Delivery: One Filipino Baby Boy!

“Want to come help deliver a baby?” 

I froze. A part of me freaked out. I thought “um, ME?! help deliver a baby? a real, living and breathing thing? You’ve gotta be talking to someone else. I don’t even know how to hold a baby...” 

The midwife at the community’s free pregnancy clinic, where my team and I have the opportunity to serve in the mornings, was most definitely asking for our help.  

So we packed up equipment I had no idea how to use or even what the names of the instruments were, and off we ran (literally) into a local squatter area.  

Once we arrived, the baby had just been born, was not breathing, and there looked to be a giant bloody blister on the top of his head. Inside the one-room, cramped, squatter home, Courtney helped assist the midwife with the check up and removing fluid from the baby’s lung. I sat outside and prayed for the baby.

Courtney with Baby JayJay

Soon, the baby was crying and cooing and breathing! The next step was to figure out what the bloody blister was on his head. We took pictures which the midwife texted to someone else. Thankfully, we soon came to know, that it was only a birthmark that was not quite fully developed! Immediately I began praising God for this little miracle, and simply for the opportunity to be able to witness it. 

I tended to the mother and the father graciously served us 4 cups of lemon water, 2 bowls of rice, and pork neck (supposedly a delicacy?—He was so proud!) at 10:27 am. Once Courtney & I thanked the family and left, we began our trek back home. What a beautiful morning it had been—truly a witnessed miracle!  

The Lord began to speak to me, reminding me of Whose I am. Just as that baby was born with a birthmark, Christ crucified brought about the same thing. I am marked with a deposit, the Holy Spirit!

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”  -Ephesians 1:13-14 

Toria holding Baby JayJay

Praise be to the Lamb who has marked me as His.

Welcome to the world, JayJay Jose Seda! May you grow up into a man after God’s own heart.

-Toria

How do you feel loved?

There is one very special girl in the JAZ home. I say “special" because since the moment I got here, the Lord has been drawing me to her. She is new; actually, she just moved into the home a couple of weeks before I got here. She knows very little English, but she is always all-smiles. Most of my talks with God have involved her and how I can make her feel loved. That is all. I want to make her feel loved. What if that is how we started sharing the Gospel always? Instead of making it a personal goal of tally mark salvations, our goal is to share the Gospel in love—to love and to make one feel loved.  

Front: Toria, Ashley, Kristi. Back: Courtney & Faith

I have already written about the four incredible and beautiful people I am sharing life with these two months, but in case you have missed it: They are great. I will probably go on and on about Courtney, Faith, Kristi, and Toria when I get home. You know why I think they are so great? They have shown me love in a huge way and taught me how to love in an even deeper way and shown me how I feel loved in a different way. 

From the moment we all met, we started playing twenty questions. We wanted to know everything there is to know about one another. My favorite question asked? How do you feel loved? 

I was kind of taken aback. How do I feel loved? I don’t know. Is that like The Five Love Languages. I have never taken that test. I don’t know. I don’t know. Skip me. I don’t know.

But the Lord definitely set-up that question with divine appointment waiting for me. Because
1. Over the past month, I have figured out how I feel loved… and in beautiful ways this team has shown me. and
2. He had a lesson in mind for me before I was even created.

-Ashley

Sometimes no need to "use words".... just be obedient

Last week, on our typical Thursday morning schedule, our team participated in a feeding. If you don’t know what that is, it is when we drive to a nearby squatter village, feed the people ricey-soup stuff, and walk around yelling “Feeding!" 

Between this year and last, I have probably participated in fifty or more feedings, and it seems to always be the same. I might approach a couple of people with smiles, small talk, the very little Tagalog I know, and call it a day. Thursday, God had other plans. 

