Today we started our day learning how to make tortillas with Doña Brenda, who is a lovely lady in the community. It was so fun to learn from her and they were so delicious! After that, our team was able to serve in a couple different ways— building more pilas in the community and making great progress in a library work project at the organization. It is such an amazing thing to be able to bless the communities with building more pilas so that families can store water at their homes. After serving in the morning we had beautiful plates of fajitas made for us by the staff and had a great time sharing stories and experiences of our serving at lunch. After that, the Ellie’s led a lesson on the fruits of the spirit and handling big emotions for the scholars. Danielle then led a devotional for the scholars and blessed them with her words of wisdom on finding strength in hard times. We made lots of great connections with both scholars and staff over dinner and games to end the night. What a blessing this trip has been so far and we cannot wait for the other ways we can continue to serve in this community! Our team is continuing to grow and allow God to work through us and we are so grateful for this time!
Monday was a really nice time where we got to bond with more students, and be in a very intentional prayer time with the Canvas staff. We started off by praying from 9am – 12pm being very intentional about what it is that God was wanting from us for this week. After we all ate lunch together and spent time preparing for students to arrive within the hour, after eating we spent time singing songs while Kailea played her guitar for us. After we all played some board games together, having the students join in and had tons of fun with them. After Canvas closed we went to dinner with Claire and had some really good Pho, we then went back to the house and relaxed for the night.
Tuesday started off with the team doing some work to help around Canvas while Dom and Jerome ran some errands for the team around the city. After our errands we met back with the team at a really good bakery where we had some amazing baked goods. After that we got to walk through this tunnel which was MASSIVE and a fun thing to be able to do. We walked around the castle again and got to go into a pub that has been there since 1189 which was built into a cave. After this the team split, Sal and Dom going back to canvas while the rest of the team went to grab some things in the city. The boys napped while the girls got some overalls at a very popular store that our field workers are ALWAYS wearing. Getting back together we played some board games with students while we waited for the free dinner to start. During this time, Victoria got to share a bit of the gospel with one of the students and got to discuss one of her favorite topics; why do bad things happen to good people? We then started free dinner and there were almost 50 students there (one of their biggest nights) and they had 12 students who wanted to hear more about the “faith talk” that they share after lunch. This was a very big thing for the team and we were so happy about all the people who were interested.
Thank you again for all the prayers and support, the Lord is moving through this team and we’re excited to see what he has planned!!
After two long flights and a long layover, the team has arrived safe and sound in East Africa! Check out their update from their long layover below!
It has been an amazing adventure already! We started at SF International with an abundance of donated supplies for Courage Worldwide. We overwhemed TSA, but it was all within our limits! Whew! Then it was off to our 15 hr. flight to our eight hour layover in the most gorgeous airport in the beautiful country of Qatar! The comped hotel was full, so they escorted us to a hotel in the city! Whoa! What a beautiful gift from God! We had an amazing middle eastern dinner, with Turkish coffee and all! Bogey even found ukaianian dishes! We cannot wait to return to Qatar! Now it’s off to our next and final 10 hr. flight into East Africa! Thank you Jessup for this once in a lifetime opportunity!
Man, oh man, today was a day, let me tell you! We started off with a feeding near what the locals call the “chicken arena,” where people raise pet chickens and use them for fighting. They invest a lot of money into these birds, and if they don’t pay their debts, they risk being beaten up, which is more than a little terrifying. What’s even more disheartening is how the men seem to treat their chickens with more love and respect than their own families. But despite that, we got to go in and dance with the kids and feed them champorado a beautiful, joy-filled experience.
Afterward, we headed back to the YMC to mentally prepare ourselves for what came next: forming a carry train to unload 1,200 boxes of rice, each weighing 17 kilo. There were about 50 of us helping out. Funny enough, during the first round before lunch, Farmer took Judah and himself to the mall… while we were carrying the boxes. Weird, right? Haha! (He was buying a speaker for the pastors to use for the feedings) was worth it!
Eventually, we got a lunch break and Farmer had finally come back! We all pitched in and finished unloading the rest of the boxes from the truck. Jokes aside, it was honestly so worth it. We got to work with other teams, listen to music, and share tons of laughs. It was a long three hours, but we made great memories.
After finishing, Khaycee, Alec, and I decided we deserved a little sweet treat. So we hopped in a trike and headed down the street for some boba. It’s always hilarious trying to watch Alec fit into those little things! We grabbed some road snacks and ended up with some delicious Domino’s pizza/boba.
Dinner was CHILI, and it was SO good! I had the chance to talk with some German field workers and hear about their faith journeys. It was such a powerful and encouraging conversation.
