The mountainous regions in the Philippines are no easy place to live in. They usually get minimal aid from the outside due to hard transportation and their location.
The lengths that our wonderful volunteers went to reach these children are nothing short of heroic. They went by boat, motorcycles and then walked several miles - all the while carrying the gifts and food up the mountain. In the end, their efforts reached more than 700 children. Absolutely amazing.
Novel gifts to these people are wonderful no doubt, but the knowledge that there are people around the world caring for them is perhaps a much bigger gift than we realize. It is not a lightweight to feel as if you are alone in the world, and we hope that through the simple act of giving a gift during the Christmas season, we are able to spread the Love of God that He has given to us.
We gave durable crocs style-slippers, which will help walking around on the mountain. And in the spirit of giving, we gave chocolates, different kinds of toys, and cooked meals to the communities. There were children in the mountains who walked hours to reach the place where we gathered to give the gift. We played games, sang songs, and sowed seeds of the gospel message that Jesus is the ultimate gift from God.
At the core of our mission here at Aspire to Dream, we want to radically change for the better the lives of the underprivileged, invisible, and forgotten peoples of the world, and perhaps that journey begins with a simple gift to a child in the mountains during Christmas.
