Hi friends! Welcome back to my blog. It has been a minute since I have done an update. This is our fourth week here in the Philippines, and it has been such a sweet season so far. We landed in Manila, and then drove about 2 hours to Cainta which is a smaller city outside of Manila. All of the squad drove to Kids International which is the base where my team and one other team was going to be living at and doing ministry with. Kids International is an organization that works to break the cycle of poverty in their local communities. These are their ministries:

• Children’s Home

• Cuatro Christian School

• Hope Alive Clinic

• Hope Alive Hospital

• Adonai

• Family ministries

• Youth ministries

• Sports ministries

• Work/Study program

• Meals and Values

• Church Connect

• Volunteer Ministries

My team has had the privilege of serving with the youth, family, meals/values, volunteer, and sports ministries. Team Akouo is serving with the Cuatro Christian School, and Team Salt is working with the Children’s Home. The guys team are at Children’s Garden which is an organization that provides essential needs to former street boys. Team Charis is in Tondo, which is little district in Manila. They are working with the youth ministry there. It has been so cool to see everyone on our squad do different ministries, while still being unified in the body of Christ. The first two weeks, my team did Feedings in the mornings and afternoons. We would go out into the nearby communities, and come with buckets of Champorado (this is a Filipino rice porridge). Kids come running from everywhere with their bowls, cups, and bags to get a cup full of food. These kids are so young, and have no parents or adults nearby. It is definitely sad to see these kids in their living conditions, but the joy in these children is so abundant. They run and climb on us, and just want to be loved. These children are literally multiplying their joy to others and they might not even know it, but as a follower of Christ I get to see it, and it is so awesome to watch. Being in this place reminds me of Matthew 18:3, And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” I feel like the Lord has really been calling me to have a child-like faith for Him and to just be more child like in my love for Him. Coming back from the feedings was sometimes hard, because a lot of the communities we go to are very heavy emotionally and spiritually. Learning about what to carry for my portion, what not to carry, and what to give to the Lord was something that I had to spend intentional time praying about, and talking to the Lord about. The thing about the Lord is that He will never give us something that He knows we can’t handle, He knows all of us so deeply, and what is the best for us. The Lord has continually overflowed by cup, and I have been able to outpour on the people around me, our ministry, and the community. There have been many times when I was struggling, and just looking the Lord and asking Him what He wants of me during that time, was super fulfilling. Learning to focus my eyes on the Lord always, has proven to be so fruitful. Overall, I feel so much less anxious, and exhausted. I know that the Lord will sustain me every step of the way, and He is also my protection and lifts my head up every time I start to feel uneasy. Just a few days ago I was asking the Lord to show me Himself in nature, and all of a sudden out of the dark trees, I see a pink flower. I was like wow God, Thank you for showing yourself and being faithful to your word. Ever since then, I have seen so many pink flowers in the most unusual places, and that is the way that the Lord is showing me Himself which I have loved. One of the other ministries that we have been doing is Youth. It has been so fun getting to spend time with the youth here. My team has three hosts, and their names are David, Zak, and Julius. They are all a year to a few years older than us, so we have been able to connect with them well. During the week if we are not doing feedings, we are having fellowship with them. Sometimes we play sports, do card games, or have Bible studies. Leaving is going to be hard, as I think this is the first country where I have actually made an effort to strengthen my relationships with the people around us. The youth ministry here is called Youth Lab. It is for ages 15-18, so mostly high schoolers. Though, anyone can come really. On Friday nights, the Youth Lab has their Praise Party. Praise Party is a awesome time of games, worship, fellowship, and a message. Praise Party is probably my favorite event of the week, and I am always looking forward to it. We always have a good amount of students come, and the Lord’s presence is actively moving each week in that place. My favorite part of the praise parties are the worship portion. We sing some hype music together, and just get to scream our praises for the Lord and what He has done. Each week, that room is full of young people who are on fire for the Lord, and it is such a gift to be apart of. Every week, I am always thinking about how the Joy of the Lord is my strength, and this just so true. Our joy for the Lord’s kingdom is just so insane, and I can only imagine the revival that could bring to other nations around the world. At the first Praise Party, I got to share a little bit of my testimony and I was so excited to share to these men and women about what God has done in me, and what He will do in their lives. I am always just so in awe of the Lord’s work in me, especially when it comes to public speaking. At home, I would read scripture in front of my church, but that was it. I did not like speaking in front of people, especially people that I did not know well. The Lord has changed that part of me, and now given me the gift of public speaking. Talking to an audience now feels so relaxed, and honestly I am not even talking about myself. I’m actually just talking about how the good things that the Lord has done. He is the one for who credit belongs to, because I am just a willing vessel for Him. If I didn’t have the Lord in me, I would not be able to do anything, let alone breathe. Something else the Lord has been teaching me is actually doing what He is asking of me. Recently, I will hear Him tell me to stop and pray for someone that I see or speak up during a bible study, and I have just not been doing that lately. The Lord has really been prompting me to have quick feet, and to not question anything that He asks of me, because I should just Trust Him and in His plan. So yesterday, we had a bible study and the Lord had told me to speak up, and I did, not necessarily because I wanted to say anything, but because the Lord told me to. Another little testimony of this was yesterday evening, Brooklyn and I walked home early from a fellowship night, and this sweet, older lady came up beside us and said Hi. She was so kind, and super friendly. We said hello and then started walking, but I felt the urge to turn around. That urge was God telling me to go and pray for Her. Brooklyn and I went back to this lady and asked if we could pray for her. She said yes, but before we could pray for her, she invited us into her little home. We got to see this woman’s home and pray for her there. We walked into her home, and her four grandchildren were on the bed. Three of were sleeping, and then she invited her grandson over to come pray with us. It was such a warm time to give her and her family prayer. We said our goodbyes, but I have a feeling that we will be seeing her again. If I just walked away from the beginning, then I would’ve of been able to have a uplifting conversation with this gentle woman. When we arrived back home, Brooklyn and I were just talking about how joyful that lady was, and I could just feel the Holy Spirit in her. It was incredible. This season had just been so rooted in Christ, and it has been so encouraging and inspiring for me to be included in. We have just two weeks of ministry left, and then we have PVT (when I get to see my parents ), and then our Debrief before South Africa. The Race has flown by so fast, and in just a few months, I will be back in the United States. It’s so crazy how time flies. Anywho I am planning on making another blog update for my future plans, so stay tuned for that. Thank you again for your continued prayers for me and my team.

I am so beyond blessed and grateful for the financial support I have received, and am so glad I was able to reach my goal before coming on the race. That honestly such an answered prayer for me, and the Lord really showed up there. One girl on my team is still fundraising for the rest of her time here, and I would love prayer for her to be able to reach her final amount without any stress or worries. The Lord showed up for me, so I know He is going to show up for her. If you feel led to give, I am leaving her fundraising page down below.

Thank you so much!

Prayer Requests:

• My team

• My Squad leaders (headed to their leadership retreat next week)

• Team Akouo

• Team Charis

• Team Salt

• Team Sheep

• Kids International

• Children’s Garden

• Healing from sickness

• D Squad in Guatemala

Amanda:

https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/2025-world-race-gap-year-25g0901-2/participants/amanda-gingrichk