Later in the evening, our team headed to Praise Night where we worshipped, danced, laughed, and made so many unforgettable memories. I truly thank God for everything He’s doing in my life and in the lives of the people around me.
Now it’s time for sleep. Khaycee and I are munching on our snacks… maybe sharing haha.
Good night, everyone! We miss you all and will see you in just five days!
Feliz martes a todos! Our day started off with a birthday serenade in Spanish for Rebekah who turned 23 years old today. We then joined Just One staff and scholars in building two Pilas. These large concrete water tanks are used in Central America as people in this community have limited access to water. Our team also sanded and painted outdoor chairs, benches and tables. We had local enchiladas which in California we call tostadas. Just One also surprised Rebekah with a tres leches birthday cake; everything was muy delicioso. Next, Danielle and Rebekah taught the scholars a lesson on goal setting. The girls did great and the scholars really enjoyed it. We ended the day with sandwiches and games with Just One. We are excited for more serving opportunities tomorrow!
I would describe our Jessup team as mild, deeply thoughtful and willingly adventurous. For most, this is a first time experience. I bring a little spice, having traveled doing international work for the purpose of training up leaders with Bible study skills in many places around the world.
Our team has integrated with two other college teams. So we have become a mix of students from Jessup, Westmont and Palm Beach Atlantic. And by integrated, I mean, all the guys from the different universities are sharing one room! I’m in a room with the outreach coordinator from Westmont, Kelly. All the Jessup ladies are in one room… with one bathroom.
It’s day 2 of visiting homes bringing water filters, learning from those we are visiting and in turn sharing our lives and the Life giving message of hope. In the villages we go out in 7 groups of 4-5, each day with a different combination of people.
In just the few days we’ve been together I’ve seen these guys step out and step up to share their lives and experience with not only the other students from other universities but also in homes with people they are learning about. As a veteran I can say I’m so proud of Jessup, the training before hand and the continued support of staff to allow and provide hands-on eye opening practical opportunities to grow in faith.
We have each been in at least 7 homes -7 teams x 7 homes in 2 days – which is a lot of experiences to hear about and try to remember. Each night, some incredible stories are told.
It’s a complete joy to see the unity of the team, and the growth in confidence. Today I was told by one of the men in the home we were visiting that he could feel how much we loved! God is up to something!
“What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.”
Wow, I can’t believe we just wrapped day 7 here in Southeast Asia. I must say, it has been incredible and has blown my (our) mind(s). I know we serve a big God, but when you see God in action, through his people that you’re not familiar with…I must say I have been challenged and encouraged to say the least!
That being said, here is the recap on our amazing day. It has been a little bit of a bummer because Nicole, my wife was sick on Sunday and then once again today, (Tuesday)was in bed all day. Even still, this morning we got to serve and it was good. We went to a village called Mayanot and did a feeding with the community. I got to share some encouragement and we also did some dancing and singing. It was a fulfilling morning.
After a quick lunch back at Kid’s homebase, we went to the mall with Brooks (our host), Khaycee, and Lauren looking for corn beef for Khaycee’s mom and candy for Lauren’s brother. We had success finding what we went for and of course we got some Filipino chocolate when we were at the store and also came across something that looked like pork rinds, but it is called Crunchy Chicharon Bulaklak (google it). I of course had some with chili and vinegar and it was AWESOME!
This afternoon we went to a feeding at Nagpayong Pasig City. It was pretty incredible. We learned that it was a community that has been relocated some years ago because they were basically gentrifying a wealthy area closer to Manila. The pastor of that location has people on site that do incredible ministry and they are transforming the community with Jesus’ Holy Spirit presence in them. One hilarious thing on the trip is that so many people think the Oakley boys are Marvel characters from the movies. This particular community, it was over the top! All of the kids and even adults think that Alec looks like Captain America and Graham like Thor. It’s pretty hilarious.
On our way back to the van, Brooks picked up Tipas Hopia, a flaky pastry/bean dessert. They look like cookies. The jury is still out on what the team thinks of this sweet treat.
We ended today by treating the women that are part of the kids international transition program to dinner at Kenny Rogers chicken restaurant. Yes… Kenny Rogers.! Filipinos love this place! These are women that went through the residential program at age 18, “aged out” and are now in college. These are women that were orphans and are now in college, breaking the cycle and living out God’s call on their lives. The three women that I sat with at dinner where in orphanages since they were six and now two of them are getting psychology degrees and one is getting a nursing degree. They are resilient women with amazing stories. It was the best way to end our day.
We came back to home base that night, took a dip in the pool, debriefed the day, and laughed at Alec and Graham’s shenanigans like we do daily.