As Faith, Toria, and I were walking among the trash and disease, we came upon an elderly lady too cheerful to explain. We greeted her, and she happily joined in on the “Taglish" small talk we had to offer. She knew better English than was expected, and the conversation exceeded my expectations for the “normal feeding." As Faith and I were nearing the end of the conversation and mere seconds from walking away, Toria asked her a simple question that changed everything. She simply asked, “Do you have any children?" The woman told us about her son and how he was bed-ridden from disease, unable to work, and barely able to even eat. We asked if she would take us to her house and allow us to pray over her son, and she, with much joy, lead us the way to her small shack of a house where her son lay frail and weak on a hard sleeping-place with only one fan. We talked with both for a little while, found out they were in fact believers, and then prayed over him to be healed. When I opened my eyes, I found the mom with a red, tear-streaked face, sobbing in desperation and so much gratitude that we simply took the time to talk with her, visit her home, and pray over her sickly son. 

They both knew the Gospel. They were both believers. There was no need to “use words." The point is that we were obedient. 


-Ashley

Lessons in Faithfulness

This summer, God has taught me so much of His faithfulness. When I first got here, I struggled with my purpose in  being here. I asked God to please give me a sign as to what His plan was in this. He has been faithful to show me. It's not even in big, miraculous things. I'm seeing God's faithfulness as to why I am supposed to be here this summer in the little things:

• When I hear a girl playing a new song she has learned on the guitar
• Listening to the ever-present sound of the piano being played loudly
• When Ma Em, a helper that works in the home, brings in our merienda (afternoon snack)
• When I hear the sound of footsteps when the girls finally arrive home from school
• The sound of girls shouting, "Tita (Aunt), come here!'' 
• Getting hundreds of hugs from beautiful Filipina girls each day... just because
• Goodnight kisses
• Saying "Mahal kita (I love you)" and hearing the reply "Mas mahal kita! (I love you more!)" 
• Hearing girls pray to our God in a language you cannot understand, except when they say your own name, thanking God so much for you 
• Listening to the girl's beautiful voices sings praises to our God 
• Laughing so hard with my teammates I can't stop the tears 
• Crying with my teammates when things get hard 
• Holding babies in the pregnancy clinic as their mothers have their checkups 
• Walking through the villages, handing out food and vitamins to the starving children 
• Riding in a Jeepney, packed in like sardines with all the other passengers 
• Taking a cold shower to cool off after a long, sweaty day 
• Meeting someone at the supermarket that is hungering for the Gospel, and getting to share with them

None of these things are huge revelations. God hasn't shone down a light from Heaven saying "My Child, this is what my will for you is." But I'm realizing He doesn't have to. Each day, this list of things happen. And each time, I hear God softly whisper, "THIS is why you're here."  That's when I realize that it couldn't be more clear that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

I ask that you pray for health for my teammates and me. Our stomachs are not agreeing with many of us. It is extremely hot here, and it's easy to get dehydrated. I ask that you pray also that we will be mindful of the Gospel at all times, letting it change us daily, and changing the lives of the people around us. Pray that relationships with our girls in the JAZ home will continue to be built so we can love them like Jesus wants us to. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!
Mahal kita!

-Kristi

How a 12 year old taught me to love like Jesus

The girl's home I am staying in is home to 34 teenage girls that have suffered some kind of abuse. Tonight is the first night I got to hear, firsthand, a girl's story of how she was abused. How her mother hurt her. The pain that she endured when she was less than six years old. Told me the stories behind her scars.

It broke my heart. It made me angry. I could not understand how in the world someone could treat this girl that has stolen my heart in such an evil, horrible way. The more she told me, the more tears came to my eyes. It made me want to yell at her abusers. I felt they needed punishment; they deserved it...right?

This sweet little girl, before she was taken away by a social worker, was asked "Do you want your mother to go to the prison, or do you want her to have her freedom?" And do you know what that six year old girl's response was?
 

"Let her have her freedom. I still love her; she's my mom. Plus, she doesn't have Jesus in her heart."
 

What?? was all I could think. This child was hurt so much, in unspeakable ways. Yet she let her abuser go free. She had the option to let her receive her earned punishment, but she let her go, because she still loved her. I could not wrap my mind around how she could even think that way.
 

That's when I felt Jesus say "You were that little girl's mother. But I let you free-because I love you." 
 

