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| This picture is on the wall in the dining area...just for you Rebekah!! |
Had Team Time Bible Study, and read an article talking about different world 'religions', how Jesus is the ONLY Way, and ways to minister the Gospel to them. It was really impacting, and I wish I could share it all. Many of the articles that we read at Nehemiah were taken from "The Traveling Team" Website, and I would highly recommend it.
(Disclaimer (;p): As with everything, make sure you don't just take what is said for the Truth, but take time to make sure it matches up with God's Word!!)
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| Jordan, Lissa, Arlin, Kayla, and Belle |
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| Kayla, Arlin, Eric, and Heather |
Maybe I should explain a little bit...God and I have talk a lot to each other about moment by moment things... (so many more things I could include Him in though!!), and we have conversations sometimes....sometimes I can almost picture Him laughing at me....especially this Summer...boy does God have a sense of humor!!! I know, maybe it sounds irrational or childish, but that's the way it is.
Anyway, over the course of the summer, I have told God that I love the Philippines and the Filipino people, and that if He called me back to the Philippines, I would love to minister here for Him....but of course, if He calls me somewhere else, I understand, and that's okay.... (basically giving God 'the back door').
Well, today, I realized that God doesn't want to be given 'the back door', He wants to know what I'm really feeling and thinking, and that He wanted me to verbalize it not semi-evade it... So, I sat down by the river, and cried out to God. I told Him that I had an overwhelming love for the Filipino people, that I felt He had placed a passion in my heart for the people here, especially in the villages, and that though I am willing to do whatever He wants me to do, wherever He places me, part of my heart is here in the Philippines, and that I could easily call this place "Home".
Now that I had actually told Him the truth, I could again fully surrender this love and passion for this land to Him, and follow Him wherever He leads, whether that is back here, to another country, or staying at home and being a missionary in my hometown. God has it all under control, and I have again placed it fully in His hands, and wow! what a burden has been taken off my shoulders!!! I feel so free again!!!
The neatest thing, is that I know that whatever He leads me to do, He will reveal to my parents and give them peace about it!!! So, I will know for sure that it is God's leading, and not myself thinking "it's a good idea". What a BLESSING it is to be under my Father's protection and guidance!!! I have met so many girls here and back home who do not have this, and it does 2 things to me: First, it breaks my heart to know and feel what they're missing, and secondly, it makes me so grateful that God has blessed me with not just my Father, but also a Mother who is there for me as well!! Oh, that I may not ever take it for granted!!!
Back to my story, after I surrendered all my dreams, desires, passions, and heart again to God, I went from the small forested clearing I was in to the other side with everyone else, and again sat by the river, where Sylvette grabbed my camera and took these: (thank you Sylvette!!!)
The Bible Study went SO well, and was so uplifting, even though I couldn't understand a lot of what was being said, since it was Cebuano/Visayan. The hosts family was all there, as well as the Catholic Grandparents, what an opportunity!! The text was Luke 15:11-24, which talks about the Prodigal Son.
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| Let the little children come.... (Eric with Melyn's little boy) |
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| Waiting for everyone to arrive in our outdoor living room |
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| Hostess' and Melyn's little boys played while we were studying, and boy did they have fun!!! |
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| Bong's turn to share |
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| Prayer time Clockwise: Kayla, Jordan, Lissa, Melyn, the Family/Angela, Me, Heather, Bong, and Eric |
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| Piglets!!!!! |
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| Lissa and Eric braiding Arlin and Belle's hair..what fun!! |
Afterwards, Ate´ Ning-Ning, Kayla and I went out and canoed to the other side of the river and back, which was a bunch of fun.
Coming back, we had just gotten to the top of the hill (12:40pm), thru the hot sun and 100% humidity, when we received a text from Ate´ Ning-Ning saying that 'they' had roasted a pig and wanted us to come back for lunch. We were all kind of like "??!!??!!??!!" and a little incredulous (to say the least), for more than a one reason (selfish really):
1) We had just walked 10-15 minutes back thru the hot sun, and now they text us!! (why didn't they tell us there?)
2) We had another Bible Study scheduled at 2pm
3) Though pig was really appetizing (to most people), we'd been out ALL morning, and did we really feel like going back??
Well, we decided to take the challenge and honor, and went back (like good little missionaries ;p), and participated, after buying some coke to bring too--all 11 of us. Ends up that it was a birthday party for one of Ate´Ning-Ning's neighbor's 1 year old daughter, hosted at the family's house, not at Ate´'s home. When she got to the party, they asked her "Where are the Americanos?? Aren't they coming?" It turned out to be much more than 'pig' too...pancit, bread, crackers, vegetables, and Mangga (mango) Icecream and Banana Cake!!!! Yum!!! With some of the things, you just tried not to think about what it was, or how it might of been made/how clean it was, and then it tasted really good. :)
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| "You're like little ants!!" |
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| Kayla |
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| Ate´ Ning-Ning |
1) We had just walked 10-15 minutes back thru the hot sun, and now they text us!! (why didn't they tell us there?)
