Street Invaders:Team Philippines 2013

Street Invaders 2013 is heading to the Philippines Join us as we prepare and travel to this amazing nation. Our team will be working with 'Frontline Ministries' to share God's hope with those in dire poverty. We will be serving in many areas including ministering to: families living in garbage dumps, street children and inmates in a local prison.

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Yellow

When I think of the colour yellow I think of sunshine, smiley faces and my favorite fruit mangoes. Being at the sanpablo prison has given me a new association with the colour yellow. We walked into the prison straight off a regular neighborhood street, went through a turn style and was in the local prison. When I walked into the women's cell group (literally) I saw a group of women young and old all dressed in yellow tshirts marked "detainee". We sang some worship songs and shared testimonies. I was humbled when God spoke to me about the yellow shirts. You see, really if we are honest we all deserve yellow tshirts but I got to tell these women that in Gods eyes their shirts were white through Jesus. Afterwards we went downstairs to pray with the men in the prison. The men were in tiny cells some probably smaller than your bedrooms but at least 40 to a cell. They are so crammed in there they have to sleep in shifts Bc there is not enough space for everyone to lie down at once. I was once again asked to share and so I spoke through the bars to these men about how God wanted to bring spiritual freedom in their life. It is hard to know exact numbers because of how crammed the cells are but we estimate at least 30 men accepted Christ at the prison yesterday and they will be disciples by the cell groups there. Amazing! Praise God! Yesterday also marked the end of our time in San Pablo with Frontline Ministries. Throughout our time her we have seen Gods healing power move in people we have prayed for, we have experienced Gods hope in the midst of despair and caught a glimpse of Gods kingdom vision for the Philippines. Through the ministry we participated in we saw around 100 people accept Christ! The best part is that we know they will be discipled well by the faithful people who serve in these communities every day. Jane

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Goals

We all have goals. A hope for the future, a brighter tomorrow. Sunday we had the opportunity to set goals with the children at FTC. "My goal for 2014 is to pray for other people." These children are so humble. Abusive backgrounds, left alone, many of them sexually abused; they have every reason to be angry and bitter towards life. But they aren't! Still they set goals to become a better person by praying for other people. Sometimes I wonder why people in third world countries, living on the streets are so much happier then people living in North America. I think I've finally figured out why. These people here have nothing stopping them, nothing holding them back. Philippino people are much more relational then material. Relationships are what they look for, not material possessions. They value people much more, they don't look down upon them. The people here have genuine happiness. When they smile you can tell they aren't just smiling on the outside, but also on the inside. Even though they have so little, they have so much. They know the key to happiness is not to value possessions. The key to happiness is to love God and love people. ~Grace Smyth

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Destiny - Andraya

When you think about destiny, what do you think of? Your dreams and visions. What God has planned for you. Plans of changing the world. Plans to do that which you are passionate about, and what you have always loved. You get excited, right? Because you know you are destined for great things. If you don’t know that, trust the truth in these words: you are destined for great things. You have reason to be excited.

But what if your destiny hid itself? What if in your heart, and in the minds of everyone around you, your destiny was scary and dark?

You are a beautiful little girl on the streets of Manila in the Philippines. Six years old. On your own. You have no one to defend you or protect you; no one to feed you or love you. You never knew your father, and your mother is property of another man. You run aimlessly day after day, through the streets of a busy red light district. This is your home. Every night you encounter different foreigners. You see white men buying the women older than you. You are exposed to every part of the trade. You look in the mirror and you know… Those who go before you are paving the way for your destiny. You have probably already been sexually abused. You are vulnerable. And when you become old enough, you know where you are going to end up. But you are sure that by then you will be a pro at performing the act of seduction and tricks.

What if you looked in the mirror and saw someone who was destined for prostitution?

Dear friends, I feel so overwhelmed when I think about this. I don’t think I will ever be able to get those beautiful faces out of my mind. I pray so desperately to God that he would take these children into his destiny for them; that he would be their protector and lover and good father. I pray that they would know his heart and live in his abounding love.

The thing about destiny is that you have to chase it. God has beautiful things for us, but sometimes we become complacent and think it will just happen. And others, like the girls I met on these streets, are trapped in a world where intervention is demanded to bring about God’s justice. There’s nothing more wonderful than living in God’s destiny for your life. And all my heart wants when I look upon these faces, is for them to walk in that freedom. I want a revelation of true destiny for them. I wish I could just hold them and never let them go.

