In all honesty, I've wanted nothing more than to go home for weeks. That changed this week. I no longer want to count the days until I go home. I want to spend as much time with these people who don't have a relationship with Jesus.
All of this changed because God used someone 10,000 miles away. I have a friend, Cory, who has been on the team I am serving on for the past two summers. This past week our team entered a village that Cory had spent several weeks in over the past two summers. My translators know Cory and they know that I go to school with him. When we arrived in village K, my translators were very quick to ask if I wanted to visit the good friend of Cory. We decided to go see if they were home. On the first trip no one was home. The second trip found only Ate Bebie home. Finally on the third trip, Kuya Ete was home. This family proved to be a great family of peace.
I climbed coconut trees, killed chickens, and watched movies with them. They become family. They spoke so highly of Cory and missed him greatly. I was shown that if you are surrendered to the Lord and doing His will that people will be impacted. Our team spent time laughing with, hanging out with, and ministering to this family. We are even going back in a few weeks to stay the night at their house when we revisit their village. This family was used to show me that as much as I love my family that there are other families who do not yet know the gospel (although this one does).
As great as Kuya and Ate were, my heart was broken for their son, Cyrus. He and I got along great. We couldn't always communicate great, but we got by. We goofed off, watched a movie together, did a little bit of chores together (by the end it was "no work, no eat"), and we even tried to read each other's Bibles despite them being in a different language. I fell in love with this family and want nothing more than for them to impact their village. Cory wrote John 14:10 on the wall of Kuya Ete's father's house... "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you are not I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works."
-Zach
Pray that this family and others in the village would understand the truth in that verse and the truth of the gospel.
Pray for Cyrus, Kuya Ete, and Ate Bebie that they would grow closer to Him.
Pray that our time remaining in the Philippines is spent doing the work that the Lord has sent us here to do.
Pray that He will draw people close to Him.
All of this changed because God used someone 10,000 miles away. I have a friend, Cory, who has been on the team I am serving on for the past two summers. This past week our team entered a village that Cory had spent several weeks in over the past two summers. My translators know Cory and they know that I go to school with him. When we arrived in village K, my translators were very quick to ask if I wanted to visit the good friend of Cory. We decided to go see if they were home. On the first trip no one was home. The second trip found only Ate Bebie home. Finally on the third trip, Kuya Ete was home. This family proved to be a great family of peace.
I climbed coconut trees, killed chickens, and watched movies with them. They become family. They spoke so highly of Cory and missed him greatly. I was shown that if you are surrendered to the Lord and doing His will that people will be impacted. Our team spent time laughing with, hanging out with, and ministering to this family. We are even going back in a few weeks to stay the night at their house when we revisit their village. This family was used to show me that as much as I love my family that there are other families who do not yet know the gospel (although this one does).
As great as Kuya and Ate were, my heart was broken for their son, Cyrus. He and I got along great. We couldn't always communicate great, but we got by. We goofed off, watched a movie together, did a little bit of chores together (by the end it was "no work, no eat"), and we even tried to read each other's Bibles despite them being in a different language. I fell in love with this family and want nothing more than for them to impact their village. Cory wrote John 14:10 on the wall of Kuya Ete's father's house... "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you are not I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works."
-Zach
Pray that this family and others in the village would understand the truth in that verse and the truth of the gospel.
Pray for Cyrus, Kuya Ete, and Ate Bebie that they would grow closer to Him.
Pray that our time remaining in the Philippines is spent doing the work that the Lord has sent us here to do.
Pray that He will draw people close to Him.