Our Central America C team is now on their way to the airport to meet up with the rest of their team and head to Central America! Please pray for the team’s health, safety, and unity as they embark on this trip and submit fully to what the Lord will do through them over the next two weeks!
We will update again when they arrive safely!
Our Central America B team is officially off to the airport to head to their first of two countries over the next two weeks! Join us in praying for them to share their faith boldly as they embrace two new cultures and give water filters to those who don’t yet have access to clean water.
We will update again when the team arrives safely!
Today was a rewarding and full day on our mission trip here in Southeast Asia. We started the morning with some hard work—our team moved and dumped rocks to help divert water away from a well-used path. It was physical, sweaty, and satisfying. At the same time, other team members picked up trash around the area, doing their part to care for the environment and community.
Afterward, we cooled off in the pool—a much-needed break after the heat and labor. For lunch, we headed to the mall, grabbed some food, and enjoyed a little downtime together.
In the afternoon, I had the chance to watch the worship team rehearse for the evening’s praise music. Their passion and joy were contagious. Later, we joined Youth Lab, the local youth group, and it was incredible to see their energy and love for God.
To end the evening, we all headed to the volleyball and basketball courts for some fun and fellowship through sports. After debriefing in the pool under the night sky, I met a few guys from a new team who just arrived—they’ll be staying here for a month, and I’m excited to get to know them better.
Grateful for a day full of service, connection, and community.
– Graham
Kamusta, mga kaibigan at pamilya! Hello friends and family!
We just finished our third day here and it was quite incredible! It first started off with a delicious breakfast of banana bread , eggs and oranges. After that, Farmer led us in a devotion which was followed by a group prayer to ask God to give us the strength for the long day we had ahead of us.
Our first stop was in a neighborhood that we did the feeding in. We took two different kinds of porridges for the kids , one that was chicken based called lugaw and the other one was chocolate based called champorado. It was a hit with the kids!
As we were walking through the community, we would walk by peoples’ homes. The kids were greeting us with warm smiles and high fives, it was the sweetest thing. In the middle of the slum, there was a little church where a bunch of kids meet up and praise the Lord together. It was nothing like I’ve ever seen. These kids were singing songs which had some pretty cool dance moves to it. Our group was doing our best to follow along with them but they were the real stars of the show. Their love for the Lord was very inspirational and it was so beautiful to see this in person. Despite their living situation, they still have a great passion to praise Him.
After that, our host Brooks took us to a boba shop and I got my favorite, a passion fruit tea with 3 different types of jelly/boba. It was so amazing and well needed after our morning in the heat.
After lunch, we had some downtime so we relaxed a little bit before we headed into our afternoon activities. We visited a jail and brought them some food as well. It was definitely an unforgettable experience, you’d have to be there to understand. Farmer spoke some encouraging words to them and we sang worship songs right after. Everyone in the jail was so invested in what Farmer was saying and they were also into the worship songs, just singing along, smiling and dancing. It was definitely an amazing sight to see. The presence of God was in there with us and you could tell.
We ended off our night with a boodle fight or kamayan which sounds a little silly but it was the best thing ever. It is essentially a traditional local feast where all the food is lined up on the table on top of banana leaves and everyone just digs in. Everyone eats with their hands and it’s basically like you are fighting to eat your food because everyone is going at it. There was rice, fish, chicken, pork, fried chilli peppers (which was my personal favorite), cucumbers, mangoes and some little sauce to pour on top. It was one of the coolest things ever and I am so glad we were able to experience it together as a group. Also with everyone else that is here with us like the kids and staff of the children’s home.
The weather was great, the food was amazing, and the vibes were awesome. It was definitely the perfect way to end our day! We are off to get a good nights rest because tomorrow we are hitting it off strong in the morning with picking up trash and painting some walls.
Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers and we cannot wait to see what’s in store for tomorrow!
Lots of love,
Keilah
Here is our blog and some pictures!!
“ey up duck!”
We are loving our first couple of days here in Western Europe!
On Tuesday we spent our afternoon with the Canvas House team and attempting to beat the jet lag and weariness of our travels. We had the opportunity to take the Underground, tram, and train! Tuesday evening we got to have a pasta dinner with the students! But right before we had the incredible opportunity to worship and pray with the team.
