Mission trip highlight: philippines

By Ivan Morales

As a Filipino American, going back to the Philippines always feels like returning home. And this time, it was more than a visit—it was a mission. I had the incredible honor of joining the ROLCC Mission Trip 2025 to serve the youth and speak about something I’m deeply passionate about: mental health.

Working with youth and supporting mental health are two of the greatest callings in my life—especially in my role as a School Mental Health Therapist. On this trip, I even had the chance to offer therapy to some of the youth, and it was truly powerful. To say it was a success would be an understatement.

作為一名菲律賓裔美國人，回到菲律賓總有種回家的感覺。這次不僅是一次探訪，而是一項使命。我非常榮幸能參加2025年ROLCC宣教之旅，服事青年，並談論我深感熱衷的話題：心理健康。

與青年一起工作並支持心理健康是我生命中最重要的兩個使命——尤其是在我作為學校心理健康治療師的角色中。這次旅程中，我甚至有機會為一些青年提供心理治療，這真的非常有意義。這次活動的影響，早已超越了『成功』兩個字所能表達的範圍。

Bro. Ivan Morales giving a workshop on mental health. Ivan 弟兄舉辦心理健康講座。

But behind all the smiles and laughter… there was another side of my journey that most people didn’t see.

You see, just a few weeks before this trip, I was hit with a major depressive episode. I’ve been living with PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for eight years now, and though I’ve learned to carry that weight with purpose, it still shows up—especially when I least expect it.

So while I smiled during the day, I often found myself crying at night. Yet despite how I felt, I knew God was calling me to serve. And I wasn’t going to let my pain stop me.

God reminded me: “Make a fun project.” And that’s what this trip became. I got to speak to hundreds of youth about mental health—what it is, why it matters, and how they’re not alone in their struggles. It was extra meaningful because it happened during Men’s Mental Health Month, a time that reminds me how far I’ve come, and how far there is to go in removing stigma—especially for men and especially in our communities.

但在所有笑容和歡笑的背後……我的旅程還有不為人知的一面。

你知道嗎，就在這趟旅行前幾週，我突然陷入了嚴重的憂鬱發作。我患有創傷後壓力症候群（PTSD）和重度憂鬱症（MDD）已經八年了，雖然我已經學會了有意識地承受這些痛苦，但它們仍然會不時出現——尤其是在我最意想不到的時候。

所以，儘管白天歡笑，夜晚卻常常獨自哭泣。然而，無論我內心多麼痛苦，我知道上帝在呼召我去服事祂。我不會讓痛苦阻擋我前進的腳步。

上帝提醒我：「去做一個有趣的專案。」於是，這趟旅行就成了這樣一次。我有機會與數百名青少年談論心理健康——它是什麼，為什麼它如此重要，以及他們在與心理健康問題作鬥爭時並不孤單。這次旅行意義非凡，因為它正值男性心理健康月，這讓我意識到自己已經走了多遠，也讓我意識到在消除對心理健康的歧視方面，我們還有很長的路要走——尤其是在男性群體中，尤其是在我們的社區裡。

My journey has been shaped by many roles:

• The military taught me duty.

• Combat sports taught me how to fight.

• Being a wrestling coach taught me how to inspire the next generation.

And being a Marriage and Family Therapist has taught me that it’s possible to carry your cross—and still help carry someone else’s.

But I’m still human. It’s okay to hurt. It’s okay to ask for help.

Mental illness is real—and at times, it’s almost destroyed my life. But by the grace of God, I’m still here.

One of the students I met on this trip in the Philippines later posted on social media that they’d never forget what I told them:

“Don’t stay up all night worrying about what tomorrow may hold. Breathe. Relax. Pray. Rest. You don’t have to fear—God’s got you covered.”

That’s why I do this.

我的人生經歷融合了多種角色：

• 軍隊教會了我責任感。

• 格鬥運動教會了我如何戰鬥。

• 擔任摔角教練教會了我如何激勵下一代。

身為婚姻家庭治療師，我明白，一個人可以背負自己的十字架，同時也能幫助別人背負十字架。

但我終究還是個人。受傷是可以理解的。尋求幫助也是可以的。

精神疾病是真實存在的──有時它幾乎毀了我的生活。但感謝上帝，我仍然活著。

我在菲律賓短宣期間遇到的一位學生後來在社群媒體上發文說，他們永遠不會忘記我告訴他們的話：

“不要整夜擔心明天會發生什麼。深呼吸。放鬆。禱告。休息。你不必害怕——上帝會保護你。”

這就是我做這件事的原因。

I always pray that the hundreds of kids and youth I’ve worked with—whether in schools, on the mat, or in the mission field—will live lives brighter than anything I could dream. They will face pain. But I hope they learn to persevere, to hold on, and to become someone else’s hope. They are my stars.

For God—and for the ones I love—I will do everything in my power to create a sky full of stars, and protect their smiles… until He calls me home.

我總是祈禱，無論是在學校、摔跤場，還是宣教場上，我所接觸的數百名孩子和青年，都能擁有比我所能夢想到的更光明的生活。他們會面對痛苦，但我希望他們學會堅持、堅守，並成為他人的希望。他們是我的明星。

為了上帝，也為了我所愛的人，我將盡我所能創造繁星點點的夜空，守護他們的笑容……直到祂召喚我回家。

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

– Romans 5:3–5 (NIV)

不但如此，就是在患難中也是歡歡喜喜的。因為知道患難生忍耐，  忍耐生老練，老練生盼望， 5盼望不至於羞恥，因為所賜給我們的聖靈將神的愛澆灌在我們心裡。

- 羅馬書 5:3-5

So even though I’m back in California now, my heart is still in the Philippines. I’ll train harder—physically and professionally—so I can come back stronger and smarter. I’ll never forget this trip. And I’ll always pray for the health, joy, and future of the youth, the staff, and the nation that feels like my second home. 🙏🇵🇭

所以，即使我現在回到了加州，我的心仍然留在菲律賓。我會更努力地培訓——無論是體能還是專業上——這樣我才能以更強健、更睿智的姿態回歸。我永遠不會忘記這次短宣。我會一直為青年、教職員以及這個如同我的第二個家的國家祈禱，祝福他們健康、快樂、擁有美好的未來。🙏🇵🇭