Ginalyn Pearson gives one of the children from a Cambodian orphanage a piggy-back ride during her mission trip in May. Pearson became an orphan herself at age 7. Submitted photoJOSHUA HICKS, Reporter
Published: July 30, 2008
Ginalyn Pearson spent most of her spare time playing with children when she visited a Cambodian orphanage as part of a mission trip in May.
If there was a connection, it’s because she’s been in their situation. The 24-year-old Philippines native became an orphan at age 7, along with her sister.
Two years passed before a Bothell couple adopted the girls.
“It has a lot of effect on me,” Pearson said. “Whenever I go to an orphanage, some of the memories come back.”
That, she says, is why she can’t seem to pull herself away from the kids.
“I know it’s important,” Pearson said. “They don’t have family, so I like to just play with them. I took every opportunity I could before we had to leave.”
Pearson is no stranger to mission trips. She’s participated in five of them since 2001.
She went to the Philippines on two occasions to work with hearing-impaired communities in that country during her high-school years, and she later provided humanitarian services in Cambodia after completing a six-month discipleship-training program through Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Hawaii.
Pearson also spent her Thanksgiving break in 2005 helping with relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
“That was really hard because of what I saw,” she said. “There was so much garbage and devastation, and it was really close to home. Usually, you see that kind of thing overseas.”
Pearson’s most recent mission trip brought her to the rural Cambodian village of Banan with a group of students from Oregon’s Northwest Christian University, where she was attending school.
Team leader Elizabeth Seybold credits Pearson with determining the group’s destination.
“She had contacts from her first trip to Cambodia, and she had spoken volumes about that experience,” Seybold said.
The missionary group helped organize recreational, educational and worship activities for youths in Banan.
Members of the entourage slept on tile floors and coped without running water or air conditioning in the tropical heat.
“All we wanted was something cold to drink,” she said. “It was very different from life here in the U.S. — very tough — but we survived. It made me really thankful for what I have and the blessings I’ve received in my life.”
Pearson’s trip included tours of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, as well as the Angkor Wat temple and several historic places associated with the Khmer Rouge regime, which killed an estimated 1.5 million people during its time in power.
Among the troubling sites she saw were a genocide museum, a torture prison and the notorious Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge buried its victims.
“We saw a lot of creepy torture devices, and there were bones and pieces of clothing from the people who were buried,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking to know that so many people lost their lives. I think it’s sad how humankind can be so cruel.”
The missionaries put that harshness behind them as they visited the orphanage to spend time with kids and deliver suitcases packed with hygiene supplies, games and crafts.
Seybold claims Pearson quickly distinguished herself as one of the most enthusiastic team members.
“Gina never sat around,” she said. “She constantly sought out people to interact with, and she helped out in any way she could.”
“I’ll never know how much of an impact we made, but some of the kids were crying when we left,” Pearson said. “The people there don’t normally show a lot of emotion.”
Pearson returned home to learn that she had landed work as a teacher with the Highline School District. She earned a degree in education from Oregon’s Northwest Christian University last spring, and used part of her graduation money to pay the $2,600 it cost to participate in her latest mission trip.
She claims it won’t be her last.
“I just know there are a lot of people in need out there, and I have a big heart for them,” Pearson said.
Published: July 30, 2008
Ginalyn Pearson spent most of her spare time playing with children when she visited a Cambodian orphanage as part of a mission trip in May.
If there was a connection, it’s because she’s been in their situation. The 24-year-old Philippines native became an orphan at age 7, along with her sister.
Two years passed before a Bothell couple adopted the girls.
“It has a lot of effect on me,” Pearson said. “Whenever I go to an orphanage, some of the memories come back.”
That, she says, is why she can’t seem to pull herself away from the kids.
“I know it’s important,” Pearson said. “They don’t have family, so I like to just play with them. I took every opportunity I could before we had to leave.”
Pearson is no stranger to mission trips. She’s participated in five of them since 2001.
She went to the Philippines on two occasions to work with hearing-impaired communities in that country during her high-school years, and she later provided humanitarian services in Cambodia after completing a six-month discipleship-training program through Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Hawaii.
Pearson also spent her Thanksgiving break in 2005 helping with relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
“That was really hard because of what I saw,” she said. “There was so much garbage and devastation, and it was really close to home. Usually, you see that kind of thing overseas.”
Pearson’s most recent mission trip brought her to the rural Cambodian village of Banan with a group of students from Oregon’s Northwest Christian University, where she was attending school.
Team leader Elizabeth Seybold credits Pearson with determining the group’s destination.
“She had contacts from her first trip to Cambodia, and she had spoken volumes about that experience,” Seybold said.
The missionary group helped organize recreational, educational and worship activities for youths in Banan.
Members of the entourage slept on tile floors and coped without running water or air conditioning in the tropical heat.
“All we wanted was something cold to drink,” she said. “It was very different from life here in the U.S. — very tough — but we survived. It made me really thankful for what I have and the blessings I’ve received in my life.”
Pearson’s trip included tours of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, as well as the Angkor Wat temple and several historic places associated with the Khmer Rouge regime, which killed an estimated 1.5 million people during its time in power.
Among the troubling sites she saw were a genocide museum, a torture prison and the notorious Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge buried its victims.
“We saw a lot of creepy torture devices, and there were bones and pieces of clothing from the people who were buried,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking to know that so many people lost their lives. I think it’s sad how humankind can be so cruel.”
The missionaries put that harshness behind them as they visited the orphanage to spend time with kids and deliver suitcases packed with hygiene supplies, games and crafts.
Seybold claims Pearson quickly distinguished herself as one of the most enthusiastic team members.
“Gina never sat around,” she said. “She constantly sought out people to interact with, and she helped out in any way she could.”
“I’ll never know how much of an impact we made, but some of the kids were crying when we left,” Pearson said. “The people there don’t normally show a lot of emotion.”
Pearson returned home to learn that she had landed work as a teacher with the Highline School District. She earned a degree in education from Oregon’s Northwest Christian University last spring, and used part of her graduation money to pay the $2,600 it cost to participate in her latest mission trip.
She claims it won’t be her last.
“I just know there are a lot of people in need out there, and I have a big heart for them,” Pearson said.
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