2024 Teams – Page 6 – Global Outreach at William Jessup University

May 27 2024

2

Update #5 Southeast Asia A

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Southeast Asia A

Hi family and friends!!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our team! We are having an incredible time as we are getting into the rhythm of serving. It has been amazing to see how God’s hand has played such a pivotal role in the ministries here in Southeast Asia.

On Sundays, all of the ministry and staff take the day off so we had some down time to explore the city and site see. In the morning, we went to Rockfish Church which is in association with Kids International Ministries. It was moving to see and hear different cultures, generations, and languages all worshipping and praising God. It was a beautiful reminder that God is the savior of the world and is worth of our praise.

After church we were able to take a short bus ride to visit the American Cemetery here and Memorial which is a military cemetery located nearby. This was a beautiful memorial dedicated to honor the American and Filipino sacrifices during the fight for the Pacific in WWII. There were crosses marking the burial sites of fallen soldiers and a circular terrace with maps to recall the actions of the war. There were also names inscribed on the walls to mark the names of those missing from the war. It was amazing to be able to remember and honor the fallen soldiers on Memorial Day weekend and see how grateful the Filipino people are to the United States.

Next we went to a HUGE outdoor and indoor shopping mall in the Metro nearby where we got to try new foods and sweet treats, and spend to pesos on souvenirs to take with us back home. One thing we noticed as a team was the immense wealth of this part of the city. The malls and shops were way nicer than most American shopping centers yet as we left the city we were faced with more poverty not even 5 minutes away.

After our adventures we took some time to cool off in the pool, play games with our team, and go frog hunting. We are excited for our next week of serving and are eager to see what God is going to do next!

If you could continue to pray for our well being, energy and strength, as well as more opportunities for us to serve and love people. We greatly appreciate your prayers and support!

Taylor

P.S. – Mom and Dad I am still alive 🙂 love you!!

If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.

May 27 2024

0

Update #10 South America

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, South America

On our last couple of days serving at two different hospitals we had the privilege of feeling like royalties during our visit. The leadership and staff were so warm and welcoming. They gave us a tour of the facility along with tea crumpets. Our nursing team members got the opportunity to be hands on and take vitals signs for the moms in active labor, listen to the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler machine and learned from the staff nurses how to assess the positioning of the baby in the mother’s womb. They also got to hold a premature baby and feed them and see how they apply phototherapy for premature babies with jaundice. It was beautiful to see one of our team members communicating in sign language to a lovely deaf couple at the hospital.
Our highlights also included receiving a tour of the hospital areas and getting to work alongside doctors and nurses in the ER and the Med-Surg floor. One of our team members got to change central lines dressing and had the opportunity to feed patients as if she was feeding Jesus. These two days were very busy and it included lots of direct assistance and lots of prayers during the visits. While at the second hospital, our team got the opportunity to do post-mortem care on a patient who had just passed and helped console the family and pray over them. All in all this was a very fruitful day loving on others, being a light and learning skills that our nursing team members will bring back home in preparation for their next semester in the nursing program.

If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.

May 27 2024

0

Update #9 South America

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, South America

Bom dia familia e amigos!! Como estão?
On our last two days serving with the children from the community, we prepared multiple stations of activities. We had an amazing time with them as they explored different stations including coloring bookmarks, arts and crafts, sensory toys, creating crosses with sticks, making bracelets and paper airplane, water balloons and so much more! The rooms were filled with laughter and smiles and lots of fun craziness.
We had the opportunity to show God’s love through all these activities but also by talking, encouraging and praying for the children/staff. Our hearts were heavy to say goodbye to those amazing little angels but we know their faces will be in our hearts forever.

If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.

May 26 2024

9

Update #1 Team Central Asia is safe & settled!

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Central Asia

After some long international flights, our team has safely arrived in Central Asia! It’s the middle of the night in Central Asia as they arrive so please pray that they would adjust to the time change well and get some rest to begin their ministry with renewed energy!

We cannot wait to hear all about how the Lord will be working in and through this team throughout their two weeks here.

If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.

May 25 2024

2

Update #4 Southeast Asia A

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Southeast Asia A

Hello friends and family,

Thank you for your continued prayers! Our team is thriving here in Southeast Asia and we are all sleeping well and healthy which is a gift from God! It is very humid here so we are always sticky, and it has rained quite a bit in the last few days.

Today was another fun and full day of ministry. In the morning, we got to participate in a VBS program in a nearby community with YouthLab, a youth group made up of student leaders who share the gospel with the community. I am so inspired by their passion for the Lord and for ministry. They ran the camp all on their own, dedicating their time to serve God. We sang songs, played games, and saw a skit put on by the youth, which had to be moved into a covered area because it began to rain. The kids called this area the chapel of their village, but it consisted of only a concrete box with tin roof. We passed out sandwiches to the kids and then got to help fill buckets of water from the well and deliver them to homes in the community.

The village we visited is located in a gated community with many big, expensive homes. We even passed a golf course on the drive in. The village was very impoverished, with small makeshift homes and trash everywhere. It is heartbreaking to see the immense poverty located so close to great riches. To me, it feels like an injustice, but somehow the people living there are still joyful.

In the afternoon, we got to put on our own small VBS program at the children’s home. We had worship, a skit telling the story of Jonah, and some rotating stations which all the kids enjoyed. Many of them are orphans or their parents cannot keep them. Being able to spread the love of Jesus to them was amazing.

We had a little bit of time to rest and debrief tonight, and tomorrow will be a more chill day which will be nice after all we have experienced.

We look forward to what God has in store for us next!

Until next time!

