04.19.07
Back to life as normal - maybe?
Our trip went VERY well, thank you to all who contributed. We will be getting personal thank-yous out as soon as we get a list. It was amazing to see how God put our schedule together. When we left, we had a very loose and tentative schedule with a lot of free time. There was also some concern, as the missionary we were going to work with was in the US and wouldn’t return until the evening of our third day, only to be hit with jet-lag upon arrival. However, God had a plan!
For one thing, we ended up working very closely with one of the national associate pastors at the church, and several students from the youth group. This was a huge blessing to us - to be able to work directly with Filipino believers and to get to know them better was a wonderful opportunity, as well as a good reminder to us all of the fellowship we can have in Christ. For another thing, we were kept quite busy - even some of our “tourist” opportunities turned into minestry!
The first day (Saturday) our group helped with the church’s “Sunday School” program, which they hold on Saturdays due to lack of space in the apartment where they meet. Afterwards, our guide asked if we would mind joining him on a visit to a public highschool where he would be promoting the church’s summer camp. Our group was surprised by our “celebrety status” at the assembly, and the opportunities that came with it. We were asked to perform a skit, so Mike and one of our students performed a pantomime with a clear gospel message in front of 400 kids. Afterwards, the Filipinos who were with our group were able to explain the message of the skit while promoting the camp.
Sunday was spent at church. Our group led the evening youth service, and many of the students have shared how that meeting was one of the highlights of their week. It was great to see young people from Korea, America, and the Phillipines all worshipping the same God with passion and joy. Also, those of our students with active roles in the service have given testimony that they were very aware of their own weakness and God’s power as they led. As one of them put it in our group meeting Sunday night - “I couldn’t do it by myself - it would have to be God working through me.” What a blessing to be able to learn this lesson as teenagers!
On Monday we presented a drama workshop, during which we taught the youth group some basic acting skills and a few evangelistic skits. It was a great time of relationship building, fun, and fellowship. Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit several catholic churches and learn a little about “Semana Santa.” Our students were impressed by the dedication of many of the Filipino catholics, but also by the hopelessness of the idolotry that binds them. Many of my Spanish students asked if the culture in Latin America was similar. At one of the churches, we stopped and spent some time praying for God to bring the light to the Phillipines and to give wisdom to believers there as they share their faith.
On Wednesday and Thursday, we attended mid-week services at churches in two very different neighborhoods. Wednesday was a great time of fellowship at the church we had been working with all week. On Thursday, we went to a poorer neighborhood to spend the evening at a small one-room church that is just getting started. We arrived several hours before the service, and spent some time walking around the neighborhood - very different from the malls and nice houses we had seen earlier in the week. After walking around for a while, we noticed a group of about 30 kids had gathered, following us. We stopped at an area with a basketball court, and while some of our group joined in the game, the rest of us lined the kids up on the sidewalk and shared some of our stories, songs, and skits with them - right there on the street. As I watched the rapt attention of our audience, I was amazed by God’s ability to provide opportunities for minestry even when we don’t expect them.
Our group was kept safe for the whole trip. The students were wonderful - great attitudes, no complaining or bickering, easy to chaperone. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a group of teenagers in such close quarters behave so well before! God was truly good to us.
One final note, while on the misisons trip, Mike and I learned that our family is growing! Since our return, I’ve made a trip to the doctor. He said everything looks fine, and that the baby and I are both healthy. The little one will be joining us in December.