Participant Blogs

We all know, whether we’re parents or not, the need for our children to have a safe and secure place to learn, play and just be kids.  We take this for granted and think that a basic need such as this is available everywhere.  On Olango Island, in the Philippines, this is not the case.  But with your support, it can be!

 

The waiter approaches... the waiter hands PJ a tray... on it... 3 envelopes!!!! THE FIRST CHALLENGE! My first thought... CAN THIS REALLY BE HAPPENING?! We were on the ferry on the way back to Manila from Cebu island! What we thought to be a time of rest that was coming up before we fly to Kuala Lumpur, was now South Bound's first challenge!!! At that time i actually just wanted to jump overboard... we were all exhausted! The Philippines was a very busy and intense time! It can be summarised in one word... CRUSADES! 11 crusades in 11 days! The...

 

More recently i am convinced that the greatest battle you will ever fight is for your FIRST LOVE! The greatest call you will ever answer is the call to RETURN to your creator! The greatest purpose of your existence is for intimacy. You have been saved for GOD! "And this is eternal life, that they know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." [john 17:3]. What an Awe inspiring God we serve, the King of the universe loves and pursues a creation that's predisposition is to betray and reject HIM! But before you begin to think that this is another one of those pieces that will make you feel guilty about being a human listen to this Story ...

During our 3 weeks in Egypt the Lord gave me a picture of our team. I saw a picture of us walking in the desert and up ahead in the distance Jesus was walking, leading us as we followed in his footsteps.   For me and the team this was very encouraging as we felt the Lord saying that he was preparing the way for us for the next 2 months and that were ever we would go he would have been before to prepare everything for us. Looking back at our time I could see how the Lord prepared...

I have learnt a lt this year. I learned that things don't always turn out the way you planned, or the way you think it should. And I've learned that there are things that go wrong that don't always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. I've learned that you can get through bad times and keep looking for better ones. This year wasn't always pretty. It wasn't always comfortable. Some things and situations even break your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you - it should change you. It leaves marks on your...

Someone wise (Sam) once explained it to me like this…   “Christianity is a love story . It’s not a 12-step program, it’s not a course that I’m taking. It’s not a puzzle I’m working out. It is a relationship, a love story – a messy, complicated, difficult, beautiful, heart breaking, freeing, healing love story. And I can’t earn it, I can’t control it, I can’t even completely understand it. I can only trust that it is real. And I don’t have to be afraid because He is in control!”   And this was what I discovered to be true through...

    After all our adventures in all the different parts of Indonesia, we had to leave the country for a while, before returning to come to Bali and Lombok. We couldn’t stay in Indonesia, because our Visas were only for 30 days. We were planning on going to Papua New Guinea, but there is currently a lot of unrest there. Tourists have been shot by snipers on the boarder and it sounds like a civil war is about to break out, so we didn’t have peace from God to still go there. We looked for the cheapest flight tickets...

Why are you (me) doing this year????? People still ask the question: "Am I my brothers' keeper?"... (Gen 4:8-9) Are you going to be brave enough to say YES? Levitcus 19:18 clearly tells us to love our neighbour (people) as we do ourselves... but do we? The LORD himself gave these commands! As the body of Christ we need to be more concerned for our brothers and sisters... We are so guilty in that we see the anguish of their souls and do nothing!!!! The book of Acts is a good model of a caring community... "And all who believed...

I often think of how it would be to explain this year to family and friends when I get back home. I can't wait to show them the pictures and tell tales about the food, people, places and travel. The stories that made us laugh until our bellies ached, like the time the pig on the roof of the taxi peed on me. The times that I almost pulled my hair out with frustration: like bargaining with taxi drivers, and when your host serves supper at 01:00 am (technically, at such a ungodly hour, it is not supper any more,...

Farewell to the Amazonas [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1XslAdDL0g 480x480]