Posted in
Upcoming Mission Trips by Matthew Snyder on 2/23/2010
Located in the southeast region of Asia, the Philippines is a uniquely shaped
group of 7,107 oddly shaped islands. Of these 7,000 some islands, only
1,000 are inhabited by people. The Philippines are one of two
predominant Christian countries in Asia, with about 90% of the
population claiming to believe in Christianity. But many of them are
trapped in lifestyles that are very different from the truth of the
gospel. An epic spiritual tug-of-war is being waged for the soul of the
country.
Most Filipinos who claim the Christian faith also practice
ancient ancestral worship. Poverty is a significant problem, but in
combination with inequality, it poses a serious threat to stability in
the Philippines. Poverty is most severe and most widespread in rural
areas, where almost 80 per cent of the country's poor people live. Rapid
population growth and a shortage of land and jobs in rural areas has
produced a steady migration of destitute Filipino residents to the
cities. Urban areas are not excluded from the grasp of poverty, often
leading to lives impacted by drug abuse, child neglect, and human
trafficking.
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I'm not sure how many times I will say on this trip how in awe I am that God called me to Africa and I'm finally here. At times I don't feel as though I'm even really in Swaziland although my senses drastically tell me otherwise. My eyes see mountains everywhere. Poverty everywhere. Bugs everywhere. I smell everything from flowers to cows. I hear everything from my team laughing to cries of the people.
I had been praying since the day I met Notando, that God would raise up a family to be an answer to prayer - someone to adopt this precious little girl. To change the course of her life. The first day I prayed for her I knew that God still had a plan for her life and that abandonment was only a temporary earthly thing. I knew her heavenly Father loved her greatly and had much much bigger plans for her life than abandonment. Her story was not going to end with abandonment and her being lonely in a hospital till she died. This was not her story. No, God had great things in store for this little girl's life. A miracle...
The Turkana people are one of the many ethnic tribes here in Kenya and our whole team has the oppurtunity to spend a week with them teaching, preaching, visiting houses in the community and fellowshipping with the localized church body.
July 2010 World Race Mystery Route Revealed!
We went to the hospital today. The hospital is nothing like what we are used to in America. They are separated into three different wards: men's, women's and children's. The wards have different sections that have around 8 beds per section. There is no privacy and they only have single rooms for patients with tuberculous.
AIM February 2010 Newsletter
Do you want to travel the world while making an everlasting impact? Are you craving an experience that could rejuvenate your spirit while satisfying your desire for meaningful change? Then Real Life Expedition could be for you!