JD

May 25 2024

3

Update #3 Southeast Asia A

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Southeast Asia A

what’s up brothers

Today after breakfast our team decided to take a tricycle ride to get some starbucks to start off our day. and here we have two basic white girlies getting starbies in a tricycle.

Coming from feeding the poor yesterday to getting a Starbucks drink we’ve noticed the different classes of society. That there’s not much of a middle class, you’re either rich or poor. I am super grateful for the blessings and opportunities God has given me in my life.

We then came back to our facility that we are staying at and the girls got ready to help out in the kitchen while the boys went to help out with demolition and construction.

Today we’ve also visited a children’s home from ages one to five. We got to spend some time together and connect with them.

To finish off the day we attended a praise party which we were able to worship with the teenagers and hear an amazing word.

Please continue to pray for us as we serve in different communities and connect with the people here, as well as get used to the time quicker here! Thank you!

If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.

May 25 2024

0

Update #7 Team Eastern Europe is home!

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Eastern Europe

After about 25 hours of travel back home, the team made it back to campus safe and sound! (Plus very sleepy. :)) Please continue to pray for the team as they experience re-entry back into the US, that they would draw close to the Lord through navigating reverse culture shock and that they would be transformed by this experience even in their daily rhythms.

Make sure to ask a team member about their experience and how you can be praying for them specifically!

May 25 2024

1

Update #6 Eastern Europe

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Eastern Europe

On Wednesday night, we had the opportunity to visit the Palace of Parliament. This impressive building is the second-largest administrative building in the world, surpassed only by the Pentagon. It was created by former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and construction began in 1984. The building covers an area of 330,000 square meters and boasts over 1,100 rooms. We had a great time taking photos and enjoying the evening.

The following day, we had the chance to meet the Media team of the organization (GEM) we were serving with. It was inspiring to hear about the creative ministry tools and projects they were working on. One of their major projects is a movie. Some of their team members are former actors from the U.S. and they recently completed the script and will soon begin production. It was fascinating to learn about their backgrounds, roles, and how the Lord led them to work in Europe. They also shared with us that our gifts and talents could be used on the mission field if we decided to serve full-time.

In the afternoon, we had our first round of debriefing for this trip. We grabbed coffee at Starbucks and we were able discuss our time. It was a meaningful time where we discussed our fears and anxieties before the trip, how well our team worked together, and the impact of our work over the past 2 weeks. This trip stretched all of us. It was incredible to witness each of us using our gifts and talents and stepping out of our comfort zones.

Friday was our last day of work at the church. We prepared two meals for the Ukrainian Refugees. Esther made Chicken Fried Rice while the rest of the team prepped and made pizza for dinner. The day flew by quickly, and we had to say our final goodbyes to the volunteers and the people we served throughout the week. It was a bittersweet moment. These past two weeks went by in a flash, and we are incredibly grateful for the time we spent here. Our goal was to serve and encourage others, but in reality, they were the ones who encouraged us.

Friday evening our hosts Gene and Jason invited some of the church volunteers to dinner to celebrate our team. Gene and Jason both thanked our team for being here and for being willing to come to Eastern Europe and serve in that capacity. it was a special time. We ended the night with a gelato trip for one last time and headed back to the apartment for get ready for a 3am wake up call to head to the airport.

This was a life changing trip for us as a team in so many different ways. We witnessed firsthand the significant needs of the vulnerable and marginalized, which reinforced our mission to support those often overlooked by society. This experience demonstrated the value of taking a leap of faith, even when uncertain of what lies ahead. By obeying God’s call, we were able to demonstrate His love and grace in practical ways. We pray that our service left a lasting impact on the lives of those we assisted and our own spiritual journey. We are truly grateful for this experience and are prayerfully considering returning someday to continue working with this local ministry.

Thank you!

May 25 2024

2

Team Central Asia is departing!

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Central Asia

Our fifth Global Outreach team of the summer is now at the airport to start their two weeks in Central Asia! Please join us in praying for their safety as they travel, and for their health (spiritual, mental, and physical) while they are on the trip. Pray for the team to be able to get some sleep on their flights so they can enter into Central Asia with a renewed energy, and pray that they would continue to feel God’s peace and presence each day. We are so excited for all that the Lord is going to show them and for how he will use them in Central Asia!

We will update again once they have arrived safely in Central Asia!

If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.

May 25 2024

0

Update #7 Team Central America is home!

By Kayla Balangue | 2024 Teams, Central America

We had our last full day of ministry on Wednesday and it was so sweet! It was clear that God was moving and that he will continue to move even after we’re gone in this community. Each group was able to encourage families with the water filters, with their own testimonies, and with the hope of the gospel. Over our two weeks, we collectively installed 157 water filters and 210 people heard the good news of Jesus!

To end our trip with some intentional debrief and rest, yesterday we had our free day and our very last day of our global trip! We started our day off by taking a 45 minute boat ride out to an island. We got life jackets, masks, and flippers and then head out to go snorkeling! We were able to snorkel in the second largest barrier reef in the world and we saw many different schools of fish, conch shells, lobsters, etc. It was so cool! We got back in the boat and took a short ride to where the stingrays and nurse sharks like to hang out (very scary) and then we got to swim with them too. After that we fed tarpon, we held little sardines and they jumped out of the water and ate it out of our hands (also very scary). For some of us it was our first time snorkeling and it was amazing!

After we went back to the island and ate lunch and then had some time to explore the island and the little souvenir shops and get some sweet treats (or some much needed coffee). We headed back to the mainland after a very full day for dinner, more time at the pool, and of course mao, the worst card game ever.

Today we traveled back home and have all returned safely, so thank you for praying for safe travels! We are very sad to be leaving this wonderful country and our new APU and Simpson University friends, but are excited to see the ways God is going to use our experiences for His glory at home. See you all soon!!