While in the Philippines, high school student Morgan D‘s heart broke for the children living in poverty, but she didn’t know what she could do to help them. There were so many that she was overwhelmed.
Then, her team spent a week in a village, where they were able to spend pour into the children and teens there. Their team’s goal was to start a Bible study in the village, but God had something else in mind.
When the sun goes down in Cebu, Philippines, the sidewalks turn into something that looks more like a homeless shelter than a walking path.
People collect whatever they can find for bedding and fall asleep, while dozens of “rich” folks pass by as if the homeless mere feet away don’t even exist.
Many times, I found myself doing the same thing the upper class Filipinos did. “Just keep walking and try not to look,” I told myself as I tried to come up with some excuse for not stopping to offer a few pesos, a snack or even just a hug.
One night on our way back home from ministry, we passed by a young boy, no more than 10 years old, lying on the curb and reacting to some drug he’d taken earlier that day.
The moment I saw him my heart broke… but I just walked on by.
After taking about five steps past the boy, my leader stopped and said, “I have to do something for that boy. I can’t just leave him there.” He went back and carried the passed out boy to a building nearby and laid him underneath the overhang so he wouldn’t get stepped on or ran over by a car.
Sadly, hundreds if not thousands of Filipino children live this life every day.
They spend their days begging for money and food, their evenings finding drugs to ease the pain, and their nights sleeping on the streets.
No, we probably can’t help every child on the streets, but we can make a difference to a few. These children need a Savior.
I found this to be true my entire time in the Philippines.
For about half of our trip, we worked in a village called Basak which literally means “mud hole”.
During our time there I felt God leading me to minister to the teens guys of Basak. We had quite a bit of free time thanks to the rain cancelling a few plans, so I was able to get really close to these guys.
When I first started talking to them, all they wanted to do was tell me about their gang and brag about the bad things they had done.
I prayed for these boys every day, built relationships with them, and tried to share the Gospel as much as I could.
One day, as they were teaching me some of their language and showing me what plants were safe to eat, one of them called over our host missionary to translate something.
I had no idea what they were saying, but I knew it was good because she had a giant smile on her face.
Soon she turned to me and said, “The boys have become really interested in God these past few days and asked us to start a Bible study with them.”
I could hardly contain my joy! Our initial goal was only to start a Bible study there, but by the end of the week there was VBS daily, Bible studies for all ages, and a church service on Sunday!
Obviously God had much bigger plans than we did.
The truth is, God sees every child, no matter where they are—from rural villages to sleeping on the street in busy cities. He knows each one by name, and loves them all equally. None are lost to Him.
My trip to the Philippines showed me just how much God cares for every child. I’m so thankful to have had a small part in sharing His love with them.
*Photos by Faith Craver and AnnaKate Auten
Ambassadors is going back to the Philippines this year, and there is still room on the trip—but the deadline to apply for all Ambassador trips is next month!
If you are a high school student who feels God calling YOU to share His love on a mission trip this summer, CLICK HERE! 
