I was really encouraged this week by a man that I met so I thought I would share it with you.
This past week, I believe Thursday, I got to meet a pastor friend of Derek's. We initially went to visit and pray for this man because he has cancer. However, I believe I was more encouraged by him than he was of us. This man was more joyful than any person I have ever met, especially for someone who has a life threatening illness. In fact, he was out visiting a member of his church who is paralyzed. He was still tending to his sheep even in the mist of his own illness, even in the mist of this big trial in his life.
How many times can you say about yourself that you were truly joyful in the mist of your trials? I think a lot of times what happens is that we find a way to rationalize that giving up and giving in is better than trusting God. Well, at least maybe easier, thus perceive it to be better. ( I know I have before) Don't get me wrong, it is hard when you go through trials, but as Christians we need to remember where our true joy comes from..Jesus Christ. Jesus never said the life of a Christian was going to be easy; in fact, He said we would go through trials. This pastor has in his mind that he is going to live for Christ no matter what. "To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain".
I just encourage everyone who reads this, including myself, to have this mindset that no matter what...through it all...that it is all about giving glory to God. That nothing should stop us from praising God and giving thanks to Him for what He has already done for us! Like I said, this was an encouragement to me...a look in the mirror...and I hope it encourages you as well.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Public Outreach!
since our exciting day in pasay, we have been going out in other areas giving out tracks and spreading the gospel. we typically will be doing this every week lord willing. one place we went to is a college in indang where many of derek's youth go to school. we stood outside the front gates and passed out tracks that stressed that sex before marriage is a sin. (something obviously we need to do in america considering the amount of young people who get pregnant without being married) i don't know the exact amount we passed out, but it was a lot. and i feel like a majority of them really read our tracks. the other place we went to was another area called emus, which is basically a huge open market, so there were a lot of people there. this particular outing was the first time i actually had anyone stop and talk to me. i had one family who stopped who had just gotten back from california and wanted to know why i was here, so i got to share with them what i was doing. i pray that god will give me more opportunities! i also had a mulism come up to me to see what our tracks were about. he did not talk much though after i asked him if he knew who Jesus was. none the less, he got a track and i know if anybody can change his heart, it's God.
we had a lot of encouragement from some pastors and other people just walking by as well. it is always great to get encouragement! And then i had a group of young people stop to have a picture with me...what can i say? it is encouraging to know that i am known all over the world. (it's really not me, it's just because i am an amercian)
oh yeah, one thing that i started this week as well is my chores...yes, you read right..chores. no special treatment; and i would not expect it. i am like the big brother here. i clean and wash dishes. (this is normal for me, right?) :) really though, it has been a great time helping out around the ministry center and being a part of what God is doing here!
continue to pray for us here as we continue our ministry and continue to share the gospel with more and more people every week.
we had a lot of encouragement from some pastors and other people just walking by as well. it is always great to get encouragement! And then i had a group of young people stop to have a picture with me...what can i say? it is encouraging to know that i am known all over the world. (it's really not me, it's just because i am an amercian)
oh yeah, one thing that i started this week as well is my chores...yes, you read right..chores. no special treatment; and i would not expect it. i am like the big brother here. i clean and wash dishes. (this is normal for me, right?) :) really though, it has been a great time helping out around the ministry center and being a part of what God is doing here!
continue to pray for us here as we continue our ministry and continue to share the gospel with more and more people every week.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day
While Valentine's Day is a day that most people show their love to their significant other by buying flowers or chocolate for them or maybe taking them out on a romantic date or expressing their love through all the other means out there, it is not like this for everybody around the world. I found this out very quickly when we got to Pasay. A team of us went out for the soul purpose to witness and share the name of Jesus Christ with the pimps, prostitutes, and other people in the area.
You see, in Pasay, Valentine's Day is not just a day that people express their love to their significant other...it is a BIG HUGE buisness day for pimps and prostitutes. They have hotels (called short hotels) specifically set up for people who want to engage in sexually immoral activities for 2 or 3 hours.
Our team stood in front of these places and all around them sharing the Gospel and preaching against sex before marriage, sex between boyfriend and girlfriends, and sex between boy-boy/girl-girl. It truely was a spiritual battle. But praise God we rattled some chains! Psalm 81:15 says 'those who hate the Lord will cringe before Him'. And they did! They did not like us messing up their business and way of life. We even had one pimp run us off...literally chasing us down. He was kicking doors and fuming with anger. I have heard many stories from pastors about demon possessed people, but I personally have never encountered this. Now I don't know if this pimp was demon possessed, but he definitely had a bad spirit about him. You could see the hatred in his eyes and in his actions. I wish I could really do justice in describing this moment but I can't. It was evil. It was probably one of the first times in my life that when I was witnessing, I was on my toes a little. But praise God for His protection and His strength!!
