Thank you to my NGT PCs!

Dumaguete, Philippines; Sunday, November 8

The week before I left, my NGT PCs gave me a total of $115 to take with me to the Philippines in order to use it towards a great need. During my week there, I realized that the needs were endless. But I still kept my eye out for the one. There were two young girls named Cristina and Judilyn, who live at ICM's orphanage, who traveled with us throughout the week. On Sunday night we were invited to the orphanage for dinner. A young woman named Annie and her parents have taken in eighteen children, including Cristina and Judilyn and their younger siblings. The children sleep on mattresses on the floor because they cannot afford anything extra. Annie told us each child's story about how they lost their parents and how they got to the shelter. These children have endured more pain in their short lives than many adults. Yet, they have formed a bond so close that they have become family, just quite a large one. After hearing their stories and seeing their needs, I felt that this was right. So thank you, PCs for your generosity. Before we left, the children surprised us with a dance. They told us how much the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' meant to them as orphans, so they learned the dance at the end to the song, Jai Ho by Rahman and Gulzar. It was quite a production! Here are their beautiful faces:

Riverside Slums in Banago

Bacolod, Philippines; Friday, November 6

Our vans slowly pulled up as we looked out our windows in awe at the heartbreaking scene before us and parked on the side of the dusty gravel road. We got out of the air conditioned vans and walked down the driveway as the sun beat down on our backs. We crossed over a rickety bamboo bridge with missing planks and entered the Riverside neighborhood slums. We saw a huge pig trapped inside a pin oozing with debris filled mud and some stray chickens running around the piles of trash. We turned the corner, only to see another long row of bamboo shanties hovering above the waste. Clothes are hung everywhere to dry in the sun. There are no dryers here. We followed the sidewalks, running alongside a river of slum sewage, and waved to the naked children sitting on their bamboo floors. We passed by a group of people {a father, daughter, and a grandmother, with no mother in sight} walking to their decaying house and a depressing snack shop where a boy in tattered clothing stood. There was a scrappy house with a tattered bamboo fence defining its boarders, trying to keeping out a lake of raw sewage. I stood there for a while taking it all in, in total disbelief. This neighborhood was terrifyingly different from my home in Virginia.

Red Rope Project

Bacolod, Philippines; Friday, November 6

A hand sown masterpiece was revealed as they unfolded their joy across the table; every stitch from the fingers of the women of Bacolod. Their eyes were bright and their smiles crept across their faces. This was more than a quilt, and their labor more than a job. Just as a pattern immerges over time, so does community. These women come to the table with their own difficult life stories, but leave a finished work with an even bigger story; one of friendship and new opportunities and love. Their stories are woven into their work, from cushion covers and quilts to Christmas cards and table runners. Their handiwork is exquisite and has become their livelihood, helping them out of pain and poverty.

TB Shelter & The Bacolod Slums

Bacolod, Philippines; Thursday, November 5

As we pulled up to the enclosed compound, the big iron gates opened. "Care Recovery Shelter" was spelled out in thin wire over the doorway. We drove underneath and into the Tuberculous Shelter. {Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system and much more} There, in the screened-in porch, were 35 beautiful faces. They welcomed us into their home with several songs they had prepared. I was deeply moved by their words as they sang, "Though I'm weak and poor, all I have is yours, every single breath." I have heard that song a million times, but never like this. Never with these people in mind. The tears burned in my eyes. These people were found in the slums, weak and poor, on the brink of death, and have been rescued and given a second chance at life. Their once damaged lungs have healed and their breath is now used to sing praises to God. Their despair has subsided...their hope is now in Jesus.

"Tuberculosis is the number one medical problem in the Philippines. For those with critical cases, medication must be coupled with adequate nutrition. Patients who reside at ICM's Care Recovery Shelter are provided three meals a day, monitored medication and counseling support. They also receive education in health care, values and livelihood opportunities to prepare them for success when they return to their families." -ICM

It costs $1,000USD to support one TB Patient, which will literally save their life. Since the economic crisis, ICM has had to cut down on the number of TB patients in the shelter. Last year there were 50 patients and this year they could only take 35. They have a capacity of 50 beds, but lack the monetary support to fill them.

Most TB patients arrive to the shelter just skin and bones.

We spent the morning listening to their stories, as they explained what their lives were like before TB, their thoughts in their darkest moments of their illness and their road to recovery. As they all stood in the doorway, waving their farewells, a million thoughts were running through my head. As I looked back, I saw miracles standing there, for that is what they are...


