. What a noisy, chaotic experience it was for him. A week at the Yun Jin Lyso Ministry Center, isn’t quite as hectic and disjointed as an airport, but it is quite a stretch from life in Canon City, Colorado. Putting aside the cultural shock issues, which are significant and real in and of themselves, there are amazing stories to be seen and experienced. The YMC is a blessing that followed a tragic story. Twenty days after Yun Jin and Amos were married, she was killed in a car accident. Amos chose to us the funds from her death to make an investment for eternity. So the ministry center was purchased in conjunction with Kids International Ministry.
In the past 6 days, I met Bruce and his partner from Texas. They were just finishing up a 3 day tour of preaching and teaching in several public schools. Then there was a team of 6 or so who had also been sharing in the schools about HIV/aids, from a Christian perspective. In the states we insist on keeping God out of the schools, here it seems to be just the opposite. Then we met Nolan and his basketball team from the US, who have been playing 2-3 games a day with all kinds of Filipino teams. They share their testimonies, the gospel message and Christian literature. Ruth and Paul arrived from Australia about the same time that my wife and I did. They left their cattle ranch to serve for 2 years as the high school chaplain at Faith Academy, the nearby school for missionary kids. 3 Koreans then appeared one morning. One of them, Steve, brought several rebuilt computers for the lab for the community school next door. His mother and sister have been helping in the New Faith Family Children’s Home a block away. It was a real stretch out of their comfort zones. 5 nannies left for the states on Sunday. They had been here for 2 months to help in the Children’s Home nursery. They were a real blessing, to be sure. Pam and her daughters spent a month here helping out wherever they could. They were on break from their school in Korea. Check out the beautifully framed pictures Pam left all around the YMC. Tina and Nate left their 2 small boys with their parents for two weeks to help with computer matters and also in the Children’s Home. They call home everyday to check on their boys. 6 young people from Germany stopped in overnight on their way to Batangus, somewhere south of Manila. They had Bibles with them, but I didn’t get a chance to catch their mission. I met Bill and his daughter, Mary today. They converted part of the YMC into an office for their ministry to publish and distribute the first and only street magazine in Manila. Its purpose is to help those who are impoverished all over the city. Alex and his wife Chris stopped in for dinner the other night. Their ministry sells a hundred thousand thread bracelets every month to help keep the women and young girls out of prostitution on the island of Mindoro. Then Carmine showed up from Utah. He is an architect who is here to help with designs and plans for future expansions with the ministry. Building is a constant way of life here as they rush to keep up with the ever increasing people needs. Then there is Joe and Neil who pop in and out to help wherever there is a need. Christie and Amber who have been living at the YMC, teach classes at the school next door. Chris and Kim stop in for meals occasionally. Kim is the headmaster of the community school and Chris spends his time discipling several Filipinos among other ministries.
The ministry center is not exactly Grand Central Station, but you don’t want to sit still very long or you might find yourself being caught up in the swirl of genuine Christian ministry. It’s not just the name of a building - it’s the activity that takes place in and around this ” terminal” of life.

Larry and Joyce Chell
They serve at Christian Family Fellowship in Canon City, Colorado and are in the Philippines visiting their daughter Daisy.

Saying Goodbye

2009-07-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

It has been an eventful and productive couple of months. Summer vacation has brought many great teams and individuals across our path. I can remember being kicked out of the YMC at the beginning of my stay here so that we could accommodate 70 students and teachers from Seoul Foreign School. Since then we’ve welcomed guests and volunteers from California, U.K., Korea, Colorado, Australia, Kansas and many places in-between.

Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to a very special team of 5 girls from Tennessee and Mississippi. Kimi, Rebecca, Jessica, Laine, and Amanda (aka the Nannies) who spent 2 months taking care of babies day and night. They also became very involved in the community helping with feeding programs, holding youth nights at the JCCV, and having Bible studies along the street that they did their daily runs. If any one word can describe that team it is "selfless". They jumped into life in Cainta full force and kept gaining speed the whole time. It’s hard to see them go, but their service here will not be soon forgotten.

I can hardly believe that my final week is here. After 12 weeks of life in the Philippines I can’t imagine being anywhere but here. But alas I will be embarking for the States on Friday whether I want to or not. I’d also like to copy those 5 girls and not slow down during my last week here. We didn’t have school today so instead I put on my work clothes and passed buckets of concrete for a couple hours.

This morning, many of the volunteers staying at the YMC got up and went to work. The weather looked promising and we had a floor of cement to pour, so everyone found their spot in line and passed buckets. More than 30 people helped pour cement from 7 am until 1 pm. A job that Jeff predicted would take 10 hours only took 6 because of all the willing workers here!!

I have 3 more days of teaching left with the kids at Cuatro Christian School, and then they will have to adjust to a new math teacher. Hopefully that transition will happen smoothly. I know for sure that a part of me will stay here when I leave. It’s funny how a place can capture your heart, and this place certainly has. As long as God doesn’t have other plans for me, I’ll be back here (soon, I hope!). Until then I guess this is goodbye K.I.M. I have been so blessed serving with you.

Amber

The Nanny Diaries

2009-07-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here covered in porridge, rice, water, and soap. While you might think I’ve had a rough morning I am singing praises to God that I don’t have pee on me too like my partner in crime Kimi. One might ask their self what does the life of a Nanny look like? Well I will do my best to describe it leaving out no nasty details (who am I kidding the nasty details are probably the only ones you’re interested in right?)

Recipe for the perfect nanny...

Step 1:

Get up as the sun is rising around 5:30AM. Put your stuff up and take a few seconds for yourself. As the charges start to bang around it is time to get them immediately. Wait two seconds too long and you may end up with a variety of surprises when you open the door. Examples being clothes exploded out of drawers, water and milk dripping from the walls and covering the floor, beds piled on top of each other, or tooth paste covering beds and who knows what else.

Step 2:

Transform to Doctor mode and give out the daily meds. Make sure that you put the right dosages for seven different children all taking different amounts and different medications. DON’T MESS UP-- LIVES ARE ON THE LINE! Console kids to take the “purple stuff,” then strongly encourage them. Finally give up and force it down their throats.

Step 3:

Prepare a meal of mushy stuff for the baby. Feed it to her as she twists turns and wiggles everywhere the spoon is not. Find a lump of it on your shirt 30 minutes later. Stick the other children’s food in the freezer until cooled down. Block out screams from hunger pains coming from 3 highchairs. Continue feeding baby. Take out bowls and run for cover as the food goes everywhere… but in their mouths.

