Paradoxical

The nature of this trip frequently fascinates me. From the very beginning of us sitting in our apartment in BC and deciding that we would go in all or nothing on this, we knew we had to really allow God to be the author of this trip – to let him fill in the blanks as we follow in faith. Essentially, this meant having no plan, or at least barely having one. Although we distinctly felt that for this kind of trip no other way would work, there was still an aroma of cynicism, perhaps from our own hearts or what caught on from the hearts of others (because we get it, two young girls and no plan – it just doesn’t sound like the recipe for success!)

But don’t get me wrong; we were so excited constantly fantasizing on things big and small – of all the mangoes we would eat, the people we would meet, and the way God would work. But we could not grasp in our mind, no matter how hard we tried, what it would look like to virtually have no plan and let God do his thing.

Now that we’re here and we’re seeing it firsthand, we are constantly in awe. What a paradox it is to feel something so strong from a presence so physically invisible. The attitude we’ve come to adopt is to be open to anything despite the plans or the lack of plans for the day. And wow, how God moves during those moments.

This past week, we were able to go sight seeing. From where we were staying in Ayala Alabang, we were able to get a ride to Ortigas from my ever so lovely uncle. His act of kindness saved us from having to take a jeepney or trike, a bus, and half a train ride. Three trains later, and we arrived in the general vicinity of where we wanted to be. Intramuros, "the walled city of Manila", is the oldest part of Manila, with many of its buildings dating back to the when the Spanish had control of the country. We took a pedicab (a bicycle and sidecar) to tour around Intramuros. For lack of better words, it was so cool! It was like time warping to Spain decades past because of the architecture and feel of the area. We got dropped off at Starbucks, which is no ordinary Starbucks, mind you! If memory serves me correctly, it used to be a Spanish war barrack. Think of an underground concrete tunnel except

replace the dingyness and weapons with a giant Starbucks sign, friendly baristas and coffee makers. Neat, huh?



We decided to do some exploring - archaic abandoned staircases, castles, courtyards, Spanish government buildings… eventually, our walk led us to crossing a river in search of an infamous street that hosts specialty camera stores. Little did we know, this little walk would lead us to one of the places many other Filipinos and family members had warned us to stay away from. Snapping away pictures of the view, cars passing by honked at us, and one man yelled in Tagalog, “Hey! Make sure you hold on tight to your things!”

Confused, we continued to walk. We went down a busy street, passing Chinatown. Heeding the man’s warning we hid our cameras in our purses. Finally, it hit me. We were approaching the Divasoria. This is one of the biggest and busiest markets in Metro Manila. Again and again, I had heard people warn us… don’t go to the Divasoria alone. And if you do go, make sure you don’t bring any expensive belongings, because the area was infamous of theft. What were the chances that we would end up where people had warned us not to go? A small feeling of fear hit me as people stared at us making it seem as if we were obviously out of place. Taxis honked at us, pedicab drivers yelled at us, and horse drawn carriage drivers also tried to get our attention. It was as if a neon sign flashing the words “VULNERABLE FOREIGNERS!” were attached on our foreheads.

Although a little taken aback from this sudden realization, we felt drawn to start praying. We walked and prayed and the fear suddenly disappeared. We walked by a school and prayed for the teachers and the students, that they would be a new generation that seeks the proper needed change for their people. We prayed for the kids we saw on the streets that their parents would take care and love them. And if their parents were unable to, that God would step in to show them what a loving father looks like.

A man in his 40’s with his gut hanging out interrupted our prayers. He asked if we wanted a ride in his horse drawn carriage. We waved our hand to motion no. As we walked past them, I looked behind us at his horse. You could see its ribs almost protruding from its tiny frame, obviously underfed and overworked. I wondered how it would have been remotely possibly for it to carry us.
Then I noticed the children behind the horse playing on the carriage who were around the ages of 1 and 3. They smiled as they played together. They remain un-phased as the man threw garbage at them, yelling at them, and blaming them for losing our business. It was as if this was a normal occurrence, something they dealt with everyday, as they continued to play.