I don’t write these things to tell of hopelessness. We serve a good God who gives us grace and wisdom, and WE are his hands and feet. And we can change the course of their lives. We can usher them into God’s destiny for them. We can walk them into freedom and hope.

It starts with one. I have that one. I pray to God I see her again; her face will never be forgotten in my heart. And one day I hope I can celebrate with her that her destiny was changed, and she flourishes in the blessings of our God.

So friends, chase your dreams and live in your destiny. And along the way, be thankful.There are precious people in my world who don’t have the same luxury.

Andraya

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When it became real- Adrianna

When does reality really sting? We sit at home, on our big leather couch, covered in cozy blankets, eating junk food that "later on I'll run off" because we indulge so excessively. We watch our big screen hd tv, some reality show wishing our lives were more like celebrities lives, "I don't have enough, my car isn't fast enough, my house isn't big enough" then a commercial goes on, it's a little child covered in flies "for only a dollar a day you can feed a child" what do we do? Think about it. We either change the channel, covering our shame with defense "I shouldn't have to watch this, It's me time" or sigh because we want to get back to our show, some may even sponsor a child. We live so comfortably on the surface, we are so afraid do dig in and accept reality. Today I encountered reality- not safely behind the screen of a tv or through the voice of a braver person, but straight up reality. A paint chipped hospital crib, covered in rust, a wooden plank for a mattress, a thin dirty white blanket and a flat worn out pillow, a little sign above the bed that says "ICU" but it's not even in a room, it's in a crowded hallway filled with other cribs with other sick children, laid a dying baby boy. Gods child, stick thin legs, tooth pick arms, hollow cheeks and bulged eyes, he's so tiny that the smallest sized diaper goes up to his armpits. A malnourished baby, being attacked with pneumonia, held by his hopeful mama. This isn't what we just see on tv, this isn't just a story, this is a mamas child, her precious creation, her baby boy, our brother in Christ. This is reality, has it become real yet? I have never felt so confused. I was beside myself, I broke down in tears. Reality didn't just sting, it stabbed. See the health care isn't free here, and hospital bills are really expensive, how can poor families afford the hospital bills to care for their malnourished baby if they can't even afford food in the first place? I had the opportunity to pray with the baby and his mama, I was speechless so it was super difficult to form the words to pray. I was in tears with my hands on this boy, I desperately called out to Jesus even though my voice was silent. Peace was in that place. Our prayers are more powerful than we will ever know, God heard my cry and poured out his love to the children there. Where there is no hope there is Christ. I'm not telling you to stop living in a house and only eat off the streets, I'm not telling you to stop watching tv , I'm definitely not telling you that sponsoring a child won't help, of course it will. I'm not asking you to come out to the poorest of poors and give up your luxuries, but I am asking you to count your blessings, and acknowledge reality through prayer. Listen for Gods voice and together, we can create life on earth as it is in heaven. ~Adrianna Dizy

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When it became real When does reality really sting? We sit at home, on our big leather couch, covered in cozy blankets, eating junk food that "later on I'll run off" because we indulge so excessively. We watch our big screen hd tv, some reality show wishing our lives were more like celebrities lives, "I don't have enough, my car isn't fast enough, my house isn't big enough" then a commercial goes on, it's a little child covered in flies "for only a dollar a day you can feed a child" what do we do? Think about it. We either change the channel, covering our shame with defense "I shouldn't have to watch this, It's me time" or sigh because we want to get back to our show, some may even sponsor a child. We live so comfortably on the surface, we are so afraid do dig in and accept reality. Today I encountered reality- not safely behind the screen of a tv or through the voice of a braver person, but straight up reality. A paint chipped hospital crib, covered in rust, a wooden plank for a mattress, a thin dirty white blanket and a flat worn out pillow, a little sign above the bed that says "ICU" but it's not even in a room, it's in a crowded hallway filled with other cribs with other sick children, laid a dying baby boy. Gods child, stick thin legs, tooth pick arms, hollow cheeks and bulged eyes, he's so tiny that the smallest sized diaper goes up to his armpits. A malnourished baby, being attacked with pneumonia, held by his hopeful mama. This isn't what we just see on tv, this isn't just a story, this is a mamas child, her precious creation, her baby boy, our brother in Christ. This is reality, has it become real yet? I have never felt so confused. I was beside myself, I broke down in tears. Reality didn't just sting, it stabbed. See the health care isn't free here, and hospital bills are really expensive, how can poor families afford the hospital bills to care for their malnourished baby if they can't even afford food in the first place? I had the opportunity to pray with the baby and his mama, I was speechless so it was super difficult to form the words to pray. I was in tears with my hands on this boy, I desperately called out to Jesus even though my voice was silent. Peace was in that place. Our prayers are more powerful than we will ever know, God heard my cry and poured out his love to the children there. Where there is no hope there is Christ. I'm not telling you to stop living in a house and only eat off the streets, I'm not telling you to stop watching tv , I'm definitely not telling you that sponsoring a child won't help, of course it will. I'm not asking you to come out to the poorest of poors and give up your luxuries, but I am asking you to count your blessings, and acknowledge reality through prayer. Listen for Gods voice and together, we can create life on earth as it is in heaven. ~Adrianna Dizy