Step 4:

For shower time try to make it seem like it will be fun. Try and convince yourself of this too. Note for a novice: watch out for pee as the diaper is removed. Dump ice cold water onto the charge to start the extravaganza. Mix in a little bit of soap and then repeat the water. Be prepared to get soaked in the process. After dress the children, brush their teeth, and wipe sweat from your brow. Beware of small clothed children trying for a second round in the shower while finishing the washing process.

Step 5:

Play, read, play, scold, play, read, scold, scold, play.

Repeat as necessary.

Step 6:

NAP TIME!!!!!! Sleep if you can.

Step 7:

Repeat step 3, 4, and 5(x2).

Step 8:

For bed time clean up the mountain of toys sprawled all across the floor. Next make three bottles of milk and 4 sippy cups of milk. Do not forget the milk, or you will be sorry. Place screaming kids into bed and watch them run away. Try again. Watch them run a second time. Third time will be the charm if you can manage to close the door fast enough. Do not sit back and relax, the night is not over yet.

Step 9:

Make a pallet for yourself on the floor outside their room. Find many fans and make them all point directly into your face. Take a few minutes for yourself to recap the day and laugh at getting peed and spit up on. Pass out asleep.

Step 10:

Thirty minutes later wake up to a screaming baby and make a mad dash to find bottles. Try and get some rest after this. You have all this to look forward to again tomorrow!

Written by: The Nannies in Manila
(serving June & July 2009)

Medical Mission

2009-07-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

It was a special day in the community of Cuatro, Philippines on July 2, when over 150 volunteers gathered at the JCCV to offer a free medical and dental clinic, as well as the opportunity to hear God’s Word, to the members of the village. The clinic, sponsored by the First Filipino Baptist Church out of Bayonne, NJ, in the United States, is a continuation of a ministry that was started in 1997 by Pastor Ulysses Marino, known as the ‘Blessed to Bless Medical Mission’. During the day, 460 adults and children of the Cuatro community were served and 218 made a decision to follow Christ.

The FFBC ‘B2B Medical Mission’, which served several Filipino communities from June 27- July 4, started with a vision. Pastor Uly, as he is known to his congregation, and a native-born Filipino, took a suitcase full of medical supplies up into the mountains of Mindanao in 1997 and came back home with a few stories to tell and plans for future visits. The subsequent trip, which occurred two years later, included 16 members of the church he serves in New Jersey. And today, nearly half of his church membership comes to the Philippines to offer medical supplies and care every other year. “We are part of a foundation of four organization and I am so encouraged every time I come back,’ said Medino. ‘We have already far surpassed any goal we set out for ourselves this trip. Our first day we served over 1000 people and over 600 were saved.”

“It has been a real blessing to work with Jeff Long and all the volunteers at the Kids International Ministry here in Cuatro,” said Pastor Uly. “I am always so moved to see people from all walks of life come together for a greater purpose – to reflect God’s love for all. And it has been such a blessing to witness first-hand God’s own hand in so many seemingly random coincidences, but are really no coincidences at all,” he said with a smile. “One day, I was sitting in the local mall waiting to meet Steve Mirpuri, the local pastor in Cuatro, when a young girl approached me asking if I would like to buy the street magazine, Jeepney. I told her I was very interested in the magazine, bought a copy and put it aside. When Steve joined me, he told me of all the amazing work that God was doing in and through the Kids International Ministry, including sponsoring and homing the Jeepney Magazine. The minute he said it, he looked over and saw the copy that I had purchased and hollered, that’s it, that’s the magazine I’m talking about. I love those kinds of ‘coincidences’ because you realize God’s reach is far and all-encompassing!”

Accompanied by a team of doctors, nurses, dentists, spiritual counselors and other volunteers, the medical mission goes into some of the most desperate of communities here in the Philippines. On July 1, they went into the slum known as Payatas, in Quezon City, a place where over 300,000 people live and fight over the trash that serves as the foundation for the shanties they have erected for their families. These shanties are built in and around the trash ‘mountain’ where nearly 6000 garbage trucks dump their haul each and every day. Eva Medalla, a registered nurse with the mission saw the reality of the last trip and her life was forever changed by what she saw. “I am burdened by the desperation around me here and I can no longer live without telling everyone I know what is happening. This is awful to recount, but I saw a little boy who, when he coughed, coughed up a worm. I couldn’t believe it. It broke my heart. This reality must change,” said Medalla. Nay Santa Ana, a first-time volunteer to this mission echoes Medalla, “After seeing the conditions in Payatas, I am convinced that if we do not give to missions, we are sinning. I can never again complain about anything. Whenever there is a chance to help, I will challenge others, with all my heart,” she added.

Melody Del Rosario, the church’s music director, came with her whole family. Even her youngest of her 3 children had roles to fulfill during the mission, helping out in the pharmacy. “Our church’s heartbeat is missions,” said Del Rosario, “everyone takes part. We have a membership of 90 and yet we serve over 100 missions and seminary students. More missions are supported than we have members.”

It takes 2 years for FFBC and its other partners to raise the funds for the mission, but everyone takes part in the fundraising and they organize many fundraising events such as the ‘Sacrificial Dinner’ where a dinner, accompanied by skits, music and a special program presented by the children of the church is offered.

The next mission is scheduled to take place in 2011 when they will again visit Cuatro with their offers of medicine, care, love and God’s Word. You can find out more by visiting the First Filipino Baptist Church website at http://www.ffbcnj.com/. There you will find a link with all the information pertaining to the “Blessed to Bless Medical Mission”, including how many were served as well as the number of people who came to know Christ’s love for them and made decisions to follow Him.
by: Pamela Arzel

Nannies in Manila

2009-06-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

I am a 20 year old from Nashville, TN and I am living here at KIM for two months this summer, along with my team of four other girls. We are working at the orphanage in the nursery on daily shifts. At times I wondered if how I spend my summer would be effective at all, but when you are here and when you are with the kids, you realize that even just spending time with them does matter. A lot of times I feel like I am working a daycare or a kids camp, but when I am giving a child a shower, or staying up with them at night because they have a fever, I am then aware of the reality that these kids who are very young and very precious really don't have any parents that are coming to pick them up. It's times like those when all I really know to do is make them laugh or hold them real tight.

