BROKEN FOR HIS GLORY

Fri, Aug 12 – What life have you if you have not life together? There is no life that is not in community, and no community not lived in praise of God. – T.S. Eliot

“Seed had to die for the unity of the loaf. Only in this way could it bear fruit. In the same way each individual must give himself up, must die to himself, if he wants to follow Christ on His way. Then the grain must be crushed and milled if it is to be turned into bread. Our self-will undergoes the same for community. It must be broken if one is to belong to the community of the Supper and to the service of communal work. Furthermore: The grains had to be brought together into one flour and one loaf. Not one of them could preserve itself as it was or keep what it had. No grain could remain for itself. Every grain had given itself and its whole strength into the bread. In the same way the grapes must be pressed for the wine. Every grape gives all its strength and all its juice into the uniform wine. In it no grape can keep anything for itself. Only in this way does wine come into being. Grapes or grains that remain whole are only fit for the pigs or muck heap. They have nothing to do with bread and wine. If they kept back strength and body for themselves they lost everything. And they remained lost. In this we have the most powerful picture of community. That is how Christ presented it to those who were with him at the Supper. But to continue: This whole loaf is broken as Christ let his body be broken. That means for us that the stubbornness of self-will is broken and that we must be ready in community to suffer and die.” Andreas Ehrenpreis, an early Hutterite leader.

Tues, Aug 16 – We are back at Molong’s. We ended up staying an extra day at the resort because I was too sick to travel. Two days of being in bed and having diarrhea is not what I had in mind, but….. God does know how to get me to “Be Still!”  Otherwise our stay was blessed. We are thankful for Molong’s suggestion that we go and his friend who owns the resort who helped with the expenses. Father is still revealing His will to us even now. We are not planning to extend our stay here another two months. So we will be heading back to the States in six days. Thank you so much for your prayers! We are so blessed to have such a faithful family in Jesus!

Wed, Aug 17 – Since returning from our resort trip we have had many long conversations with Molong. We’ve gotten past dreaming of community life together to more serious conversations about living that out which are not always easy, but necessary. We’ve had fun with Albert learning how to shop in the markets and cooking Filipino together with him and Molong. Gary & Albert worked together to make screens for the guest room. When activities slow down for Lisa, she & I visit together while knitting. She’s already completed several small projects! I completed Jinky’s shoulder bag and presented it to her! It’s always fun interacting with the children. Last night they enjoyed being entertained with Gary & Molong’s dancing!

Thurs., Aug 18 - Molong was called to visit a 72 yr. old friend on Mactan Island who had kidney failure. Gary & I had the honor of going along to pray for him! He & his wife welcomed us into his home with a warm smile and were anxious for us to pray for his healing! Before we prayed, however he shared personal stories of his spiritual journey. He has observed many who were sick be healed in Jesus’ name, prayed over the dead and watched the power of God raise them and even encountered angels! However, he is very frustrated and confused that in praying for his own healing, “God does not answer!” So here we are in the presence of this mighty man of God and he wants us to pray for him! I feel so weak, but know that our God is not! As Gary began to pray, I felt led to kneel in front of this precious man and place my hand on the area of his right kidney. At one point in the prayer there was a “fullness of the Spirit” in the room. At the same time, it seemed as though I could feel a “filling” in the area of his right kidney under my hand. May God be glorified in His perfect plan for the life of this servant!

A family member of this man is a manager of an ocean front resort. His son drove us there and dropped us off to spend the rest of the afternoon! We were waited on with drinks and a fine lunch! It seems that we’ve been doing more “resorting” than anything else these days! It makes me feel like I’m being “too luxurious!” But… God must have a plan for the connections we are making and the places He is leading us too. I must learn to rest in His wisdom. Mine never has worked very well!

Fri., Aug 19 – Just out of curiosity, Gary, Molong & I jumped on the motor cycle to look at an empty lot on the beach not far from Molong’s home. What a beautiful view!

Frederick (10 yrs old) has become a precious friend to us. He visits Molong’s often, but today Gary & I walked with Frederick to his home. He was excited to show us where he lives. We took the “short-cut” which was a very muddy, buggy path! At one point we stopped at a community pump and Frederick pumped as we washed the mud off our feet!

We were welcomed into his home by his mother and grandparents. We visited for a short time while sipping on orange soda before heading back to Molong’s!

This weekend is Fiesta in Molong’s Barangay (village). This is an annual event which each village holds for celebrating and honoring their village saint. There are carnivals, games, food, music, etc. Last night the “parade” came past his house which included floats with statues of the honored saint. People walking in front of and behind the float were carrying lighted candles as they chanted & prayed to their saint. Many of the homes also had lit candles and statues of the saint in their yards. It was one of the most eerie events I think I’ve ever witnessed! As the night goes on, the celebration becomes more licentious.

The kids didn’t have school today because of Fiesta, but it was rainy so they all huddled into the hut and watched movies.

Sat. Aug 20. - We were greeted at the brkfst table with cards from all the children! As we read each one aloud, the children waited with excitement for us to finally read their special hade-made card. We are so blessed to have such precious little friends!

We went into the city to run an errand and to meet up with Oliver and his family for lunch. It seems like any time a person travels any place here, they spend ¾ of the day traveling to get there and back and ¼ of the day doing whatever they needed to do. I’m still adjusting to this!

Realizing that I can’t take fresh mangoes home with me - a group of us had fun making mango shakes last night. Then in our creativeness, we advanced to mango- avocado shakes. I don’t know how I’m going to survive without fresh mangoes when I get home! 

Molong & Lisa presented us with a beautiful hand-made card last night. The time for us to return to the states is becoming more real! We’re going to miss everyone so much!

Sun., Aug 21 – More typhoons! We had so much rain today! Everything was flooded! But… we made our way through the water-filled streets with a real estate friend of Molong’s to go see yet another piece of property. While seeking the Lord’s wisdom, it is fun to look and consider!

Family and friends began to come early in the day to spend time with us before we leave. We are reminded of what a blessing it has been to fellowship with such precious brothers and sisters!

We had a flat tire on the way to the airport, but made our flight on time! Thank you for your continued prayers! We’ll be back in the states soon!

Although many pieces have already fallen into place, it’ll be some time before I’ll be able to have a fuller understanding of the Lord’s purpose in our trip. There’s been so much that I don’t even know where to begin in evaluating all the wonderful opportunities and precious connections we’ve made.

There are many ways in which we can see how God in His wisdom has brought us to “the right place at the right time!” Yet, trying to explain that clearly will be a challenge! For now, I’ll simply say that we are seeing how He continues to break us and prepare us for Kingdom living! Empty us of everything that is not of You, Lord Jesus!

We can not express how thankful we are for all your prayers, support and encouragement! We have been blessed to have you on this journey with us! We’ll keep you posted regarding the unfolding of God’s plan for us as we see His directing.