That absolutely stung my heart because it wasn’t their fault. They are just innocent, blameless children trying to be... children. We prayed for them too. We prayed for the man’s heart to change and be softened by God, and that those children would be safe, cared for and loved. In that short walk, we felt God revealing a series of needs left and right. Looking around us, things are more complex than they seem. There are people with hardships behind what we would have normally walked past.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the train station astonished to how we were led there. This may not seem like something big, but for us, it was. We saw God lead us. We saw incredible need. And hopefully through prayer, we were able to shake the ground we walked on, because we truly believe God works from prayer and petition.

I’ll admit that even now as we continue with this trip, there are still days we struggle with faithfully following and leaving the blanks unfilled. Because when you're following someone you cannot physically see, it often feels like you're just blindly following in naivety. It's hard at times to discern what opportunities to pursue. But I guess that's the beauty of this trip. We never know what walks will lead where. We’ll just have to take it all as it comes, because God is bigger than what we can see.

"luv is a verb"

If there’s at least one thing to know about the Philippines, it’s that it’s an incredibly social culture. People run on “Filipino time”, perpetually late. Perhaps it’s because times and schedules aren’t priority. Forming relationships and talking to one another is. Cell phones are all the rage here, more so than back home. Hang outs, dating, even church announcements, are all part of what is commonly referred to as “text-text”. (Though be careful who to say “text-text” to, as it can mean let’s hook up via text messages – i.e. sexting) You can see this phenomenon everywhere – friends meeting each other after school at the mall, church mates in fellowship with one another, street kids playing together, jeepney drivers high fiveing each other along the way…

There’s something undeniably intriguing about this that has greatly blessed Rebecca and I. The people we’ve met in only the first week we have been here have really amazed us. From meeting Rosalyn and getting to know some of her family, (BTW, I just got a text from her saying her grandson Vince is doing okay!!) to the people we’ve just recently met.

This past weekend, we were able to spend time at my old home church Greenhills Christian Fellowship in Ortigas. This is the church I attended until we moved to Canada when I was six. The youth program at this church has always impressed me. The youth is comprised of anyone from high school (for Canada, that would include middle school as well) to the college-aged. In a group with such a gigantic age gap, cliques barely exist. College kids hang out with 13-year-olds kids without even thinking twice about it. And we definitely felt the love as we made it out to the youth worship night this past Saturday and the service on Sunday. As I got to meet up with old friends from years past, we really had so much fun just hanging out with each other. I’m sure Rebecca can attest to how welcomed she felt as well. They have adopted us, inviting us out to hangouts, and even connecting us with other organizations. It was so cool being able to relate to other youth here about missions – it was like an instant connection. How neat it is that something as simple as loving others can be common ground for people from two very different places.

We continued to feel the love when we visited Grace Christian Community School –
a non-profit private school located in Pasay City. If you watched our latest video, you saw that we were able to hang out with some of the kids there on their first week of school, and to buy them some supplies for their playroom and reading books for a few classes. As cool as all of that was, what really stuck out to me was the community of teachers and staff. I had learned about this school on a different trip and had spent only a few short days with them, but coming back to this school was like coming back to anw.
I was greeted with “LOOK WHO’S BACK?!” and hugs galore. Likewise, they welcomed Rebecca with open arms.

Because it’s the first week of school, school days are only until noon. So for the first day, we spent most of our time hanging out with teachers. If I could explain to you the love that I sensed within this group of teachers, I’m not sure I could even come close. But just know that it is a community who laughs with one another and supports each other. This love is so huge that it spills over to the students. It was just so neat how evident this was. Even as we interviewed them for the video, you could just feel it. The way they spoke of their students and the deep-rooted commitment they have to give them everything they need with what they have.

Speaking of the love we’ve been feeling here, may I take this time to tell you (yes, you!) that although we may be far away, we also feel the love you have been sending us too! I know we’ve said this before, but every message, note, comment, view, or hit we get is an incredible amount of encouragement. I think love gives us hope despite the disparity, poverty, and hardship we’ve seen thus far. We believe, “God is love” and if that is the ultimate truth, then what can hinder us if we’re armed with God, armed with true love.

And we take all that to heart. We’ll continue to take that with us as God leads us into another week here. We are so excited about the opportunities in front of us – possibly counseling at a street kids camp, speaking at a college campus (of about 10,000 ahhhh), visiting the white house of the Philippines, working with World Vision, and whatever else God decides to throw at us.

Until then, spread the love! It makes a world of difference, I promise.

