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Kayla Balangue

Jun 15 2025
8

Update #7 Eastern Europe

By | 2025 Teams, Eastern Europe

Hello everyone from Eastern Europe – Nathan here, bringing you today’s update from the field!

We’re officially one week into the trip, and today was full of stories, sweat, surprises, celebration, and even a scoop or two of gelato. So grab your coffee (we definitely did) and enjoy this peek into our Saturday!

Waking Up and Warming Up

The day started like most: with sleepy-eyed travelers wandering downstairs, lured by the smell of coffee and the kindness of our GEM hosts, Matt and Rebecca. These two have been a true blessing, constantly serving, encouraging, and keeping us fed and focused.

A Special Birthday Shoutout

Before we get too far… today is Levi’s birthday!
Most of us had quietly signed a birthday card earlier and made sure to congratulate him on surviving another trip around the sun. Celebrating with him was a highlight, we’ll come back to that!

Morning Devotions: A Word on Perseverance

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, we gathered for our daily devotional. Each team member was assigned a day and came prepared with a printed devotion. Today, Karina shared a timely word on Perseverance, a fitting message for this mid-trip moment. She quoted Max Lucado:

“God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.”

Amen to that, Karina. What a needed reminder as we balance physical work with spiritual focus.

Work Assignments and… Dishes!

After devotions, Matt laid out the day’s assignments. A quick note: at the start of the trip, we all signed up to do dishes three times. Today, Levi and I had this responsibility. So for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we were responsible for doing all the dishes.  

Work Teams:

  • Group 1 (Me, Levi, Karina): Concrete basketball court repair
  • Group 2 (Katya, Vincent): Bench sanding and staining
  • Group 3 (Danyelle, Chris): Paver driveway repair

We worked hard through the morning, and the projects are really shaping up. We also owe a big thank you to Tibi and Genica, the caretakers of this property. They not only care for the land but make us feel incredibly welcome here. They brought us lunch today, chicken and potatoes from a local restaurant.

Birthday Celebration Time!

At lunch, we surprised Levi with his birthday card, a vanilla cake, and some of his favorite sweets (thank you Danyelle!): chocolate with marzipan and nerd gummy clusters. Levi, we’re all grateful to celebrate you today. We are so glad that you are here and able to celebrate with you. 

Shopping (a Cautionary Tale)

After lunch and a quick dish-washing shift, Levi and I had finished our morning work, so we headed to the store with Rebecca. For those who know me well (looking at you, Lisa), you know it’s dangerous to take me grocery shopping, I always come back with more than we need. And yes… pickles were not on the list.

We visited Kaufland, a German-style supermarket. It was quite the experience; you have to insert a coin to unlock a shopping cart (which you get back when you return it), and you weigh and label your own produce. Thankfully, they use pictures!

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

After unloading, we all rallied around Danyelle and Chris to help with the paver driveway. For the first time this trip, all ten of us worked on the same project. It was an awesome moment of unity, laughter, and accomplishment.

Dinner… and Cabbage Confusion

We wrapped up work around 6:00 PM and were served dinner by Tibi and Genica at 6:30. Tonight’s meal: steak, mashed potatoes, and… cabbage. A lot of cabbage.

Unsure of how to serve it, Rebecca looked up how to make homemade coleslaw. Later, we wondered, perhaps they mix cabbage into the mashed potatoes? Still unsure, but hey, we’re rolling with it.

Gelato, Police, and Laughter

Just when we thought the day was winding down, Matt surprised us with a trip into town for gelato at “Gelateria Ciao Toscana.” Amazing flavors, everyone picked two or three. A sweet way to end the day!

On our way home, we had an unexpected moment of humor: a police checkpoint. All the men were in one van (looking very suspicious), and the women were in another. Surprisingly, the police waved us men through and pulled over the women. We pulled ahead and waited, watching the scene unfold before us. It appeared as though they were only stopping white cars (their car was white). They let the women go shortly after, but it made for some good laughs and storytelling.

Evening Reflections

Back at home, we tackled dinner dishes together and then gathered for our evening reflection. Vincent led us with the question:

“What keeps you going?”

It was a meaningful way to reflect on the day. I also had the opportunity to share my personal testimony, how God has been faithful throughout my life.