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Flies

I have never seen so many flies as I did today. The feeling of flies congregating at my ankles covered in mud and feces will not fade quickly. I cannot imagine trying to eat,sleep and breathe with those disgusting insects feeding off my skin 24/7. In the scheme of things the flies at the Balog Dumpsite are insignificant but I think seeing the flies covering these beautiful children as they tried to eat their one meal for the day captured the dire situation of this community. The stench was overwhelming but the sight was worse. Children with ripped clothes, black teeth and gorgeous smiles played amongst the garbage like it was no big deal. To them it was all they know. Our team walked up the path to the garbage dump confronted with poverty that is indescribable. Our hearts were heavy and we were working overtime trying to understand what it means to see Gods kingdom come. We didn't come up with any sound conclusions but we stood on that garbage dump and praised God for who He is because even in the stench of Balog Jesus is there, most likely covered in flies.

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Grace- Day One

We arrived in the Philippines at 4 yesterday morning and the first thing I noticed were the palm trees! We visited Frontline ministries Halfway House yesterday morning and met all the children there. The Halfway House is a home where children off the streets go to transition into Frontline's permanent home for the kids. While we were there, one little girl really caught my attention. Before she even knew my name she was giving me a hugs and as she grabbed my hand, she also stole a piece of my heart. When we were leaving she have me a hug, and then another, and another. And when she gave me one last hug she looked up at me, smiled, and said, "Bye po." I know after that experience a piece of my heart was left at the Halfway House. In the late afternoon we met the kids who live in the dorms at Frontline ministries and who attend their school. All the kids are so friendly and full of joy! They love taking pictures with our phones and cameras and looking at themselves after. You can't help but be filled with joy when you're around these kids, even if you're majorly jet lagged. They are so welcoming and you can see the joy of The Lord in each one of these kids! We have had an amazing experience so far and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us next. ~Grace

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Sarah on bootcamp so far

So far we have had three team times together, and I am so excited all ready for what God is doing! One thing I can say for sure is how like-minded we all are. There was no difficulty within the group to connect with one another. I couldn’t imagine being on any other team this year.

  The first time we got together, I told the team that I really felt every person is a leader in there own ways. It turns out Jane had already said the same thing to Keegan and Andraya when they met together earlier. Its so cool how we all kind of have the same things on our hearts.

  Our team vision scripture is, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. we all decided on this because we felt strongly that we are going to bring an actual heavenly atmosphere, where there is no pain, no sickness, and no poverty. We will bring freedom by walking in obedience to God. We are going to bring pure fun to the kids we are working with because that is what comes with the heaven we will bring because of the Holy spirit dwelling inside of us.

  Our leaders are so awesome! Jane is so patient and full of wisdom. She brings order and peace. You can feel the love she has for everyone. She blows me away!

Keegan has such a humility and openness. He is focused and strong in the Lord. He is always willing to listen to what we have to say. We all mentioned that we appreciated his honesty and openness with us.

Andraya is full of passion and she has kindness in her eyes all the time. She is incredibly humble. This girl is an example even if she doesn’t know it.  They all love our team so much, which is such an incredible thing! These are some things I’ve learned about them, and I am so excited to get to know everyone on the team! Please pray like crazy for us! We love prayers!!

  Thanks for reading,

Sarah Siggelkow

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WATCH THIS SPACE!

This morning while thinking about this team going to the Philippines, I realized how privileged I am to be travelling with this group of youth and my fearless co-leader Keegan and our assistant leader Andraya. Really, very privileged.

