As I look over my right shoulder, I notice a tall white man, easily over the age of 60, pacing rather quickly towards the now closed mall.  While I watch him move amongst the locals,  I have trouble not feeling ashamed or even a little hate towards what he is about to do.  This man, who could possibly have a daughter of his own, is going to purchase one of the hundreds of young girls standing outside the bars displaying themselves as “products”.  However, what I didn’t realize is that he is probably staying for a couple months and each night will...

Almost successfully completed my first week in the Philippines! Can’t even begin to say how different it is from my expectations. The first couple days involved sweat, sweat, and more sweat. Now today and the last couple days involve rain, rain, and more rain! Back home in Lancaster, CA, it rains maybe 3 times a year for like 10 minutes top. This is such a new experience for me to see hard pouring rain allllllll day. To be completely honest, this trip has been a lot harder and more challenging than I was prepared for. I have arthritis in my knees and ankles and all the stairs and long...

I have been waiting for this day to arrive. Getting to training camp and starting this adventure in missions! God has called me to travel and teach children about him and simply show them what true love is through smiles and authentic hugs. During this trip I hope to be present in every moment and find a way to see God’s beauty and creation all around me. Even in the places that seem dark and empty, God shows up anywhere and everywhere through us. I can’t wait to have fun for God! Let’s do this!!

After 24 hours of travel, the Ambassador team arrived safely in the Philippines Tuesday evening.   After some rest, we quickly jumped into ministry. Kids International Ministries, or KIM, is heavily involved in serving the local community. They feed surrounding communities twice a day, Monday through Friday. We’ve had many opportunities to join in on the “feedings,” serving food and playing games with the kids.  At the Children’s Home, we are able to assist the caregivers and spend some much needed one on one time with the 40 kids, toddlers and...

Today, we went to a feeding in a place called Tent City. It got the name because most of the houses are made out of tents. The people who live there are so kind and selfless. They smile from their hearts despite the circumstances that they are in.    The kids, with their tattered clothes and too big flip flops lined up with their cups and bowls to be fed. After they had all eaten, some of the people we came with pulled out balloons and started making animals. The kids immediately piled all around with their hands grabbing here and there.  I went up to a teeny tiny girl and...

The storm came around 6 am. I hardly noticed until our door swung wide open and slammed shut repeatedly. I sat up in my bed and thought, “MAN, are you serious!? We were supposed to go on a feeding this morning!” Shortly after my loud awakening I fell back asleep. The rain and the wind was really rough for a while so we couldn’t go anywhere(AKA breakfast). Fortunately Heather came to our rescue with poptarts, crackers, and peanut butter! After that we were basically good to go.It felt like a super long rainy morning, but just like all good things, it came to an end. Someone...