service class

During the last semester, Elise and then Amy each took a one-quarter-long exploratory Service Class that met twice a week. About half of the class periods were hands-on trips, and the instructor's goal was to give the students a broader view of what poverty is.

Elise was part of the pilot class, so sadly we have no photos of her group. The photos that follow all include only Amy - but you can imagine Elise in all of the same contexts. Here are some of their observations from this unique experience.

Packaging craft projects for a local Bible School

Elise: "I was not very enthusiastic about the class when it began, but by the end of the quarter, I realized that it was really good for me, and that I had enjoyed it a lot. We had many opportunities to serve the school and other organizations, and we learned about lots of ministries: schools for poor children, church plants, orphanages, food programs for malnourished children, and much more."

Amy: "One Tuesday we walked to a small village near the Davao River. It was really neat to see how the people grew all of their food and made their houses out of woven matting. They raised pigs, goats, chickens and caribou. They grew corn and other strange vegetables that I had never heard of before!"

Elise: "Many of the people (in these poor villages near the school) farm as a profession. We sometimes passed out tracts and fruit to the children. It is really amazing to see where some of the people live. Their houses are built out of so may different materials that we would never think of using. Old canvas signs, used plastics and sheets of metal, grasses woven together, and many other things. Those walks were hot and tiring, but it was amazing to see the contentment of the people who live there."

visiting a nearby village

Amy: "Our teacher took us to a feeding program where street kids come for a meal. We helped give a small Gospel presentation, sang some songs with them, and then helped serve food to the kids."

serving food

Elise: "The first orphanage we visited was called Living Stones. It was owned by a missionary family, and run by Filipinos. We were let in the gate, and lots of little kids came flying out to greet us. Most of them were under 4 years old. We played with them and held them for a little while. We had a lot of fun singing together and playing games, even though they didn't talk much! I really enjoyed touring the orphanage, and playing with the kids."

Amy: "That was one of my favorite places!"

playing with the orphans

Amy: "After every class our teacher had us fill out a journal so we could think about what we had learned. I enjoyed many parts of the class, even though some things made me uncomfortable. It was challenging in some aspects, but it was a good class!"

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
1 Peter 4:10