back again

So, it is different everytime I come back to the Philippines.  I am different...the newness is less; the struggle between life in the US and the life in the Philippines gets stronger.  It is very very confusing... I have my values in the US along with my beliefs...and so do Filipinos.  Common sense would tell you that I should not impose or expect Filipinos to adopt my set of values and beliefs because I am American.  And so, while I am in the Philippines, I try my best not to.  So, if I am not to "impose" my values, but I do want to share the love of Christ to them and the message of hope and love...how do I do that?  I want you to think about this and put yourself in my shoes.  I am in a foreign country with perceptions of Who God is and how one interacts with God very differently from my own. I have a Bible for point of reference that I can read and they can read and we can agree that certain passages mean certain things.  Like, that Jesus died for our sins.  But through the course of these mission trips we are to the point in the ministry where it is time to disciple and teach about what it means to be followers of Christ.  I don't mean to over complicate things...but saying you are suppose to sing 3 songs, shake peoples hands, sing another song, take up an offering and hear someone speak for 15-30 minutes is church or what it should look like.  Furthermore...not to make you think that I am totally off my rocker... but I am not overly convinced that saying a single prayer or repeating a prayer that someone tells you to pray secures a person's soul into heaven.  I am not sure if Americans have this whole church/God thing down too good. 

Yet, I am here in the Philippines with the intentions of sharing my faith in Christ and helping others to understand what a relationship with Him should look like (if I even know) and I have 2 weeks to do all this.  The more I am thinking about what we are doing, the more and more I am convinced that we need long term solutions.. . which costs money if we are talking staff... and we are talking identifying like minded people who will teach the perceived truth to these kids.  Which goes back to my initial confusion -- what is the truth and what is American?  The more I pray and the more I wrestle with this line of thought the more I realize the need for me and my family to be here....and while we are here, to figure out as best as possible what a relationship with Christ should look like without expecting our own perceptions and beliefs to be freely and readily accepted in a culture where you must go to a parent to request a date with their daughter...so it makes sense that you must go to Mary to request that you can "talk to" Jesus.  Yet that is their beliefs....though Jesus died so that we may "approach the throne boldly".

Please be in prayer as we go about this week.  Sharing our faith, showing the love of Christ and establishing long term, solution focused plans with the orphanage so that the kids can have the structure they need, the community can have a place for resources and help, and that the good news of Jesus Christ is clearly, culturally relative in a manner that Filipinos would consider taking up their cross and following Christ every day of their lives.

I have attached some photos to this blog.  They are from my trip in Bohol.  I am amazed at God's handy work and how His creation cries out to show and bring his glory.  Seeing the sand, the beach reminds me of how he cleanses and makes things new, the chocolate hills reminds me of just how unique and special each one of us are and the tarsier monkey reminds me of how fragile we are and that are total dependence must be on God (they have no skull or bones).

Now that I have enjoyed God's creation I do look forward to sharing with others the Good News!  I pray for discernment that I will know the rights words to say and the right time to say them in.  I hope that Filipinos do not see Americans coming to tell them how to live, but Ambassadors of Christ sharing that there is hope and freedom found in Him.  I  look forward to sharing more in the days to come!

Dustin