God must love me...

This summer in the Philippines we had the opportunity to have Bible study with a lady in our village who was suffering from paralysis due to a recent stroke. The lady used a plastic chair to get around on the rocky, uneven ground, and God laid it on my heart and my teammate's, Lauren Dalrymple, heart to buy this lady a cane. When the lady received the cane, she said, "God must love me because he sent you." Who knew the gift of cane could so perfectly demonstrate the message of God's grace! 1 John 4:7-1

-Catherine
Rural Healthcare Team, Philippines

Heart for the Nations

He has chosen us to carry the treasure of the gospel to the nations.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
 
This is a command.
 
How many of us treat it as optional?
 
To all of you adventure-seekers out there... do you know the adventure of saying yes to God and throwing yourself into His plan, dying to yourself, and then the miracle of how He uses you to take light into the darkness and live on the edge and see beauty and experience cultures where no one has gone before?? That is the best kind of adventure.

Oh my brothers and sisters...  I know there are people here (in the USA) who need Jesus. I know. And God has convicted my heart this summer more than ever before about sharing the gospel everywhere I go, here and across the ocean, and talking about Jesus daily because after all, we were created to glorify Him. The truth I am trying to convey is that we often use the excuse that "there are still so many people who need Jesus here" as a reason not to go... but we forget... they have access to the gospel- it's in their language and down their street and in their bookstores and millions of others do not.
 
There are also internationals who have come here- in our schools and our workplaces and these people have come to us... but are we welcoming them? God literally hands us the nations in these instances and so many (myself included) overlook them or don't take the time to know them because they're different or "they just wouldn't understand me anyway."

I hope you hear my heart. I am burdened for the gospel. Y'all, it's all we have, and the only thing worth spending your life for because it's the only thing that has eternal value. You hold a treasure of hope and love and joy and peace and LIFE. Who are you sharing it with?
 
So maybe you can't go right this minute. I understand. My heart is burning with the knowledge of the need among the nations, but right now I just don't have the money to go and I have to go to school because that is where God has placed me for this season. But that doesn't let me off the hook. I can PRAY ...oh don't get me started on the power of prayer! Maybe you don't know yet. Maybe you haven't seen how God delights in answering the requests of His children when they are praying for His will to be done... test Him and see.  

Pray boldly for the missionaries, for the persecuted church, for God to send laborers to the fields ripe for harvest, for your lost friends and family, and for the sick and the burdened and the stress that you yourself are under. 
Pray with the knowledge of the power--that raised Jesus Christ from the grave!!-- that is in you as a child of God. Keep praying...and watch what God can do.
 
You and I can give to missions, and not just tossing a few coins in the plate as it passes by but really sacrificially giving... find a ministry that stirs your heart where the needs are written plain and the gospel is the message they carry... and dig deep. Give that money you would use at Starbucks to sit over coffee and talk about world change and give it to someone who is in a place to use it to literally change the world for Jesus (I'm preaching to myself here- y'all know how much I love my coffee)! 

Oh friends, do you see it?
 
You have the potential in you- and I know you want your life to make a difference in the world- to really change things. You truly do! Love the person next to you. Remember those serving and those in need of the gospel among the nations. Pray and give and look for opportunities to go. God has already given you the go-ahead... and time is short. Life keeps ticking by, people are born and die, and today won't come again. Make it count, my friend. If you see me wasting time with trivial things- call me out on it.

 

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.

 

I want all nations to know Him because that is His heart. So it is my heart. When I get home (in heaven) I want to worship beside every tribe and tongue. I think my generation can do this. We have the resources and the passion and the adventurous spirit... but are we selfless enough to spend our lives for A Story that is so much greater than my story? 

 

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Acts 20:24

 

-Amanda

2014 Rural Healthcare Team, Philippines

Does your heart break?

