Many Azusa Pacific University students find their calling from God in service, and the Office of Service and Discipleship provides them with valuable opportunities to put His word into action. Global Engagement trips not only help the communities being served, but also aid students on their faith journeys. Thirteen APU students spent ? weeks over the summer in the Philippines focusing on worship and nursing ministry.
Music and worship major Cameron Faiai ’26 was inspired to apply for the trip after hearing about his friends’ positive experiences. They also told him that the culture was similar to the Dominican Republic which gave Faiai a better understanding of what he was signing up for and calmed his worries. What interested him most about the trip was the emphasis on worship. “Worship is part of God’s calling for me,” Faiai said.
Every morning, students drove to a different community to deliver soup to people in need. “We were led by pastors from the community and neighboring churches,” Faiai said. “One of the head pastors lived two hours away from our team’s headquarters, but he showed up to help us every morning. It was inspirational to see such commitment to helping others.” After morning meal times, students visited an orphanage one block from headquarters. “We were able to hang out with the kids and have one-on-one interactions that allowed us to form deep relationships,” Faiai said. “There was always something to do when we were with the kids, and their joyful energy was so life giving.”
On Friday nights, students partnered with a worship group called Youth Lab to attend praise parties with some of the older children. “The passion that the kids had for worship is vibrantly different from other cultures,” Faiai said. He expressed that he enjoyed leading the praise parties and seeing the differences in culture.
Faiai recalled that the most challenging part of the trip was visiting Tondo, a village built on a large mountain of trash and debris. This is where the nursing ministry aspect was most needed. Children often stepped on glass and had long term wounds from the living conditions. “It was a daunting environment to experience, but the nursing students on our team stepped into a new space and were able to help others,” Faiai said.
Faiai found that his passion for worship was why God called him to the Philippines. “I realized how much joy was present as we were all singing on top of a mountain of trash where the kids didn’t even have access to everyday necessities,” he said. The uplifting experience allowed Faiai to recognize how his passion for music is how he serves others. “I was reassured that despite my doubts, worship and music is the true calling of my life,” he said.
Through nightly debriefs, each team member shared that they had also realized why God called them to the Philippines. Four members even decided that their future holds full time ministry there. The nightly debriefs were a useful time for reflection on what God had been saying to each team member. “God’s love never runs out, and I noticed how His love was shining through different parts of the trip,” Faiai said. “I realized just how much we need to trust in God without limits, and that I need to give Him my all as an invitation to use me to spread His word.” Faiai felt a surge of joy and renewed trust in the Lord that he hopes will allow him to step back and listen to God’s calling in every aspect of daily life. His spiritual journey also included gaining a new perspective on prioritizing others. “I want to be more relationally aware,” he said. “Everyone in the Philippines stopped what they were doing to have meaningful conversations with us and listen to our stories. Rather than being focused on myself, I am going to value others and what they have to share.”
Faia plans to enter the worship music industry as a songwriter after graduation. “Music is a beautiful thing,” he said. “I want to write music that conveys truth and warmth about faith while encouraging people to find intimacy with God.” Before graduating, Faiai hopes to bring his passion for service and music together on campus. “The children asked if we would take the songs that we learned in their language, Tagalog, back to APU,” he said. “I would love to implement different cultures into our worship. It’s important to reach over barriers such as language because music has the ability to change people’s hearts.”
Faiai shared his encouragement for others thinking about signing up for a Global Engagement trip. “When you make a commitment this big, the more you continue to say yes and follow God, the harder it is for the enemy to feed off of your doubts,” he said. “The enemy can not throw us off our path once we’ve said yes to God because no work that we do for the Lord is in vain. Our service has a greater purpose for His kingdom, and my testimony is only a small percentage of the impact that Global Engagement trips have on people.”