So we only have a couple more days left in Manila which is pretty crazy.  This trip has flown by! I feel like I have learned, experienced, and grown so much in these two weeks and it has been so awesome.  The team has definitely been keeping busy! Together, we have organized a library into the Dewey Decimal system, worked on construction projects, helped lead a group of 90+ kids from the British School in Manila, gone on feedings, led devotions, and more! God has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone many, many times.  It has been awesome though and I have been learning more and more to hold onto this verse:

2 Corinthians 12: 9
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Please be praying for me as I finish up this trip that I will finish strong, never shrinking back into my comfort zone.  Also, be praying for the kids that we are constantly in contact with...Joelle and I were talking to some of the girls tonight and they were saying how hard it is for them to get to know visiting teams that just end up leaving them two or three weeks later. So, pray for them and us as we say goodbye soon.

Thank you all so much for all your prayers! Love you all!

- Bekah

Thoughts on Manila

So we are half way through our trip which is crazy to believe. I am so grateful to be back in Manila and see so many familiar faces and people that I have gotten to know over my past four summers here in the Philippines. Even though coming to Manila has become a very familiar and very comfortable thing for me I am amazed how God never ceases to teach me new and challenging lessons each and every time I come. Two lessons that I have been learning on this trip so far are patience and humility. From the beginning of this trip God has been placing me in situations to stretch and grow my patience. The three most challenging situations were the wait at the airport, the wait in Guam, and the hurry-up and wait time table here in the Philippines. I have been learning that as I practice patience that it is really God who is the one working through me, because I am not a naturally patient person. I am thankful to see His hand working in my heart in this way, and that I can grow in the grace of patience to serve others more effectively and experience more joy. 


2 Corinthians12:9  has continually been brought to my mind. This passage has brought humility in that He is using my weaknesses to accomplish some necessary tasks here. For the last week we have been sorting and entering library books into a database for their school. My first reaction was that I am more comfortable and confident in working with the children directly, but the Lord knew that there was a need to be meet and chose to use us to meet it. Even though I may not be directly affecting the kids with the work I am doing, I know that  I am indirectly affecting them by providing them with an accredited library that is easy to use. One of the reasons it is so important to meet this need is because it allows them to receive accreditation for their school library. If any of you know me I can be a very scattered and unorganized person so to be used to do organization and inventory of a library is truly using my weaknesses to God's glory. It is very humbling to know that the work I am doing has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the work God is doing through me.


"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."


Prayer Requests:

• continued use of my time intentionally
• contentment even in the use of my weakness
• continued patience as we will be working with 90+ teenagers the next 3 days.

~Jessica

Daniel's trip

My trip thus far began with the long plane flight in which I met a with a young Filipino man named Robin.  I got to talk with Robin about God and church and he professed to be a catholic.  He told me most Filipino's were catholic.  Once i arrived, i discovered the Philippines to be very humid but not unbearable.  The poverty level here is unlike anything i have ever seen in the U.S.  It is quite humbling to realize how much we are blessed with in America.  Some of our worst "Ghettos" are luxury hotels compared to many areas in Manila.  This has not been my first exposure to said poverty but the first since 2004.  It is a good reminder for me to be more content.  I have been working with the construction crew for several days doing a lot of manual labor that this old man is not used too.  This has left me very sore lol.  Thankfully they have a salon / massage center on the complex where we are staying and i have been using it to my full advantage. Most of the men at the construction yard do not speak English so communication has been hard.  However, many of them remember Trevor because of his incredibly awesome mustache and we have been able to make fun of him together.  Seriously though they have a great sense of humor and i feel like i have been able to form a small bond with some of them despite my lack of speaking their language.  I hope that my hard work is communication enough to them about how i care.  Apparently, laziness is a very prevalent trait in many Filipino men.  Thankfully these men are coming in day in and day out and working for about 6-8 U.S. dollars a day to provide for their families.  I have been very impressed with the Longs and all God has accomplished through them.  This poverty stricken neighborhood is receiving, jobs, food, school for orphans, and they are building more schools to educate even more children.  God is definitely working here and i am glad i can contribute to a small part of it.

Mandang Umaga!

Mandang Umaga!
(Good Morning)


Ever see the movie Home Alone, where they run through the airport and barely make their flight? Yeah... that was us on the 10th. We had an unexpected long line at check-in and needed some last minute permissions for Bekah to fly, but eventually made it to the plane with a few minutes to spare. We flew from LAX to Guam (12 hours), where we had a 2 hour wait while the engine was repaired and the plane fueled up. Then we flew to Manila (3 hours) and arrived early morning of the 12th. A Filipino informed us that Philippine Airline (PAL) actually stands for Philippines Always Late.


