#last2016update

[myheartofworship-blog]

PH Mission Trip Update: 7.30.16

So...as the video implied, we are back! If you’re wondering how we’re feeling, exhausted should probably cut it. It is literally 1:53am right now because my sister and I can’t seem to shake off this jet lag. We haven’t even done anything in the past two days we’ve been home. All we’ve done is catch our parents up on how the trip went and then catch up on all the shows we missed and recorded. Haha! Productive is definitely not one of the words in our vocabulary lately.

To be honest though, we’ve also been feeling pretty sad. Call it withdrawal symptoms, but we miss the Philippines and the adventures we had with our team. It’s kind of sad because we’ve sort of all gone our separate ways now...different churches, different states, different schools. What we are grateful though is for having even had the chance to work alongside each and every one of them. God brought us together for a reason and used us for His glory. We will never forget that...For them and for our new friends in the Philippines, whether we see them again or not here on earth, we hold on to the hope of one day seeing them in heaven. That’s the hope we have as Christians, but I really hope and pray that our little trip to the Philippines isn’t the last time...

So I know that with our last written blog update, I left you all asking that you pray for the “Youth Revival” that we were helping host at Capiz Evangelical Church...well, I’m awake and alert and thought I’d write about how it went!

There were plenty of people who came, many of our new friends that we invited came. A couple of us on the team actually came early to rehearse for worship and that was a blessing in itself. Their worship team is full of talented people and we were super blessed to have gotten really close to two of them --- Jill and Abegail. We prayed beforehand and we prayed afterward and God truly answered our prayers because He made His presence known as we led that night.

Pastor Butch presented the Gospel, but it was very “interactive”. He would pull up students to either demonstrate a point or he would ask one of the team members to share a portion of their testimony. In the end, he had our entire team line up in the front and he offered a time of prayer. It was the most moving time of the entire night. 

At first, it was kind of awkward because not everybody understood what exactly he was saying, but when Pastor Parcia came up to interpret and when he asked some of the students of their youth group to sort of “start it up”, the next thing we know, almost every student there came for us to pray over them. 

There was one girl in particular that I remember praying over...she was shy and timid and while I asked her name, I barely heard what she said. Of all the people we met all week, all the names, I honestly don’t remember anymore, but God does and her face is one I will never forget. She came up to me and when I asked her what I could pray for, she let out her heart about how she is struggling with her image and feelings of self-doubt and insecurities. As I prayed with her, I could hear the sobs and felt a tear drop on the back of my hand. It took every fiber of my being to keep myself from breaking down right there and then. My heart hurt for her...I used to be her. Heartbroken, insecure, and just full of self-loathing. The minute that tear dropped, the more passionate my prayer for her became. I spoke to her words that my Abba Father spoke to me when I was in the position she was in --- “You are loved. You are beautiful, You are Mine.” When I was through praying, I gave her a hug and she walked back to her seat. I wish I could say that we had a deep conversation after the service, but I never saw her after that...but I’m grateful for the time the Lord gave me with her. I’m just praying now for the work He will continue to do, with or without me.

After the service, we took almost an hour saying our goodbyes, taking selfies, and sharing long, tearful hugs. It was so difficult to say goodbye, and yet, it was also joyful. I know in my heart that I will be back. My desire is that the Lord will provide for me to go each year, but I’m not sure of that. What I do know, is that the Lord will bring me back and the Philippines will always have a special place in my heart. This trip has birthed in me a passion that will burn until the day I die. I don’t quite know for sure WHAT God will do, but I’m living with arms open wide. So when everyone was saying goodbye with the live praise and worship being sung, people dancing along to it, my heart was filled with joy because it wasn’t goodbye to me; it was just a “see you later”. I know...it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I can’t wait to see them again, whether it is when I go back or when it is when we are all with the Lord...I’m just glad it isn’t goodbye.

Afterward, Jill and Abegail took us out to eat for dinner at Fiesta Inasal. Well, actually Kuya Ivan paid for dinner; they just knew where to go eat...Haha! He said it was his way of saying thank you for helping him lead worship. We had a good time, even though it was cut short by our curfew. We had team devotions at 8:30pm and we couldn’t be late.

The team devotions was led by Julian that night and he reminded us again of the “theme” our entire trip had started on --- faith. It was so timely and a beautiful reminder of how God had taken each and every one of us on a journey for this trip...for this this week...for that night. We then shared what the week meant to us and it was such an encouragement to me to see that we had all grown...TOGETHER! I grew up with some of the team and others, I just met, but I consider them all family. To see what God has done in their lives, how much He has grown them...I couldn’t ask for anything else. Believe me though, I’m included in that as well. Faith was something God tested BIG TIME throughout this whole journey. I’m grateful because what a reward I have received because I took a leap of faith and surrendered my will to follow His.

Thank you so much for all of you who have supported us! You played a BIG part in this trip and in our personal lives. We hope that you can join us August 14 at the Chapel of Sugar Creek Baptist Church from 5-7pm as we gather together in worship to celebrate and share testimonies. My sister and I would love to see you all there!