Well....I am home now...along with the rest of the team. It is great to be back with my family and to be able to share about all the God did while we were gone. I have to admit...the Philippines feels more and more like home and East TN feels less and less like home. I can't remember a time in my life when I have encountered people who are so grateful for help, who are so hungry for the gospel and have a true desire to read God's Word rather than go by what a church or a leader says. I so want to be able to be there and share the Word of God with my Filipino friends and struggle with them as we read scripture and apply it to our lives.
This will be my last blog about the mission trip... I think.. and again it will not have pictures. I left my camera battery charger in Bohol very early in the trip and my last 3-4 days in the Philippines I had no camera due to the batteries being dead.
Our last few days was pretty awesome as well. Pastor Lemuel visited the orphanage and he has committed to pastoring the kids beginning in November! He was already forming relationships with the kids and spending lots of time with them. The music instructor will begin this coming weekend to teach the kids how to play the drums, play the keyboards and guitar. The kids at the orphanage are very excited about learning how to play the musical instruments so that they can sing praises to God as a group. The youth more and more are seeking to learn of God's Word and what it teaches. It is extremely encouraging to me to know that pastor Lemuel will be spending at least a day a week teaching the kids about the Bible!
Ronelldo (sp?) is a new youth from the dumpsite who is now staying at the orphanage. He is shy and doesn't talk that much. He is a bit older than some of our kids but appears to be making the transition well. Ronelldo now has a Bible, a bed of his own, clothes and school supplies. He talked about how thankful and grateful he is to be able to pursue his education.
Sheila was hired as our director. She has been doing great working with the kids. She has already implemented some more structure and clear expectations for the kids to follow. Sheila appears to truly love the kids and is enjoying taking care of them. There is also another Filipino who we have hired to work with the kids who truly loves tutoring and spending time with them. It is so great to see Filipinos investing in the lives of the Filipinos at the orphanage. That is my hope and promise that one day we will get to the point where financially we do not need to give to the orphanage but that Filipinos will see the value and the importance of rescuing these children off of the streets and dumpsite areas.
So, the last few days were encouraging to see that the church at the orphanage is possible and that there is a pastor. That we have new staff who are invested in loving and developing the kids. That there is a music instructor who is there willing to teach the kids how to play the instruments the team purchased and provided to the kids. That there are children in the dumpsites and in the schools who have now heard the gospel and were given Bibles. What a productive and amazing 10 days!! We started it off by going to Camotes where one day we hope and pray that the orphanage will be located. The mayor of Camotes wants to give us land where we can have a school and/or training center for adults and families where they can get jobs... The progress made in the few days is quite simply amazing and quite obvious that God provided it all and that He gets all of the glory for all of the good things that were done. I am thankful that I and the team were able to be a part of it.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Let me know how you would like to be involved. I am traveling to different states and counties to share about the orphanage; let me know if you would like for me to visit your church. We are meeting at the end of October to discuss the mission trip in June of 2011. We still need sponsors and support to pay for the school, church and music ministry of the orphanage. We need tons and tons of prayer as we move forward. our website is http://www.therescueministries.org/ may God bless you!
Dustin
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