It's Sunday. I'm currently sitting in the base staff girl's living room getting the last of my computer "to do" list completed. We're turning in our computers and cell phones tonight in preparation for outreach (though we get them back briefly for the weekend to take care of last minute details). Friday marked our official last day of lecture phase. This week, we are focusing on preparing ourselves and our teams for living the next two months in other countries. Half of our team will be leaving for Bangladesh on Saturday morning. Then, my team will head out on Monday, April 5th. I can't believe we leave in just 8 days!
I struggle, yet again, to find words to describe what I am experiencing. The Lord has been so good to me! This has been such a season of learning to rest in Him. I am so unbelievably grateful. Now, I have an opportunity to love Filipinos! God has really been teaching me that my obedience to Him - and everything I do for Him - needs to come from a place of my love for Him. If all I am doing is acting in simple obedience to His word, it will be void of the passionate love He has for His people. If nothing else, I want to leave the Philippines knowing that every person I came in contact with experienced the full love of Jesus.
I realize that I haven't given a good idea as to what my team will be doing. We will arrive in Manila (the capital) on April 7th...just in time for the 50th Anniversary Jubilee for YWAM. We will be volunteering during the Jubilee. The rest of our time in Manila (about 2 weeks) will be spent doing slum ministry; working with children.
From Manila we will head to Baguio for 4 weeks. Here, we have been asked to teach three, week-long DTW (Discipleship Training Week) schools. The lectures I will be working on will be "The Father Heart of God" and "Hearing God's Voice." Every member of our team - there are six of us - will be in charge of at least one lecture topic and will be teaching every week. Each lecture is about an hour and half.
Next, we will head to Olongapo for the last two weeks, working with a discipleship ministry that offers women who are in prostitution a way out. We will be living in the same house with these women - some of whom have children - discipling them and living life with them during the day. In the evenings, we will go into the local bars and meet women who are still living a life of prostitution. We will have a lot of freedom in this setting to even introduce ourselves to these women, get to know them, and have the opportunity to invite them to lunch later in the week. Our goal will be to show the love of Jesus to these girls, showing them that not everyone is just looking to get something from them. Hopefully, they will have the chance to see that there is a way out of the life they are living.
As you can tell, the ministry opportunities we have in each city vary drastically, thus our prayer needs are quite widespread. Here are things you can all be praying for:
- There are huge strongholds of disunity and miscommunication in the Philippines (among
other things). Please be praying for protection for our team. Be praying for great unity and
clear communication within our little family of six. Be praying that we grow more and more
into a family, learning to love each other well. All so that we can display the love of God
well.
- That our hearts would break for the children and families living in the slums of Manila. That
we would be motivated to love through action.
- Teaching is a big responsibility. Please be praying for us as we are working on our lectures
this week before we head out. Be praying that the things God wants these students in
Baguio to learn would be conveyed clearly. They speak English, which is a huge benefit to
us, but pray that we would speak clearly and slowly so they can understand fully.
- As we are in Olongapo, it is incredibly important we are working together and loving each
other as a family. Some of these women have never seen how a loving family operates, and
we want to display that well. Also, protection for our two men (Curtis and Hakon) as we
minister the women in the bars. Other DTS teams have gone before us, so we know it is
possible and that the men have had great success in showing these women what it is to be
treated respectfully. But, we still need prayer!
- Overall...that we - like Jesus - would do only as we see the Father doing. Personally, that I
would be more concerned about God's reputation than my own; risking in whatever ways
He is asking me to, and that it would all come from my overwhelming love for Him.
Thank you so much for your willingness to partner with me during this time. I am confident that the Lord is going to do incredible things, as long as we continue to ask Him daily where He would have us go, what He would have us do, and who He would have us love. I am looking forward to sharing incredible report of the things He will do! I love you all and am so grateful for you.
Until my arrival back to Honolulu on June 8th... God bless you!
~Megan
