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So right now, I love the Philippines, which is why me and my wife just went there. But just being honest with you guys, I used to hate the Philippines Back When I was 13 years old, my parents took me and my little sister there. And if you didn't know already, I'm part Filipino, which is why I went there to visit my family. And I remember when I first got there, I met one of my aunts for the very first time. So I went over to hug and kiss her, because in my family's culture, that's something that you just do. So she was sitting there on the couch, and I kid you not, she just sat there looking straight ahead while I awkwardly hugged and kissed her. And to make matters worse, I found out that that aunt really hurt my mom while she was growing up. So there's strike one for the Philippines. And during this time, I went to Manila, which was busy, dirty, and incredibly hot all the time. So there's strike two. And on top of that, my dad told me to always watch her stuff so it doesn't get stolen. And that really confused me because we were always with family. But my dad said that that didn't matter because of our family stole things. And that was strike three for me. I didn't like my aunt. I didn't like the weather, I didn't like how dirty it was, and I didn't like a lot of my family. So my hatred at the time was pretty much set in stone. And even when I returned to California, I still heard about all the drama that my family caused and how some of them don't work and expect money to just be handed to them. And I learned even more just how much my mom was mistreated when she was little. And just being open with you guys, I really, really struggled with hatred and bitterness, especially when it came to my family. And many times I was flat out tempted to fly over to the Philippines so I can do not so Christian things to my family just to make things even. And I know that's wrong now. Actually, I knew that was wrong then too. But I did have a huge change of heart. I do love the Philippines. And I'll tell you more about that. So my parents have two friends that decided to become missionaries in the Philippines. And because my parents missed them, they FL over to visit. And pretty soon my mom and dad fell in love with the people there. So much so that they started visiting the church once a year. And every time they visited, they would tell me about the church and the orphanage that they help out at so because I loved serving in ministry, I decided to visit so I can help out and give the Philippines another chance. And this was back in 2017, and I was 24 years old at the time, so I flew there, and very quickly, I felt like I was part of a new family. And I went to the church over there, and I was welcomed with open arms. And it was prob probably because they all loved my mom and dad and they knew that I was their son. But pretty soon, I was invited to every basketball event, and they came over and cooked meals for me, and they went out of their way to make me feel welcome. So quick, shout out and thank you to my friends, Macho Ron, Edmund, and Arnold. So after feeling so deeply connected to everyone, I started learning more about the Philippines. And I learned that the average wage of a Filipino worker is $8 a day, not $8 an hour. $8 for eight hours of work. And you know what made me feel even more guilty? I was a college student in California, where tuition was about $4,000 a semester. I had my own car, had a membership for a gym, and I could travel wherever I wanted. And if I really wanted or needed anything, I knew my parents would get it for me. And while all this was processing in my mind, people at the church kept trying to pay for me and give things to me. So now I'm thinking that I pay back my friends somehow. So I start inviting them to California, and I'm like, hey, you should. You should come over and visit, and we'll hang out and we'll have fun. But then I learned that Filipino passports don't work the same way US Passports do, and that they can't just visit the US Whenever they want to. They actually need a lot of money in their bank account to prove that they just won't leave their country. And they need a sponsor, which is a ton of paperwork. I remember having coffee with my mom's friend who was the pastor's wife. And regarding the church, she told me, they don't have much, but whatever they do have, they're willing to give you. So that was 2017, and I left the Philippines and all the friends that I made, having my feelings completely flipped. And now in 2026, I finally returned. And for those of you wondering why it took so long for me to return, I technically did return before COVID in 2019, but that was for a smaller trip. And these last 10 years of my life, I was busy with my job as a teacher and my move to Japan. I was also poor, a Little bit. But let me tell you about this last trip. So my wife and I came to the Philippines for about a couple weeks in February 2026, and we had some objectives. One, help out at the orphanage that I also visited back in 2017. Two, help out at the church that I love. And three, try to plan a potential mission trip to the Philippines, all while hanging out with my mom and my dad. Actually, my mom and dad paid for me and my wife to go to Boracay. So thank you, mom and dad. I love you. So about the orphanage. It has about 20 kids, and the orphanage is huge. It has a farm, multiple buildings, chapel for church, classrooms for school, and they even have a basketball court. And you know something? That's cute. My mom and dad have been going to help out this orphanage for about 10 years now. And every time they come, my parents will bring clothes, candy, and all the things that the kids need. So all the kids call my mom and dad mom and dad. So when all the kids met me back in 2017, they all clung to me. But this time, they clung to me and my wife. And for this trip in particular, my mom and dad organized a field trip so that all the kids could go to the amusement park. I wish I could better communicate just how amazing this orphanage is, but just imagine a bunch of young kids constantly giving you hugs and playing and laughing with you. And then there's the youth group that my wife and I got to hang out with. And even though we only got to hang out with them a couple times, they give us handmade gifts when we said bye. Oh, and I kind of have an embarrassing story for you. So one of the most amazing things about this church is their men's prayer meeting. And it was on a Monday night at 7pm and there was about 14 guys, and we all sat around in a circle. So we Talk for about 30 minutes to give everyone time to get there. And at around 7:30, Pastor Arnold starts talking and gives some little announcements. And so next on the schedule, someone in the church starts giving their testimony. And this lasts about 20 minutes. And after he was done, the pastor translated everything for us so my dad and I could understand. So that took another 10 minutes. So it's been about an hour already. And now the pastor starts praying. And he's praying a decently long prayer, like maybe five minutes. And I thought, okay, maybe we'll do some popcorn prayer where a few people pray and we wrap things up. But my friend, who was to the right of the pastor, starts praying, and he also prays for about five minutes. And this is all in Tagalog, which is the Filipino language, so I'm not understanding anything. So after my friend gets done, the guy to the right of him starts praying, and he also prays for five minutes. And I'm like, oh, no, is everybody gonna talk for like, five minutes? Because there's like 14 people here, and I'm tired. And that right there is where the guilt set in. And I feel like I understood why the disciples fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus asked them to pray. So after panicking for a little bit, I started talking to God and I asked for his help so I could pray seriously. And pretty soon, this whole prayer meeting, while it was long, because everyone did pray for three to five minutes, it felt so heartwarming. And while I hardly understood anything, it felt like every man in that room patiently waited for their turn to have a genuine conversation with God himself. So our prayer meeting ended at around 9pm that night. And honestly, I wish I could tell you more about the Philippines, which I probably will one day, because my wife and I are going to try to bring a mission team to the Philippines to help fix some roofs next year. So I'll try to keep you updated so you can keep us in prayer. And before I wrap things up, I do want to tie everything to a Bible verse. And for this one, I want to use First Peter 4, 7, where it says, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And the reason why I bring this one up is because being at that men's prayer meeting really convicted me. All those men were serious about their prayers. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that one of the reasons why that church is so full of life and joy is because of faithful men that are committed to speaking to the Lord in prayer. So my encouragement to all of us is to pray more and to pray seriously because our God actually wants to listen to us and he wants us to talk to Him. Okay? So I hope you guys enjoyed those stories, and I hope you remember today that Jesus loves you. We hope you liked that video, guys. If you did subscribe, ring that notification bell so you don't miss a single upload. And then also, if you guys want to support what we do, please consider becoming a A member. We'll see you guys next time, and God bless you.