Her Eyes Watered As She Spoke

Remember Rosalyn? Well, her story is like an onion – full of layers, and brings you to tears. The day after we met Rosalyn, Rebecca and I intended on taking a break. We had been so exhausted from the previous day that we wanted to take it easy. But hey, God likes to stir things up. That morning, I got a text from Rosalyn asking me if we could meet her at a different hospital on the other side of Metro Manila. I couldn’t quite understand what was going on – something about a pediatrician, breathing problems, and no money. We agreed to meet her there. As we got to the Emergency wing, I saw her from a distance. She was wearing a baggy shirt soaked in sweat, her eyes were full of bags and her expression was nothing short of exhaustion. It was obvious she had not slept. We hugged and she frantically began telling me what was going on.

Her grandson, Vince, is 5 months old and began having breathing problems the previous night, accompanied by seizures and a high fever. In a state of panic, Rosalyn and her daughter rushed him to one of the “public” hospitals. At the hospital, they waited before they could see a doctor as other patients were in line before them. A few hours later, the doctor had diagnosed him with some kind of bronchio-pneumonia. Unfortunately, Rosalyn and her daughter could not afford the medication or medical fees, so they felt they had no other choice but to call us.

Even just two steps in to the hospital, I realized how different it was compared to the hospitals I had seen at home. This one was dingy and dark. People were constantly being wheeled past me with blood gushing from their faces. Numerous nurses were unfriendly. Left and right, people mourned over the loss of a loved one, many because of the inability to afford medical costs. We entered the room where Vince was. I shook hands with his mother Jhen, 18, and her friend Angie, 20. I looked into the crib and saw the cutest little boy. Despite the pain he was in, he would smile and laugh between his bouts of tears and discomfort. His big brown eyes stared at me as I touched his hand. I wanted so desperately to stop the pain he was going through.

Rosalyn, Rebecca and I left to go find prescription drugs for the little guy. None of the nearby drug stands carried the proper medication, so we searched for about an hour trying to find the right stuff. We eventually had to take a jeepney (one of the modes of transportations in the Philippines) to Mercury Drug to find it. Along this journey, she told me more of her story and her life of hardship. Her eyes watered as she spoke. On top of her daughter and grandson in the hospital, she also has another child who has been missing since early May. She handed me a “missing” poster with a picture of her son. As she expressed her many worries to me – of her son being shot, being abducted into gang life, or perhaps dead – I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own mom. My heart sank, as I pictured my mom crying over losing her son, not knowing if he will ever come back. At that moment, it hit me harder than ever, that Rosalyn’s story is probably not much different from many in the Philippines. How many other mothers were struggling to make ends meet, with children sick in the hospital, with a missing child…

We returned to the hospital. As Rebecca and Rosalyn entered the hospital to pay off medical fees, I stayed outside to talk with Angie and Jhen. We became quick friends and exchanged emails so we could keep in touch. When Rebecca and Rosalyn came back, we prayed for them. It was an incredibly neat moment praying outside this hospital, with dozens of onlookers watching and listening. We thanked God for this family, and prayed for his protection and healing hand over them. As amazing as it has been to be able to provide the support to Rosalyn and her family (which, btw, THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS because we couldn’t have done this without you guys!!), I wish there was a long-lasting way we could support this family. I just keep praying that God will provide an opportunity for us to invest more into them.

Since then, I’ve actually gotten in contact with Vince’s uncle via facebook. He sent me a message thanking us. It really stuck out to me God’s perfect timing and placement. Through meeting Rosalyn, we were able to really show God’s love to more than just her. We were able to affect an entire family. So if you believe in prayer, please pray for this family that God will protect and heal them, that they will see this as an act of God because He is the ultimate sustainer, and that Rosalyn’s son would come back home.

This is just one story, and we are so pumped to what else God places in front of us. Again, thanks for you – for reading this, for affirming us, for caring, and for letting God’s love leak.

screaming something genuine

Forgive me if my w o r d s become j u m b l e d, but today was an exhausting day in the best way possible.

I’ll admit it… even though I know that God is moving and will do great things with this trip, at times I can’t help but doubt that. What could God possibly do with someone like me? With this attitude at hand, my feelings of the day were summed up by the word skeptical. It’s officially our first day – what could happen? I mean, we have a whole three months left… God can take his time if he wants to. Today will be our throw away day, a day to get our feet soaked.