Final Thoughts

To our friends and family, thank you for praying, supporting, and encouraging us. This group is amazing. Every person is giving their best, staying positive, and working hard in a ministry that will have ripple effects far beyond this week.

We feel your prayers. Keep them coming. And please, keep commenting, we read them and they bring light and a taste of home. We love hearing from you.

We miss you. We love you. And we’ll keep persevering.Until tomorrow,
Nathan

Jun 14 2025
5

Update #12 Southeast Asia B

By | 2025 Teams, Southeast Asia B

Halo!

Today was our last day on the island, and it was a fun and adventurous day, but also very bittersweet.

We got up early this morning to drive to a waterfall, and we had about a 1 mile hike down to the waterfall. It was such a sweet view, and we had a fun time swimming.

After having a blast at the waterfall, we went back to our hotel and ate lunch before getting ready to head back to the House of Hope to make pizza.

We had a great time helping make the pizza, and the house of Hope threw us a farewell party with a rice cake with sides that they use for cultural celebrations. They presented it to us, and each member of our team got to share a little something about our two weeks here.

It was really hard saying goodbye to all of the kids and staff because of how big of an impact they made on our life while we were here. We’re getting all wrapped up and ready to head back to Bali tomorrow and then back to California on Monday!

Selemat Malam (Good Night),

~Josh

Jun 14 2025
0

Team South America A is back home!

By | 2025 Teams, South America A

After their quick 2 week trip, the South America A team is back home safe! Check out their final post below!


Today we said goodbye. Two weeks of amazing relationships built, hard work, laughter, crying, too much ice cream, and a lifetime of memories. 

It’s hard to explain the emotions we feel in a blog post, but a piece of our hearts is definitely staying here in South America. The ministries we got to serve and the people we got to meet showed us more about the love of God than we could’ve ever imagined, and I know I speak for the team as a whole when I say this experience has been life changing in the best of ways. 

As I write this we’re enjoying our final dinner together. Some people are laughing, some are holding back tears, and others are drinking way too much coffee. I’m looking around and I can’t help but feel so blessed by the commraderie this team has developed over these last couple of weeks. Every single person has played such an important role, and God has used them in so many amazing ways. 

We’re so grateful to be returning home, and our collective prayer is that this experience pours over into our lives back home through our friends and family, our church community, our college, and any person that we meet. So if you’ve read this far, please take time to chat with the team member you know about their experience, pray with them, encourage them, and love them well. God bless, team South America A OUT!

Jun 14 2025
2

Update #11 South America B

By | 2025 Teams, South America B

Hello friends and family!!

Today was another amazing day in South America! Our day started off with a quick walk to Starbucks for some sweet treats for our friend Grace, because it’s her 20th birthday today!! (What a great way to spend your 20th birthday—in South America!!)

We ate breakfast at the hotel as a team after surprising Grace, and then we kicked off our day!

Our first stop was the Azul maintenance hangar, which is the biggest hangar in South America. We got a full tour of the place and saw so many cool things—like the pilot kickback area, the baggage compartment underneath the plane, the cockpit, the painting area for the plane parts, and we even got to speak on the PA system (just like flight attendants do)!

Fun fact of the day: this country is roughly the same shape as South America!

Next up was the City of Youth campus, where we’ve been spending the past five days. We headed straight to lunch and had some yummy chicken, beans, and chicken noodle soup. After lunch, we got to work on Valentine’s Day cards to hand out to the kids living on campus because this country celebrates Valentine’s Day in June!

Then it was time for our work project: painting the curbs in front of the office! Honestly, painting has been super therapeutic and actually really fun. Once we wrapped up our masterpiece, the boys living here challenged us to a game of futsal.

Spoiler alert: we got absolutely destroyed.
(As you probably guessed.)

After our crushing defeat, we cleaned up from painting and spent the evening hanging out with the kids who seem to have an infinite amount of energy. Seriously, the party never stops.

Dinner was a delicious home-cooked meal, and the cherry on top? A surprise birthday cake made for Grace by the kids during their baking class!

If I had to describe today in one word, it would be: hubideebubba.

Kk that’s all—goodnight!

-Erica

Jun 13 2025
7

Update #6 Eastern Europe

By | 2025 Teams, Eastern Europe

Today was another busy day for our team! Katya and I spent way too long sanding off benches. We fixed the warped planks and coated them with a nice stain. Jennica was very impressed with our work!

