Thank you all so very very much for your support for the trip to the Philippines. The Lord worked in incredible ways while we were there! So much happened while we were there that I could fill at least 10 more blog posts and go on forever. However, I will stick to the highlights for now and share some of my favorite moments.
- The photo above was probably my favorite of the entire trip. The little boy in the picture is one of the orphans at Beacon of Hope named Luis. On day two we bonded over the conversation taken in this photo. We just started talking and Luis told me all about Jesus and how much he loves us and how he lives in an estate in the clouds. Clearly Luis has retained a lot from church! And then Luis asked me in all seriousness, "If I'm really good this week, Can Jesus come back on Friday?" My heart just melted! What a precious child. This was the first of many talks we had almost every day - granted the others were about Spider Man, Power Rangers, and his brothers at BOH but this first one is a memory I will cherish forever.
- We got to help Les and Cynthia with many projects around the orphanage. We painted and decorated the kids rooms with verses from the Bible. The guys redid all the broken window screens so they can open the windows without bugs getting in. The ladies went through and organized the kid's school room as all their resources were jumbled together and inaccessible. We spent tons of time with the kids, loving on them. We got to know the care givers and were able to encourage them and show them new things to do with the kids. Everything at BOH was incredible!
- Out in the community we did a VBS at a local evangelical church. It was the first one ever done in the area and the kids were packed in! We had over 120 the first day! I taught songs I learned at Mountain Top Youth Camp as a kid. The children loved them, especially "He Made The Stars To Shine."
- The pastor at the church connected us to a local school and we were able to feed the entire school of 500 kids for $125! Then we were also blessed beyond measure to be able to go to each classroom and share the Gospel message. The kids were so excited about the food and so attentive to what we said about Jesus. When we left the children all followed us! I was surrounded by 20 kids deep on every side.
- We were also invited in another neighborhood school, this one with 1,000 kids! We were able to do a mini VBS with the kindergarteners and then the principal of the school walked us around to each classroom so we could share with all the kids about the love of Christ! The principal was shocked to hear that we would not be allowed to do this in our own country. He said, "I though the US had freedom of religion!" Hmmm....
All in all it was a most incredible trip and the Lord gave us the opportunity to share the Gospel with about 1,500 people! Something I could never have foreseen. God answered all our prayers for this trip! I have never been more grateful for my Child Evangelism Fellowship training in my life. It's amazing how some principals stay with you and how the Lord brings them to mind when they are needed. Praise the Lord for all he has done! I thank Him for using you to make my part in this trip possible. Thanks again to all of you for your support both in prayer and with your finances.