Bacolod Slums, Philippines; Thursday, November 5

When I think of my childhood, it is filled with trees to climb, hay fields to roam, and woods to explore. Not for these children. As I walked through the maze of shanties in the Bacolod Slums, I just kept thinking how there is no privacy in this place. Clothes are hung out to dry, doors are left open, cracks are in the wood, roofs have holes, floors are weak, and there are no locks. We were dodging dripping laundry, jumping over sewage run-off and piles of trash. It was a maze of streets jutting around shanties and trees and big puddles of sewage. And all of the people living within.

We soon had a following of children. We were apparently the main attraction for the afternoon. We all laughed and giggled together as we walked through the streets and made our house visits. They are all so beautiful...

ICM began a program called "Container Farming" which has now multiplied exponentially and has become the livelihood of many families in the slums. The families grow and sell their produce, which brings in money for the family. We saw multiple shanties with these containers outside of their houses. This has been one of the most encouraging signs to the ICM staff, as poor families are taking steps to get themselves out of poverty.

This young girl lives in the slums with her mom and dad and is suffering from some type of meningitis. She has four seizures a day and is currently taking medicine for them. She will need brain surgery sometime in the near future, and to remove the growth on her face, but there is a lack of funding for it. It will probably cost a couple thousand dollars.

Crossing the River to Silay

Silay, Philippines; Wednesday, November 4

We made our way down a narrow path overgrown with vegetation. As we walked further from our vans, the mosquitoes started to bite. Children from a nearby village ran alone side us, until we disappeared into the woods. After a few minutes, we began to hear the sound of the river as we got closer to our destination: The Village of Silay. The trees stopped and we came to the clearing where the river rushed below. We made our way down the steep banks onto the small sandy beach. There is no bridge to Silay so we crossed on the bamboo raft made by the villagers. Two by two, we pulled ourselves across to the other side.

Danielle and Jess crossing the river

As we made our way up the bamboo hillside, we could hear the songs of the children getting louder. We finally made it to the Preschool and our hearts melted as they sang to us the songs they had prepared and recited all of Psalm 23. ICM currently has 38 operating Preschools. The students learn to ready, write and do simple addition and subtraction.

The Preschoolers singing and reciting Psalm 23

"Philippine statistics indicate that with each grade of education, the likelihood of living a life of poverty decreases. ICM's Preschool Plus program gives 25 vulnerable children a strong academic start. Two certified teachers prepare them for success in public school. Students receive a nutritious lunch and snack each day, a uniform and supplies. Parents also benefit from weekly classes in values, health care, and livelihood, and work together to prepare meals for the children." -ICM

It costs $5,000USD to sponsor one year-long Preschool in one of these poor neighborhoods.

Precious

Hong Kong

Hong Kong; Tuesday, November 3

View from Victoria Peak

Individual Faces of Poverty

Hong Kong; Monday, November 2

Poverty is a muddled thing. It is confusing and terrifying and imprisons at least 1 out of every 6 people from the 6.6 billion that live on earth today. It does not discriminate, but claims lives from every nation. These people, the ones who are entangled by life’s unruly circumstances, are often over looked and forgotten. It can be overwhelming when we sit with this reality. How can I help all of those people? The truth is, I can’t. The problem is too convoluted. But I can help one. And if I can help one, that is one life that will change forever…

When you start to see the individual faces of poverty is when you start to realize that defeating poverty actually is possible. A couple months ago I heard about the work International Care Ministries was doing in the Philippines and knew I had to be a part of it. Yesterday was pretty surreal when our plane touched down in Hong Kong. The waiting was over. We were here. Last night we attended ICM’s benefit banquet for the poor in the Philippines. When we sat down at our tables, we were asked to look in front of us. A tiny cracker lay bare in the middle of a white bread plate. I looked across the table. My friend had a huge basket of assorted bread. The speaker explained…I represented one of the 12,227,312 Filipinos that currently live below the poverty subsistence standard of USD0.54 per day {subsistence means only having enough income to pay for food, nothing else}. That tiny cracker has been my humble reminder this week…

The speaker went on to share the story of a 13-year-old boy, named Jude, from one of the slum communities that ICM works with. As a result of a previous ICM fundraiser, a family from Hong Kong “adopted” Jude’s family. Because of this, Jude was able to attend school for the first time. Upon his graduation, he entered his school's singing contest and won. From there, he ended up participating in one of the Philippine's national children’s contest, Birit Baby, and won! His story has been broadcast all over the Philippines, and is now making its way into homes all over the world. Jude’s story shows how a family helping another family rise out of poverty makes a difference. The reality of Jude’s story carries me past the impossibilities of poverty as a whole and pushes me to spend my life walking beside individuals…

Click here: Jude's Story

We made it!

