food pics from the Philippines

that first dish is "tapsilog" which costed 40pesos (less than $1). jenny is holding a mangosteen, which is my favorite fruit. mangos were literally falling off the trees at one of the retreat centers we stayed at. kenny & dennis ate balut (duck embryo). i was actually relieved that no one offered me balut.

Philippines Mission Trip

we had an awesome mission trip in the philippines. we learned so much from missionary/pastor paul lim and his family. they are leading holy grace church in tangos (the third poorest slum in manila). over 50% of the people in manila live in the slums.

weekend w/george verwer

we were so blessed to have george verwer (founder of operation mobilization) deliver four messages at our church last weekend. i have been listening to his preaching since i was a teenager. it was so fun and energizing to spend time w/him, as he has such a passion for life & ministry. the man is truly on fire for God. & it is so ironic that he grew up in wyckoff, right near our church.

mexico mission trip

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we returned safely from an awesome mission trip in the yucatan peninsula of mexico. this is the third year that we led youth retreats in that region. it's amazing to see the jovenes (young people) grow up. & we are getting to meet their younger siblings too. in mexico, many people spend time outside late at night when the weather cools down. and they are so open to conversing & hearing the gospel.

inter-church good friday service

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living above our means

forbes magazine announced that the world's richest man is carlos slim from mexico. he immigrated to mexico from lebanon, and he grew up very poor. i heard him say in an interview that he raises his 6 children in a two bedroom apartment w/one bathroom. he said that it would make his children better people. what a great example he has set, in a world where so many of us live way above our means.

hosanna youth rally

an estimated 1,200 students gathered for hosanna youth rally. it was a good opportunity to put my 10-20mm wide-angle lens to use.