Day 0: Arriving in Manila

Through our partners at Impact 3:16, Calvary Chapel travels to the other side of the globe to help spread the gospel and provide supplies and support to the children and parents in the Philippines. With a little over 20 hours of travel from LAX to Manila, it's an understatement to say the team had a long day, but we didn't let it get in the way of our excitement. As I stepped out the doors of the NAIA terminal into the thick heat and humidity, I couldn't help but feel eager to get to work. However, driving past the spackled aluminum shelter cities, eating at a chicken restaurant with armed security guards, and witnessing the infrastructure nightmare of spaghetti electrical lines, DIY plumbing, and traffic, I honestly felt overwhelmed. "How could you find a solution to a problem this significant?" But as Erwin, a Calvary Chapel member and co-founder of Impact 3:16, put it in his devotional during dinner, the best place to start is to pray.

Today was a day of rest and preparation, surrounded by an abundance of prayer. We are ready for our ministry of presence with the kids we have the honor of meeting. We prepared a fun, interactive skit telling the story of Jonah and tying it back to Jesus, finishing our day by hearing our private driver and fellow brother in Christ Randy's testimony. Erwin posed the question "Why are you here?" to the group, and it gave me pause to think about it more deeply than the obvious answer. Yes, we are here to serve, deliver the socks and other supplies so graciously donated by our loved ones back home, and preach the gospel. But when I really think about it, we're here to throw away our own plans and replace them with God's. We're all praying the same prayer: that the kids we meet have soil ready to receive His word and let it blossom. We shall see what He has planned for us tomorrow!