Levi had finally had enough with the colony of ants squatting in our room and did a deep clean of the floor.

Chris and Danyelle started to work on the driveway again, meaning that they spent all morning in the sun weeding and making the dirt even. 

Levi and Claire cleaned curtains and the basement. 

We had a nice Mexican dinner prepared by chefs Rebecca, Claire and Levi. They shooed everyone away from the kitchen to keep it a surprise.

We finished the day off with a nice team walk. Our hotel dog, Luna, decided to tag along. We checked out some new homes nearby and got barked at by 50 different dogs all at once. It was a pleasant trail with a beautiful view of a large field dimly lit by the sunset.

-Vincent

Jun 13 2025
3

Update #11 Southeast Asia B

By | 2025 Teams, Southeast Asia B

Halo!
Today was simple but so fun. We woke up early and left the House of Hope for a beach resort a few hours away. The drive was long, bu it was good for us to catch up on some sleep. Once we got there, we got straight into the water for surfing, paddle boarding, and boogie boarding. The resort made us an amazing lunch, and we spent some time walking the beach, exploring, and just relaxing. After a few hours, we packed up and headed back to House of Hope for dinner, then ended the night with pickleball games before heading back to the hotel.

~Allie

Jun 13 2025
2

Update #11 South America A

By | 2025 Teams, South America A

A day that everyone had been dreading but felt like the last week was leading up to, saying goodbye to the church. We gathered our chairs in a circle and got to listen to a man at the church share his sweet testimony. He felt it was necessary to share that the joy we had in work would not leave his mind. That watching our group dance and sing like we were in a musical all while doing hard work was something he wanted to embody. Whether we were painting walls, hanging panels, cleaning the floor, painting curbs, or at a house visit of a church member- we all had a purpose. The purpose was to love on the church and the community as Christ loves us. Every little detail was intentional, we will all walk away with a lasting sense of love and admiration for a place so so far away from us. We took our final team picture at the end of the work day and had to say goodbye to the beautiful view over looking the city and to the beautiful people we got to meet along the way. They sent us off with hugs, videos, and gifts to remember our time with them. We made sure to stop in at our favorite corner store owner, Blanca, to say goodbye (and to thank her for restocking her ice cream every day). We hope that our hearts shine through all the projects we did at the church and that the love of Christ is embodied every place we touched. We hustled back to our home base, packed all of our belongings in 10 minutes, and off we went. We went on a tour that was special to our location – The Middle of the World. We learned about the history of the country and the native people, then at the end got to *attempt & succeed* at balancing an egg on a small nail. We got back in the bus and accepted the complete uncertainty of the place we would be staying the night. We arrived at a sweet cabin like area and all the girls got bunk beds in a giant room and the boys got two rooms that they naturally turned into one by bringing a couple beds in. We met incredible long term missionaries from South Africa that made us dinner and started a fire so we could enjoy everyone’s company. This team has been begging to try and Guinea pig and we were gifted with that during team time. We all took a big bite and yes it does taste like chicken… just greasier and then got to do some incredible reflection with one another. We got to encourage people one on one and also share peoples strengths blindly. There was plenty of laughter and tears that lasted easily 2 hours, Jesus was in THAT room. We played games, had deep conversations, and ultimately had a big sleepover for the last time with lifelong friends.

-Lauren

Jun 13 2025
3

Update #10 South America B

By | 2025 Teams, South America B

Oi friends and family,

Today was a very special day. It is the local Valentines Day and the kid’s from the City of Youth, Happy Day.

Happy Day is the day that kids who have had their Birthday within the past couple months celebrate their birthdays all together by going to the mall. Each kid gets to spend 15 rias to buy candy.

This morning we continued working on our paint project, but because it is Valentine’s Day we also made cards for the girls and boys. Or goal was to let the kids know that they are loved by Jesus.

After the amazing lunch we got to give the girls their Valentine’s Day cards. It was so much fun to see the joy on their faces just from a card.

Kayla made it safely to the country and joined us in the City of Youth.

At 2:30 we got in a bus with all of the kids for Happy Day. Before we went into the mall each of us paired up with one of the kids and got to take them around. The kids got to buy candy from the Supermarcados. We got Big Macs from McDonalds and afterwards chocolate ice cream. They were filled joy over a simple ice cream cone. After walking around the mall, the kids and Derek went to watch the live action Lilo and Stich. The rest of us continued to walk around the mall.