It hit me like a freight train. I treated my Savior in unspeakable ways. I hurt Him in ways that deserved punishment. I should have been punished. But, Jesus did what didn't make sense. He let His abuser go free.
 

He said "Let her have her freedom. I still love her; she's my daughter. Plus, she doesn't have me in her heart."
 

And that's how a twelve year old taught me what it truly means to love like Jesus.

-Kristi

To read more of Kristi's adventures go to www.kristiralston.blogspot.com

 

Overwhelmed

This morning, God is at work in my heart.  

One day last week, as I was outside praying, my prayer was for a broken heart for the people here. God heard my prayer, and He undeniably responded shortly after that time alone with Him. 

The same night, a few of the girls in Bible study at the home shared with me their stories. Their stories in detail of abuse, abandonment, darkness, and pain caused my heart to sink. The terrible things that they have endured caused my heart to be broken in a way I have never experienced before in my life. In that moment, I was disgusted and angry at the memories that will always be in their minds. 

However, I have seen and heard how God has lovingly wrapped His arms around them and adopted them as His daughters. This is so precious and speaks volumes to me about the love of our Savior. To Him be the Glory for how He is healing their hearts. Pray that I will find strength in Him each day, as I share Jesus' love with them. 

Yesterday, my friends and I met a Muslim woman in a market and bought an item from her. She was so thankful that we had visited her. As we were talking, I realized she had never heard the Gospel before. The Lord led me to share with her the grace and truth of who Jesus is. As we talked, I prayed.  She was open to hearing, but was not ready to accept yet. She said she would like more time to learn more about what I just shared with her. As we continued our conversation, the Holy Spirit guided my words in a way that I cannot describe. I gave her my Bible from my backpack and shared with her scripture. Before leaving, I prayed with her.  Please pray that this woman will accept the Gospel and be free from the bondage of her religion.

Please pray for more opportunities for our team to share the Gospel with people around us.

 
-Courtney

Walking in His Spirit

We have been in the Philippines for roughly two weeks. My prayer before I left for the Philippines was that the Lord would allow me to walk in His Spirit, to abide.  During this time, the Lord has taught us so much as a team about listening for His voice and then walking in what He says. The very first small group we had with the girls in the house, we talked about a Helper that we have as daughters of Christ. This Helper is the Holy Spirit. 

During our first week, we were so overwhelmed. There are so many ministries in Manila that it was very easy to say, “I want to do it all!” We had a moment over lunch one day where we just did not know where the Lord wanted us. There were so many places and so many people that could use extra hands.  

However, we knew the Lord wanted us to be a mile deep in a few places rather than many places only an inch deep.  It was just such a hard decision, and we were tempted to make this decision ourselves. But we prayed. We prayed right then that the Lord would guide us, that He would direct us. Later that day, a missionary here in Manila spoke some very wise words to us: “The worst thing you can do is a lot of good things that the Lord didn’t ask you to do.” This statement resonated with all of us, and we knew by the glances from each other that the Lord had spoken to us. We desperately needed to listen to where He wanted us to serve. 

We continued praying each morning that the Holy Spirit would guide us on that particular day. This required, and still requires daily, us trying to listen the Lord.  It’s difficult to listen sometimes, but we prayed believing the Lord would show us. We have found ourselves in two very special places, the pregnancy clinic and community feedings.  

At the pregnancy clinic, we begin the morning with Bible Study led by women in the community. We then take blood pressure, weigh babies, check baby umbilical cords, and check pulse. These are all things we had no idea how to do before we were taught our first day. It’s chaotic and wonderful. The women at this clinic are our age or younger which makes it easier to relate to them and just have intentional conversations.  

The feedings happen in two villages near our home base. We simply travel to these communities where children and adults bring their bowls, cups, and anything else they can find so that we can give them some nutritious food.  At these communities, we have already met some very special people.  

God has blessed these ministries in the past week and has brought so many people into our lives that would not have been otherwise. Please be praying over relationships to continue to grow in both of these places in the next few weeks.  May we continue to hear the voice of our Shepherd and follow it.

 

“The sheep hear His voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” John 10:3-4

May it be so.