@compassion wants to #twakeover @water!!!

...And they need your help!!!

So basically, @water is letting someone take over their account for a week in September, and they're holding a contest to see who gets to speak to their 400,000 followers for a week. @compassion wants it to promote their Water of Life program. Which means they need YOU to vote!!!

So, if you're on that thing called Twitter, please head over to www.twakeover.water.org/t/compassion/ to vote for them! It's super easy, I PROMISE, only a few clicks. AND you only have to vote ONCE. Not one of those things where you vote everyday, only ONE time.

One minute, that's all it's gonna take you!

Thank You!!! <3

Post #100!

Yep, that's right... Post #100! :)

When I started this blog in 2008 I was [in my eyes NOW] kinda a little kid. Haha. And so today I read back on some of my first posts and realize how long ago that was and how much change me personally and my family has gone through... Crazy. :P

But you know, I see a lot of difference, but I see some similarity too. I'm still the same world-changing girl. I think I just dream, believe, trust and hope bigger now.

So, to all those who read or support or link my blog: THANK YOU! You rock! <3

Okay, enough about me and my blog, I have super awesome news! Today a child was sponsored through our family! :D Someone my dad works with decided to sponsor little Jesus! Yaay! :)

Would you like to sponsor a child? Then pleeeease click here. You know you wanna! ;)

That's all for now, thanks for reading! <3

1000 Gifts...

I've been so bad at this. :$

239. An amazing summer...

340. ...That was filled with missions...

341. ...such as working at a camp for underprivileged kids...

342. ...and a life-changing trip to the Philippines.

343. Hannah's amazing blog, which inspires me to change the world.

345. Days to just stay home and chill.

346. And days to go downtown too! :)

347. Meeting extended family that I didn't know existed/finally meeting those aunts and uncles [who I thought we random strangers] that added me on facebook. :P

348. My cute [but way too loud! ;)] little cousins: 6, 5, 3 and 2 years old. [Somehow our family accidentally missed 2007. ;)]

349. My mom's garden. It's so pretty.

350. All the critters that show up in our backyard as a result of that pretty garden!

351. Couches. :P

352. Almost over jet-lag!!! :)

353. Twitter.

www.aholyexperience.com

Wow...

It's been seven days since I last blogged - Wow! :P

We've been home for 10 days now - that was fast! Here's some random stuff that's been going on:

1. It's been hard to take in and reconcile the stark contrast of the Philippines and here [which I wrote about a bit here.] but it's also been pretty easy to jump back into life, North American life. My laptop, my bed, my house, my friends & family, laundry, chores, normal things. But I still don't want to forget.

2. The rest of my fam doesn't want to forget either, and perhaps that's why God sent a lady to us in the Wal-Mart parking lot, carrying a baby, her sign read, "Please Help... Four Kids... Need money for food and rent. God Bless You." Her english was broken, and we found out that she was a new immigrant to Canada. I don't know what her situation is, but we bought her groceries and diapers and a meal at McDonalds and gave her information about a local organization that helps newcomers. No, God's not letting us forget.

3. Canadians woke up to sad news this morning: Leader of the opposition party in parliament, Jack Layton, died of cancer at age 61. I think today, everyone in Canada agrees, whether they agreed with his leadership or not, he was an optimistic voice for the underprivileged, and truly a great loss to Canada. His words inspire me:

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." -Jack Layton

4. With "changing the world" in mind, I've yet to blog about the drought in the horn of Africa. The devastation is terrible to see... Please, please, please consider donating to Samaritan's Purse Canada here! Every penny counts! Thanks!

5. On a lighter note, I spent the day at the Canadian National Exibition the other day [AKA the CNE or the Ex], and that donut burger is disgusting. Basically, it's a burger, but instead of using a burger bun, they use two donuts. :S No, I did not try it. But all the other food was so good. Bad-for-you good. ;P And the shows, as usual, were pretty legit.

That's pretty much it. For those of you who have already started school [Bad word! ;)], hope your first week went well! For those of you still on summer vacay like me, enjoy the last of it! :)

Thanks for reading! <3

The Philippines: A Country of Beauty and Brokenness

This is a guest post that I've written about the Philippines for Project 195. For sure check out Hannah's blog, she is such an inspiration!

***

I recently spent three weeks in the Philippines. Yes, my parents were born there and we did visit quite a few relatives, but this trip was as much missions as it was vacation.

As I sit here with my laptop in my parents' bedroom watching TV, I look around and see a room bigger than my Compassion child's whole house. But I also see a room not even a fraction of the building [yes, I said building] my great aunt and uncle live in.

And I think that's what so interesting about the Philippines. You drive down the street and see countless families living in shacks, starving... And minutes later you're turning into one of the most luxurious houses you've seen, sitting down to a huge meal.

The Philippines has the poorest of the poor, AND the richest of the rich.

It's hard to reconcile this contrast, but it's also easy to sit down to that very yummy food and lie down in that fluffy hotel bed and just forget.

I really hope I don't forget.

[Florianlyn and I]

While in the Philippines, we were able to visit our Compassion child, Florianlyn. What I saw in her hometown, Masbate, both broke my heart in two and gave me hope.