I have been astounded by the dedication and hard work that our teens have put into this mission over this school year as we have been preparing to go. Team, you are fantastic and I am so very proud of you. This blog will shortly be shifting in focus to document our time in the Philippines. I can hardly wait to read what our team will blog on her as we set out on this mission. WATCH THIS SPACE FOLKS. These young people are incredible, this summer is only a small part of God's plan for their lives! Friends and Family, please pray for us as we prepare to head to bootcamp in about 3 weeks. 

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Your Mission Footprint #1: Are you a bull in a china shop?

         When considering your missions footprint, that is, the impression you leave behind as you travel on mission  (see previous post) - ask yourself, am I going to be a bull in a china shop when I'm in a different culture. 

New cultures can be tricky and sensitive to manage, sometimes you may feel like a bull stuck in a china shop - trying desperately to navigate your new environment without offending anyone.  Here are some pointers to doing missions in a new culture.

1. Seek to understand

- Find out about the country and culture you are going to be in before you go. Understanding the county's history, customs or beliefs can help to get you started when your there.

- Once there ask questions and watch how locals act. 

2. Communication is key

- Try to use the language. Picking up a few words will go far in helping to respectfully interact with locals.

Remember: verbal language is only one part of communication. When I was in China an airport official was making fun of me and some friends in Mandarin. Although we could not understand her words we could read her body language. I wouldn't talk about someone standing next to me if they understood my verbal language and so the same stands for someone who doesn't.

- Clarify. If you do not understand what someone means don't assume, double check. They will appreciate you wanting to learn.

3. Relax

- Being flexible and laid-back is key when travelling. Almost everything changes; the pace at which things are done, the way things are done, your schedule, your surroundings, the heat, the food.......I could go on! Being able to adjust and try new things is key and will help in not offending locals.

CAUTION: When learning to navigate new cultures it is important to be willing to see things from a different perspective and to respect customs. However we need to do that in a way that doesn't compromise our Christian walk. For example, when I was in the Islamic country of Qatar, I brought a scarf to cover my head to respect that custom so I could better interact with locals but I did not get up and go to the Islamic prayers.

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Your Missions Footprint

Have you heard of the environmental term 'Carbon Footprint'? A Carbon Footprint refers to the amount of damaging greenhouse emissions that you personally create in your day to day life. It is almost like leaving an environmentally negative trail wherever you go.

Likewise, as a missions team we have the potential to leave a negative or positive footprint depending on our attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Here are some questions to ask yourself to assess your mission footprint as we get ready to do missions in the Philippines. Stay tuned for further post when I will go into each one in more detail.

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Money Grows

Last post I shared some lessons I learned from my first ever mission trip, lets fast forward to the latest mission trip I went on. August 2012 I headed to Cambodia to work with a local christian organization who help the poorest of the poor including orphans and child prostitutes. It was an amazing opportunity put together by our leader, Bethany Graburn. At the time Bethany was in university studying marketing and business. Bethany is in her 20's and grew up going on mission. 

Bethany has an amazing way of using what she knows about finances, marketing and business to carry out DEEP KINGDOM JUSTICE for God.   Its cool how God uses different people to do different parts of His work! One thing God taught me through Bethany was that we can make our money grow if we use it wisely!

There is an overwhelming amount of need in Cambodia. For example, when we were the orphanage we noticed that the children needed clothes, their clothes were tattered, worn and not the right size. What would have been a solution?? GET THEM CLOTHES. Easy! We could have raised money, bought clothes in Canada and given them to the children. However, what if we raised the money, brought it to Cambodia and bought the clothes THERE? That way we can get significantly more clothes for the same money and we contribute to the local economy! Your spending the same money but that money goes much further in a third world country like Cambodia both for the amount of clothing you get and for the impact it will have on the economy. 

Are you saying its wrong for us to bring over items from Canada?

NO, not at all! On our mission to Cambodia we had to bring certain supplies over because the items were not available or very expensive in Cambodia. Trick is do your research!

Team, you have accepted the challenge of only bringing a carry on sized suitcase with you to the Philippines, why? because we want to bring things over for the people we will be ministering to. What I have learned is that we need to think carefully about what we bring. There are items that are hard to get or very expensive to purchase overseas. Those are the items we want to focus on bringing over. 

What if people want to give me things? Thats fine, bring whatever your given to bootcamp! BUT if you can tell people what is most needed then we can get those vital items and if anyone gives you money to get things...we can buy them over there. Make sense?

