All Posts By

Kayla Balangue

Jun 09 2025
4

Update #2 Eastern Europe

By | 2025 Teams, Eastern Europe

Hey guys! Danyelle here. 🙂 Today was a pretty quiet and chill day! We were mainly still recovering from jet lag, but we did start a few of the tasks here. We were also limited in what we could do because of an Orthodox holiday and we were not allowed to work outside.  

We started the morning with some yummy breakfast (German cereal, fruit, and toast). Most of the boys unintentionally woke up together at 4:00 am and they were able to do their devotions. Us girls slept in until 8:00 am, but we all kept waking up in the middle of the night…except Claire. She was out cold the whole night despite us girls accidentally dropping our water bottles and turning on the wrong light. 

Anyway, we finished lunch and then Matt, our fieldworker, led us in a devotional. We then Nate Mao…he did not enjoy at first but he quickly got the hang of it. After a couple of games of Mao, we were able to speak with the missions pastor of the church here, Cristi, and he shared that sometimes the way in which we view success in missions or trips like this one in the American mindset: “how many people did I share the Gospel with?” “how many people were saved?” “what did we do?” However, the Lord views it differently and we often do not get to see the fruit of our labor. The Lord views it as a bigger picture and sees how the work He has planned for us impacts the future of the organizations.  This was a really sweet session in which many of us were able to gain new perspective on the work we will be doing on this trip. 

After we finished the meeting with Cristi, Katya , Claire and Vincent went shopping to prepare for food. While they were gone, Chris, Karina, and I got to play games with his son. We played Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and they claimed that apparently, I slap too hard. I think they were slightly dramatic, but the kid did say that he thought he was going to have to go to the hospital because of the game (he didn’t) (he also kept roasting me the entire game). 

When they arrived back at the hotel, the boys went to the country’s version of a Home Depot to pick up materials for some of the projects that we will be doing. The girls stayed back to do some cleaning. 

Then, we hung out for a while until dinner was ready. Katya and Vincent made stuffed peppers, which was very yummy! Then, we celebrated Vincent’s birthday with cake and non-alcoholic bubbly. 

To end the night, we debriefed the day and some of us played games until 11:30 pm. 

Overall, it was a chill day and we now feel rested enough to start working!

See you later! 

  • Danyelle 🙂
Jun 09 2025
7

Update #7 Southeast Asia B

By | 2025 Teams, Southeast Asia B

Halo, as we wrap up another day here in Southeast Asia, our hearts are full, our bodies are sore, and our spirits are soaring. Tomorrow is the first official day of Royal Rangers Camp, and today, we continued preparing. From sunup to sundown, we poured our hearts and energy into getting the grounds ready, we continued in clearing out the land getting rid of weeds, roots, sticks, rocks you name it, we even encountered a scorpion, but don’t worry it was safely disposed of. The whole team, staff, and kids worked together with machetes, rakes, and shovels in hand to make space for what’s going to be an unforgettable camp for the kids. We helped build shade structures out of bamboo, finished building a homemade zip line up in the palm trees, and even worked on making a floating ladder. There’s something so rewarding about seeing God’s raw creations used as material to turn into something so awesome and fun when everyone has a part in helping.

It’s never a dull moment with the kids and their contagious laughter with never being far from the action. We took a little break to have a bow and arrow battle with the homemade bows made from pvc pipe! It was wild, fun, and an absolute blast. We also got to test out some of the other activities for camp, like giant hula hoops and slingshots. You can feel the excitement in the air; they’re just as excited as we are.

After lunch, we took a break from all the hard work to cool off and walk down to the beach. Words don’t do it justice. The views were just breathtaking. We explored the shoreline, collecting shells and watching little crabs and hermit crabs scurry around as we were walking through the mud and sand. It was about a 2-mile trek there and back, and though a few of us came back a bit sunburnt (noted to wear more sunscreen next time!), it was worth every step.

When we got back, the work continued. With just a few finishing touches, the zip line was finally complete, and yes, we tested it out! Josh, Kellen, a few of the kids, and I all took turns, and it was such a thrill. Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter made every bit of effort worth it. We ended the evening and gathered at Mike and Diane’s place for dinner. The food and fellowship were amazing.