Although few words were said by her, spending the morning with her, playing on the beach, it was so, so, so precious.

Then we visited her church, which was so cool. We met her teachers and the pastor, and saw, really saw, that our money and prayers do get there. It's all worth it, trust me. It all gets right there: to the church, the kids, the families. I have absolutely no doubt of that.

Lastly, visiting her home. This broke my heart. As I said, it's smaller than a average North American master bedroom. There was a hole in the roof covered by a tarp. No running water, no kitchen. Florianlyn, her parents and her two sisters live here.

But there was hope. Florianlyn's mom said that because of the ministry of Compassion, Florianlyn is getting a good education, and wants to help her family when she grows up!

[The wonderful people at Florianlyn's church and Child Development Centre]

Priceless. Hope. <3

I met many others, and if I told you about them all this would be a very long post. I met three others in the Compassion program and six kids who we are sponsoring to go to school through and organization founded my mom's former classmates. I met Justin, a street child, and a man working as a driver who has nothing because of his wife's sickness. I met a 21-year-old maid who hasn't been to school since she was 12. I saw hopelessness and hope, brokenness and peace.

Philippines is a beautiful country, the people and the land alike. But it is also a very, very broken country. I look at all this brokenness and wonder how this country could ever get better. Where to start?

It's stories like Florianlyn's and the others' that I met give me hope. Those one-person stories.

And I realize that this country will rise up again: one person at a time. One doctor, one maid, one business owner, one shopkeeper. One leader, one wandering heart, one person who asked questions.

Little by little, one prayer at a time, one heart at a time, the Philippines will change. The world will change.

Please consider changing one life: the first step to changing a country, by clicking here.

I'm Home!!!

Home Sweet Home! :)

Yes, I'm home, fighting jet-lag but still played a whole basketball game.

Sorry it took me this long to post... Haha. This will be short and sweet because I have a longer one for you guys tomorrow... ;)

I'm still thinking, thinking, thinking about what I saw these past three weeks.

It was a experience you can't come out of the same.

I saw things that broke my heart, things that filled my heart. I saw beauty, I saw ashes. I saw pain, suffering, perseverance and victory.

And I saw hope.

Hope that could only come from God.

Compassion's LDP

Heard of Comapssion's Leadership Development Program? It's awesome. :)

Let me introduce you to three girls: Anna, Rochelle and another girl, who I only spoke to for a brief moment, so her name has escaped me. But let's just call her Lily.

First let me tell you about Anna. She lives in Manila, but she's not from Manila and her family doesn't live there. Anna had to drop out of school at the age of 12 because her family could no longer pay for her schooling. So she just helped in the farm. At the age of 17, she left home to go to Manila to work as a maid, where she makes PHP3000 (about $65) a month to send home to her family. She rarely goes home. She quit school, but she's now working to pay for her younger brother to go to school. She's now 21 years old, and it seems that her only future is to continue working as a maid.

Poverty. Hopelessness. Emptiness.

Now, let me tell you about Rochelle, who I briefly blogged about before the trip. She's 18 years old and awaiting sponsorship in the LDP program. She's studying at the same school that my dad did! :) We met her yesterday:

[Enjoying some Halo-Halo - A Filipino dessert. :)]

We visited her at her church and Compassion program that she grew up in, where she's now a assistant teacher [She's studying education! :)]. She's really sweet and a great person. :)

Then we visited her house.

You can't stand up straight in her house.

She lives in what I would call a slum.

She calls it home.

It was probably the most shocking thing I've seen since I arrived in the Philippines. She, her 4 sisters and their mom and dad live in this house that is basically unlivable. Walking to the house, I had to sidestep sewage water, dead animals and much more. Rochelle told me that when it rains [and it's rainy season, it rains alot!] her house floods. They rent a small room upstairs for when this happens. I can't even imagine.

But because of Compassion's LDP, there is hope. She can become a teacher when she's done school, and live a better life than this. Help her family. Help others.

Which is why my family has decided to sponsor her! :)

I can't wait to begin exchanging letters with her! :D

And lastly, let me tell you about Lily. We met her right after talking to Anna. Lily is working in Manila's Compassion office. She's an LDP graduate, 22 years old, one year older than Anna. Such contrast between her life and Anna's. She has a bright future.

What a contrast between the future of Lily and Rochelle compared to Anna's.

What a difference LDP makes.


Make a Jesus-Difference, Give Hope: www.compassion.ca

Meeting Florianlyn

When we first sponsored a child through Compassion, we never thought we'd be able to visit our child. Last Friday, we were able to meet Florianlyn! :D

First, in the morning, she came to the resort, earlier than expected! Guess she was as excited as we were? ;) As we approached the van that she came in, I had to pinch myself I couldn't believe it! The girl that I've gotten to know through a few letters and the picture pinned on our fridge was going to be standing right in front of me in seconds! First came her tutor/case worker, Conchita.

Then, there she was.

