Bill Davidson (Fish)

August 31, 2015

I see this mission to Paradise Village as a great opportunity to have a huge impact in the lives of others. This experience will undoubtedly have a huge impact on my life, as well. Hope, faith, and love are abstract thoughts that can be difficult to identify or demonstrate. Even though these concepts are not explicit in the minutiae of a given day, they are the very things that get me THROUGH the day. Without these principles, I could never smile. I am truly blessed to be born into a loving family and a safe community with ample support systems to offer assistance to those in need. These resources are not ubiquitous however and if I can make a significant contribution to the well- being of others, then I am eager to be involved. Perhaps I can help someone else smile by giving them a sanctuary in which to study and praise Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodied the principles love, hope, and faith. My heart especially goes out to the children born in poverty, many of whom are fatherless or orphaned all-together. Frequently, young girls and boys are lured into one of the only industries that are prevalent: prostitution and the sex-trade. It is my prayer and hope that the gospel will help these children realize their personal value and discover the strength to stand up strong; forging their own paths in life rather than selling themselves short into disgrace. In the Paradise Village trip, a little money will go a long way toward building a stable and supportive church- family for Paradise Village; and for me, a fresh perspective on the larger world will help me better appreciate my position in it. Doing this as a family, I pray, will bind and strengthen us as a family unit.

-Bill Davidson

Jaden Harper

August 28, 2015

I have three different reasons for why I'm going on this mission’s trip:

1. I was blessed to be raised in an amazing Christian household that yes, occasionally had rough times with finances; but in the end God blessed me ten times what these people live without there.

To me, this is the least I can do to help.

2. Yes I was raised in a Christian household, but I never really made it my own faith until a couple months ago. It was then that I was asked by Mike Jones (the founder of World Family Missions and now a close friend), to join them on a missions trip to the Philippines. I believe that God had a huge part in that, and was telling me that I needed to change something in my life for the better. Not only the better for me, but for someone else.

3. I have no personal connection with the Philippines, but I do have a personal connection with other believers. 

These people that we are going to help, meet to worship and study the bible on the street. They don't have a building like we do and take for granted the air conditioned classrooms on Wednesday nights, nor do they have a permanent meeting place due to the weather.

To me this shows a huge loyalty to God, and I want to do whatever I can to encourage and support that.

If you would like to support this ministry, you can take it from me that the people behind the scenes of World Family Missions are there to serve God, and Him only. 

I would like to finish by asking for your prayers for the whole team, and asking that you read my all-time favorite verses as of right now: 

Matthew 18: 19-20

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

-Jaden

The adventure begins

August 24, 2015

The time has come for us to prepare to move back to the Philippines-this time with miss Eden who will be around 3 months old.

Much to our excitement, a team from Boise will be joining us for 2 weeks in order to build a church in Paradise Village. Paradise is an area that the church in the Philippines ministers to. Every Sunday (when they are not rained out) they go and lead 5 groups in bible study, one of them being a children's ministry.
As long as they have done these, they have met in the street. Now we are excited to be able to build a structure for them to finally be able to fellowship together in an area that will house them all.

As always, we ask that you pray for us and our team. If you could join us in praying for the list of things below, we would greatly appreciate it!

• Eden's birth certificate and passport (We are running out of time!)
• Funding for our team and the building expenses
• Monthly financial support for Michael, Eden, and I 
• Our team's experience. That they will be able to greatly bless those around then, and in turn will be hugely impacted in their walks with God 

Up until we leave in October, I will be posting something from each of our team members. And so, without further ado, I would like to introduce MJ! (MJ will actually be staying with us until December rather than returning to Boise with the rest of the team)

Here is the reason why I want to go on this mission trip. 
God chose me specifically to get adopted to a family here in Idaho. He didn't want me to take the blessings I have now for granted. He wanted me to share what He has taught me over the years. I know exactly what it is like to live in the Philippines. It's not the safest place to live in. Poverty is very common there. Since God has blessed me with a family and great friends, I would like to serve and help others in the Philippines. 

Please pray for the team and I as we go on this mission trip. Thanks for all your support and prayers!

I have included a link for you to donate to this trip and our team if you feel God has placed that on your heart. 

http://www.worldfamilymissions.com/#!projects/c1qjk

http://www.worldfamilymissions.com/#!give/cilx

Updates, info, and ways you can help!

