Alex Kim, who lives in Singapore and studies in the US, partnered with ICM to “Join the Journey” by volunteering his time and spending a month with our staff on the ground in Dumaguete. Here are excerpts from his trip summary:
“My spell in Dumaguete has been nothing short of amazing, I’ve learnt many things during my stay and the experience here has been of the once-in-a lifetime variety. I can say with a hundred-percent assurance that a piece of my heart will always be with the Philippines. What ICM is doing in this country is noteworthy with such a small staff in comparison to the effect they have on their communities. The staff members here in Dumaguete are an outstanding group of people.
I spent the majority of my time with ICM visiting areas on the beach, in the mountains and doing house-to-house visits. The lessons they are teaching make a noticeable difference in these people lives and it’s amazing seeing some of these lessons being put to practice as you visit them again; lessons such as container farming, making their own detergent powder and fabric softener, tippy taps, to a name a few.
Another lesson I will take away from my stint in the Philippines is to take life more lightly, Filipino people are very faithful and are always joking about and smiling – which is a lesson to the rest of the world – pray more, smile more, and joke more often, life’s tribulations will be much easier to persevere through.”
Alex’s time in the Philippines had a tremendous impact on the direction of his life, and while he was there he was able to bless hundreds of people in simple, lasting ways.
How will you Join the Journey?
[Excerpts by Alex Kim, 2013]