The girl that I was paired up with was so excited about having ice cream that she was jumping up and down and excitedly talking about ice cream.

When it was time to get back on the bus we were able to give each one of them a present and they in turn showed us how happy and grateful they were for this day and for us. It was so exciting to see the joy and thankfulness on their faces. The boy that Declan was paired with said that he was really thankful and that Declan was like a Dad to him.

You all can continue to pray that we would make the greatest impact during our time left in South America.

-Caelyn

Jun 13 2025
6

Update #5 Eastern Europe

By | 2025 Teams, Eastern Europe


Salutări from Levi

Today was an eventful day! We woke up bright and early to grab breakfast and pack a sack lunch for an hour and a half drive to a castle. This ornate castle is located in the beautiful Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe. It served as the summer home for the king and was a beautiful mix of German renaissance and gothic architecture full of spectacular wooden carvings and art. 

After visiting the castle the group took a coffee and pastries break at a little cafe on the castle grounds. Fueled with caffeine and ready to hit the road, we made our way to the street markets to shop for souvenirs. 

With our souvenirs in hand we made our way down the hill to an old Orthodox monastery. The Monastery was founded in 1695 by prince Mihail and was named after the great saint Catherine’s monetary on mount Sinai in Egypt. 

To cap off the day and do our debrief we all got burgers at this awesome burger shop there.

God has truly blessed this group. We had so much fun today and cannot wait to update you all on our next adventure 

Blessings, Levi 


hey! it’s claire, and for todays adventure i thought i would bring everyone to my crib (house)! It started with a long drive to the mountains and then a short hike up a steep hill and then we arrived… to the Castle! AKA my vacation home! i was feeling kind of generous so i decided to give everyone a tour, and the castle is so big it took more than an hour to only get through 2/3 floors! Sheesh. 

after that exhausting tour i decided it was time for lunch. we ate lunch in front of the neighboring castle just down the road, it’s where my guests stay and the group shared a conversation with jokes and witt. i would like to say i had the best come backs… but this is a pretty clever group. 

after lunch we walked about one thousand miles around the town that the castle is in. out of everyone i think Danyelle spent the most money, obviously on gifts that she just “had to get” for her family and friends. i also got a few souvenirs for my family but not as many as she did… 

then we went to a Monastery! we got to witness the culture and practice of Orthodox christianity followers and were able to witness a bell ringing/drum ceremony which was very beautiful. 

about one thousand miles later and a bit more shopping we went to a place called Umami for burgers and fries. the burger was about the size of my face and also came with two handfuls of fries, and i definitely ate the whole thing. 

then of course i fell asleep on the way home and i heard one of my group members say in the car that they could tell i was asleep because it was so quiet… wow. 

because yesterday was my birthday but i was sick, i’m claiming this day as my birthday and it was a pretty cool way to celebrate! a great day exploring. i slept all of yesterday and woke up ready for action today! 

good chat!

Claire <3

Jun 13 2025
4

Update #10 Southeast Asia B

By | 2025 Teams, Southeast Asia B

Halo dunia (hello world)!
The morning was kicked off by a yummy breakfast and inspiring devotion given by Dave. After breakfast, the team and I met at a field for the last Royal Rangers ceremony. Once the ceremony ended, we headed back to the fieldworker’s house (aka coffee fuel station).
After a coffee recharge, the team split up to help with various activities for the campers. I went to the sand volleyball court and helped with the semi final and final games, Elise and Kellen helped with crafts and coloring, Lexi and Corban taught the kids origami, Dave and Allie made balloon animals for the kids, Meeka rocked the hula-hoop station, and Josh went fishing with the kids at the beach.
After a hardy meal (fish caught from the ocean by Josh and other campers, rice, and veggies), the campers said their goodbyes and HOH kids and staff helped clean up the field. We took down the zip line, bamboo structures for tents, cleaned up trash, disassembled a bamboo climbing wall, and more. Afterwards, the team and I headed to a bakery to get our breakfast for tomorrow’s early 4:30 am start! Then we went to freshen up at the hotel and headed straight to a cafe where we met up with the fieldworkers. Some of the team has gone night swimming in the hotel pool, while others tuck themselves in and prepare for a long day at the beach tomorrow!

~Natalie