Last week a little 20 month old boy fell and cut his head open. We had to take him to the hospital which was very different from any hospital I have been to back home. Understandably so, this little boy did not want to cooperate with the x-ray technician or the surgeon who put 3 stitches in his head. After a lot of screaming and a lot of nurses holding him down, he was all put back together. He slept very well that night! This once again made me realize that there was a hole in this scene and that he should have a mother or a father there to help him through this long day. It also made me realize, however, how great of a staff and how great of a ministry KIM is putting out here in Manila. Even though these kids are truly missing out on a lot of things that I consider very common, like a family, I am very thankful that the staff here is loving and providing for these kids like they are. I don't really know where the children would be if they were not here.

To Know the Truth You Must Believe

2009-06-11T04:14:00.000-07:00

I have been so blessed to be working with KIM for the last 3 weeks. I was very nervous 2 weeks ago about helping with 2 kids camps, but the camps turned out to be a huge blessing for me and for the older children in the home. The first camp was a two day camp that took place at the JCCV(Jesus Christ Church in the Valley) which is right next door to the Yun Jin Ministry Center. During the first day, about 90% of the teaching, talking, and instructions were in Tagalog and I couldn’t understand a word of it, but I could tell that all of the 62 children there were having a blast. So I pulled up my boot straps and bunkered down for a few more days of Filipino language and culture.

In those first 2 days, the children learned a memory verse, Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Each child was provided a journal and they were encouraged to write about what the Lord has been teaching them. They played soccer, basketball, and other fun games, had times of worship, and most importantly, they studied the word of God. I ended up being paired with a few of the 13 year old girls to discuss the Bible story which I was nervous about but turned out to be great fun.

At this point I was still nervous about going to the second camp in Zambales-the mango capital of the Philippines, until I found out that some of the other Filipino volunteers I had met would also be going. After a 6 hour bus ride, we arrived at the camp. The theme was X-Files “To know the Truth, You must Believe”. There were nearly 1,500 teen-age students at this camp and it was a little overwhelming but very high energy. There were 3 sessions(all in Taglish-a mixture of Tagalog and English) each with a different speaker. They addressed current issues faced by many teens in the Philippines with sermons and dramatic skits. The students enjoyed praise and worship time and the extreme games such as a giant water slide and a zip line challenge over the pond.

I had the blessing of explaining one of the skits and talking about salvation with Joi Ann, a girl from the community near the children’s home. The kids from the children’s home had a great time, but were very tired after 2 long bus rides and 2 camps filled with fun activities and Bible lessons. Praise God that I had the opportunity to share this experience with the kids and I even learned some Tagalog!

Amber

Blessing in Malaybalay

2009-06-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

It was such a great blessing to have the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship here for two weeks. We have also become a blessing to them. A lot of them who have already graduated committed themselves to go out as missionaries. This is where Belen and I met. Their leaders in our area have committed to help us in our Saturday fellowship with the kids. Now we can freely invite more kids because we have more laborers in the harvest field. Girlie, the mayor's niece, and her husband are still faithfully bringing in the snacks for the kids every Saturday. I am very optimistic that by God's grace this Saturday fellowship will really grow big. Right now their attendees have almost doubled. Even the church on Sunday has increased in their attendance. God is indeed blessing our ministry Jeff. Again thank you for laboring with us. As God has put the burden in your heart for the little ones He did in our hearts too especially after hearing the news that gangs have been recruiting kids age 12 or 13 and a 14 year old member of the NPA was killed in one of the encounters with the military. We just hope that through this Saturday fellowship we could reach as many kids as possible. Kids who have been actually abandoned by their parents and the society but are not qualified to get in the orphanage. I pray that even just on Saturdays they can look forward to having fellowship in God's Word, in games and to be able to eat a lot. We just hope that somehow God would allow us to plant the seed of God's Word in the hearts of these kids before it is too late.

2009-05-10T17:39:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to see all the happenings going on in the Children’s Home and all around it. God is an awesome God, and He reigns! You see, the Longs listen to Him, and it shows. God lays it on their heart, and they honor this. This family is living proof of His feet and His hands at work!

It was nice to be with you all from April 25th to 28th (not my first trip). Very short trip but so powerful to see the work of the Holy Spirit!

It was great to see Moses again! He has grown so much. Brea is so excited that I held him! Oh, to think how I met you all. It was all through basketball...and I know how you love this game. Meeting Kirk was not a coincidence but a God incident. I have not been the same. To meet this family, to have them show us around the Home, Cuatro Village, and all—Wow!

God puts people in our lives for a reason. I was so honored to be part of Jerick and Diane's going-away night. It was a night of joy and grief colliding. With them going to be with family and leaving the Home, how wonderful for them, yet a bit sad for the Home—a time of transition.

One thing I know for sure, all the kids have a home at all times—a home at the Children's Home and in the heart of Jesus, who is where our home is! You have showered the children with the love of Jesus! This will never fail. You teach them this because you know His love and you trust in this love.

To see all the staff and the joy they have—Wow! I know I am being called to help. How does God want me to help? This is a prayer session at the moment! I know for now I am to shower the Longs with prayers, love, a home away from home in Hong Kong, and of course, coffee.

I love you all. God loves you all. My home is your home here in Hong Kong, and if there is anything I can do from here…ask.

What great work you all are doing for His kingdom.

'Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12

With blessings,
Marie Talsness

I'm Back

2009-05-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

The first time I came to Manila was back in November 2007. I was
passing through with another missions organization called Adventures
in Missions, on an 11-month trip called The World Race. I fell in love
with KIM and the children's home right away, despite the fact that I
personally only spent a week here in Manila.

A year later I returned to Manila to spend a full month working at the
children's home and help out with some logistics for short term teams
coming in. Again, I absolutely loved it and knew that it would not be
my last time in Manila!

And here I am, another 6 months later, and I'm back! This time,
though, I'm sticking around a lot longer! I've committed to working
with KIM for about 15 months, and then I will reassess and see what
the Lord has for me next.

I am extremely excited to be a part of all the amazing work that God
is doing here in Manila, and I am looking forward to investing in
these kids lives and also sharing the love of Christ with members of
the community.