April 28, 2015

Updates!

I don't even know where to begin with our crazy lives! We are back in America, settling in to a lovely home that God has blessed us with.

I am growing fatter and fatter with baby Jones, (I thought babies were tiny -.-) and he is supposedly going to join us in about 12 weeks. WHAT!? He is SO active, I am convinced he thinks he is going to muscle his way out before then-perhaps through my belly button is his thought?

I am enjoying the small things that I have missed, such as my hubby bringing me flowers more often than not. Heart-heart moment!

We are also having oopsie moments as we re-adjust to American culture and the things we are used too. Apparently America requires you to wear seat belts at all times? Who knew?

Now that I have more energy I have been attempting to resume much of my past homemaking activities. Such as cutting my hubbies hair... Lets just say that ended with him being not so thrilled. And a visit to the hair salon commenced... My excuse was that I was pregnant and hadn't done his hair in a while. To bad I only have 3 more months of using the "I'm pregnant" excuse. I don't know what I will do after that ends.

Michael has been working on getting the organization World Family Missions up off the ground. It is SO exciting to see! Hopefully you all share in our excitement. Speaking of which, you all know that we are trying to aid our Filipino friends in building a church so that they can worship off of the streets. Guess what!? (Can you tell I am excited yet?) We have been blessed with a sponsor that has pledged to match dollar for dollar up to $1,000 for this cause. Only problem? If we don't raise $1,000, we don't get it. So PLEASE help us! Here are a few links to where you can donate if God places that on your heart.

• Indiegogo 
• Gofundme
• World Family Missions

Refresher on what Paradise Village is and why this is such an important goal to us. Remember the women I posted about a few months ago and her family? This is where she is from. A family that supports themselves by making laundry clips. They get 3 pesos per kilo of clips. THREE. And for an entire sack of clips they get 60 pesos-and I am not talking tiny little sack. You know the big potato sacks that we race in? For ONE of those, full to the brim, they receive 60 pesos. That is slightly over 1 dollar in American money. (You can read more about her story here: Life for some.)  This church is for her family. This church is going to make it so for that hour or two of rest from working so hard for her family, rather than sitting under the hot sun on a very narrow street, she gets to worship and rest in a church building alongside her friends and family. This simple building is SO important. Even if you can only spare 5 dollars, your Starbucks or Dutchbros for the day, that's almost 5 days worth of work for this family. It will help us reach this goal. It will help us provide this building-which is also a symbol of hope. If we don't reach that $1,000 goal, we don't get matched. Like I said, 5 bucks goes a LONG way and is SUCH a wonderful blessing. You can also contact Michael or I by email or phone to see how you can be involved.

Michael:
Email: mjworldfamilymissions@gmail.com
Phone (text or call): (208)297-0461

Sarah:
Email: sehodgie@gmail.com
Phone (text or call): (208)841-9557

Here's a video of one of our outreaches to Paradise!

Baby Jones- 12 weeks away, say what!?

Help us impact lives! 

(I still say his haircut looks fine ;) )

Gorgeous flowers from a handsome hubby 

 Please continue you to pray with us. Pray for our family in Christ over in the Philippines. Pray for us as baby Jones makes his/her way in to this world. Pray that Michael and I stay focused in honoring Christ in EVERYTHING that we do. Pray that our hearts and attitudes stay mold-able and ready for whatever direction God sends us in. Likewise, how can we pray for you? How can Michael and I bless you during our time here and how can we pray for you and your families? 

Preparing

3/7/15

We are preparing to return back to the United States. It is bitter-sweet as always. Leaving a place that you have formed relationships with and slowly grown to love. As much as I feel ready to go, I equally dread the return. I feel as if we are leaving the safe cocoon of JUST Michael and I, and returning to a battle field of emotions that I am not prepared for.

That being said, I am excited to return to the states and start this next phase of serving God, ministry opportunities, and welcoming our first born in to this crazy-crazy world. We joke that this is our next short term mission trip. Perhaps 5 or 6 months? And then off to who knows where else? We will see what God has planned!

Pray for us as we prepare, pack up our home, say our goodbyes, and make it through this LONG flight back to America. Pray for us as we once again adjust to a culture, and learn how to ingrain ourselves in to the daily routine of living in another country.