After talking to the local ministry in the Philippines this is what is most needed so watch your inboxes for info on gathering items!

Deodorant, Female Hygiene Products, Multivitamins, Kids Basic Medications, First Aid supplies (especially large band aids)

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Washing Dishes, Jesus and my Mom

This morning as I was unloading my dishwasher, I began thinking about the chores I had to do growing up. Three Cheers For Chores!!.....silence...crickets....more silence. No one really likes chores, do they? I certainly didn't! I was quite a brat about it! Before you get distracted wondering if this is an annual love your mom by doing chores talk, don't worry, just keep reading!

I began a personal relationship with God at 15 years old and when I was 16 I went on my first missions trip (it happened to be with Street Invaders). Street Invaders' theme is "Making Your Faith Real". Thats exactly what happened on my mission - my faith became real as I shared it with people around me. I came to the praise party with a story... I had led a teen named Crystal to the Lord in Calgary. I was amazed that God used me!! 

Think of all the amazing stories we hear at the praise party once our mission is done. Its the fruit of the work our team has done for God, right? That first year, God didn't just use me to lead someone to Him, He also gave me opportunities to wash dishes, which had a lasting impact.

There are some stories that are more dramatic than others. Can you imagine if I had told all the people at the praise party that "Hallelujah, I washed dishes" Some mothers may have jumped up with excitement but overall, not the best story! It may not be an exciting story but it is a valuable testimony! 

You see, I was lousy at showing appreciation for my mom. I expected her to serve me after all, isn't that what a mom does? The experience of serving others on my mission, changed that view. Suddenly, I had a glimpse of all the things my mom had done to serve me, without thanks. As God transformed me on my mission, I started to have a desire to serve others including my mom. When I got home I began doing chores without being asked and doing chores that weren't expected of me. I had to make an effort but it was the change God had done in me that drove these changes.

Not only that, this new appreciation for my mom kept growing and has slowly changed my relationship with my mom. You see, my praise report didn't end there because I am still discovering all the fruit of that first mission some 11 years later!

Our mission to the Philippines is an experience to treasure and God is going to use us in His big picture for this beautiful country. It is ALSO going to transform the way we live and treat others. This is our hope, that we can share awesome stories at the praise party AND that we canlive transformed lives from the experience. Appreciating your mom included!!

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Deep Kingdom Justice

The Philippines is a country struggling with extreme poverty.  As a team, God has asked us to go to the Philippines to play a part in helping with this problem. Is helping enough? As Christians, God asks us to do more than help. Our time in the Philippines is not about charity and its not about social justice, its something more...its about DEEP KINGDOM JUSTICE.

There is so much wrong with our world, its overwhelming. I mean really, what can we do in two weeks to help this problem that seems to be everlasting?

Thing is, it is an everlasting problem. Poverty is a natural consequence of other peoples greed and selfishness. Greed and selfishness are sins... and sin....without the help of Jesus, its an everlasting problem.

Lets look at those three terms 'charity, social justice and deep kingdom justice':

Charity is different from justice. Imagine you are in the blistering heat in a slum area of Manila, Philippines and you come across a small child trying to find water to drink.

Charity gives this child a drink when thirsty, but what happens when you leave and the child becomes thirsty again? Your water helped but it wasn't lasting, it didn't address the problem - a lack of water. Social justice looks at this child's situation and goes one step further. Social justice builds a well in the slum area so that the community can have a permanent supply of water. But what about Deep Kingdom Justice, the kid has a water supply so what else is needed?

Deep Kingdom Justice gives the child a drink of water, builds the well for the community AND speaks to the child, telling him that Jesus provides us Living Water. (John 4:13)

Yes, God cares about taking care of physical needs and yes, God cares about bringing justice and solutions to the worlds problems...thing is HE IS THE SOLUTION. We cannot REALLY help people if we don't tell them the most important part....that they need to have a relationship with God to really be satisfied. When the sin of others often causes people to be victims of poverty, we can't really be of help unless we go deep down to the heart of the issue and for that the only answer is Jesus. We only have 2 weeks in the Philippines but when we share about the transforming relationship available with Jesus then our teams impact is eternal.

  God give our team the wisdom and discernment to be deep kingdom justice people in the Philippines. As we pitch in to help with physical needs help us to go deeper to the root of the issue and tell the people we meet about you.