God Bless,
Christie

Saying Goodbye To Great Kids

2009-04-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

We are over four years into this children's home experience and I am not sure anything is more difficult then saying good bye.... We have had to say good bye to short term teams, short term workers, Filipino friends who have worked with the kids as well as great volunteers that have come to give of their lives. Another aspect of "good-byes" has come from children transitioning on to other children's homes or adoptive homes. This month we will say good bye to six children who have been with us for three or four years... The sibling groups of Diane and Jeric (4 years in our home) as well as Rodolf, Regie, Camille, and Rudylyn (over 3 years in our home) will transition back to join their own families. Diane and Jeric will join extended family while Regie, Rudylyn, Camille, and Rodolf will return to their immediate family... Both goodbyes are hard on us in Manila but we couldn't be happier for the kids. I am sure we'll still see some of Diane and Jeric during the summer or Christmas breaks when they return for a visit....Thanks for praying for these kids.

Jeff

Community Service

2009-04-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

A few years ago a friend from Colorado came over to live with impoverished
communities for three weeks. During his stay he located a family that was in
a very bad way... Since them Tom has sent love and funds to help the family
from the pit of despair... Pictured below are Filipinos, Kiwi's from New Zealand,
Aussie's from Taiwan, and other international people dedicated to making a
difference in the life of Tearso and his family. The home they are building in the
blistering heat will be a HUGE blessing to a impoverished family. When completed
the two story structure will boast beds, fans, a cement floor, indoor plumbing,
running water nearby, concrete walls.....a very solid structure for a family.

We are grateful it is close by so we can help with the children of the family, especially
alanamae as she struggles through her young life with crippling muscular diseases!

Praise God for communities around the world that help us care for our Cuatro Community.
Jeff

The Colorado Kid

2009-04-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Kuya Chris Cordova..... aka "the colorado kid" returned to the Philippines to help develop Godly relationships with Filipino men through Bible studies and discipleship groups.... Chris is also one of the guys that helped start our children's home back in January, 2005. This is Chris third tour of duty with our kids at the home. Hehas served almost two entire years with the children over the past four years. We are grateful for the time he spends with the boys! In a couple of recent games the boys came home distraught over a couple of losses in the community league. This ill feeling did not last long though as Chris and Kuya Kirk have been working with the boys in the fundamentals of the game... Summer is a fun time for our kids as they attend school in the mornings from 7:30 to 11am, have some lunch and look for the aunts and uncles to spend time with....

We are grateful for Chris spending time with our kids,
Jeff

School's out for the SUMMER...

2009-03-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

For most everyone the end of the school year is a crazy time with graduations and tying up loose ends before summer. Here at the New Faith Family Children’s Home we are no different. The minute graduation ceremonies were over we busily packed 34 kids to head down to summer camp in Malaybalay!!!! The kids have been craving for this for months now and the time has finally arrived. 34 kids, 10 staff, most of the Long family, and a small team from Faith Academy headed out early in the morning to fly down to the southern island of Mindanao and visit our sister children’s home here in the country. City kids meet country kids! For the older kids in the home this was their second time to be able to go to Malaybalay for summer this time we brought all the older and younger kids (not including the babies). For many it was their first airplane ride, which is always a fun experience to be a part of. Since arriving the kids have played and run around to their heart’s content. For all the little kids this is their paradise; a huge outdoor playground of dirt, fields, rivers, and space space space to run on and play games! It has been wonderful watching their spirits come alive when they can truly rest from school and the life of the city and the home. Was it stressful getting them ready? YES! Did people think we were crazy to bring this many kids down here? OF COURSE!!! But to see their faces now makes all the stress and work worth it. All the gracious amounts of donations given in order to make this kind of experience happen for these 34 little lives fill all of our hearts with joy. We will be down here until March 31st. You can continue to pray for continued safety and health of the kids and staff. This year for the devotions for the kids we are focusing on the fruits of the spirit. This month it is JOY and that is definitely what it has been so far!

Rachel and DJ

Graduation 2009

2009-03-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

March 13, 2009 we had our 3rd graduation/moving up exercise for Cuatro Christian School. About 70 students graduated in our two locations. It was a fun day full of medals, certificates, dramas, dancing, singing, and of course food. One of everyone’s favorite numbers was some of our Kinder students dancing to “Pearly Shells.” One of the pictures is of them dressed in their Hawaiian outfits. Our grade school students put on another wonderful drama and dance. The adults I think enjoyed the graduation as much as the students. A couple adults were crying as they went up with the students to receive their awards. This year was the first year for me to present a Director’s award. We are trying to develop these students in leadership, character, and academics; and the director’s award was presented to the student who portrayed that the best. The person who received that this year was one of our community kids, Rica Mea.

Thank you so much for those that are involved in making this school a success.

Kim Courtright

Getting Settled In

2009-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here we are, only to here a few days, and things around here is continuing to change. The staff meeting that I had to hurry back to on Monday was postponed until Tuesday due to an intern at the camp getting appendicitis. Larry and Belen, two of the house parents, had to take him to the hospital for a diagnosis and treatment. Praise God that he was seen in a timely manner and had surgery and is now in recovery.

We rescheduled the meeting for Tuesday afternoon, and again after hurrying back from town to be on time, when I arrived, I found we had just admitted two new kids, Roldan and Eric, to our home. Their family had asked a couple weeks ago if we could take them and another brother, but we were waiting for a home assessment prior to accepting them. Unfortunately we had to decline the other brother who has special needs, because at this point we don't have the ability to provide proper care for him. So about when the meeting was scheduled to start, we were busy accepting these new ones to our home. Thankfully the nurse from Manila, Marilyn Curtis, is visiting for the week, so she helped get them off on the right track with bathing, medication and such.

We eventually did get to our meeting. We had a good opening time of discussion of roles and responsibilities, as well as orienting Sarah and I to what everyone is responsible for. We were also able to decide on some changes in scheduling due to the different requirement of our new location. I believe everyone left the time encourage that we had worked through a few problems and we had a plan for moving forward. Thanks again for covering us with your prayers.

For the next couple of days, we will be focusing on going through the accounting and getting the financial records up to date, as well as getting the new kids accustomed to the home. We are also preparing for the kids from the Manila home to come visit for two weeks, which is a large undertaking.Here are some specific prayer requests as well:

1. Health for the children's home kids. One, Cedric, currently has the mumps, and the new boy Eric, seems to be ill with something and will be going to the doctor soon for a checkup.