And so, we prayed: “May Your will be done”. Moments before prayer, I strangely felt led to Luke 14. In my own writing, the margins read “Jesus’ challenge: ALL or NOTHING”. We read on. The passage was titled “The Cost of Being a Disciple”. Reading this made me feel the heavy significance of what it means to fully follow God, to either completely commit yourself, or to not do it at all. The more I read, the more it felt fitting...

Then the day began. We took a taxi to a local mall called Trinoma. It’s refreshing being with Rebecca because she has such an unmarked perspective of Manila. She re-iterates the things I’ve grown up seeing and have gotten a bit accustomed to. She pointed out an area of slum – corrugated tin roofs, walls collapsing in on itself, children running around. Merely two minutes later and we’re at the mall. The disparity is so real. Entering the air-conditioned mall is like entering a portal where only the wealthy exist. Out of sight, out of mind. After eating, we left the mall in search for the slum we had driven by. No matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t seem to find it.

We decided to ride the MRT (Manila’s version of a skytrain or c-train). We felt prompted to get off at Guadalupe station. It’s funny how things happen when you’re not looking for it. Right in front of us was one of the many slums found in Manila. Again, the disparity rings true as skyscrapers and shiny buildings serve as background to such an impoverished area. We began to walk and pray. As we filmed children bathing in the street, a mother breastfeeding her child, shirtless men walking the streets, we were stopped by a bunch of children skateboarding down a hill chasing one another. The joy that emanated from these kids was enough to stop us in our tracks. We filmed these kids being… kids. Despite the economic situations they’re in, none of that mattered. The video camera became our icebreaker as these kids surrounded us.

We wanted to buy them timbits from a local donut stand. It was utter chaos. As hard as I tried to say ‘wait your turn’ and ‘form a line’ in my broken Filipino, hand after hand grabbed at me, at each other - kids stealing donuts from one another and lying that they had more than one. It strangely hit me hard that a lot of these kids will do anything it takes to grab food, and that structure and discipline is far from their upbringing. An image of how these kids grew up flashed in my head – a lack of direction perhaps due to a disinterest of parents, or lack of attention as their caretakers struggled to make ends meet.

We left that area with a lesson learned – of how to approach the next similar situation, how to compose ourselves and what things we need to equip ourselves with. We took rest at a nearby mall sipping on green mango fruit shakes when a lady, who appeared to be in her 40's, came up to us with papers in hand. In Filipino, she described to me her situation: her 3-year-old daughter is in the hospital with a hole in her heart. She needs an examination and some drugs to improve her situation. She cannot afford the medication and is going around to different people asking for money. Usually, I can’t help but take the skeptic’s position, but there was something about her that screamed something genuine. Perhaps it was her kind eyes or God’s distinct call, or maybe even both. We asked her if we could visit her daughter at the hospital and she agreed. As we walked to the local drug store, she told me more about herself. She sells toys at a market place, but can barely make a decent living. Her husband also works selling toys, but even that is not enough.

Two of her children are in need – one with a hole in her heart and the other with medical problems as well. Because the Philippines’ health care system is privatized, it becomes incredibly expensive for people like Rosalyn to afford medical fees. Compared to North America, these fees are considerably inexpensive. The hundred dollars it costs for us is no big deal, but for her – it’s life or death. While the doctor in charge of her daughter's case is free, it is still far too expensive to afford the medication and examination fees. Often, many people die at the hospital due to their inability to pay these fees.

At the moment, we are waiting for her daughter to get this examination done. Hopefully the medication will work so that she will not need more medication they cannot afford, and moreover, that she won’t need surgery. We plan on visiting her and her child as soon as possible. Rosalyn kept saying how lucky she was to meet us, when in fact, we felt so blessed to meet her. I truly hope that she sees this as an act of God, not an act by Rebecca and I.

That was a huge mouthful, but it’s been so overwhelming how much God has been moving in only one day. We’ve been filming a lot so watch out for the new video! And we’ll keep the updates coming too.

Thanks for reading, supporting and loving us.

"Take me to the Philippines!"

So I know it's been a while since the last post - things have been happening in such a short amount of time. Rebecca and I have parted ways shortly as she did awesome things like meet Stephen Harper (or at least a cardboard cutout of him) in Ottawa, while I graduated and spent some quality time with the fam jam!