Day 1 (12th)

We arrived at the Yunjin Ministry Center and started with a tour of the YMC and walked to the other extensions that are spread out among the local squatters:  school, boys & girls home, dental center, library. The newest building projects underway are new classrooms, pregnancy center and pool. We returned to the center for dinner, received our assignments for the next two weeks and lead the nightime devotional at the boys & girls home. Bekah, Jessica, Jennifer and I put the girls to bed and got to know some of the girls. It was evident from the few minutes we were able to talk with the girls, that they are coming from hard lives and think about things very differently than we do. Jennifer shared about being pregnant and they were perplexed that it was a good thing. One of the girls, Donna, withdrew from the conversation because in her mind joy in pregnancy could not be accepted. Please be praying for these girls that they may know redemption in Christ and healing from their past.

Day 2 (13th)
We began the next morning with breakfast and reading, and took off for our prospective projects. For the next couple days the girls will be in the library organizing all the books into the the Dewey Decimal System. We are entering all the books into the computer, labeling, organizing & shelving all the books so that the students can access them by subject and grade level. The boys will be working on a construction project that involves building a third floor on top of the current dental center and classroom building. They are hand mixing cement, carrying buckets, pouring into molds and climbing trees with the locals. Afterward Daniel made sure to schedule his massage for the evening. Later that evening we went to TayTay the local mall to exchange our money and grab dinner. On the way we were able to ride a trike which in essence is a moped with an attached cart, our current record including the driver is 8 people, we are working up to 10! We also rode the Filipino cross between a jeep and party bus, which is called a Jeepney. They are decorated with bright colors, and fit probably 10 more people than it should.


Day 3 (14th)
We started this morning out with Trevor's beloved mangoes. Imagine the juiciest, sweetest, most perfectly ripe mango and then times it by 50 because you cannot really imagine how great it is. We are all heading off to our projects. Please pray that we would be faithful to use the little moments and big moments to show and share the love of Christ. We will have two little workers with us today in the library, Karis and Chin. Pray that language barriers can be overcome for Daniel and Trevor as they work alongside the men and share the gospel.


Been working my way through Romans and read this yesterday morning which has become my prayer for our team as we minister alongside Kids International Ministries:


Romans 12:9-13
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."


Team Phrase: "Boom!"

On the Ground

Hi everyone, this is just a quick note to let you know that we've arrived safely and are settling in at the Yunjin Ministry Center. We'll update you in full later.

New Year, New Team, Eternal Message!

Hello again!

Once again First Baptist Church of Norco is sending a team to the Philippines to help Kids International Ministries minister to the people of Manila and spread the gospel. This year I (Trevor Loflin) am joined by Dan and Jen Yakel, Jessica Doubleday, Joelle Seesing, and Bekah Mooney. Our goal is to come alongside the missionaries and workers and minister to them. If you've kept up with us in previous years, you'll know there's plenty of work to be done; if not, we'll be sure to keep you updated. We leave tomorrow; we'll be in the Philippines for two weeks.

As I sit packing my stuff, I reflect on the blessings God has given me. This is my third opportunity to travel to the Philippines and take part in the ministry there. In addition to the fun I always have there and the joy of participating in the work of God and helping people in need, I've been given the opportunity to develop more long-term relationships with the workers, children, and people in the community. My desire is that by cultivating a long-term relationship with the ministry, I can more effectively serve them, even though my time there is short.

We'll be updating this blog regularly, so I'll leave it to my teammates to describe their own experiences. In the meantime, please be in prayer for us, for Kids International Ministries, and for the spread of the gospel.

Drawing Near to the End

It's incredible how quickly time passes by, especially when you realize this is only your second and last blog post of the entire trip... Although it is sad to think that our time here in the Philippines is coming to an end, I am so thankful for how God has been working in my life and in this team for the past 19 days, faithfully opening doors for ministry and opening our eyes to his amazing grace each and every day. We have been blessed to witness and learn from people dedicated and passionate about seeing God's kingdom advanced in this country, and I have been humbled by the people of this nation who find joy even when physically they have nothing, whereas I struggle to remain thankful even when I have been given so much. It is through their example that I have begun to reexamine my own heart and pray desperately that God would continue to mold and shape me. As we depart from the Philippines, it is this team's hope and prayer that over the past three weeks not only physical needs were met, but that a greater realization of the spiritual needs of these people were further strengthened. Oh how amazing it is that the God of this universe would allow us to be a part of his mission to be glorified throughout the world.
In Christ,
Adam Gold