My name is Wes. For two decades, Shanghai was home, and I built a life there as a filmmaker and educator, working in various international schools and telling stories through Available Light Films and the Cities of Love franchise.

In March 2020 doors opened to live in Manila for the first time. What's unfolded since has been the slow, unmistakable hand of God building something I beyond anything I could have asked for or imagined - a life now collaborating with ministry partners like Generations Home, Joshua Care International Foundation, and Hillsong Manila Connect.

What this ministry is about

I serve vulnerable children at the intersection of community, storytelling, and learning through play. At Joshua Care International Foundation, I serve as Vice Chair and Director of Whole Child Development & Community Engagement, walking alongside children in residential care as they heal and grow. I also partner with Generations Home, helping steward their church partnerships and support their Independent Living Program for for young people transitioning out of care. And through Hillsong Manila Connect’s Significant Sustainable Social Impact team, I help connect this work with partners like Joshua Care International Foundation, and the Onesimo Foundation.

James 1:27 anchors all of it: pure religion is the practice of caring for the vulnerable.

Why I'm asking you to pray

According to data from Generations Home, 4.4 million children are living with neither parent, 2.8 million children are out of school, 2.4 million children have lost at least one parent, 1.4 million children are involved in child labor, 828,000 children are involved in hazardous or exploitative work, and approximately 660,000 children are unregistered and unseen by any system meant to protect them. Please pray also, specifically, for the children in JCI's care, for healing where there's been trauma, for stability that lets them trust again, and for real opportunity ahead, not just getting by.

These are voluntary roles. I've been accepted by EquipNet to serve as an independent missionary as I transition into this work full-time. Please feel free to ask any questions, and to forward this to anyone who might be interested.

Wes