Mark 16:15
He said to them, "go in to all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

Psalm 37:23-23
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. 

Forever a foreigner

2/20/15

If you want to skip the “boring” part of what God has been teaching me and scroll down to the quick updates, that’s fine. ;) I won’t tell!

I was writing letters to each of the girls that have slowly begun taking hold of my heart, and I was filled with sadness. I am leaving again, and once again I am leaving a large chunk of my heart. 

For the past 1 and a half years it seems I never stay in a single place for longer than 8ish months. I LOVE the life of traveling, but sometimes, the yearning to have a home to return too is there. I have slowly come to realize that home for me, is felt in many of the relationships I have developed, and once again, I am leaving “home”.

Around 5 days after I turned 18, I flew to the Philippines after packing up 18 years of my life into 6 boxes, and I traveled with 1 and a half suitcases. After staying about 5 months in Bacolod, I “moved” again to Manila, after a month there, I packed up again and flew back to America. After a few months “home”, I moved out AGAIN and moved in with friends after packing a backpack full of things. Fast forward to August and Michael and I moved in with a dear friend that was willing to put us up for a couple of months. After we had settled in, October 19^th came along, and off we were again. This time to Navotas, Philippines. We have now been in the Philippines for 5 months, and guess what? We are leaving in 20 days. The plan? Pack a suitcase (Essentially all of our worldly possessions at this point) (Hopefully one, we don’t want to pay ridiculous amounts in baggage fees and would honestly fly with just backpacks if we could), and fly back to the states for 5 months. Tops. Lord willing, and RETURN back to the Philippines. Who knows for how long? (We’re still looking at many, many more countries to travel, explore, and share Christ with. Go figure.)

My wonderful, amazing, husband continually tells me, “just pack the basics, and when we get there we will get whatever we need to furnish the house.” I know. Trust me, I know. It would seem I have been living out of a suitcase FOREVER at this point! The realization is dawning on me that once our child is born and we head back to the Philippines, it will have been a complete 2 years of traveling for me. Crazy, right!?

The meaning of one of the names God showed us for our baby (WE’RE KEEPING IT A SECRET!) is "God is my Nation". That really resonated with me; at this point I feel like a fish out of water no matter where I am. I am a half Americana that lives in the Philippines and is lost when it comes to language and culture. I am a half Filipina that lives in America that is lost when it comes to culture (not as much when it comes to language depending on the day ;) ). I do not belong to a Nation or a Country. Neither will my child, as he/she will be an American living in foreign countries. (I laugh when I think of the shock my child is in for. He/she is going to be born wondering where all of the familiar voices and Filipino accents are. Everyone is constantly talking to him/her and rubbing my belly!) I had read articles of missionaries returning “home” and not fitting in, never realizing that would be me too. God is gracious in teaching me, molding me, inspiring me and giving me so much HOPE!

BY FAITH we understand that the universe was formed at Gods command, what is seen was NOT made by things that were seen.

BY FAITH Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a RIGHTEOUS man.

BY FAITH Enoch was taken from this life, yet never experienced death. He was commended as one who PLEASED God.

BY FAITH Noah built the ark in holy fear to save his family. By faith he CONDEMNED the world, and he became heir of the RIGHTEOUSNESS that comes through faith.  

BY FAITH Abraham, when called to a place, OBEYED and WENT, even though he did NOT know where he was going. He lived as a stranger in a foreign country. For he was looking forward to a city where God was the architect and builder.

BY FAITH Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren-became a father. Because he was considered FAITHFUL.

All of these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country that they left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore, God was NOT ashamed to be called their God! He has prepared a city for them. –Hebrews 11:3-16

By faith I will move when God tells me to move, and by faith I will continually seek his will and yearn to become a citizen of His heavenly country. Let this encourage you as you realize that YOU ARE a stranger in this world! An alien to your country and a foreigner to your people. I have been so inspired by this today… God gently reminding me of who I am and lifting my spirits! We are praying for you friends, as you also seek His will in your life.

Quick updates:

• Our visas went through! We now are “missionaries” rather than tourists and legally have a full year of residency here! 

• Thursday we went to MFH (My Fathers House orphanage) and spent an evening enjoying the kids! I have missed those faces so much! They are as precious as always. 

