Well, my favorite part of the trip last time,...may be my favorite part of the trip again this year. On Tuesday morning when we arrived to the orphanage we packed up our salvation bracelets, and different visual material to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the public schools. Instead of riding a car or jeepney, we walked. We walked down the road/paths that our kids take everyday at school. Each step a reminder of the children who once were living on the streets; exposed to gang violence, sex and drugs...now walking a different path. The same kids who just a few days ago were singing worship songs to God, praying to Him and thanking God for his goodness and mercy.
As we walked we soaked in the culture, the smell, sounds of the street. The process of crossing the road is certainly not the easiest of attempts. The taxis and big service trucks go fast down the winding road but are fairly easy to flag down when you are passing....the motorcycles that whip in and out of traffic are the ones you always have to watch. In a matter of 5 minutes (and yes this is by American pace) we were already at the high school. It was only a 1/2 mile walk from the orphanage to the high school.
As custom is, we met with the principal first and shared with her and prayed with her. Then we were off to 4 high school class rooms. We broke into 4 teams with Layney Bible, Bev Goodman, Gini Hoinaes and Cathi Armstrong as our presenters/speakers to the students. As we walked into the packed classroom (an average of 60 in a class) all of the kids stood and stated in unison "good morning visitors". (I wish you could hear the English with my Filipino accent but it just isn't in the cards)... I would then do introductions of the team members, explain why we were there, ..razzle dazzle them with some Cebuano words... they would laugh and giggle at my poor attempts... and then the speakers would share the gospel using the salvation bracelets as a visual aid and their assistant team member would pass out the bracelets and be there for different types of support. Most of the time the team had a Filipino stay behind to help translate what they were saying in case there were mistakes.
We did the same process at the Elementary school that we walked to which was just another mile or less away. Pastor Lemuel stayed with Layney. Pastor stated that after each of her presentations that he offered to anyone in the class room to indicate by showing of hand who would like to have a personal relationship with Jesus and who prayed with him the salvation prayer. Pastor Lemuel stated that virtually all raised their hands. So, we know that a minimum of 100 children boasted in putting their faith and hope in Jesus for the first time on Tuesday. We know that a minimum of 500 children heard the salvation story/plan on Tuesday. We know that most if not all of those children shared that story with their friends and family. We don't know what God did in all of the hearts who heard the Good News... we can only pray. But I can say that an eternal difference was made in the lives of many Filipinos on Tuesday morning.
After this we went to the orphanage to eat. We had the head of a goat, some cow intestines and stomach and other local filipino dishes. It tasted very good as gross as that may sound. And yes.. this is true!
We then broke up into several different teams. Most went shopping for different supplies/gifts for the new children coming to WHY. The others went back to the home of Boo to bond and get to know her better and her sister Mary Grace who will be coming to the orphanage on Wednesday.
After the shopping and visiting; the team gathered together for prayer and worship with the kids in the orphanage. After a few songs, the younger kids left to work on friendship bracelets, painting toes and other things while the older kids stayed behind with pastor Lemuel, myself and Melinda Tewell. The pastor walked the older youth through the Bible explaining to them about Baptism. The kids had many questions, one of the biggest questions were, if they get baptized will they no longer be Catholic. Pastor explained to them that Baptism is an act of obedience to God and a reflection that you are a follower of Christ and Biblical teachings. Pastor explained the symbolism of baptism and it is a proclamation of the gospel to all who witness it. He was then very frank in sharing that it was a step away from the teachings of the Catholic church. He also told them that if they did not have a personal relationship with Jesus that they would just be taking a bath.....that baptism is only for believers. None of the older youth, (Jeraluz, Emily, Ronnellio, John Michael and Glen) indicated that they were ready for baptism...but they did not say no. They requested to pray about it. It was great to share and witness with the older youth about discipleship....and next steps with God!
On Wednesday we headed to DSWD (this is like DCS in TN). There we talked with the officials about all the orphanage needs to do in order for our kids to be adopted, to go to the states in the Summer and Winter months, and our role in helping with child trafficking. The officials stated that we are very near completing our licensing with DSWD and at that point we may then do our assessments of which children are eligible and needed to be adopted. They gave us the process we need to begin in order for international adoptions as well, which is another certification process with ICAB. Though this sounds kind of dry and boring... it is very exciting for our orphanage b/c the kids who can be adopted... well... can. And we can continue to pour our heart and resources in those who remain to target ending the cycles of abuse and poverty.
After that meeting most of the team went to visit with another orphanage. I stayed with Arnell to get some more items needed for the mission trip and do some more planning that is needed and necessary for the trip to be successful. Sheryl will share more about that portion of the trip for the rest of the team and also about Layney.
We ended the night by spending time with the kids... which is always awesome. We brought the girls in so they could pick 3 new dresses to wear. They were so excited! Our new girl, Mary Grace, just lit up as we gave her additional clothing... when she arrived she did not have anything. now she has a bed, running water, a bathroom, clothes, enrolled in school, medical care (she has a bad cough), and so many other necessities that we take for granted. words cannot describe that smile and the way she looked. She is getting her Bible on Thursday as well.
So...please pray for our older youth who are making decisions on whether to be baptized or not. Please pray for Layney and her health. Please pray for our new children who we are rescuing that they will feel welcome and learn about Jesus Christ. Please pray for today (Thursday) as we go to a poverty area where we will be doing a medical mission, giving clothes, cutting hair and meeting other needs... and of course sharing about Christ.
I appreciate all of the prayers and support!
blessings,
Dustin
1 comment:
Just wondering about the play ground
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