From Taipei to Manila...and Back Again

About a week ago, we returned home from our one week vacation in the Philippines. Our time in Manila was the perfect combination of volunteer work and relaxation. In the next few blogs, I'll share a few stories and pictures from our time there.



Our journey started early Saturday morning...really early. Our flight left at 1:30 am. We were glad to have Ben and Beth as travel companions!





Our short flight arrived in Manila around 3:30 am. We camped out on the airport floor for several hours.



Around 7:00 am we took a taxi to Kids International Ministries, a mission base located in a squatter village outside of Manila. Upon arrival we met Jeff, the man in charge. Over coffee and eggs he shared about KIM and some of the different ministries they run: an orphanage, transitional housing for orphaned teens, a home for teenage mothers, two schools, a library, an educational magazine, and a trade school.



They also feed 10,000 people each week, make sure the villagers receive clean water, provide basic medical and dental care, build homes, and recently finished rebuilding a church and seminary. They do all these things in conjunction with local churches. "KIM is like the wind in the sails...we work behind the scenes. We give local churches the credit and God the glory."



After breakfast we went into the village to help with the morning feeding. Kalan and Ben served up some rice and vegetable soup while Beth and I played with the many children who immediately converged on us with worn plastic bowls.



The poverty was jarring, as I had become used to all the comforts of Taipei. I was thankful to be there.

That morning, Jeff had asked Beth and I to work the night shift in the nursery part of the orphanage. Eleven sleeping babies? How hard could that be, really? In preparation, we took naps that afternoon. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into...