philippines

Dancing for Joy Together

World Challenge Staff

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:4-5, ESV). 

Scriptures often discuss celebration, and God actually instituted several holidays for his people to rest and worship him. The art of celebration is a regular practice in the Old Testament, and it is echoed in the future wedding feast of the Lamb discussed in Revelation.

The True Love of Saying “No”

Steve Otradovec

World Challenge’s partners are helping others see how setting boundaries can be not only loving but also an opening for the gospel.

Many believers assume that relationship boundaries are unloving and therefore unchristian. A popular idea is that self-sacrificial living should mean having no defenses or lines that shouldn’t be crossed, but it ignores many verses in the Bible that order us to have discernment and enforce consequences for sinful behavior.

Small Solutions with Big Impact

Steve Otradovec

World Challenge’s partners in the Philippines are finding innovative ways to help people in the church survive the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. 

Last year, the Covid epidemic hit Southeast Asia with a vengeance, their economies in particular. Part of this is because many people in this region rely on the tourism industry for their livelihood.

A Garden of God’s Word

Rachel Chimits

One woman decided that if God had changed her heart, he could change her life and her community’s life, and she set out to see it happen.

Edang was doing pretty well for herself. She worked for the nearby zoo and had been there for 14 years. The tourist trade in the Philippines made for lively business, and who doesn’t love seeing animals?

Block 38’s Cleanliness Campaign

Rachel Chimits

One community in the Philippines banded together to transform their neighborhood so successfully that even their city's government took notice.

Block 38 is a lively, urban-poor community located in Mandaluyong City. The neighborhood is congested with more than 16,000 citizens crowded into narrow lanes and small houses. 

Crooked alleyways are crammed with sari-sari stories, food stalls and packs of children running between pedestrian traffic.

Sharing Knowledge, Joy and Life

Rachel Chimits

Community makes an enormous difference in believers’ lives, and one young mother is growing into a new life with the help of her church.

When the World Challenge team first met her, Grace was a shy and timid believer. She described herself as a typical housewife who was only concerned about her own household and had very little to do with her community.

Fighting Off a Gambling Addiction

Rachel Chimits

One woman felt that lottery tickets offered hope that life had denied her until members of the church helped her find peace in better sources.

As soon as someone mentions “addiction,” most people automatically think of drugs or alcohol. Those two substances, however, only represent a fraction of potential addictions that can entangle people.