They warned us it would be hard. Coming back. Everyone says welcome home and wants to hear about my journey but there are some problems: 

1. I'm not home. This summer taught me more than ever that only heaven is my home... and until I am kneeling up there before my Jesus, surrounded by the nations worshiping Him in every tongue, my heart will be restless and my feet will keep wandering this wide earth to carry the gospel to those without hope. 

2. Words. Can't. Even. I try, genuinely try, to communicate all God did this summer and how He changed me, but words fall short. How can I put into the words the ache in my heart for the people we left and the burning in my soul for the nations to know Him and the jittery feeling of frustration as I observe the "Christian hipsters" of our generation complacently talking of world change while sitting over coffee doing nothing with this treasure of the gospel???

I don't mean to offend anyone but oh I just want the ones who call themselves followers of Christ to wake up to the need that is surrounding us!! I think I understand a tiny bit more of the heart of Jesus... Did you know that the entire Bible is full of scripture pointing to God's heart for the nations? From Genesis to Revelation 7:9 "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (other references: Genesis 1:28, 9:1, 12:1-3, 26:4; Deuteronomy 4:4-6; Joshua 2:9-10; 1 Kings 4:34; Matthew 24:14, 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14-15... just to name a few)

Did you know that there are over 3.5 billion people who haven't heard the gospel??? The easy places have already been reached. The places that are left are the hard to reach (which is why they are still unreached) ...in the deep jungles and on the tops of mountains... the places without water and the places that flood... the places wrecked by the elements and considered "harsh" and unlivable"... the places filthy and disease-infested in the middle of cities and trash dumps where the people are "nobodies" and don't even speak the common language and they haven't heard because no one is taking the time to learn their language and love on them.... and oh if this isn't breaking your heart yet, do you remember where they are going? Those who have not heard the gospel and do not know what Jesus did for them on the cross are dying and going to hell because John 14:6 makes it abundantly clear that Jesus is the only way and their blood is crying up from the earth... "if only I had known the truth, if only someone had told me about Him, I knew there was something bigger than me that's why I worshiped idols because I thought maybe...." and Jesus is looking at His church and crying out... Do you not see? Can you not hear above the noise of your Christian music and comfortable culture the sound of people dying without ever knowing they can have a relationship with me??? 

-Amanda

2014 Rural Healthcare Team, Philippines 

One week since Good-Bye!

It has been a week since I said goodbye to these precious people and the beautiful country I spent the summer serving. The Philippines and especially the village I lived in, Maguinda, will always have a very special place in my heart. Salamat sa Ginoo. Thanks be to God. Worthy is the Lamb.

-Maddison

Wide-eyed & Lovely

What a blessing it was to hold baby Trisha and play and rock her to sleep while my teammates shared with her mommy about Jesus' love. Trisha's mom was Muslim, but had never read a holy book, be it the Quran or Bible. 

As we began to read a book with her that was written for her and written in her own language, God began to change her heart. What joy to know this precious child will grow up knowing of her Father's love for her!

-Grace

The Adventure of Saying Yes

You have to be some sort of brave to say yes to God. After all, He rarely outlines His plan and all the details in advance. The key to this type of adventure is faith.

Trusting God has it all together when you can't see how the pieces fit. After all, adventures aren't always fun. Sometimes they are hard and exhausting. Your purpose in adventuring determines whether or not you keep going. 

In this missionary journey, the purpose is to share the story of Jesus. I've learned a lot on this adventure- hard to believe there is only a week more on this bit of earth before the journey back to the states. But I have a feeling this adventure will linger. I've learned much about myself and my Jesus that I cannot wait to share, but there is also a fire deep in my heart that cannot be quenched. I need to talk about the hope and love and grace and greatness of my Jesus. Like a fish needs water. I'm not especially brave nor do I have much faith. More often than not the "Oh you of little faith..." statements of Jesus prick this doubting heart... 

But I've learned the secret- just say yes. 

