During the Term 2 school holidays, an excited and well-prepared team of 15 students and three KingsWay staff travelled to Cebu, Philippines, to share the gospel and connect with a community in Mactan, Cebu. This was diligently organised through the leadership of our Mission partner, Andrew Marriott of MotiVate NZ. The trip was a long time in the making, interrupted by the pandemic, so it was a real blessing to finally take a team to the Philippines.

Our trip was filled with joy, growth, challenge, and connection. The team were hosted by the pastoral team and community of Touching People Christian Church in Cebu.  Students were involved in church services, sharing the gospel in the slum community of nearly 8000 people in the area and connecting through kids’ feeding programmes and youth group activities.  Students were able to minister to young and old during the time in Cebu and did an outstanding job developing relationships and sharing the good news of Christ to all.

During our time in Cebu, God faithfully provided opportunities for our students to share the Word of God and grow in their faith as they served. The joy the local community displayed even in their challenging circumstances was both amazing and confronting to see.  The joy of the Lord truly was their strength, and it was contagious throughout our time overseas. 

A significant aspect of the trip was participating in the ‘Friendship Games’, a volleyball and basketball event with local community youth. Our boys faced some very stiff competition throughout their matches, with a close game to finish, giving huge excitement to the crowd.  The girls’ volleyball gained a win in their second match, which created massive celebrations from all present in the stadium. Students built relationship with the local youth through sport, praying and ministering to them during break times, and laying on of hands on some injured players. 

There were opportunities to see the amazing sights of Lapu Lapu, Bohol Island, and Cebu City, with an overnight experience on Bohol Island providing lasting memories of the Chocolate Hills, dancing on the lunchtime river cruise, and the sight of students holding a snake with both excitement and fear on their faces.  It was a great way to have some downtime in the middle of the trip before the next stage of outreach.

Our final event was a community outreach night in the middle of the community. It was packed with local youth and adults from the community. The weather forecast was for rain, and as we prayed before the event that the weather would not get in the way of the gospel being shared, it held off as items and messages were shared with the crowd. As it grew darker, the skies opened, and we were treated to an amazing thunderstorm that would have seen the crowds disperse anywhere else. That is not how it goes in the Philippines, however, as people stuck around to worship together, respond to Christ and receive prayer, and dance the night away. We were so encouraged by the response of the people, and it was an absolute blessing to be a part of their annual outreach night. The sight of everyone dancing in the flooding and rain, with joy on their faces, is one that everyone involved will never forget.

Thank you to Andrew Marriott from MotiVate NZ for his outstanding planning for this trip, and to Rolly, Nimfa, and Cherry May on the ground in Cebu for displaying loving and servant-hearted care for us throughout the trip. A massive thank you to Mr Harris, Mrs Morris, and Mr Thomson for their investment and discipleship of the team from the first bootcamp through to the debrief sessions afterwards.

Some of the reflections from the team:

We came to serve the people of the Philippines, but we were so blessed by the way they served and blessed us throughout our time with them. It was challenging to see how they poured out their love and resources to us when they had so little.

It was heartbreaking to walk through the local slum community and see the poverty mindset in reality, but even in this, the joy and sense of community they displayed was amazing to see.

Experiencing the Cebu culture and the friendliness from all the people we met is a good challenge to always be welcoming and share God’s love with those in my community in NZ.

Friendships are so important and the joy that can be had when doing things together was phenomenal to see. The people never complained, even when they had every right to.

We serve a big God who was so faithful throughout our time in Cebu. To see how God was working in their community through the church was inspiring, and to see that God moves in all situations, whether it be in NZ or overseas, was really faith growing.

Finding joy in the small things and making the most of every opportunity to connect with people stood out for me. It is a great challenge to look for the silver linings in every situation.

The way we were welcomed into the community created an initial feeling of discomfort, given we were there to serve. However, we learnt that being there was significant to the community and so it became a celebration as we partnered with the church.

The people we encountered were open and honest as they shared their stories and community with us. They were real and authentic, and even though they had very little, they were so proud to share their community with us all.

A challenge for me was to slow down and be patient, not to get caught up in the rush of everyday life. Even in chaos, there is joy and peace if we look for it.

Matt Harris

Assistant Head of Senior School