As we look ahead to camp starting tomorrow, we ask that you continue to pray for our team. Pray for strength, energy, and unity as we pour into the lives of these kids, as there are expected to be around 300 kids attending. As God continues to work through us, we see it in the joyful faces of the children, in the hands joined together to serve, and in the peace that settles over us even when we’re exhausted. We know He has big plans for this camp, and we are so honored to be a part of it.
-Lexi

Jun 09 2025
0

Update #8 South America A

By | 2025 Teams, South America A

Hola from South America!! 

After an amazing rest day yesterday it was time to get back to work. Our day started at 8:20 we we loaded the bus and headed off to Dios es Amor. At the church Bre led a devotional sharing some of her testimony and a passage from Psalms. After we were introduced to a few new members from the church who led us through  our work for the day. 

Today we started a big project for the church by painting all of the sanctuary. We started by sanding and prepping the walls for paint. We got to learn how to set up scaffolding and many people learned how to spackle holes in the wall. At the same time a few others from the team removed screws and tile from the walls around the stairs. We finished the day with a first coat of paint on half of the walls. 

Our day was filled with lots of laughs, dancing, and a variety of Disney music. For our snack we got to enjoy some oranges and watermelon which many people said was the best they have ever had.  At lunch we got to try some ceviche soup, chicken and rice, and Naranjilla juice. 

Today was really cool as many of the tasks we did were things people had never done before. For some people before this trip they had never painted or used tools so they have been able to expand their experiences while also serving others. We have all been learning so much on this trip and most of all I would say that we have found a huge need for community. 

Special mention: As we have been stopping by the corner store to buy ice cream and sodas at the end of our days we have began to get to know the owner Blanca. Now every time we leave the church she stands outside her door and waves us goodbye. (She is featured in the photo with the balloon animal on her wrist!)

#WeLoveBlanca

-Jaylee

Jun 09 2025
1

Update #1 Eastern Europe

By | 2025 Teams, Eastern Europe

Hey everyone! Today we met at Jessup bright and early at 5:30am and prayed as a team. Then we all piled into our cargo van from Jessup and drove to Sacramento Airport. Upon arrival we unfortunately realized that we had to check over half our bags but luckily all of our bags made it through our 3 layovers.

Something funny happened when we arrived at our first plane stop. Danyelle totally forgot that we were in such a small plane and after we landed she stood up full speed and bounced off the ceiling and everyone in the plane laughed at her.

We all had lunch together in Canada and Vincent had an Elk burger!

Next we boarded the long leg of our flight which was a 10 hour flight! This flight seemed to drag on but was overall a very smooth ride. We then landed in Germany and went through a second TSA checkpoint and made it to our gate in time for our final flight!

To board our plane to our final destination we had to ride in a bus out to the airplane and board using stairs. It was quite a funny experience as we are all sleep deprived by this point and found us falling over in the bus hilarious.

Finally we arrived in Eastern Europe around 1 pm and met up with our field workers! We then drove about 2 hours to the place we are staying and got settled in.

We wrapped up the day by visiting a cool memorial park that was nearby, eating a local dinner together with our field workers, and doing devotions together. Now to sleep and serve Jesus tomorrow!

God bless and thank you for praying for us!

~Chris H.