Saying yes brought me to the Philippines- the opposite side of the world from where I thought I would be. Saying yes brought several new brothers and sisters in Christ and many new friends.
Saying yes brought laughter and joy and countless new experiences with a team that God designed. 
Saying yes put me waaaay out of my comfort zone and made me fall only on God. 
Saying yes brought struggles and sickness and tears and scraped knees and exhaustion.
Saying yes brought chipped toenail polish from kneeling on cement praying fervently for His kingdom to come, His will to be done.
 
My prayer is to never stop saying yes to God. The day I stop is the day I have forgotten what is truly important, and I might as well stop wasting oxygen. 

My prayer for you, right now reading this? That somehow, someway, you see Jesus in these words and realize that saying "Yes Lord, your will be done in my life, yes Lord I will go, yes Lord I will speak, yes Lord"... is the only way to truly live because He alone knows all you are capable of accomplishing in Him. Be brave because He is worth it all, and walking with Jesus is the best kind of adventure.
be brave

-Amanda

Physical birth

Photo thanks to team leader, Amanda Gaster

We recently were able to share with a man in our village who had been seriously injured in an accident and the Lord used it to bring him to salvation. (see former post) The very pregnant wife of this man has become very special to our team. We've been going every other day or so to monitor her and check on her little family. Yesterday, the young woman told us that she was feeling a lot of pressure and felt the baby would arrive within the week.  So, Sunday morning as we were preparing to leave for church, the pregnant woman’s child ran to our home to let us know that the baby was coming — and the village midwife could not make it.  On our walk to church, we stopped by the woman’s home, and the wife of our host family “rolled up her church skirt, squatted on the floor, and delivered the baby” while I held the mother’s hand — and witnessed wide-eyed the entire birth which only lasted about 15 minutes. I was amazed at some of their procedures/practices... but the baby was born! I laughed that while the newborn was lying on the dirt floor, the brother and sister were already running around the house and then through the village calling out with glee that they had a new brother. What a great way to start a Sunday!

Pray for this young family. 
Pray for good health for the new child and mother. 
Pray for spiritual growth for these new believers.

-Grace

Today is the day of salvation

We met a man who had been in a horrible altercation, and as a result had been left with life-threatening machete wounds to his head and face. When he was taken to the hospital, he was so near death that the medical staff chose not to repair his wounds and informed his wife that he would surely die.  As he lay dying, the man held his wife's hand and told her that they needed to turn to God.

And now the good news!  God was not ready for this man to leave this world — He, obviously, had other plans for him!  Three days later when the man had not yet passed, the medical staff decided they would address his wounds and mangled face.  He survived with major deformities-- his nose and one ear partly gone, front teeth missing, one eye drooping, and a large triangular skin graft on his face.  And when he was eventually released from care, he and his wife showed up on the doorstep of the house where our team was staying, asking to hear The Good News!  Incredibly, Jenky, our Filipino team mate, was especially able to relate to this little family’s situation because when she was three years old, her own father had suffered similar injuries from a machete fight — he survived, but was never able to speak again, however her family came to know the Lord because of that life-altering event.  This man wanted the same for his entire family (very pregnant wife and 2 young children.)  The man shared that on at least two previous occasions in his life, he had nearly met with death, but it took this tragic near-death experience for God to finally get his attention.  We were able to share the wonderful plan of salvation with him and his wife, and he accepted Christ into his heart!  God's love and mercy is infinite!

-Grace

Halfway

God is here.
God is moving.

Yesterday, church was so full that we had to bring in chairs.
 
Spending time with the team on our knees in prayer and God is leading our hearts to the same thing-- Isaiah 44:3 "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground..." God is pouring His Spirit out and all I can say is amen, come Lord Jesus and church, keep on praying!

We are at the halfway point of the summer and we are realizing more than ever that although missionary life is h.a.r.d., there is so much joy in serving the Lord and obeying His command to go and tell the nations.

