Category Archives: <3 Vlogs

Video blogs

Quest To Find the City of Angels: The Call

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If you didn’t get a chance to hear about how the night out in the Angeles City red-light district went, you can watch the video HERE. I share about how that evening unfolded, and the need there. It was definitely one of the most intense evenings of my life.

This last video is for those whose hearts were moved by the need in Angeles City. I share some facts about Angeles City, that the Renew Foundation has discovered. I also share about the AMAZING work that they are doing there. They have another video on their website for you to watch.

If you are looking for a place to serve, regarding the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, you are welcome to come here and work alongside me, BUT I ask that you would consider serving alongside what Renew is doing for the Kingdom, in the Philippines.

Facts not shown in the video:

- My trike driver got super lost on our way to Renew, but we eventually made it.

- Korean men are the number one (Asian) tourists, for sex tourism, to the Philippines.

- Renew has been working in Angeles City for 7 years.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/46366660″>Quest to Find the City of Angels- The Call</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3629705″>Bethsaida Portalatin</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Thank you all for journeying along with me on this 5 part Vlog adventure on the Quest to Find the City of Angels. It’s so humbling to think that you would take time out of your day to be a part of this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. <3

May we continue to let our hearts break for what God’s heart breaks for, and be His hands and feet on Earth, while we still have breath to be.

Agenda: Love,

Bethsaida

Quest To Find The City of Angels: The Night

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The night of July 17,2012.

It will forever be one of the experiences seared into my mind, and heart, that fuel my passion to combat this issue of human trafficking, and sexual exploitation.

Teams often come to work with me, here in Thailand, with hopes of “rescuing” a girl. I tell them right away to dump that mindset, and instead become a farmer… Being obedient to God’s prompting as to whether He wants them to plant, water, or harvest…. but to always be led by His Spirit first and foremost.

It’s not about “rescuing” a girl, so much as it is being obedient to what God is asking you to do…especially if it’s to pray.

I really just wanted to be obedient to God. In that, He lead me to a bar like none other I have been to before. He opened up connections, and relationships that were truly divine appointments and His timing.

Here’s some of what the evening looked like.

Facts not shown in the video:

- It was not tourist high season, and so I was pretty obvious walking in the streets, so I had to video with my camera positioned low. Sorry for the shakey footage.

- I saw 3 different groups of ladies “dancing” on the stage during my time there, about 30 ladies, and the evening was just beginning.

- Two of the waitresses I spoke with have FB friended me, and one of the dancers that I spoke to, literally for a minute. I have been in communication with all of them still.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/46212958″>Quest to Find the City of Angels-The Night</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3629705″>Bethsaida Portalatin</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

The next video I post up will share how YOU can be a part of combating this evil in Angeles City.

May we all do our part.

Agenda: Love,

Bethsaida

Quest To Find The City of Angels: Travel Day (video)

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After staying the night in Manila, with my new roommate Lovely, I headed out the next morning to visit my friends in Puerto Galera.

I worked with Threads of Hope February 2011, and it was SUCH a blessing to serve there… and then to go back.

This second time I went back, I have decided to nickname Puerto Galera “The Island of Hope”, because everywhere you look you see these beautiful bracelets being made.

Puerto Galera is aesthetically one of the most gorgeous places that I have ever been to.

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The family I worked with there is phenomenal. God is doing wonderful things through Threads of Hope and the Matienzo family. The church now has over 800 members!

Puerto Galera was missing a dear friend though, Christian on The Rocks. I was told by my friends there, that he died on New Years Eve. I pray that with his last breath he called out to Jesus.

Puerto Galera was where I knew, that I knew, God was calling me to work in the field of human trafficking. Meeting Paris was a miracle story. So it will always be a special place in my heart. I love my Filipino family there.

So after visiting there, it was time for me to make my trek towards Angeles City. I had finally got in contact with the founder of the organization, booked a hotel, and now all I had to do was get there… but it def wasn’t as simple as that. =)

Fun facts not shown in the video:

- Zoe Saldana movies seemed to follow me on both buses

- I saw a huge awesome sign that said “Talk to Me” -God, on the bus drive.

- Cubaou had the same feel to me as The Bronx… so you figure out how I felt there.. lets just say I walked REALLY fast to get to the bus station ( no offense to my Bronxonians =)

-I seriously had NO CLUE how to get to Fields Ave once I got off the bus and had to take a jeepney. But thank God I made it =)

So this video is mostly about my travel, and the next one will be about my night on Fields Ave. Thanks for journeying along friends. <3

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/46021457″>The Quest to Find The City of Angels-Travel Day -</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3629705″>Bethsaida Portalatin</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Agenda: Love,

Bethsaida

Quest to Find the City of Angels: Day 1 (video)

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Here’s the first video from my Quest to Find the City of Angels.