2. Continued unity for the staff, and for grace and patiences a we get to know them and they us.

3. Funding to continue the construction of the children's home and camp site. We currently have one unit complete, and three more partially done. As news of our home grows, we are receiving more requests for children to be place here, and I believe we will be needing more room soon.

4. Favor with immigration as our missionary visas are being processed.

5. A more permanent place for our family to live. So far none of the houses that are available have been acceptable to our board. One idea is to begin the building of our administrator's home. We have a lot provided, but as with everything, we would need God's financial provision to proceed with this right now.

6. Smooth planning and the ability to finish all of the projects for a fun and successful visit by our Manila home, who will be arriving on March 14th.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and pray for us, we are so grateful and excited to be here and be involved, working to serve these kids in Malaybalay.

Blessings,

Jeremy

A 4th Anniversary in Manila

2009-03-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

In our devotions this month at the Children's Home the leaders are covering the word “joy” with all the kids. Imagine the JOY we experienced on Monday, March 2, as we celebrated four years since the NFFCH opened its doors to receive its first child! Highlights of the celebration were listening to the kids sing to God and hearing from several long-standing members of the crowd share their thoughts on what the Children's Home has meant to them. Those sharing included Filipino community members, Philippine board members, stateside board members, an original volunteer—Chris—who showed up in Manila to pave the way before the kids arrived, Kim—who has served on our staff for three out of the four years, and my daughter, Janel—who as a little girl helped get us all going on the idea in May of 2003. The resounding theme in my mind as people shared was what a JOY it is to be involved in something greater than oneself. That the Home truly is impacting kids’ lives by providing a safe, Christian environment for kids to thrive in seemed to resonate throughout the time of testimonies.

As we move into our 5th year, more JOY is coming our way. Please pray for the new parents of the twins as they transition to Manila to complete the final pieces of the adoption puzzle and take their little boys—Daniel and Jacob—home with them this month. Everyone involved in the ministry has put much into this culminating achievement in the life of the Home. Four years ago we never dreamed or imagined that any of our kids would be going through this experience. Yet today, in God's sovereignty, we are confident that these little boys are going to a great home where they will learn more about Jesus from a mom and dad. As we approach this time, we as “Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins” are blessed to know that these guys are going to be well cared for! We are filled with JOY!!

Pray for our Manila kids this month as they participate in our first summer camp experience. Most if not all of the kids will be traveling south to visit their “cousins” at our sister children’s home in Mindanao. There they will experience the joy of being cold, of hiking in the mountains, of attending our Christian camp with many other local Filipino kids, and of meeting new friends and seeing old ones. This trip will take place from March 14-31.

What gift or talent has God given you that might spread HIS joy to our kids? If you are interested in helping, let me know!

Jeff

Caring is fun!

2009-03-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

This past month (FEB) our family "adopted" four of our precious young boys. Under a program where K.I.M. staff are assigned 3 or 4 of our children, a month at a time, with the intent to be extra intentional to love and mentor on these little hearts. We go by the NFFCH once or twice a week and take them out of the home for 4 - 5 hrs at at time. What a blast it is to suddenly have four energetic little guys back in our home!!! For FEB we had Rodolf, Jan, Gerald and Jaypee. For the five of us McMillin's it has been so rewarding and FUN to share our hearts with them, take them swimming, have them over for meals, play with them, etc... What a way these little guys can make you feel younger too (or older!!)!! While these young boys are by no means angels, it is also encouraging to see the dividends from the love and training that our staff have invested into our children's hearts and minds come through during these times with them. For us the special ministry of Kids International Ministries, being "Jesus" to these little ones in words and action, is a fun opportunity that we are thankful to be apart of!! We are already excited to see what children we get in March!!!

The McMillin Family

New Smile

2009-02-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

It's easy to take teeth for granted. When I was young, my teeth were OK, but in the socioeconomic world of my childhood, dental care was taken seriously and was preventative. In order to prevent future problems, I had braces for awhile and then did the whole retainer process, eventually transitioning completely out of orthodontics. Now my teeth are great, I guess, nice and straight and all that and no major problems. However, for the kids at the home, the same is not true. They have not had the benefit of growing up in a world where dental care is taken seriously, or where it can even be afforded. That's why these kids usually show up with some collection of rotten, broken teeth; if we are lucky, they are still young enough where they will all fall out anyway and we can start again with a clean slate on their adult teeth. Many of you are probably familiar with Maricel's dental story since coming to the home - her teeth used to be horribly disfigured and not much could be done, but a generous gift was given to fix her teeth, so now she has a prosthetic replacement in the front. That kind act did everything to boost the confidence and personality of a girl who already has enough struggles communicating. Now, our newest "Maricel" is Noel. Noel is a newer member at the home, having come in September 08. We were told at first that he was probably around 7 years old, but there was no definite birthday since he was abandoned at birth. However, we were all very suspicious of that when we met him and saw his teeth. He has huge teeth, and one of his oversized front ones protrudes awkwardly out of his mouth. A recent round of dental check-ups and pictures shows all kinds of other problems in there. It also tells us that he is more like 10 years old. Noel struggles with developmental delay and has received inadequate care for his whole life up until now. We want to change things for him and give him the kind of attention he deserves, especially his teeth. He will need braces, which are cheaper here than in the States, but expensive nonetheless. There is already a children's ministry program from a church in Minnesota ready to start collecting money for Noel. If you are interested in helping as well, please let us know. We would like to get this taken care of as soon as possible for him.

On a separate note, good news out of the legislature here in the Philippines - the president just finally signed into law a bill that has been pushed through the government by the Department of Social Welfare and social workers who want to see the way abandoned kids' cases are handled revised. Up until now, children who were abandoned and in residential care like ours had to go through a whole battery of legal proceedings before being officially declared abandoned by the courts and ready to move on to permanent family placing through adoption. What was designed to be a thorough process to protect the kids and make sure they were not becoming victims of trafficking has turned into a long exhaustive process that ultimately ends up keeping untold numbers of kids stuck in institutions across the Philippines. This new bill successfully takes the responsibility away from the backlogged courts and puts it in the hands of the Department of Social Welfare alone, making the job of processing the kids' cases so much easier for our social workers.