Jun 08 2025
5

Update #6 South America B

By | 2025 Teams, South America B

Hello friends and family!
Today has been filled with a flood of different emotions. We have all been extremely blessed to get to be here with all of the people. This morning we checked out of our hotel and went to the Hope Mountain church. Kenzie and Cole helped out again with the worship. We love singing songs in both English and Portuguese. Derek, Declan, Caelyn, and I all helped in a skit that the boys put on. We played the part of partygoers in the story of the Prodigal Son.
The sermon was about talking and communicating. Some of us were called upon as demonstrations of his points. It was very good.
At the end of church, they gave us all wonderful mugs with our team picture on it. They have all been very appreciative of us as we have been of them. Today we said goodbye to all the boys and staff workers at Hope Mountain. It was very hard to do so and very bittersweet.
They gave us all nicknames to show their appreciation for us. Kenzie is Tinker belle. Taylor is Belle. Declan is Kent. Cole is JJ. Derek is Superman. Albert is a soccer player. Grace is Judy Hopps. Erica is Mrs. Jackie Chan. Tim is Mr. Incredible. Caelyn is Elsa, and I am Anna.
We all are sad to be leaving and yet look forward to what God is going to do next in the City of Youth. The weight of sin is real in what these boys have lived through. We are trusting God that He will continue to bring people down here who will help save them.
We flew to our next city and drove to the town. For dinner tonight, we went to a local Steakhouse. It is all you can eat with all sorts of food. We had all different kinds of meat, different kinds of sushi as well as many other local foods. The place was amazing, and the food was delicious.
Tim said yes to everything that was offered him. The team favorite was definitely the cooked cinnamon pineapple. We all had multiple helpings. During dinner we met a different team that is here from Indiana. We will be switching places with them.
We are so excited to be here! We look forward to meeting everyone in the City of Youth tomorrow.
Erica hurt her foot yesterday playing soccer, prayers would be much appreciated.
We would also love prayer for quick connections with the kids and that we would be able to serve in every way possible.

~Christina

Jun 08 2025
7

Update #6 Southeast Asia B

By | 2025 Teams, Southeast Asia B

Halo!
This morning, our team split up to attend two different churches. At one, the kids from House of Hope performed a play. At the other, they shared a dance that Lexi taught them. It was really special to be part of worshipping with the local community. After church, we had lunch with the pastor and a missionary who spoke earlier. It was a good time of conversation and connection.

With a couple of hours before the Royal Rangers camp setup, we headed back to the hotel. Some of us took naps, some swam, but I got to go on a little adventure. Lexi, Corbin, Elise, and I went to explore a nearby beach. The tide had moved in, and the sand was scattered with crabs and hermit shells. Before we headed out, we picked a coconut and drank the water straight from it so fresh.

After our beach walk, we jumped in the pool to cool off, and the water felt amazing. Eventually, it was time to regroup, grab our things, and head to the field for camp prep.

We left the hotel and met up with Mike and Diane at House of Hope. After filling our water bottles, we picked up a few of the House of Hope kids and made our way to the field. Once there, it was time to get to work. We started by bringing in bamboo poles while some of the guys began building the toilet area. Me, Corban, Josh, Kellen, and Dave worked on digging holes for the bamboo ladders that’ll lead to the zip-line platforms. Other kids were pulling weeds and clearing rocks to make sure the camp base was safe, especially since many of the campers would be barefoot.

After about three hours of hard work, it was time for some s’mores! We picked the perfect sticks and showed the kids how to roast marshmallows just right. It was so fun watching them enjoy it for the first time. Sticky fingers, big smiles, and lots of laughter all around.

When the sun went down, we walked back together singing songs, tired but joyful. Back at Diane’s , we had makan malam, which means dinner in Bahasa, and spent time in fellowship with food, testimonies, and devotion.

Before heading back to the hotel, we made a quick stop at Alfa Mart (basically a small grocery store). We’re all currently obsessed with these mango Vitamin C drinks, and thankfully, the mission to find more was a success.

Now we’re back at the hotel, ready for some much-needed rest. Today was full of worship, fun, hard work, and a lot of little moments that reminded me how beautiful this experience is.

~Meeka

Jun 08 2025
0

Update #7 South America A

By | 2025 Teams, South America A

Happy Sunday everyone!! Can’t believe a week has already gone by so quickly. 

Today we went to church at Dios es Amor where we heard a devotional, message, and worship. Our team led a worship set to show them how we worship. So some of us played instruments while the rest sung. Then we had Ryan and Amelia share their testimonies. 

After church we had lunch and after that we went to the marketplace to do some quick shopping. This is where the bargaining skills comes in. We came back where a few of us did some general shopping and getting some treats while the rest stayed back relax. Cole made us dinner by making chicken fettuccine with homemade white sauce and it was pretty good. For the rest of the evening we took it easy by playing games and resting. 

Thanks for hearing about our day! 

-Katelyn

Jun 08 2025
12

Team Eastern Europe has arrived safely!

