Be like Susie

Our weekend ministry team was part of a very special day with our church. We joined them at a pool early Saturday monring to baptize 13 youth from the church who had recently made the decision to follow Christ, It was SUCH an honor! I was able to assist with baptizing Susie, a girl I have built a close relationship with. 

Susie has the sweetest heart for the Lord & is fully devoted to Him. Her smile lights up any room she walks into. Susie has been such a blessing to our team. I know it will be one of the hardest good-byes I'll have in the days to come. 

Susie is a beautiful example of what it looks like to follow Jesus, no matter who is around or what it might cost her. We can all learn to be more like Susie.

-Cambree

NT365

Teach them young

Recently I was able to tell God's story dramatized in front of my village kids. When I got to the part where Pilate brought Barabbas & Jesus before the people, I asked, "Who do you want released?!" They all shouted, "Jesus!" To which i replied, "NO! We're going to free Barrabas and kill Jesus!"

Needless to say they were all shocked! By the end of the story, the kids were talking about it amoungst themselves. It really fed my spirit to see these kids interact & react to the Gospel.

Continue to pray for our team as we minister on weekends alongside local churches.

-Lydia

NT365

The Simplicity of Life

I love the simplicity of the Philippines. Our teams are staying at local churches on the weekends, helping with ministry. Most of our time was spent playing guitar, talking, telling jokes, and just building relationships. I value this so much because in American, it is becoming rare to just sit around and spend time with people. Here, on the other hand, we aren't connected to our screens, no distractions, and nothing is more important than being present. This is a beautiful way to live!!

-Cambree

Living a Generous Life

A massive thing the Lord has put on my heart in my short time of being here is to BE GENEROUS! During our weekend ministry, it doesn't matter how much or little our Filipino hosts have, they give generously. They make meals, open up their churches so our team can have a place to sleep, give bags of food to neighbors, and just generally serve everyone around them selflessly & generously.

I was asked to share my testimony at church & share why I was here. I told them a bit of my testimony & explained to them that a lot of my training is in the Philippines and that is for a reason. There's so much to be learned from the way Filipinos live. To live joyfully, to be quick to smile & laugh, to be patient, and to be sacrificial.

I asked a 13 year old Filipino why he was laughing and he told me, "Because there's so much to be happy for... The Lord has blessed me!" I think we can all learn something from that response.

-Emma

Are you a good disciple??

Being a follower of Christ is not only about being a good leader, but being a good disciple. A good disciple can be described through the acronym F.A.T. - Faithful, Available, Teachable

What does it mean to be a faithful, available & teachable disciple?

I think it starts by prioritizing God. Consistently abiding in His word & faithfully seeking God requires discipline. It's not easy to be faithful but by starting small, our faith grows & so does our accountability.

Being available means that we have to be willing to take the time, not only to seek God, but to walk with others. We must be open to the opportunities God has set before us while being willing to take action.

Lastly, a good disciple is teachable. 

• Ask yourself if you are willing to quiet yourself & listen? 
• Are you willing to try new things? 

A teachable disciple is expectant to learn and open to the unfamiliar.

-Jessica

The Power & Beauty of Redemption

The Lord is always speaking & teaching if only we would listen to His instruction. He has been teaching me about the power & beauty of redemption. This was made clear to me while reading the story of the prophetess Anna. In Luke 2:38 it says, "And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were wiating for the redemption of Jerusalem."

Jesus is the redemption that all are waiting on. Jesus is the one who redeemed me. This kind of redemption is only found in Jesus which makes it so beautiful & so powerful!

-Andrew 

Are you living FAT??

Live FAT.

No, I don't mean this in the physical sense. This is actually an acronym used to describe the type of person we should look for when making disciples. 

We need to find people who are Faithful to God & obedient to His word.

The A is for available. It is important that we pour ourselves into people who are willing to make time for God.

Finally, we have teachable. If we invest all our time into someone who only believes in their way, we will not see any fruit from the relationship. 

Seek out someone who is Faithful, Available and Teachable. And... if you aren't already, learn how to live FAT.

-Grace