And throughout all that busyness, God's been moving. Like I've said before, opportunities keep coming towards us. A few things have been solidified, and others not so much. But let's give you a brief synopsis on the possibilities of our trip: staying with YWAM Thailand, visiting International Justice Mission in the Philippines and Cambodia, visiting the white house of the Philippines, working with a youth group in a province of the Philippines, working with an orphanage in Cambodia, among others!

As some of these opportunities present themselves in front of us, the reality of this trip is truly setting in and excitement and anticipation is building! And it's a good thing, because WE LEAVE IN SEVEN DAYS!!! With our departure date right around the corner, Rebecca and I are astonished of the support we have been getting from friends, families and even strangers. So, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

While we use these next seven days to prepare for the trip, we hope y'all are getting excited with us! In the spirit of the Philippines, I leave you with this sentiment:



(Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas)

Lean on Me!

Soundtrack to this post: “Lean on Me” (Glee Version)
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUhR7CrI5GU]

Hello friends!

Click on that link as you read this post and let the sounds soothe you and set the mood.

As the month closes, Rebecca and I have both been so busy with getting school wrapped up: papers, exams, packing up our apartment. At the same time, we’ve been trying not to put Leaked! on the backburner. We’d much rather be working on Leaked!, but school calls! But guess what? SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER (or in my case, forever baha)

We thought we’d update you on what’s been happening with us even though it’s mostly been school. We’ve been contacting various organizations to get doors open for when we go. Nothing’s set in stone, but I think this is the way we’re going to approach the trip, to allow for God to move amidst these opportunities. We’re so freaking excited for this!

We contracted a few good friends who are artistic and awesome to help us take a promo picture for our support cards. Paint splatters, sticky feet, and a couple of laughs later, and we had our profile picture! So a huge thanks to Lindsay, Andrea and Robyn for helping us out.

At an attempt to fundraise, Rebecca and I came up with “Dancing for $$$$”, which sounds a touch more sketchy than it really is. At our friend’s show at The Basement (a cool organization too – so check that out at myspace.com/the_basement), we tried to set up a make-shift donation box (AKA a tissue box) by the door and dance awkwardly for money. One person donated a dollar. In fact, he donated a dollar on the condition that we wouldn’t dance. Har har. But again, a dollar stretches farther overseas, so it was well appreciated. We were also able to give away a few flyers, and like I’ve said, we truly believe God can move through any opportunity – this one included.

Throughout this month, we have gotten an incredible amount of support from family, friends and strangers. We are so in awe, humbled, and encouraged by you all. Last night was our last bonfire of the school year. Surrounded by frog noises, cold air on a clear night, and people we love, it made us realize how blessed we truly are. And if that wasn’t enough, our friends surprised us with notes of encouragement and money they had been collecting to support us. I can’t even express how much this means to us – that people believe in this project, in us, and the God behind us.

Rebecca and I are so ready to go. This month is going to be chaotic with the number of things we have to do in such a short time, but emotionally and spiritually, we feel ready for the things to come. No matter what, we are rest assured knowing that we have all of you to lean on.

“You just call on me brother when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you'll understand. We all need somebody to lean on.”

Much love,

Rebecca and Denise

We fly like paper, get high like planes!

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to formally inform you that Rebecca Young and Denise Frias are officially going to the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia in the summer of 2010. After weeks of googling cheap flights, we finally made the voyage to TravelCuts with one goal in mind: Buy plane tickets!

And that we did, my friends... that we did. Thanks to Kim, our travel agent, we are leaving Vancouver on June 1 to Manila, Philippines. On June 30, we fly to Bangkok, Thailand. We leave for Pnomh Penh, Cambodia on the 23rd of July and head back to Vancouver on August 25. Whew, that was a mouthful!

Who knew buying plane tickets could give you such an adrenaline rush? My heart is still racing from the huge purchase as the reality sets in - this is happening and there's no turning back!

Details of this trip are slowly taking form, as God has provided us opportunity after opportunity of places to get in touch with, and organizations to work with. As we finalize these details, we will keep you guys updated!

Thank you so much for the support and the excitement you guys are sharing with us!

Happy Tuesday!

Rebecca and Denise