Just wanted to let everyone know we made it safely to Hong Kong! The flight was crazy...15 hours!

The Green House Orphanage

Kampala, Uganda; Saturday, May 30





I have to tell you about a brother and sister named Kevin and Catherine. He is 24. She is 21. Their parents died and left them as orphans. Kevin received a full scholarship to attend Liberty University in Virginia and has just graduated and is coming back to Uganda on Monday. Three years ago, Kevin looked around and realized that there were other orphans that needed care, so he and his sister began to take them in. At age 18, Catherine had become a mother to these children and their head caretaker, as Kevin returned to Liberty to study. Over the past three years, the number of orphans has reached a total of 68. The ages range from 3 months up to the lower teens. Catherine, a child herself, is now mother to 68! The only income they receive is from the part time job that Kevin has at school, which he balances with being a fulltime student. This brother and sister decided together that they would give their lives to these 68 children until they are grown and can provide for themselves. Their courage is a great challenge to me…

The children only get to eat once a day, around 3 or 4pm. She serves them tea in the morning to hold them over until then. And then lets them play in the afternoon until bed, in hopes that they will fall asleep before they realize their hunger pains and ask her for more.

For $100USD we were able to buy a wide variety of food for all of the children and give them a meal that would nourish their little bodies. Catherine, knowing each child intimately, cried throughout the meal because she couldn’t remember the last time she saw them enjoy eating so much…

When we first arrived, I was standing in the courtyard and a little girl in pink & white waddled up to me from across the way and hugged both of my legs. My heart melted! I scooped her up and held her until lunch was served. Her name is Shakira. At lunch, I watched as she ate three platefuls of food. When I picked her up again, her little belly was so full. And she held tightly onto a sippy cup full of orange soda, another rare treat. She wouldn’t let me take it from her little hands. So she fell asleep in my arms, gripping her prized possession.

Julie has a friend back home named Susan who hand designed special teddy bears with the wordless book sewn onto them for these orphans. We were blessed as we passed out the bears and watched the children…they were elated! When those teddy bears were in their arms, they all slipped into their imaginary worlds as they began to talk to the bears like any child would.

Before we left, Dale asked Catherine to share her story with us. Through her tears, she described what it has been like for her, day in and day out. She doesn’t know where the next bar of soap will come from. She washes all their clothes by hand. She makes all their food. She is mom to 68! But they all respect her. They love her. She is their stability. Catherine gets her strength from the Lord. But her situation is desperate. She needs help. She is carrying a burden that is far too great for such a young girl. We were able to pray for her and encourage her as best we could. And as we left, we hugged her and the children good-bye. With the needs so great, our few hours there seems like nothing. But to have her smile for one day, to lift her spirits for one day, to encourage her on one more day, is what God called us to Africa to do.

As I watched Shakira and the others, I wondered who they would become. Maybe the next Catherine, maybe the next President of Uganda, maybe the next great missionary… So Kevin and Catherine’s commitment to these children does matter. Our few hours with them does matter. When we do what God has called us to do, we have to trust that He has the rest under his sovereign control…

The Acholi Tribe

Gulu, Uganda; Thursday, May 28



We drove a few miles outside of Gulu to an Acholi Village that had just returned to claim its land after being forced to leave one of the IDP Camps. They are in the process of starting over. Nothing was left, so all of their huts had to be rebuilt. A temporary wood schoolroom was built so the children could begin their education. The villagers were taught to make bricks, so a small schoolhouse is being built in order to promote the education of the tribe’s children. Education is the pivotal point for survival.

World Help has donated 1 pig to this particular village in order for it to give birth to piglets. One piglet can be sold for 100,000 shillings, which will provide the funds to send one child from the tribe to school for one year.

This village had a lot of children. And one thing I have discovered about these trips is that the children love to see themselves on the LCD screen on my camera. So I joined them in the shade of the mango trees and began photographing their beautiful little faces. But I noticed with these children that they didn’t recognize their faces, which leads me to believe that they probably have never seen themselves. So as I photographed, they began to understand. It was them! And then the laughter broke out. I will never forget this moment, as their shrieks filled the air for those fifteen minutes. If just for that short time, I could bring joy into their lives, then my purpose is complete.