An Adventure to Remember, Part 1

Our church is planning a mission trip to Colombia this summer, which David is planning to go on, and it has gotten me thinking about past trips and adventures David and I have been on. I love to travel, and I feel blessed that God has given me the opportunity to see the places he has. I only hope for more opportunities to present themselves in the future.

One of my most memorable trips was a mission trip to the Philippines, during our junior year of college. We went over Spring Break, to Mandaue City, on the island of Cebu. I wasn't familiar with the islands, and maybe you aren't either, so here is a map:

On the picture on the right, the red dot is approximately where we were.

On the trip over to the Philippines, we had about 35 lay-overs... well, maybe 4, but it felt like a lot! We left from Portland and stopped in Seattle, Vancouver, Taipei, and then had a 9 hour lay-over in Hong Kong. So, like any adventurous college students with extra time would do, we explored! Our group leader, our good friend Peter, had gotten in touch with a local Chinese missionary, Andrew, and he and his friend, Andrew, showed us some of the sights.

 

We rode a tram up the mountain-side, and had an amazing view of the city!

 Finally, we made it to the Philippines, where we spent a week feeling like we were on vacation! We ate delicious foods, made new friends, experienced rides in a jeep-ni, ate at Jollybees, had fresh pineapple for breakfast every morning, went to a dancing and dessert show, and went snorkeling in the most amazing coral reef. I wish we had gotten pictures of the fish - they were incredible!


This is what our snorkeling boat looked like.

We were able to do a lot of different outreach activities while we were in the Philippines. We led a Vacation Bible School in the church our missionary leader worked with. We led a play-time and gospel lesson for some children. We visited with members of the church at their homes, and shared our testimonies with them. We visited a neighborhood that had experienced a tragic fire, and with a donation of $800, three families in that neighborhood were able to re-build their homes. We even were able to give gospel presentations in the public schools - something we'll never be able to do here in the United States! 

This little girl lived in the neighborhood where there was a fire.



Families who were able to rebuild their homes



Friends at the church we worked at in Mandaue City

This trip was incredible, and we were so blessed to be able to go. As we were boarding the plane in the airport in Cebu, I was feeling a little sad to be leaving. I didn't have any idea what adventure was awaiting me in Hong Kong!