2) We had another Bible Study scheduled at 2pm
3) Though pig was really appetizing (to most people), we'd been out ALL morning, and did we really feel like going back??
Well, we decided to take the challenge and honor, and went back (like good little missionaries ;p), and participated, after buying some coke to bring too--all 11 of us. Ends up that it was a birthday party for one of Ate´Ning-Ning's neighbor's 1 year old daughter, hosted at the family's house, not at Ate´'s home. When she got to the party, they asked her "Where are the Americanos?? Aren't they coming?" It turned out to be much more than 'pig' too...pancit, bread, crackers, vegetables, and Mangga (mango) Icecream and Banana Cake!!!! Yum!!! With some of the things, you just tried not to think about what it was, or how it might of been made/how clean it was, and then it tasted really good. :)
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| Taga Bukid style-eating with our hands |
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| What would we do without Eric to make us laugh? |
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| Serving up Icecream |
3 WAYS TO EAT ICECREAM -TAGA BUKID
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| Taga Bukid!! Way #1 - using fingers |
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| again.... |
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| Taga Bukid!! Way # 2 - drinking it |
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| Again... |
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| Bong's clever....banana leaves make GREAT spoons! |
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| Taga Bukid!! Way # 3 - using a banana leaf |
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| Come to mommy!! (Should I, or should I stay with this amazing white person??) :) |
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| Playing Tug-of-War |
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| Our Hostess Brings the Cake.... |
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| .....And here's what happens!! |
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| Now, to eat your cake!! ...Taga Bukid!!! |
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| Yeah....it's a lot of fun!!! |
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| Melyn |
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| Tinucoran Translators: Belle and Arlin |
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| This little one has some type of tumor in between her eyes.....when you see it, you just wish you could do anything to make her better....all you can do is pray, and hope she lives a few more years.... Heart Breaking... |
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| The kids love Eric...here he is doing some Sleight of Hand |
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| Angela and her 'Charge' |
Once we walked back (at 1:30pm), Bong left for MJ to pick up Lang-Lang and Weng (BOOST Staff), and 3 Butuan girls who travel with them every week or 2 and visit other churches. Interestingly, all 3 girls are from "Ate´Belle's" church (as they call her), and she kind of mentors them.
It's really cute how they call her "Ate´" because she's only 21, and they're 19, 16, and 14. Actually, that's done quite a bit here in Tinucoran...there were two 5-year old girls and a 7-year old girl who hung around our hosts home while we were there, and it was so cute, because the 5-y/o's called the 7-y/o "Ate´ Tammy". :)
While the girls went to their next Bible Study at 2pm, Eric, Jordan, Sylvette, and I stayed home, to let the team have space with the family, but to also get packed and have a little siesta, before we 'supposedly' headed out to a different village (we were supposed to that night, but we ended up staying overnight-again).
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| The kids use the apparatus they're fixing their to catch their fish---it shocks them!!! (The guys SO badly wanted to use it on frogs.......what do you say?!? :D) |
Bong got back with the visitors, and then he and Eric headed for Subait, where they were going to spend the night, and go to church there. After catching up with the BOOST Staff and talking to the new girls, and just resting, we had dinner (rice, fish, veggies, and cucumbers in the most heavenly sauce!) and team debrief, and then went to bed.
Okay, before I end this, I have to say that though God and I have 'conversations', He is a loving Father, and He spanks me when I need it, and today was one of those days. After I surrendered everything to Him again, on the way back from the Bible Study (the 1st time), I got a little cocky and boasted to God about some different things, and at the time, I knew that they weren't all really 100% right on, but I brushed it off.
Well, God spanked me good for it, and through different people, showed me some areas/character flaws I need to work on, which was so helpful. Afterwards, I had to laugh, because in my heart, I knew I had it coming...you see, I know I'm God's child, because as Hebrews 12:1-11 says:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor fain when thou art rebuked of Him:
For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit that we might be partakers of His holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
- Never think you can get away from God. It didn't work with Jonah, and it won't work with you!
- Talk to God, and then listen. He will answer, though it may not be the answer you were expecting or wanting!
- Praying without ceasing means not only to Pray Without Ceasing, in more practical ways, it means to include God in every minute part of you day. Did you know that if you ask God what He thinks about each part of you day, really wanting to know, and then listening, He very often talks back to you!!! Even in asking Him to wake you up at a certain time (and trust me, it's much nicer to wake up to Jesus's quiet touch than to the alarm clock!!), or what you should wear today!!
- I have so far to go to be like Christ, but if you ask Him too, He will give you grace abundantly, a teachable spirit, and an open heart....all of which He is still cultivating in me.
Here are the texts my Filipino friend sent me today: (Isn't it amazing how they correlate with what I learned today??? We serve an Awesome God!!)
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:14
"I don't care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do..And that work is to tell the good news about God's gift of undeserved grace." ~ Acts 20:24
"God never takes away one thing from us without the intention of giving us something better. When you pray, don't beg or struggle. Just believe!!"
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