Impact Trip

Alex Shing

Touchdown in the Philippines! Impact Team Manila left on the 23rd of March, early in the morning. Gathering together in a huddle, with parents standing on the outskirts to send their last minute well wishes, Mr. Ronzheimer and Mr. McClary blessed the group with their prayers before they jumped on the bus to the airport. The plane was bound for Singapore, and after having lunch at the lounge, the team was treated to another transfer flight, this time with onboard movies! It was 1 in the morning when the team left the Manila Airport; after the whole day of traveling, they were exhausted. It was there that they met up with their guides for the trip, Jake and Norman, who transported them to Yunjin Lyso Ministry Center (YMC) headquarters. Their journey had just begun.

No time for a long restful slumber, the team was woken up again to go to church the very next day. Made up of a very diverse congregation, the Impact team was able to meet up with many of the students who attended the school next door. As soon as the message was over, they were free to explore their surroundings. Practicing flexibility, one of the core tenets of FLOSS that Mr. McClary teaches all Impact trip participants, the team suddenly came across the kids they were to serve for the next week from the children’s home. Wearing their Sunday best, this didn’t prevent the Manila team members from spontaneously engaging in games and conversations, as the basketball court in front of the school erupted with much activity: basketball, volleyball, and soccer, just to name a few. Children gathered around Mr. McClary in lines to get a feel for his clean-shaven head, many mimicking a bright light being shone at them as they marveled at the highly reflective surface. Gathering for a group photo afterward, children’s home kids huddled with Impact trip members as the beginning of new friendships were formed.

In the afternoon, Norman brought the group through the YMC facilities. From the school and the children’s home to the construction site in which there is a plan to build a school, the Impact team was shown what good work they were doing in the communities around them. The entire team was inspired by stories of miracles and visions that were only made possible by the grace of God and the hard work of many teams that had gone before them. The tour ended with a visit to the children’s home, where the team engaged in further sports with the children there, with renewed energy.

With a clearer picture of what their surrounding is like, the Manila Impact team began serving within their various positions, with the intention of rotating through three different locations over the next three days. The first location was to paint the fences and level the ground at the construction site. The second location was to go on a feeding trip to the surrounding slums, bringing around a large tub of food to be distributed to the children. The third location was the school next door, which was in their final weeks of class. They were in the middle of a sports festival; along with this, the seniors were preparing to graduate. Entering into this situation, the team began sharing their interests and finding many conversation starters along the way, at the same time cheering their classmates in the basketball tournament they were in. Members expressed enjoyment at the chance to converse fluently with peers their age.

Later in the evening, the team congregated together and headed to the children’s home. Their objective? To run a devotional time with the kids there, and engage them with stories of the Bible. Over the course of the next three days, the team sang songs, did dances, taught, and let kids draw out Noah’s ark, the fruits of the Spirit, and more. Older children went to a separate room to do small group, where they were challenged with difficult questions that initiated further discussion. The end of devotions gave time for children home kids and Impact team members alike to hang out and just have fun. Hudson Morgan (11) and a few other boys impressed everyone with their front-flips, to which Kimberly Hills said, “I wish I could do that!”

As soon as the trip had begun, it was coming to a close. On the very last day, after long hours of work, the team took a fun trip to a nearby waterfall and was able to spend more time hanging out together. After many dives into the pool, Bethany Davis (12) and Lydia Kim (12), always the dynamic duo, initiated many opportunities for everyone to pick up the Asa hand game. At the very last devotional, the team was able to give out goodie bags and play a massive game of Asa, which ended with more than a few people receiving slaps! Many bittersweet words were exchanged before they separated. Returning back from the trip, each of the students could confidently say that they were reconnected to their faith, and rededicated themselves to a constant mindset of service.