Hair cut short, shying behind her mother's leg. Introductions were made and we went and sat around a table. She was very shy, no smiles, no words. The language barrier prevented me from saying much to her, but my parents spoke a language she understood, and Conchita was there to translate, so we had a bit of communication. We gave her her gifts, books, clothes, school supplies.

And finally, a smile spread across her face as a doll emerged from the backpack. It was priceless.

Some time later, Jhon and Julius arrived. Remember them? The ones who got sponsored through my mom by my aunt and "almost" aunt? :)

They came for lunch and we introduced them to their sponsors through pictures. We gave them their gifts. They were a bit less shy, probably because they knew each other, but I still couldn't talk to them! Man, I wish I had picked up Filipino during my childhood! :P

Here's a picture of the 3 kids, my brother and I looking at [petting, in the boys' case] the turtles at the resort:

[Totally off topic but important: My brother and I are both wearing Pocket Change Apparel t-shirts, which gives it's profits to Compassion. Check them out on facebook or twitter or their website, they rock! :D]

We ate lunch, and we found we had leftovers. We invited all three families to take some home, and as she packed up the food, Florianlyn's mother said:

"This is a grace. There is food for dinner tonight!"

I've never ever in my life worried about whether or not there would be dinner on the table tonight. But it seems that Florianlyn's family worries about this everyday.

Broke my heart.

Then, we parted ways. Jhon and Julius and their families back home, us and Florianlyn to her project and church. We drove to the Child Development Centre on the one main road in Masbate. Seriously, it's like, "Do you wanna go this way, or that way?" :P

The pastor, one of the board members, and all of the teachers at the CDC met us at the church.

Despite the poverty around them, they were so joyful, all smiles. Joy, the type that only comes from God. We looked around, and it was just. so. cool. No other way to put it. :P

We talked and chatted and it was just great to learn about their programs and learn about them. Then the pastor prayed for us, which was really, really, great. Here's a picture of everyone together:

Lastly, we went to her house. It was smaller than a typical North American master bedroom. Her, her parents and her two sisters all live in there. No kitchen, running water. Made of tin sheets and hollow blocks. Hole in the roof, covered by a tarp.

But again, despite all this, hope reflected in the eyes of Analyn, Florianlyn's mom.

"When she grows up, she wants to use the education she is getting to help her family, all because of Compassion."

So cool. And I'll pray often that she is able to finish school and reach all her dreams.

And then it was time to say goodbye.

Already?

I'd only heard a few precious words from her. Seen a few precious smiles. Had a quick day to breathe the same air as her, and now it was time to say goodbye:


She was caught up with her new things, but my mom and I still each got one quick, precious hug. Glad my dad got a picture of it. :)

It was a day where I saw poverty, hopelessness, despair.

But those things were overcome by the joy, faith and hope.

Hope. <3


www.compassion.ca
www.compassion.com
www.facebook.com/compassionintl
www.twitter.com/compassion

Totally Botched on my Promise. . . :P

Like, a week ago I promised pictures... Sorry! :$ Here you go, our trip so far: :)

Taal Volcano.

NBA All-Star Team (Kobe, Rose, Durant, Fisher, Paul, etc.) vs. Philippine National Team. NBA-ers won... :) This pic is of Durant shooting, and Kobe (#24) going for the rebound. :)

At the Compassion International office in Manila. Let me tell you, impressive. They run the Compassion program like a very well oiled machine. From picking churches to partner with, to getting letters to kids, to organizing Advocate Tours and Sponsor Visits... It's pretty good. They're way awesome.

Justin, who lives in Pasig City, just outside of Manila. My cousin has a store there, and he knows Justin. He's a street kid. I guess he just gave a name and face to "street kid" for me. My cousin helps him out a bit. :)

Basketball again! Way better seats this time. Basically court side, for PHP500 which is about $10. We were watching PBA, which is basically the NBA of the Philippines. I was like, WHAAAT? And, it was for two games! LOL... :) We only payed attention to the second game though: My dad's fave team from his childhood, Ginebra, was playing!!! It was a heart attack and very good game, but Ginebra lost. :(

Then we flew to Masbate, where we would meet Florianlyn!!! We were greeted by these accommodations. :P As you can see, my lil bro is swatting those ever-present mosquitoes [or something way bigger... :S] away. And then we went inside and found the lizards. No joke. Like, legit.

But, the beach at the resort was beautiful!

And then we met her. She came to the resort where we spent the morning talking with her, her mom, and her tutor. Then we visited the project and church, and then her house, which this is a picture of. She's the one behind the little girl in red. The girl in red is her sister, Cerelyn. They have another sister, in their mom's arms, Ashlyn. :) I'm gonna post a full post on the visit after this one... :)

And these are the ever present tikis a.k.a. lizards in the Philippines. Then there's the tokus a.k.a. geckos. I've only seen one... In my grandparents' kitchen. :$ Ew. I'm getting slightly used to them though... :P They don't go on the floor, which is good. Oh, and my grandpa has pet snakes... :/ Oh, and there's the stray and really annoying dogs, and the chickens, and goats and... It goes on and on.

There you have it! My trip so far, and I will post about the visit right after this goes up! :) Thanks for reading! <3