We talk often about how words cannot express what God is doing and what we are learning... but one thing we can share is that there is a NEED in the world and a deep hunger for hope and the ONLY one that can fill that is Jesus Christ. I would so much rather be uncomfortable for the rest of my life, feet dirty and dusty from going and telling, than clean and comfortable and content in America. This is my heart and the wellspring of Life in you should motivate you also to want to go... because people need to know. But I won't get on my soapbox now because my internet time is limited... ;)

An excerpt from the story of the missionary Amy Carmichael: "Dear, you are coming to a battlefield. You cannot spend too much time with him alone. You are soldiers and soldiers don't ask for ease or expect it. You are warriors and when did warriors ask for an easy time? Or no wound? Or no heart-breaks?"
 
As disciples of Christ, our lives are not our own. The road will be hard, but God has promised that His word does not return to Him empty and we are simply commanded to go and tell. I am getting the awesome privilege of seeing God move as I walk in obedience, in spite of the hard.
 
Keep praying for us and for the work God is doing here!
Thank you for all of your love and support. I couldn't be here without you.
God is faithful, and He is the Provider.
 
Much love!
-Amanda

Befriend Faithfulness

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:3-4

My team and I have been challenged this week to live in our village as if we were going to be living there for the rest of our lives. For us "dwelling in the land" means learning the language better, remembering more names, and investing with our whole hearts into the children and teenagers that come see us every day. We befriend faithfulness as we grow closer as a team and seek the wisdom of national believers. When we delight ourselves in the Lord--the desires of our hearts become his desires. Our desires become to see more people glorify the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, and to see more people hold the Bible in their own language.

I am so grateful for your prayers, support and birthday wishes! My team had planned a surprise party for me, so turning 19 was very memorable!

Much love from Maguinda,
-Maddison

Surgery by flashlight

Rural Healthcare Team: Maibu

15 circumcisions: In very warm room with headlamps because if we opened the windows the whole village would watch. Never a dull moment!

Not called... Commanded

If there is one thing that God has been teaching me since I have been here it is that no one is exempt. Exempt from finals, exempt from chores, exempt from punishment, but NOT going to finish the great commission. Isaiah 44 says:

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass
    like willows by flowing streams.

This one will say, ‘I am the Lord‘s,’
    another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord‘s,’
    and name himself by the name of Israel.”

This has been our prayer as a team for our community of Maibu. And God is doing it. He is pouring water from the sky and from us and from the Holy Spirit. The kids listen, the adults listen, and we are seeing fruit. At the halfway point we are beginning to see fruit! How good our Savior is! My team and I have made promises to each other, to ourselves and to God, to help to finish the Great Commission in OUR generation. So I am going to put a journal entry up to show you a little of what those promises look like. 

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. the decision has been made. I am his disciple. I will not look back, let up,slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap diving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, or praised. I now live by faith, lean on his presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the face of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I’ve stayed up, prayed up, stored up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner is clear. I am a soldier of Christ.

I am a soldier. I am a warrior. Am I taking this seriously? The Lord has convicted my heart. As much as I love America and the dreams it gives me, I will not let my love for it or want for marriage or a family stand in my way and keep me from forsaking all for the Gospel. WE ARE NOT CALLED WE ARE COMMANDED. I will run the race laid before me with a smile, never looking down, keeping my eyes on my Savior. I will begin to trust him with more than just provision for money or joy or grace but for all plans in my life. I will imitate the faith and life of those before me, like Joseph Hagan, Judy Norris, and Rhonda Collier. Generations that love the Lord. I will wear out the toes of my shoes before the soles. I will take everything to the Lord in prayer. Though trials may come, the testing of my faith produces perseverance. I will not doubt the Lord. I will not ever leave the presence of my Father. I am a vessel. I am to be used to catty the Good News to the NATIONS. When every tribe hears the Gospel in their own tongue the end will come. And the Lord will know me because my flag will fly white and pure.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
    and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last;
    besides me there is no god. ⁷ Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.^[a]
    Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people.
    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. ⁸ Fear not, nor be afraid;
    have I not told you from of old and declared it?
    And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me?
    There is no Rock; I know not any.