I pray Nicole starts feeling better and I’m excited for what God has in store here on Wednesday. I’ve been super proud of this team and the way they have enthusiastically served each and every day we’ve been in country.
Blessings to you all at home, we covet your prayers, and please know that we miss you at home.
Day 3 in Central America started off with a wonderful devotional lead by Ellie S. where we humbly prepared ourselves for our first full day of service. We then headed to Just One International where we worked together to plan out the lessons and devotionals we are going to be teaching throughout the next two weeks. We took a break to try the delicious coffee at their cafe which is a staple crop in the area we are serving. It was delicioso! This break was followed by a trip to the organization’s library where we helped to find and organize books. Just One is such a blessing because they house the only library in the community! Because of your generous donations, our team was able to bless the organization with new Spanish books! Our next activity involved preparing and delivering food bags to locals living in extreme poverty. This is a common service Just One provides called the No Hungry Home Walk. We finished the night with dinner, games, and fellowship with the college scholars. Our day was full of blessings upon blessings, and we are so excited for what tomorrow holds. With Love, Danielle and Rebekah
We have now spent two days in our first country in Central America!!
I am beyond excited to be here and I love everything I’m getting to experience. On Sunday, we attended a church service; the sermon focused on three main points: 1. AVOID trying to control situations and people that only God can and focus on what God is calling YOU to do 2. AVOID living in the past and don’t allow past decisions to dictate the way you live your life today 3. If we don’t change our way of thinking we will never change in the way we live.
After the church service we went out into the homes to install water filters and share the gospel. My role during our first visit was attending the baby to allow the mom to receive teaching about the filter and the gospel. I got to learn more about their culture through engaging in conversation with her afterwards! Central Americans here are very hospitable people and are very humble with what they have! We then finished our night by walking through the city and visited the famous arch! 🙂
Monday was a busy but fun day! I woke up around 7:00am and went down for breakfast. Then we all got ready to go to a feeding with the Azusa team at a place called Tent City. We took big vans to get there, and our team got the one with the best AC (shhhhh, don’t tell Azusa!).
On our way there we listened to worship music and made some origami frogs and butterflies for the kids, which they loved!! When we got there, it was hot, with not a lot of shaded places, and lots of kids. It was a blast. We got to play some Tag with the kids, play with the origami frogs, toss with a stuffed animal they had, and do the “go bananas” song too!!
After that, we drove to Jollibee’s (a fast food chicken place people loveeeee to eat at here) for a much needed lunch break and spontaneous team bonding time. We all ordered, but found out that sadly they were both out of fries and the peach mango pies we all love! 🙁 But somehow, my dad was able to get us Large size ones (I guess they had them versus the regular size?) and we were all over the moon with excitement!
When we wrapped up at Jollibee’s, we’re then headed to another adventurous spot – a waterfall called Daranak Falls. It was very cool! The water was cool and blue, except the waterfall part was not flowing a lot, it still was a cool experience. We all got to cool off in it for a few hours and just play which was a lot of fun. When we were finished swimming, we all had to be dry in the vans, so some of us had to change into dry clothes, which took a hot minute. But, it was definitely worth being dry on the long car ride back to the base. The nice ladies who make the food back at the base also packed us lunches (PB&J’s, juice pouches, and apples which were very tasty and perfect after a long swim!).
When we arrived back, we all got a little cleaned up, and then headed to the Adoni House (a home at the base for young, 12 – 16 years, pregnant girls) to play games, do karaoke, and we even got to make Turon (a filipino banana roll dessert, which is super tasty)!! The girls were so kind and had the best laughs and smiles, I loved getting to know them and hang out.
Afterward, we went upstairs to dinner, which was a taco salad bar! I liked it, and we brought up the Turon we made so everyone was able to enjoy it too. Then, Brooks (our host for the trip) told us he had what is called Balut (a fertilized duck egg that has been incubated for 14ish days and then boiled) and that the brave people who ate it would get a pin saying they did. I was grossed out and chose against eating it, however, Lauren, my dad, Khaycee, and Keilah were brave enough to eat the baby duck. We got the whole thing on video, so don’t worry if you need to ask one of us for that! 😉 But everyone on our team who tried it, was able to swallow it and get the pin!! It was nasty, and Lauren almost puked, but she pulled through in the end, ewww!
Once the birdies were in their tummy’s, we all went up to the boys home to play sports with some kids and the pastors from the area which was cool. We all had a lot of fun, the kids are really good at all of them!!
Well, that’s all for now! It was quite a day, and can’t wait to see what tomorrow has for our team!! Thank you for keeping us in your prayers, it is greatly appreciated. We love and miss you all!!