Wednesday we got to tour the city we’re staying in! We saw a castle, beautiful architecture, plenty of fun shops, bookstores, and a TK Maxx (yes it’s called TK Maxx)! Our team’s favorite spot was the tea shop! Dominic’s current obsession is the blueberry pancake tea he purchased and forced everyone to try. We got dinner at a super authentic Thai restaurant. The interior was decorated to be a bustling Thai plaza with colorful signs, authentic art, and flavorful food. After dinner, we scurried around the city for an adapter that fit the UK outlets and eventually found some at TK Maxx!
This morning we took a tour of the University and walked around the lake. Tonight we get the opportunity to help with Canvas’ baked goods night!
We appreciate all the prayers!
Hi Friends and Family!
Today we had our first full day in country and hit a new level of exhaustion as we jumped full force into the day’s tasks. After a quick breakfast and bracelet making lesson from Ella Joy, we hopped on a jeepney and spent the morning playing with kids at a feeding. They had boatloads of energy and kept us moving with races, hand games, and basketball. After stopping for currency exchange (Fun Fact: there are about 55 pesos in a dollar), we headed back to the base.
After lunch we joined up with a team from APU to go to district “T”, which is one of the poorest parts of this city. It’s on Smoky Mountain, which is made almost entirely from trash and gets its name from the way the summer heat makes the plastic smoke. It took us two hours of traveling each way by jeepney, train, and foot. But it was worth the trek because we were able to participate in Youth Lab, which is essentially a youth group. We spent time connecting, had a time of worship, and then heard from a group that had just gotten back from their own missions trip to Cambodia. It was encouraging to see how the global body of Christ was connecting, and to hear how eager they were to serve and share the Gospel even though they had so little themselves. Lauren and I shared our testimonies, and so did a few of the APU team members. We had an incredible moment of confirmation happen during this time. One of the APU girls shared that one year ago, she had a dream about a girl giving Lauren’s testimony after leaving this country last year. It was the same exact story. She also mentioned that she had been reflecting on Proverbs 3:5-6, which is the verse that I had shared in my testimony.
After a closing time of prayer, we headed back to the base and arrived two hours and a lot of vehicles later. We had a late dinner and debrief, and now we’re headed off to bed after a hard, but good, day. Tomorrow we’ll be getting our hands dirty with some trash cleanup and painting.
Thank you for your continued prayers!
Laura and Philippines team
After about 12 hours of flights, the Western Europe team arrived safely! Once they landed, they navigated the train system and made it to the town where they will be for the next two weeks to do ministry. As they get settled and oriented to the ministry, let’s pray for them to adjust well and to continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all of their conversations over the next two weeks. We will update again soon!
Hello Friends and Family,
Today was a long but exciting day!
We arrived around 9:30 a.m. and headed straight to the kids’ ministry. With all the traffic, it took us about an hour and a half to get there. By this point, everyone was running on just a few hours of sleep, but the energy was high and spirits were up.
When we arrived, the field workers greeted us with warm smiles and open arms. Even though we were exhausted, they didn’t let us head straight to bed. Instead, we were given a full tour of the entire ministry. It was incredible! We got to see so many amazing places and learn more about the work being done here.
After the tour, we visited a juvenile detention center where we spent time with a group of young boys and a couple of girls. We were able serve a meal to them and speak the gospel. Judah did an amazing job sharing his testimony, and we all offered words of encouragement. We reminded them that their current situation is not the end of their story and that God is right by their side. “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
Later, we headed back to the compound and had some fun swimming with toddlers, which was such a sweet and refreshing way to end the hot day.
In the evening, we had dinner, watched some neighborhood basketball, and prepared goodie bags to pass out to the kids tomorrow.
Now it’s time for some much-needed rest. Sending lots of love and prayers to everyone back home.
With love,
Lauren
After one layover and almost 16 total hours in the air, the team has made it safe and sound in Southeast Asia! Everything went smoothly and they are so excited to see what God is going to do while they are there!
Since they arrived around 8am local time, they have the whole day ahead of them to get acquainted with the area and ministry, and to fight jet lag by staying awake. The highlights so far: really hot, great energy, amazing welcome!
As they are about to head out to their first community feeding, pray for renewed energy and joy that will overflow out of them as they have opportunities to share about Jesus with kids and embrace this new culture.
Our second Global Outreach team of the summer has officially begun their journey to Western Europe! With a 3am send off, the group is tired but hoping to sleep on their long flight. Please pray for their safety and health as they travel, and for renewed energy when they arrive.
We are excited to see this team share the good news as they build relationships with young adults and are guided by the Holy Spirit.
