Sixteen young people with a mission! As this group of youth and handful of adults set off to the island of Palawan in the Philippines, they had no idea of the many blessings and exciting new experiences that were waiting for them across the Pacific Ocean. 

The Young Disciple mission team was comprised of youth and adults from all over the United States and even parts of Canada. It was a nice surprise to meet members of the team along the journey across the country.

Although the flight from San Francisco to Taipei was 14 hours long, we all had a hard time sleeping. The excitement and uncertainty of going to a third world country kept us all awake. 

The arrival in Manila, Philippines was a very happy one. Even though we were all tired, we were happy to step outside and soak up the sights and smells of the Philippines.

We took a bus to the North Philippine Seventh-day Adventist mission headquarters in Manila where we would spend the night before flying on to Palawan. Unloading that bus was a big job! But many hands made light work.