Building a house

In Bicol, as part of the Ag team, we’ve been helping build a house for a family who are in language school right now. It’s been a mix of sweat, sun, laughter, and a lot of dirt—so much dirt. At this point, we’ve become one with the ground.

Laurel recalled her time, “I felt so good, I loved building the house.” And honestly, you could tell. She was all in—shoveling dirt and gravel with this kind of joy that made it feel like more than just construction. “I think they’re gonna have a great house,” she said. “We all put love into making that house.” And she’s right. Every scoop of dirt and every layer of gravel felt like something we were giving, not just doing.

We’ve been painting the outside wall a vibrant red (which, yes, did end up on our clothes more than the wall at times), dumping dirt by the side of the house to fill in the giant trench, and breaking up rock-hard clumps of earth that do not want to cooperate. At one point, Mia may or may not have dumped the gravel onto the road instead of the trench... but hey, it happens. It's all part of the memory now.

Some days we’re rewarded with fresh bread brought by the workers, which somehow makes the heat and dirt feel less exhausting. There’s something about sitting on a pile of dirt, dusty from head to toe, eating warm bread with your teammates that just feels... right.

The best part? It’s not about getting everything perfect—it’s about showing up, laughing when the wheelbarrow falls the wrong way, and remembering who we’re building this for. The house is coming together little by little, and so are we.

And as Mia said it— "We feel exhilarated!"

"Thank you for coming"

After each Bible study, we often hear the same line: “Thank you so much for coming” and their joy is real. They’re grateful we traveled from far away and made it through the long and muddy roads—and they’re thankful to God that we made it safely.

To us, it’s an honor just to be there. It humbles us to be used by God to share the gospel of His grace. But we’re reminded—again and again—that the power and presence people feel isn't from us. It’s the Spirit of God, working through us. He is the One who brings comfort, truth, and transformation.

Just showing up makes a difference. Not because of who we are, but because of who is with us. And sometimes, that’s all He asks of us: to go, to be present, and to let Him work.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

– 2 Corinthians 4:7

- Holland

Bicol Media Team

Capturing God’s beauty

I’ve had the privilege of being able to photograph all that we do each day. These aren’t just pictures to post on the gram or to show the fam back at home, these are pictures of God’s beauty, of God’s faithfulness, of God’s provision. Each picture reveals a different aspect of God’s character. Follow along to witness His words through the lens.

The sunsets

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

The Mountains (& Volcanoes)

Psalm 36:6

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

your justice like the great deep.

The Landscapes

The Landscape

Isaiah 55:12

You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

The Storms

Job 37:11-12

He loads the clouds with moisture;

he scatters his lightning through them.

At his direction they swirl around over the

face of the whole earth to do

whatever he commands them.

The Sunrise

Habakkuk 3:3-4

His glory covered the heavens

and his praise filled the earth.

His splendor was like the sunrise;

rays flashed from his hand,

where his power was hidden.

The People

Genesis 1:27

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God’s Children

John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

The Laborers

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

- Holland

Bicol Media Team

People Just Like Us

Sometimes it is really hard to connect with or conceptualize the lives of those overseas. Spending time here makes you realize they live lives very similar to our own. They wake up, go to school, work, or the grocery store. You see children out playing or university students meeting their friends for coffee. They struggle with the same things we do: finances, relationships, and health. 

In the United States, it can be easy to be disconnected from the rest of the world. It can be hard to feel invested in the work being done overseas with people you do not know. 

We have had the privilege to connect with some locals here to be translators for us as we go on the college campuses. One of our translators shared her story with us. Hearing it really connected us more, especially on a personal level. 

Mia shared that she grew up in a Buddhist household but went to a Catholic school. She had many questions about God growing up, but she never asked. Eventually, Mia moved away to go to college, where she lived for herself and faced many struggles. One day, a former classmate of hers invited her to church. This began her journey of coming to know Jesus and what He did for her. Mia actually got baptized not too long ago, praise the Lord. She still struggles with her relationship with her family as they do not understand her new faith, nor do they agree with her desire to teach. 

Mia's story is similar to many other believers here in Thailand, but it is also an encouragement. We have fellow brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world that we should not forget nor neglect to pray for.

Please pray for the local believers. That the Lord would strengthen and encourage them. Also, pray that the heart of the church in the US would be stirred for their brothers and sisters overseas.

- Emma

Creative Media Team

Meet the Team: Philippine Ag -- Bicol Member

Meet Laurel!

Hey y’all! I’m from Pascagoula, Mississippi where I attend community college. I wasn’t originally planning to come on this trip—in fact, I thought I was going to Peru. But I kept praying, and even though I wasn’t sure yet, I kept rereading the trip descriptions. My eyes kept going back to this one. I took it as a sign and chose it. It felt right, and I’m glad I listened.

Coming into the trip, I prepared my heart to be uncomfortable. I knew it would stretch me, and it has—but in the best way. The whole experience has changed my perspective way more than I ever thought it would. I knew it would shift something in me, but I didn’t realize how much I’d walk away wanting to do more missions.

When I need to unwind after a long day, I usually just put my headphones in and listen to Petra. And if I can get my hands on a fully melted Cadbury Oreo bar, even better—you gotta go all in on the full Filipino experience. As for local food, I’ve really enjoyed pancit. It’s just good.

One passage that’s carried me through this trip is Isaiah 42. It talks about strength and being a servant—that’s really what I’m here to do. When I get annoyed or discouraged, I remind myself that God is in control. That verse helps keep me humble and focused on who I’m serving and why.

Please pray for our safety, physical protection, unity for our team, and that the hearts of the people we encounter will be open to what the Lord wants to do.

Persons Of Peace

A report from a Philippine Summer team....

The Lord has guided us to many Persons of Peace and has allowed us to share the gospel with several hundred people. We have seen 30+ salvations during our time here! We have had the privilege of following up and continued discipleship with the believers here. We have been able to teach believers how to share their personal testimonies, pray, and do consistent personal quiet times. We have been able to witness the forming of a house church and have been able to see believers consistently come weekly. 

As the Philippines media intern I’ve been able to visit some of our teams on a different island. While staying with them and join them for ministry days I’ve been delighted by people this team has been meet and disciple.  I truly know that the Lord is working throughout all of our team this year, guiding them to share the gospel, share God’s love, and make disciples. 

God's Definition of Success

One of our assignments from our supervisors was to create an Instagram and form relationships with college students on the local campuses. This past week, we hosted our first event, a game night with free pizza and cookies. We arrived an hour early, only to find the room we thought we had reserved was taken and we would be moved to the obscure fourth floor. This room turned out to be a prayer room with a TV and rows of chairs set up on the carpet. No tables, no games--not much to work with.

We moved the chairs around to make it more open, set up the TV and wireless microphones for karaoke and Just Dance, grabbed some cards from downstairs, and climbed the four sets of stairs over and over until we were ready for the students to arrive. Well, by the end of the night, no students we'd invited from the campuses came. We had two of our translators, an extra friend who popped in, and two students who we'd met at a previous event. And lots of leftover pizza. 

It wasn't exactly what we expected or had hoped for, but through this event--and some wise words from my mom--I came to realize that it was still a success. Despite not reaching the group we wanted, we did reach those two students and our translators. We had so much fun playing games and spending time together, even though there were only a few of us. Sometimes God's definition of success is not our definition of success, but isn't that a good thing? After all, there is a reason He is God, and we are not.

We have a second event we're planning, so please pray that we would draw in some students. Pray for Gospel conversations.  

-Gabby

Creative Media Intern