Christmas in the Philippines

In December I went to the Philippines for the first time! I can't tell you how awesome it was to be back in Asia, it had been almost 6 years since my last trip, WAY too long! Even though it was my first time in the Philippines, it absolutely felt like coming home.

The phrase "life-changing" always gets thrown around when it comes to missions and I hate that it's become so cliche, but it is so true. My life was more than changed on this trip. It was altered. There is something about me that will truly never be the same. I am different. At the very core of me I have been changed. And I love it.

My church has been working with an organization the past few years, that does a lot of work in Asia. We've built a church on the island of Mindanao and support the pastor on a monthly basis. For the past two years we have put together Christmas shoe boxes and shipped them to the Philippines so they can be given to the children who live under the bridges and in trash dumps. This year I had the privilege of going to help them distribute the boxes. Let me tell you...giving like this is addictive. Giving out the gifts was awesome, but spending time with the people, that is what I loved the most. Loving on babies. Playing with children. Laughing with the pastors. Encouraging the people in their relationship with God. Definitely what I was made for.

I can't even cover everything in one post, I'm sure I'll be blogging about it more in the future, but I want to share a few shots with you:

Seriously...how cute are they?