From the times of the ancient people in Isaiah 44 until now, GOD HAS COMMANDED US.
WE ARE WITNESSES.

What is your excuse?

Obedience to the command of Christ nearly always costs everything to 2 people, the one who is going, and the one who loves that one.

-Grace

He is worth it

Thank you for your continued prayers for our team this summer. The past two weeks of ministry have been encouraging and we can see that people here are ready and responsive. In the past two weeks my team has been able to share the full Gospel 37 times (my best estimate) and we have seen 7 accept Christ as their Savior. 

My team is now made up of four Americans and two nationals. With two translators, we are often able to split up into two groups of 3 and reach even more people in a day. My team has been leading anywhere between 2-5 Bible studies a day. As people accept Christ or express a renewed desire to grow in their faith we try to get them involved in one of our Bible studies. As one example, one grandmother or "Nanay" in the village or approached us and asked us to lead a Bible study every day with her and three younger women that live nearby. 

I am so thankful for how God has also been working in my heart the past few weeks. Although the work every day is hard and far from comfortable, my team has so much joy! We know that Christ is worthy of all our efforts! I love the old hymn that says "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."

-Jessica (Maguinda team leader)

Some days ministry finds us

In the middle of siesta, 9 teenage girls showed up on our front porch. This is a normal occurrence, but not usually that early in the afternoon. They asked us to tell them stories about our lives, and so we did... pointing it all back to Jesus. After talking about the gospel and what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus, Jordan (my teammate) asked if any would like to talk more about salvation. We now have two new sisters in Christ! So. much. joy.

-Amanda

Pics from Rural Healthcare (Maibu team)

Team leader Amanda, Jordan, Grace, & Lauren

What do you do when it rains?? Take a shower of course!

Boiling water burns... but prayers help heal.

Habal-habal: Our favorite mode of transportation

Some days...

Home sweet home... for the summer at least! My team and I have now been in the Barangay (village) of Maibu for a full week. I love it here. We are up in the mountains and the family we are staying with are pretty much the sweetest ever. There is always a pile of flip flops at the door and a house full of laughing, running children any time we are home. It's joyful. My heart is so full with all God is doing. Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers!

Words can't really describe the beauty here, and the beauty of the people. Smiles bright on brown skin and the deepest, most generous hearts beat within these strong people. Laughter and music abound, and we all sit for hours talking and learning from each other.
Each day we go into homes to offer healthcare and talk about life and Jesus. Some days people pull us off the street where we are buying barbequed sagine (bananas) to look at a deep machete wound and we pray and bind up the wound. Some days a bible study is what God uses to bind up heart wounds... in the people and in us. Some days we are simply walking down the street, followed by a crowd of children clinging to our clothes and hands (that's every day, actually- now we understand why Jesus got on a boat to teach), laughing and talking and living love. We have bible studies, share testimonies, play with children and hear about the grace of God in from the lips of believers in Cebuano.

God is moving here, especially among the young people. I am so blessed to be able to come alongside them and help make disciples. God is stirring in the hearts of these people. He is using this broken, unworthy vessel to carry the treasure of the gospel.
I am in love with these people, this country, and more than anything, my JESUS.

-Amanda

Sunday in Butuan

This past Sunday, the different healthcare teams took a break from orientation to visit the churches in the city. My team, along with the other island healthcare team had the privilege of going to BOOST for church.

After a time of sharing testimonies, we had the opportunity to take the kids to have Sunday school. This was such a joy! Erin shared a very enthusiastic Creation Story with the children and Gwen translated. It wasn't until we went outside for games that the children really began to come out of their shells. We introduced the game of Duck, Duck, Goose to them. They loved it!

It was so much fun to watch the kids laughing and playing together! 

After about 38 rounds of this game, we went back into the church for worship. It was an amazing time of worshiping the God who had brought us all together!