It's time for me to go. Where you ask? The Philippines. As
you read this, it's very possible that I'm flying over the Pacific Ocean
wondering, "what am I getting myself into?" No, this is not just another trip
I'm going on. I'm not just adding another country's stamp to my passport. That
has no appeal to me whatsoever. This isn't even what I'm doing for now, as I
try to "figure life out." I've awoken to
a dream and the dream is becoming a reality.

You see over the past year I've been exposed. In Swazi, I
sat bedside and watch first hand as a woman died from AIDs. I held this
precious baby girl (with the softest afro-hair) that was left in the hands of a
stranger by her mother; a baby with no name and no hope for the future. In Haiti,
I walked into orphanages and immediately had little hands filling my hands with
theirs. Little human beings that were
starved for love and just dying to
be touched.

Now that I've been exposed, I can't
continue on with a "normal life." It's just not possible. If I said "welp, too
bad them," and continued on my way, then I'd say that it's ok with me. I'd be
saying that that is their own problem. It
is not ok with me. It is not ok with that children are being sold into slavery. It's not ok with me
that children are given guns and
told to kill their families. It's not ok with me that 10s of thousands of children are dying daily from malnutrition.
Even worse, is that children are dying every day because they aren't loved...

Yes, it's impossible to fix the world's problems but we are called to play our part! I have
a God-given role to fulfill and I've got to do it. I am not a talented man. I
don't have any cool stupid human tricks and I really don't excel in many areas.
But there is one thing that God has gifted me with. I have a sensitive heart
that loves well. I can hold that baby as she falls a sleep. I can say, "great
job!" and "I'm so proud of you." I can love.

I have a
dream: To one day open up an
orphanage in Africa for children and widows. Why? Because they need each
other! A child needs love and the widow needs someone to love. It's beautiful! We can fulfill what we are commanded to do in James 1:27 "look after orphans and widows in their distress," by giving them
each other.

Step one of
the journey: I'll be spending the next 3 months in the Philippines apprenticing
with a missionary named Jeff Long. Jeff's ministry has opened and
operates multiple children's homes throughout the Philippines. While there, I
will be spending my time in the children's homes learning first hand the in's
and out's of how an orphanage operates. I'll be learning things like how do they begin, how do you bring sustainability to them and how to
avoid learning things the hard way. Small questions that have huge answers! Working
under Jeff is the perfect first step.

How can you be
apart? You can support the dream
financially. I need that. This has got to be the only "career" that consists of
extremely long days, away from everything comfortable that requires you to rely
on people to support you. My benefit package only kicks in once I get to
heaven. If you are passionate about
caring for the orphans and widows and want to be apart of supporting the dream financially, you can click
"support me" at the top and follow the few steps to do so. My program is
fittingly categorized as, "unknown." I also desperately need you to be praying for me. While finances get me
there and keep me fed, it's your prayers that keep me going. I look back
over my time in Swazi, Haiti and Brazil and know that I couldn't have survived
without your prayers. It is overwhelming to know that people are constantly
praying for me. I could never thank you enough.

The dream is about to begin...

  Ryan