DJ/Rachel

The Power of Prayer

2009-02-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

As time goes by, prayer seems to become more important to me. Maybe that's because I see more and more evidence of God working through prayer, such as in our recent visit to Kids International Ministries. The three boys and I came to visit Liz as she works in the Manila childrens home. We ended up working construction with an Australian team at the Malaybalay childrens home, and reading to children in Manila, and painting on the JCCV building, and meeting Threads of Hope on Mindoro, with a few other adventures thrown in along the way. It was great to see the Manila ministry of our good friend Chris Cordova.

By the time we got back to Colorado, I had collected many stories of believers who prayed, saw God at work, and decided to join Him in impacting peoples' lives.The children touched my heart, each one in a different way. I've made a commitment to pray daily for a certain one of the older children. I'd love to return to be involved in the Malaybalay project. My own children have all been changed by seeing God at work in amazing and miraculous ways in the Philippines. And my heart is challenged to dwell less on being comfortable, and more on being like Jesus to those around me.

Let me share some prayer requests with you.You can pray for Kids International Ministries, that it will grow at the right speed, building on its good foundation. Pray that churches in various nations would catch the vision, sending teams to help in the Philippines. Pray that each child would grow strong in their faith, being a good influence on Philippine society, or wherever they live. And be sure to pray for Jeff and Colene Long as they seek people to give their talents to the Filipino children. Please pray for Chris as he encourages the Filipino men to step up and follow the Lord. Remember especially to pray for the construction progress on the childrens home in Malaybalay.

Thanks!

James

2009-02-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

The month of February has been a very busy month here at the Children’s Home and the Cuatro Community. With forty one children in a family (and growing) each new day God gives us, it brings new challenges and different needs. We have been blessed this month to have the resources to administer the much needed vaccinations to the older children.

Often, I walk through the Cuatro Community (on my way to school) with a bag of supplies consisting of much needed donated medicines and baby food. I see the poverty, hear the cries of hungry babies and see the physical needs; at times I am weighted down with what appears to be hopelessness on the faces of these people. I stop to help, hold unkempt infected babies clean their wounds, encourage malnourished pregnant mom and many times invite them back to the Children’s home for much needed vitamins food and clothes. Our God, the creator desires to reach all of these needs with His amazing love, and He has blessed us to be a part of the Community of God’s people here in Cuatro. As well, this month I have visited medium and maximum security prisons, on one recent visit I had the privilege of meeting and ministering to several families of death row prisoners, these impoverished families travel many days to spend just a few hours with their dads, utilizing the open field outside the prison as their make shift home, not having the basic requirements of daily needs. The needs here are so great and at times seems be insurmountable but as we continue to help we ask you to continue to pray that God will provide wholeness, health and life. Many thanks to everyone who have donated medical supplies etc. enabling us to help the impoverished we meet everyday. Please continue to pray for this growing ministry.

Marilyn B. Curtis

Patient of the Month: a prayer for apples

2009-02-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

An apple day, may keep the doctor away; but what if apples are hard to find?

Well, then you’re off to see the doctor every day of the week.

For 15-month-old Kenth, a trip to the doctor is a daily occurrence. Last year, Kenth was diagnosed with hypo-thyroidism and has needed to be on daily medication and attend regular check-ups through a specialist doctor. During this past year, Kenth has also suffered from multiple Urinary Tract Infections, which then led to a complicated circumcision. In addition to these medical issues he has been to see a developmental doctor and has been referred for several test. It seems that when it rains it pours.

The past month has been filled with appointments for a variety of different doctors’ visits, lab work, and test. And I must say, Kenth has been quite the trooper. Just about every morning, he’s fed, dressed, showered, and loaded into the car, diaper bag in tow. Of course each trip out is expected to take several hours; lots of traffic and up to a two-hour wait for the doctor is always anticipated. It seems that with a lot of care and the right medicine, Kenth has finally made a 180 towards complete recovery.

One challenge that we still face is an upcoming surgery to correct his circumcision. As physically difficult as this will be for him, there is an equal financial difficulty for us here at New Faith Family Children’s Home. My prayer has always been that each of the children in my care would come to know, trust, and love Jesus. A further prayer of mine is that Kenth would continue to be held in the hands of the great Healer. I trust these things with our amazing Lord and ask that you would too.

Daisy Chell

Soccer and Translation

2009-02-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

As we all know very well here in Manila, basketball is the sport to play. We are trying to introduce soccer to the Cuatro Community area. I am working on putting a team together to play in national tournament for the Homeless World Cup. We are working in this area to get people out of poverty and this is one way we can do that by presenting people the opportunity to play soccer. We recently had two Cameroonian professional players displaced into our community. We are able to use these two players to help coach and train Filipinos to be able to play soccer in hope to represent the Philippines in the World Cup in Milan, Italy in September. We have had two training sessions already and it is very interesting. The two Cameroonian players speak French and I speak English and our players all speak Tagalog. So as you can see we have a fun time translating from French to signing to English then to Tagalog. We are also hoping to have a time where a local pastor will also start doing a Bible study with these players at the end of practices. Please pray with us as we are looking for more players and that maybe soccer can catch on here in the Cuatro area.

Kim Courtright

Targets

2009-02-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

You’ve likely heard the saying, “it’s hard to hit a target when you don't know what you’re aiming at.” To clarify what we at NFFCH are aiming at, we’ve been busy setting goals and defining roles for the new year. We desire that each of our 41 children in Manila and 11 children in Mindanao grow in their knowledge of Jesus…and so are busy mapping out strategies to effectively pursue each child's success in that area. What an awesome responsibility! Please pray for our missionary and Filipino staff. Do you feel God would have you help us? Please let us know!

Short-term teams continue to converge and transform our landscape. In Manila, over the past three months we have been helping a local church get back on its feet. In turn, their building, facility and yard area have provided us community outreach opportunities we only dreamed about in the past. The combined effort of a few teams and some donations has resulted in hundreds of children previously seen playing in the streets of our community are now seen running and playing on grass, swinging from trees and enjoying the sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer and badminton. To take advantage of these facilities, all kids and adults attend a Bible study prior to each time of play. A new energy level has overtaken the place, and the pastors and lay people alike have jumped in to help. What a blessing for us to be involved in the local body! We are praying that more teams from schools, youth groups, friends, and churches will join us in 2009!

