pattyboiniceboi

Welcome to my YAV blog everyone! My name is Patrick Boyce, and this is my introductory post! I am from Cheyenne, Wyoming, the capital of the state with the lowest population in the U.S. In fact, there are 31 cities in the United States with a larger population than the state of Wyoming. Yes, you read that right; cities, not states.

I attended the University of Wyoming and graduated as an Elementary Education major. I have been working as a substitute teacher for the past couple of years in the Cheyenne school district and have lots of experience working with kids in schools from many different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. In the summertime, for the past 5 years, I have been a camp counselor in the Presbyterian-owned Camp Story in Northern Wyoming where I helped make Christ known in the great outdoors for so many amazing campers over my time there. At my own church in Cheyenne, I am part of the Deacons, and I also sing as a tenor in my church’s choir. I first learned about the YAV program from Pastor Karl Heimbuck in Sheridan, Wyoming, then learned about it much further at the Presbyterian Youth Triennium even tin 2025. That was when I seriously started thinking about applying for the program, and then I ultimately did earlier this year and was blessed with the Philippines as my site location!

To share some of the hobbies and things I enjoy doing, the #1 thing I enjoy the most is American football (Go Pack Go). Trust me, any friend or family member can attest to this. I also love to exercise, sing, dance and watch movies/TV shows. Specifically with movies and shows, I love what lessons they can teach me about the world and humanity. But through all these things I enjoy are great friends of mine as well, so of course I love to hang with my friends whenever possible. This year, I’m looking forward to getting closer to God in how He is going to lead me through the wilderness. I’m going to be challenged in ways I’ve never even imagined, but I know I will get through those challenges with God’s help. I hope to not only achieve a deeper understanding of myself, but more importantly understand the ins and outs of the Filipino culture and the social issues that persist in the nation as a whole, as this will not be an opportunity I take for granted.

To give some background on the Philippines itself, it is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean with about 117 million inhabitants, making it the 14th most populated country in the world. It became independent from Spain in 1898 and the United States in 1946, in which it was used essentially as a plantation economy. The Philippines has continued to emerge from its colonial dependency on the two countries even today, as collusion with foreign corporate owners/stakeholders and Filipino oligarchs over the plantation blueprint have prevented wealth from staying in the country. This has hindered the country’s ability to develop and prosper as a whole. It is one of the poorest countries in Asia as a result and is torn by many internal conflicts and a long history of injustice towards the poor and marginalized. For my volunteer responsibilities, I will be assisting Dansalan College in Iligan City on the southernmost island known as Mindanao. My program partners will be the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and Silliman University.

One thing I want to make clear when it comes to this volunteer trip is that I am not going into this with a “savior” mindset. I’m going into this to work with the people of the Philippines, not for them. Too often when we go to foreign countries for this type of work, we think we have to transform people or teach them “our ways.” That mindset is harmful because then it makes it seem like we know better than the rest, when in reality there is so much we can learn when we just shut off that part of our brain that feels like we have to be in command. My hope is to build long-term community and many meaningful relationships while I’m at my site, and that starts with letting go of everything I think I know as well as any implicit biases I may still carry with me.

My goal going into this is to not only learn from the Filipinos and have a life-changing experience, but to also show everybody who views this blog the amazing parts of their culture and traditions and any fun activities that come as a result. This is going to be a positive space portraying God’s love, both by me and the Filipinos, in all the best ways possible. I’m so excited for everyone to see how living outside my comfort zone will challenge me, how building relationships will change me, and most importantly how showing God’s love and doing good works for Him can impact and transform all of us.

-pattyboiniceboi