By | 2025 Teams, Eastern Europe

After 3 flights and lots of travel, our final Global Outreach team of the summer has arrived in Eastern Europe! They are excited to get started and are getting oriented to their ministry now. Let’s pray for renewed energy for the team and a willingness to serve with enthusiasm in these next two weeks!

The team will update again soon!

Jun 07 2025
6

Update #5 South America B

By | 2025 Teams, South America B

Oi! Bom noite!,
Today was banana day so we all wore banana/yellow shirts, and we went to the supermarket to buy bananas for the kids!

We had a lot of work ahead of us as we arrived at Montana de Esperança (hope mountain) on day 4 at 9am. The pine derby race was today and we had much preparation to get done for the boy’s cars. Cole, Tim, Albert, and Derek headed to the workshop to get the overall shape of the cars while the rest of the team worked with the boys on their designs. After a few hours of hard work from everyone we had 20 fully ready cars ready to race at 2:00!

We had some free time before lunch to hang out with the boys where we learned how to slack line! A local instructor and his wife came and set up 2 lines for us to try and one was even over the pool. The boys are truly so joyful and loving despite the traumatic past they all have. No one was safe from being pushed into the pool by the boys, who all know ju jitsu by the way. We ate and drank some more fresh coconuts as we got ready for lunch.

For lunch was had hot dogs, but nothing like was were used to. The chefs prepared hot dogs topped with chips, raisins, olives, an egg, and every some mash potatoes. I know it sounds really strange but it was surprisingly delicious! The clock hit 2 and we headed outside for the derby race!

Luciano, the head maintenance worker for Hope Mountain set up and track over 30 feet long for the cars to go down. Luciano was also the announcer for the event and truly brought the energy giving each boy an introduction and everything! One of the older boys gathered everyone together to thank us and pray for the group. Luciano and a man named Mathias also said some heartwarming words for the us.

We had a short break which followed shortly after by a futebol game, which has been a daily activity with the boys. We played 10 vs 10, Americans vs Brazilians, which lasted a couple of hours! The entire team played and we ended up winning in penalty kicks!

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner which was the highlight of the day. While not speaking português can be challenging to communicate we make it work! Dinner was filled with laughter and questions about each other! A few of the conversations led to a prayer for some of the boys. This part of the day was truly the best because it is the main reason we are here, to spread the Gospel to those who may not know it already. We then started writing messages on each other’s shirts with signatures to remember our time with them.

Please keep safety in your prayers as we head into our last day here and move on another campus for next week!

Tchau e até logo!!

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:19-20

Jun 07 2025
0

Update #6 South America A

By | 2025 Teams, South America A

Hello friends and family what another amazing day in country. Today was a much lighter day work wise. We got to take a break from yard work and honey-do’s and spent the day really pouring into the people of the church. We started our day by meeting with Pastor David who is one of the church elders. He gave a word coming from Exodus 30:22-25 the emphasis was on how God was specific on using different ingredients in order to complete the Holy oil. We too are all very different yet God did that intentionally to create the church. Not a single one of us is the same yet together we form the body of Christ. After our devotional we headed to the park with all the kids and had some fun. We played a few games of four corners, soccer, volleyball and treated the kids to an ice cream from the corner store. It’s amazing to see that despite the language barrier the kids have no problem running right up to you and giving you a big hug. The people here are so intentional on greeting everyone and making sure everyone feels loved which I think is how Christ would want us all to act. Taking the time to talk to the person you’re passing by on the street, hugging the person you just met telling them God loves them. After play time was over we put on a few workshops for the community. The first workshop was on social media where a few of our group members who do social media full time taught the church staff how to use their social media and how to post and put together content so that they could reach the community and ultimately drive more people into the church. The next workshop was on Finance where a couple of us went over budgeting how to save and how to allocate. The adults were very receptive to this info as it wasn’t something they had heard before. While we were doing this the rest of the group was upstairs making balloon animals and doing origami with the kids. After we finished the workshops we had a surprise birthday celebration for Evelyn one of the church members where we danced and ate cake together. We then loaded back into the bus and headed back down the mountain to the hostel. Where we dined on McDonalds burgers with potato buns and plantains followed by a team debrief reflecting on the day. Looking forward to whats in store for tomorrow!!

-Cole