In Mindanao over 100 short-term team members from Australia and the United States have joined forces and literally allowed us to build two more of the eight living units on our donated property near Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Mindanao. The teams have welded, poured concrete, done plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry. The first unit is ready to move into. We are pushing hard to complete sections 2, 3 and 4 in the first quarter of this year. Our camp site is developing as well. We have aspirations of hosting a camp for impoverished kids with a group of Faith Academy students and staff on March 14-20! Please pray that this could happen. Also pray for Jeremy and Sarah Moody and their three young boys to finish up their support raising and join our team in Mindanao this month. In addition to building structures, roads, septic tanks, fences, etc., we also get a chance to build lives. God is so gracious to allow us to take part in these opportunities. Each day our kids in the homes go through struggles. They cry and share with their NFFCH aunts and uncles. Many times our community people come to us for jobs, advice, medicines or food. What a blessing to be in a position to find solutions. One such person recently entered our life—17-year-old Irene. Irene came to us with full-blown tuberculosis, two failing lungs, six months pregnant and a heart defect from birth. We loved on her, the doctors loved on her and in the end this brave heart gave birth to a little girl weighing less than three pounds. Praise God, the yet-to-be-named child is still alive and with God's leading will have a life ahead of her in our home. Sadly Irene lost her battle as so many of the impoverished people do. We are uncertain of Irene's eternal destination, but to honor her life we want to give her baby what Irene rarely had the chance for—knowledge of a Savior, a loving home, clean water, a safe bed to sleep in at night and more. Keep praying we will be found faithful in caring for the widows and orphans for which we have been called to help.

Josie has finished her hours of cosmetology school and is ready to return to the Philippines to launch “Josie's Cut and Curl and Coffee Shop.” We are trusting God will allow her and others through this place to give young women in our community a way to make a living and to equip them in sharing their faith in the Lord. A long-time friend will mentor Josie as well during these coming months. Josie will also be involved in our short-term mission teams. Please pray for the remaining support for Josie to come in.

Jackie is away at Faith Academy’s Outdoor Education this week. This year all the middle school students are in jungle survival training a few hours north of Manila. It's a fun time to learn how to gather water from bamboo trees and to catch and eat bats and snakes...you know, every 7th grade girl's dream! Ha! Speaking of dreams, Kyle got a new addition to his reptile collection this week. A five to six-foot python…maybe I should say nightmare?

God is good! Thanks for allowing us these opportunities.

Jeff for the family

Amazing STUFF in the SOUTH......

2009-01-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

In the past few weeks we have seen over 100 people pour the blood , sweat and tears into our children's home project in Mindanao... It was a wonderful site to see so many people from the Philippines, Australia and the United States work together for God's glory and purpose. We are very close to being able to open the doors on the first segment of the children's home that will eventually be home to almost 96 kids!

God is allowing us to build 8 sections to an L shaped , two story building. To date we are 95% finished with the first floor on the first section and about 80% finished on the second floor to the first section. During the past couple of weeks we have seen section three/four raise above the ground with hundreds of hollow blocks, hundreds of pales of cement and endless amounts of steel all wrapped up with God's love to serve kids in the future... With additional teams on their way our dream to serve the children of Mindanao in a BIG way is FAST approaching!

Our goal is to teach,disciple and care for twelve kids at a time in each 4 bedroom home. Don't be intimidated and say I could never work with 96 kids, we'll only give you twelve little rascals to hang out with! See how easy that would be? We will even provide a centralized kitchen, laundry and nurses facility so you can just focus on the kids and bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Will you please continue to pray for God's grace as we build?

Will you pray for Jeremy and Sarah Moody's support to come in so they will arrive from Oregon in February in time to help us open the doors?

Will you pray for God to raise up a team of Filipino workers and Missionary staff to help with these kids?

Will you pray for God's blessing on the home?

We desire it to be a safe place for kids to grow in their love for the Lord.

Many have come to help but we need many more as well.....
Jeff

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from the Philippines!

Christmas was a great time this year with several different missionaries and volunteers stepping in to be with the kids day and night while our core local staff enjoyed a much-deserved vacation. After enjoying the fun of Christmas gifts and treats and playing, the kids are back in school for a big educational push until school is finished for summer break in mid- March. We anticipate big things this year at the children's home with our first kids leaving and joining families through adoption, other kids being reconciled back to good family situations, and other kids beginning the first steps of possible adoptions through programs like exposure experiences in the States. As we continue to grow we will always be seeking God's best for each of these kids in our care and all future ones that come our way, for as long as they are with us. We look forward to this new year and all that it will bring and appreciate your prayers and support as we work together to impact kids' lives.

DJ & Rachel

Great Journey

2008-12-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalms 16:11

God takes us through a great journey called life. For most of the time we don’t know where it’s going or leading. The path itself is not important. The important part of the journey is the relationship we develop along the way with God.

In January 2007 I retired from Hospital Administration, being single and still young (relativity) and active I applied for a short term mission trip to the Philippines. I arrived October 2007 and stayed until February 2008, returning to Canada for four short months, knowing that I would return to the Philippines. I came back June 2008.
Sometimes we try to understand why God has put us here or try to discover our unique purpose or calling in life. I know that I have found that calling by giving and volunteering and working in Cuatro Cainta Rizal. There are so many opportunities that is presented each day to reach out and to be the extended hands of Christ in this community. This ministry in not confined within the walls of the children’s home to the 40 abandoned and neglected children God has placed in our trust, but through many other avenues including the squatters community and school.
God has provided me with an amazing opportunity to serve Him in the talents and gifts he has given me. I love working with children and assisting in health care. For the past five months I have had the privilege to be involved with these children, the community and the lives of those serving in ministry a His service.

As I invest my life in the lives of many children here in the Philippines, my prayer is to promote an atmosphere of trust, health, safety and love for the many children God may bring our way. Mt prayer is to invest in their young lives as they in turn give back to God their given talents and abilities to Him for the further development of their people

Philippians 4 7-9 Do whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable if anything is excellent or praise worthy –think about such things. Whatever you have learned or heard form me, put it in practice and the peace of God will be with you

Piano Lessons:

2008-12-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

I am sitting listening to the simple sound of scales going up and down deliberately and rhythmically on a piano at the YunJin Lyso Ministry Center. Today is the first day of piano lessons for some of our kids,a huge blessing thanks to our friend Joy. Joy is probably one of the best piano players in Manila. She is the primary pianist for the University of the Philippines Chorus, one of the premiere programs around here. She plays in the worship services for Greenhills Christian Fellowship, one of the largest churches in Manila. And, she is the niece of Glenn and Grace Ayala, our friends in Mindanao that donated the land for the Malaybalay camp and children's home project.Joy is volunteering her time with the kids to teach them piano twice a week. For a young woman with so many other things going on, that's an awesome commitment, and we are grateful!

