Speaking and Music

The Lord continues to open doors for ministry, often unexpected ones. On Friday, I had the opportunity to speak to about 25 BJMBC female students in Ladies Forum. They had submitted a list of topics that they wanted to cover during the year and a frequent request concerned knowing the will of God -- how do I know if God is calling me into ministry, how do I know if I'm called to be a pastor's wife, etc. I was asked to address this topic with them. I enjoyed giving them biblical principles to guide their decision making and several requested me to email them my speaking notes.

Then on Saturday, the church I attended when I was here previously hosted a ladies meeting with a health focus. They had a number of speakers on different aspects of health but asked me to give the devotional (because of my nursing background). I enjoyed sharing about "The Disease of the Soul," and pray that the Lord will continue to use the truth of His Word in the hearts of those who heard.

Today (Sunday) gave opportunities for musical ministry at church as I played my flute for congregational singing, accompanied the church choir in the morning service, and sang in a trio for the evening service.

Next week, we are looking forward to having two young ladies from the U.S. visiting with us. They are here to work with National Hoops (a basketball tournament outreach for young people), but came early to get a chance to see ministry in the Philippines. One of them will be staying in my apartment, so I have been busily trying to finish getting it furnished. I finally have a table and chairs, and got a bed for the second bedroom and hung the curtains.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for the ministry here. May God be glorified in everything we do -- from the public ministries to the private ones.

Opportunities

The Lord provided several ministry opportunities this week. First, when I was at the grocery on Monday, I had a good opportunity to talk to the young man who was helping me with my bags. He wanted to know why I was so happy and why I would leave America to come to the Philippines when so many Filipinos want to get to the U.S. His English wasn't good enough for a deep conversation, but I was able to explain briefly and give him a tract in Tagalog. Then the girl working the elevator wanted to see the tract and took it out of his hand to look at it, so I gave her one too:-) Pray for this young man. I forget his name, but the Lord will know who you mean.

Then Monday evening, we had a party for about 20 BJMBC girl students who are living near the school rather than commuting in each day. We had a good time of fun and food, but I also enjoyed getting to share the devotional -- thoughts that the Lord has taught me on Psalm 73. Please do pray for these girls. Many of them are a long way from home for the first time, and they are at varying levels of spiritual maturity. They range in age from 16 to early 30s. It is a blessing to have them and we pray that the Lord will do a real work in their lives during their time here.

Rain and Floods

The streets of Manila are slowly drying out after the onslaughts of Tropical Storm Falcon over the past week. We had several days of torrential rains, 6 inches of rain in less than 24 hours! There was much flooding causing school to be cancelled all over the city. It may seem unusual to Americans to cancel school for rain, but its not the rain so much as the accumulation of rain and the resulting flooding. (Just as we cancel school not so much because of falling snow, but because of the accumulation of snow that impedes travel.) Many areas of Manila were underwater and without power and folks were stranded at their schools and workplaces all over they city.

Because of the flooding, I did not attempt to commute to my church on Saturday. However, I was still able to go on Sunday by riding with another family from my area that goes each week. I continue to enjoy the church and helping with the ministries there. The people are incredibly appreciative for the small things that I can do.

This evening we are having a get together for the 20+ BJMBC girls that live in 2 apartments near the school. I have been asked to share the devotional and would appreciate your prayers for that ministry.

Commuting

I am safely home again after commuting to my new church for the first time. I drafted a Filipino student from BJMBC to accompany me this first time, so that she could speak Tagalog and ask directions if we got lost (which we did once:-) In addition, another BJMBC student will be accompanying me each week, but she is from Vietnam and doesn't speak any more Tagalog than I do.

Anyway, it took about 2.5 hours to get there yesterday. First we walked a few blocks and caught a jeepney (sort of a short, squatty bus with the two long bench seats facing the middle of the vehicle), then we got on the MRT (like an elevated train), then a bus. We apparently missed our stop on the bus, so we had to walk a little ways to get to where we should have been. Then we got on another jeepney, then got a tricycle (a motorcycle with a covered sidecar) to the church.

Coming home, we followed a slightly different route that included tricycle, jeepney, bus, and jeepney. That only took about 1.5 hours. We stayed with Gary and Edie Jones, the missionaries that lead the church. They have been in the Philippines 30+ years.

I was able to help out with the choir and piano and am excited to see what ministry opportunities the Lord will open there. It is a smaller church than the one I attended when I was here before. They have a Tagalog service of about 30 people, then Sunday School, then an English service of around 60.

I am also safely moved into my apartment. I moved early (about 6:30am) on Wednesday morning, before it got too hot. It's rather bare at the moment -- just a refrigerator, a stove, and a bed.:-) Little by little!

Thanks so much for your continued prayers. It's exciting to be right in the place where God wants you to be and know it!

Provision

The Lord's provision has been so evident this week, that I want to share it with you. First off, I have an apartment! I met with the apartment manager on Friday, and after looking at two different apartments, I signed a contract on one. That's exciting because I had no guarantee there would one be open so quickly after I returned. It is in the same building that I have been staying in and is only a few doors down from the building where New Song and BJMBC are.

Yesterday (Sunday), I had the opportunity to visit a church on the other side of Manila. I had been praying about finding a church where I could be involved in the ministry, and it seems that the Lord has answered. It is a smaller church, pastored by another GFA missionary, and they have many areas where I can be of help.

I'm pretty much over jet lag -- actually slept from 10:30 to 6:30 last night, instead of waking up at 5am:-) It's been good to be back and reconnect with friends.

I'd appreciate your prayers as I furnish my apartment and figure out how to negotiate the public transportation to make the trip to my new church. Pray also for opportunities to build spiritually edifying relationships with girls at BJMBC and at church.

Arrival

After 24+ hours of travel, I am safely back in the Philippines. All the flights were without incident, and my luggage arrived when I did. Thanks so much for your prayers!

I am eager to jump back into the ministry here. Now if I could only figure out what time zone I'm in:-)

Leaving

The nearly two months of stateside ministry as come to a close and I am busily preparing to leave once again for the Philippines. I have enjoyed the time to connect with some of you, see family, and fellowship with other missionaries. On the other hand, I am excited to be returning to the field and the ministry the Lord has given me there.

I fly out of Greenville, SC Tuesday morning (June 7th) for a trip lasting just over 24 hours. If all goes as scheduled, I will arrive in Manila at 11am EST on Wednesday, June 8th. I would appreciate your prayers for a safe and uneventful trip, for my luggage to arrive without incident, and for a quick transition into the Philippines ministry.

What a blessing to know that the Lord is not confined by geographical boundaries and, as He promised, He will be with us wherever we go. And yet another blessing is knowing that neither are your prayers limited by distance but through them, you can impact a ministry that you may never see. Thanks so much for your partnership in this endeavor.