Thursday, July 27, 2017

Share the Blessings

This past Sunday, we had an outreach to one of the house parent's communities after being so blessed by the Lord we were able to give back to. We spent Sunday morning preparing for it by packing 8 giant batches of pancit noodles into 300 to-go boxes and taping straws to Zest-Os  (orange drink).

At 2pm, we headed to the community where some of us played games and sang songs with the kids while the others were ministering to the parents and sharing their stories with them. We handed each kid a goody bag filled with school supplies, toys, and Koko Krunch, and each parent got a goody bag filled with toiletries. 

I got to speak and play with some really cool kids, then one of the boys from our children's home who has grown deep in my heart, came over and wanted to see what I was doing and I realized he doesn't really know what to do when you are the foreign one and you are there to serve. I told him just to introduce himself, at first, he was a little shy, but then I pretended that I was the one talking and said "Hi! I'm *his name* and I'm 11 and I'm super cool and fun, what's your name?" and I think he thought I was being silly so he fixed the conversation and was a complete natural after that. It was so cool seeing him starting conversations and being aware that he's here to not just give the kids gifts and food but to also be a light in their lives. 

Praise the Lord for the community outreach going well and for the youth from the children's home who came along being so obedient and willing to serve even though they were exhausted and hot! 

PRAYER REQUEST: This is our last week here in the Philippines and the children's home, so please pray for us, as a team, to stay present and available to the children and staff here.

-Alex