It was amazing as well to watch some of the people around us...you could tell that they were at least thinking on what we were saying. One moment they were thinking about going into these hotels...then the next moment as they are listening to us and reading our signs, they turn around and go away.
God was at work! We had one guy on our team who even got to pray with some people.
Continue to pray for all the ones who recieved our tracks and heard the truth go out. God is already answering prayers as Derek has already recieved some texts from people who got our tracks. Continue to pray for me as I continue to seek to grow closer in my walk with God. Pray for our protection as we continue to go out to places like this.
You see, in Pasay, Valentine's Day is not just a day that people express their love to their significant other...it is a BIG HUGE buisness day for pimps and prostitutes. They have hotels (called short hotels) specifically set up for people who want to engage in sexually immoral activities for 2 or 3 hours.
Our team stood in front of these places and all around them sharing the Gospel and preaching against sex before marriage, sex between boyfriend and girlfriends, and sex between boy-boy/girl-girl. It truely was a spiritual battle. But praise God we rattled some chains! Psalm 81:15 says 'those who hate the Lord will cringe before Him'. And they did! They did not like us messing up their business and way of life. We even had one pimp run us off...literally chasing us down. He was kicking doors and fuming with anger. I have heard many stories from pastors about demon possessed people, but I personally have never encountered this. Now I don't know if this pimp was demon possessed, but he definitely had a bad spirit about him. You could see the hatred in his eyes and in his actions. I wish I could really do justice in describing this moment but I can't. It was evil. It was probably one of the first times in my life that when I was witnessing, I was on my toes a little. But praise God for His protection and His strength!!
It was amazing as well to watch some of the people around us...you could tell that they were at least thinking on what we were saying. One moment they were thinking about going into these hotels...then the next moment as they are listening to us and reading our signs, they turn around and go away.
God was at work! We had one guy on our team who even got to pray with some people.
Continue to pray for all the ones who recieved our tracks and heard the truth go out. God is already answering prayers as Derek has already recieved some texts from people who got our tracks. Continue to pray for me as I continue to seek to grow closer in my walk with God. Pray for our protection as we continue to go out to places like this.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Arrival
I made it safe and sound! I had a hour or so delay, but I made it! Now, I'm getting acclimated back to the Philippine area. It is so great to back with my friends in the Philippines! More to come in the next few days...
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Journey Begins...
Well, I am one day away from heading to the Philippines where my home will be for the next 3 months.
People use the phrase " if you would have told me I would be doing this years ago, I would have said no way". As much as this phrase is used, I can honestly say it speaks of me at this moment of my life. I would have never imagined me going overseas period, more or less going for 3 months. It's not that I don't like traveling or flying, it's just that I never though about it. It wasn't something that I had always dreamed about doing. However, God has been working in my life and has given me this new passion for wanting and being willing to go other places in the world for His glory. And when I speak of "new passion", I really mean a passion that has been covered up by the things of this world; the American dream. As Christians, we all should have this passion in us for the dying world around us. So I thank God for allowing me to take part in this journey of my life, and I thank God for giving me the willingness to go.
While in the Philippines, I will working side by side with Derek Johns, a native of Eastman, Ga. There are several big events that will be taking place in the upcoming months and those details will come as they approach. But mostly on a day to day basis I will be in fellowship with other believers, studying the language, witnessing, and studying God's Word. Of course, I can't account for everything that will be taking place so I will send out prayers, events, and other things that come up along the journey.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey rather it was by finacial means or prayer...THANKS!! Continue to pray for my trip there and that God would rock my world while I'm there.
People use the phrase " if you would have told me I would be doing this years ago, I would have said no way". As much as this phrase is used, I can honestly say it speaks of me at this moment of my life. I would have never imagined me going overseas period, more or less going for 3 months. It's not that I don't like traveling or flying, it's just that I never though about it. It wasn't something that I had always dreamed about doing. However, God has been working in my life and has given me this new passion for wanting and being willing to go other places in the world for His glory. And when I speak of "new passion", I really mean a passion that has been covered up by the things of this world; the American dream. As Christians, we all should have this passion in us for the dying world around us. So I thank God for allowing me to take part in this journey of my life, and I thank God for giving me the willingness to go.
While in the Philippines, I will working side by side with Derek Johns, a native of Eastman, Ga. There are several big events that will be taking place in the upcoming months and those details will come as they approach. But mostly on a day to day basis I will be in fellowship with other believers, studying the language, witnessing, and studying God's Word. Of course, I can't account for everything that will be taking place so I will send out prayers, events, and other things that come up along the journey.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey rather it was by finacial means or prayer...THANKS!! Continue to pray for my trip there and that God would rock my world while I'm there.
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