I really didn’t know what to expect, but that’s the amazing thing about following God…He does some pretty cool stuff if you let Him.

He speaks.

Some fun facts not in the video:

-Lovely, who you’ll meet in the video, called me Dora the Explorer because she was always scared to do something, and I told her that if it scares me, I do it. =)

- The guys in the video didn’t speak one word to me on the plane or after…but they were loud and obnoxious in their seats the whole time… I wish I would have watched the video clip on the plane and caught them red-handed.

- I was REALLY tired on the plane, and almost didn’t want to bother speaking to her, but I kept on hearing God say to “talk to her”. Goes to show how many divine appointments we can miss if we’re not obedient to Him.

- I LOVE lighting… but that’s pretty obvious in the video.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/45913141″>Quest To Find The City of Angels- Day 1 – Medium</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user3629705″>Bethsaida Portalatin</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Thanks for taking the time to watch, and journeying along with me. It means a lot. Thank you.

I pray this journey can be a blessing to you as well.

Today keep your ears open for your divine appointments. =)

Agenda: Love,

Bethsaida

Quest To Find The Disney Land for Men

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or as some of the other websites, I came across, named it “The Supermarket of Sex”.

I prefer to call it by it’s given name. Angeles City, Philippines. The English translation would be The City of Angels.

I’ll be heading to the Philippines tomorrow, and I’ll be there for a little bit longer than a week. My initial intent was to attend a Not For Sale Asia Pacific Forum focused on the issue of human trafficking, and I’ll also be visiting a ministry that was integral in confirming that my heart beats for the issue of human trafficking… but there is one monumental stop I need to make while I am in the Philippines.

Working in the red-light district here in Thailand, there is not much that I have not seen or heard yet, and the red-light district in the Philippines I’m sure is similar… but God exposed me to the issue of human trafficking, and gave me a burden for it, before I even knew what it was, through reading an article about Angeles City.

I’m not sure what I’ll be doing when I get there, and I will only be able to stop through for about a day and a half, but I’m praying that I can learn some new things, or maybe share some things that will be able move our hearts more towards justice and eternal freedom of so many of those trapped in this exploitation of vulnerability.

I explain a bit more in the video below. I would be honored if you came along and shared this experience with me. I look forward to seeing how God allows this trip to unfold.

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Agenda: Love,

Bethsaida

MySpace Blast From The Past

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If I’m not mistaken, this may be the only selfie I have ever posted of myself…in my life…and what’s with the filter?.. and where did I find this picture? In the archives of my MySpace photos…I recently found a lot of interesting things in that alternate world…smh.

But before I introduce you to that former world…..My, almost 16 year old, niece showed me this video a long time ago, and I thought it was hilarious. I wanted to do exactly what Rhett and Link did, but was never really disciplined enough to sit down and write a song food order. I forgot about those guys until about a month ago, and I have been watching their daily morning show since then. They are hilarious, and they rekindle the desire in me to do more video blogs. They have recently been going back to their video vault, and releasing videos they did several years back…this reminded me of something.

Truth is, I used to do video blogs all the time… on MySpace.. remember that world? I decided to revisit my old page this morning, and what I found was pretty embarrassing, and hilarious…The songs on there, are mostly done on my Garage Band, pretty pitchy, and juvenile. And the videos…I don’t even remember half the stuff I talked about on my video blogs.

Bethsaida’s Blog Blitz are probably the cheesiest, and most ridiculous videos ever.. so how can I NOT share them with you all. I promise you, while I was watching this I was thinking “Who is this person??”..haha..my how time changes things, and people…but secretly, I think she’s still inside, just with a very different world view now.

Here’s one for all you lazy folk who won’t click the link above….My Brooklyn accent was so thick then… is it still like that?

Also, I want these archaic videos to be the kick start to a new format I want to introduce on this blog. Over the next few months, I will be traveling quite a bit, and I want you all to be a part of that.

Some of the trips will be for leisure, some will be for answers to questions, some will be humorous, and others will be sobering…but I hope I can share these moments with you in a way that will either encourage you, challenge you, make you laugh, or spark a passion in you.

Thank you for taking the time to be a part of this, and for reading/watching my cheesiness.

I hope to update my blogsite much more often, and share the stories, funny ,encouraging, and challenging, of what God is doing. So check back often…and I really love hearing your comments….so please do leave one =)

Agenda: Love,

Bethsaida