Philippines & Taiwan '24

"Our mission in the Philippines and Taiwan were like two completely different worlds.

In the Philippines, we saw what it truly means to serve others and the incredible lengths people will go just to encounter God. It wasn’t just us traveling to reach them that was impactful—what touched us even more was how far they traveled to be with us. Many journeyed for hours, in the highest recorded heat index in the Philippines, because they were hungry for Him.

We went up into the mountains to share the Gospel and teach children about Jesus. We visited high schools to talk about mental health and abuse while pointing them to Christ. Later in the day, we would go into the slums—the literal trash dump where people live—gather the children, feed them, play with them, and share the hope of Jesus.

We also visited an orphanage, where we led worship for the whole community and taught the children what it means to fix their eyes on Jesus. On Sunday, we served at a local church, challenging and encouraging believers, praying with those who were struggling, and always pointing them back to Christ. We even had the opportunity to pray over the city’s mayor, and later, for the husband of the former mayor after his heart surgery. A few months later, we heard the news that his surgery had gone well. Our mission in the Philippines was all about serving the community—through worship, children’s ministry, teaching, drama, and helping long-term missionaries build deeper connections with the locals.

Taiwan, on the other hand, was a completely different focus. Our mission there was centered on building relationships and strengthening the local church. We started by helping restore one of the churches—cutting down weeds, clearing overgrowth, and cleaning the building so it could be presentable again. Then we led worship services, creating space for the Holy Spirit to minister and showing what it means to worship in spirit and in truth.

We also preached the Gospel during a Sunday service while others served the youth through Bible lessons and discipleship. During the week, we visited an elementary school to teach English, worship together, and even play dodgeball with the kids. We hosted an art day in the evening to deepen connections with the youth, followed by a sports day that drew the attention of the mayor and families from the community, who generously shared traditional Taiwanese drinks with us.

The heart of our mission in Taiwan was relationship. We had to break down walls of religion, build trust, and show the love of Christ in simple, genuine ways." - EJ Magno