Photo credits go to My Father House, Manila, Philippines. 

• Tagalog lessons are still continued twice weekly. We have an AMAZING teacher and we are learning so much! 

Michael is becoming more and more Filipino and is now the proud owner of a barong. Also, he will be singing in Tagalog this Sunday.He finds it hard being so handsome here and continually complains about his “pogi problems”.
(Pogi = handsome)

Where He leads

2/13/15

Do you want to go down and see them? Krissa asked. 

I looked at Sarah, trying to tell if she was okay with it. I didn't need to ask, it didn't matter that we were walking underneath a bridge on a two foot ledge covered in river water, along the Manila River. It didn't matter that we were wearing flip-flops and could catch an infection from the black water. It didn't matter that Sarah is 5 months pregnant and was super clumsy even before she was pregnant; nothing was going stop her from serving. 

I climbed down under the bridge and as I walked along, I silently prayed that Sarah would pay attention and not fall into the river beside us. We walked about 10 yards, when I hear Sarah yell, “Shoot! Grab it Krissa! Grab it!” 

I turned around to see my wife standing with one blue flip-flop on and its pair floating away down the river. Our friend, Krissa was holding onto a beam, reaching her leg out to try to rescue the runaway shoe. Oddly enough, I wasn't surprised. I have come to expect events like this from my beautiful wife, I guess it’s what makes life exciting. 

We made it to the end of the bridge, where a ladder stood leading up into a house, literally under the bridge. Several families had placed boards and cardboard along the beams of the concrete bridges, and that is what they called home. 

What do they do to make sure there house doesn't flood and their family doesn't drown when the river rises? Pray. Besides that, there is not much you really could do. We talked to the mother, father and their three children for a bit, prayed with them, and gave them a sack of food before leaving. 

We were able to give out five food bags to different people in that area today, and had a wonderful time doing it.

We were reading Katie Davis’ blog yesterday, a missionary in Uganda, and she spoke of having kids following her everywhere she went, yelling “Auntie Katie! Auntie Katie!” I commented that I would love for that to happen to us whenever we went out, and Sarah replied that we could have that, we just needed to get out more. Most of the work we have done here in Navotas has been organized, but this last week we have started just walking around, giving out food, or just talking to people. It has been amazing and I wish we had stared earlier. I’m realizing more and more that you don’t need to bring 50 sacks of food and a whole team to witness, in fact you don’t need to give anything but Jesus’ love.

Sarah and I will be returning to Boise on March 13, and I have very mixed feelings about this. I love it here, but also know that it will be better to have the baby in the US, and we can raise more funds and come back (if it’s God’s will) more prepared and excited than ever. But it is sad, because we are just starting to “fit in” and just starting to understand the culture and language. We are planning on returning after the baby is born, but we know God may lead us in other directions. As we've lived away from the US, we have seen (like never before) the need for Christ inside the US, our hearts are being pulled by both sides of the world (literally). But even as uncertainty rises, my faith and confidence in my Savior rises higher. I know that my God who paved the way for us to come here to begin with, will continue to pave the way for us. And I am learning (slowly) to be content with wherever He leads.  

Little kitten sleeping on the bridge

Sarah and Ate Krissa (pronounced Kree-zah)

One of the homes that is alongside of the river. Yes, a family truly does live on there. 

A wooden scooter made out of salvaged scrap wood 

Another one of the homes alongside the river

One of the families from church lives just beyond (next lot) this lot in a tiny house

A bridge made out of odds and ends

The home of one of the men we met down near the river today in Malabon City. Both he and his cousin live there. They have lived there since the year 2000 and previously had lived directly under the bridge until they were flooded out.  

The homes under the bridge. The ladders lead up to little lofts that house families. 

Inside one of the homes. The ceiling was only tall enough to sit. It was about as big (length and width wise) as a minivan and housed a couple and their 3 children (ages 8, 10, and 11)

Prayers for the husband. He is sick (flu like symptoms), has a running fever and a severe pain on his left side. He believes it is his kidneys. He collects trash and sells it as a source of income for his family but has been unable to work. 

Walking back

One of the little ones that lives under the bridge

One of the children who lives under the bridge. Their family washes clothes to earn money, she is 11 years old.