How it all began...

Just over a year ago now my friend Anne came round to the flat where I was living to hang out for the evening. After dinner we started talking about our boyfriends (we were both in serious relationships at the time) and decided to have a pray. We'd often prayed for the boys and the relationships but on this occasion we prayed that if these weren't the guys we were supposed to be with that the relationships would end. Within a matter of months both relationships had ended and Anne and I were both single. I knew from that moment that God had a different plan for me. I started to think about going overseas, something that I'd always wanted to do and got in touch with a project in Tanzania through my parent's church. But it was painfully slow and nothing seemed to be going ahead. Then one day in February my brother sent me an email asking me to look over the OMF website that he'd been working on. Suddenly I figured maybe Africa wasn't the place for me and that maybe I was supposed to be going to Serve Asia instead! My brother put me in touch with the Serve Asia team and it all took off from there!

Why Philippines? When Kathryn talked me through which teams were going where it was the Urban Poor Team work that really captured my heart, I knew as soon as she said it that that was the project for me. Whilst the Philippines wouldn't have been top of my list location-wise (I confess I didn't even know exactly where it was!) I knew this was the kind of work I wanted to be doing. I've always had a heart for the homeless and those people that society overlook and here was a way I could go and help those who really need it. As I've read more about the country, the culture and the work that's going on out there I get more and more excited...

So I sit here in my parents home, with just a few hours to go before my adventure truly begins, knowing that I'm going to exactly where I'm supposed to be, that everything that's happened over the last year has lead me to this point and my life will never be the same again... How awesome is that!