I started piano lessons when I was a young boy, which led me into a lifelong love of music. Piano really opens the door for young creative minds to really understand and appreciate music. It gives such a good foundation for either continuing on with piano, or learning new instruments. Music is a huge part of Filipino culture, and consequently a great ministry tool. A lot of these kids have already shown great interest and potential in things like singing, guitar and piano at their young age. How cool is it to have a piano teacher volunteer to continue developing those skills and interests? We are thankful for Joy and her service and look forward to seeing the kids continue to learn and use music as a way to reach people.

DJ

GOD works in amazing ways:

2008-12-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

This past week we hosted a team of 24 middle school students from Hong Kong ICS.... This is the second year they have come to impact the children's home and community. My what an impact....

These pictures show community members utilizing the 'new' space that has been created by the hard working friends from HK... Yard work, concrete work, taking up old tile,putting in new tile, painting, planting , were all a part of the big week long service time.

A neighboring church/seminary approached us a few weeks ago asking if we'd be interested in buying their land and building. I was in shock as this facility, although lacking significant maintenance was a 'light' in the community. A seminary had been training dozens of future church leaders, a church was feeding the flock from the community, a youth group had been reaching out to the youth in the streets surrounding our children's home.

We graciously declined their offer and countered with, " let us help you breathe some new air into your sails" and keep your boat afloat during these stormy times. The end result was the kids from Hong Kong, some of the their donated funds, and community kids pitching in to right the ship and chart a new course. Praise God!

Today God has lifted the leadership spirits and we are looking forward to future partnership, including the building of playground equipment in their spacious well shaded yard, a couple of rooms in their building will house our community school-grades 3-6 someday, kids from the streets are coming in for Bible study basketball games,our staff will be enrolling in a course, '" how to study the Bible"and their building although far from being 100% sound is on the mend....

WHO WILL COME TO HELP US FINISH what 24 middle schoolers started?

Opportunities abound in the Philippines,

Come and help,

Jeff

Heartlyn's Story

2008-11-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

The nursery has seen quite a few changes these past few months. The new nursery is finished, and we moved into it back in October. Also, on September 30th, we got 3 new additions to our nursery. Tyra, 2 years old, and Chris, 11 months old, are a brother and sister who came to the children's home. Also, we got a little baby girl, Heartlyn, who was 2 months old at the time.

All of the babies have amazing stories, but I am going to share Heartlyn's with you. Her story is such a clear picture of God working miracles, I still get chills thinking about it. We got Heartlyn late in the afternoon on September 30, 2008. She seemed to be drinking fine, though it was obvious that she was not used to being fed the right kind of milk. The very next day all the new children were taken to a newborn screening, just to see if they had anything extremely wrong with them. Heartlyn did not come back from the screening. She was so sick that she was taken to the hospital right away. She has green feces and green goop coming out of her eyes: the doctor said that she had an infection, but they were not yet sure of how bad it was. It turns out that her white blood cell count was so high that she could not even survive normally. As well as the infection, Heartlyn also had Pneumonia and at least 3 other sicknesses. The doctors said that she probably would not be coming home for months.

That night two volunteers went and stayed overnight at the hospital with Heartlyn. They felt led to pray over Heartlyn, the whole night! So they did, they prayed over Heartlyn's little body nearly the whole night. The next morning, the doctor came in to check on her as usual, and the doctor was amazed by the changes in Heartlyn. The infection was gone! She was eating normally and the fever had gone away. Heartlyn came home that very day. Everyone was just blown away by God's grace and His miracles! Praise God for his love!

Alex

2008-11-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

Meet Alexandra. She is one of the newest arrivals at New Faith Family Children's Home, having come on the last day of September with her two younger siblings Tyra (2) and Chris John (1). The other two have plenty to say about them as well, but this is about the big sister - a picture of the kind of children we often care for. She is not orphaned or abandoned. But she comes from a very difficult home life. Maybe she is 7 or 8 years old, we are not sure. She is surprisingly big though; maybe it's survival of the fittest - her siblings are undersized with far more health issues.

Alex cried and cried when she first arrived, a fish out of water in this large, nice home with so many kids and staff. But her new reality slowly sunk in when she was given clean clothes to wear, was shown her own soft bed to sleep on, then sat down with the other kids for a good meal at dinner. After a month to adjust to her new life, she was able to start school for the first time yesterday, beaming in her uniform as she left with the other kids. She has been loved-on immediately by the staff, which had an instant effect in her awakening. Alex still has a very fiery attitude and temper that understandably emerges at times and she can really get into it with the other girls. But she is learning to abandon that as she settles in at New Faith and as we as staff keep pouring into her. She smiles a lot now and says she is happy. We are happy to see the changes in Alex; pray she continues to grow into the girl God wants her to be.

East Coast Fun!

2008-11-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

I bet you have never seen a blog from the east coast well, since I am the only one from "the team" from the east coast and this is the first time I have written one from here. Lots has been going on. I have been able to go to one fair already and will go to another one this weekend. But at the last fair was able to meet up with a girl who is really interested in coming for a summer to work at the Children's home. I have also received donations for the Home as well as being able to see some of the cards that Megan has made that highlight some of our kids. I was also able to host two open houses for people to come over and see videos, pictures, artifacts, and taste some food from the Philippines. those that came loved it. From that I have four of my friends that are praying about coming over to work at the Home for a couple weeks or for the whole summer. I have visited my alma mater and have made good contact with them in setting up trips and internships to the Philippines with us. SO lots of great things are happening here.

I am continuing to work while I am here in the states and enjoying being with family and friends. It has been a great time for me to be with my family as my brother is now training to be a corpsmen (medic) with the US Navy (hope to see him for Christmas), my other brother, in his senior year, won the conference with a strong possibility to go to Nationals with his college, my sister will take her Athletic Training Exam this weekend, and my dad having had several surgeries. My mom and I have been hold down the fort. Taking care of our chickens 2 dogs (that just had surgery), and our duck. As you can see never a dull moment.

Kim Courtright