Well, it seems that after three months here in the Philippines, my time here is coming to an end. The time has absolutely flown by, and I am going to miss my family and friends here so, so much. While I am very excited to see my family again after being away for three months, I am also very sad to be leaving. We leave for Manila tomorrow at approximately 7:00am, and will catch our first flight at 5:00pm to Taipei.
I have been blessed in so many ways during my time here. The way we have been welcomed into the Arcano family, the incredible church that showed me what community really is, and the love and support of my team is something I will remember and treasure for the rest of my life. We have been very engaged in the short term style ministry - focused on different events, but have also had a very good taste of what long term ministry can look like, and the day to day life that goes with that. We were welcomed here with opened arms, and we are leaving with many sad good-byes.
I am looking forward to debrief, and reconnecting with my family and the other Trekkers, but I will miss it here in the Philippines a lot. This morning I spent some time journaling and debriefing on my own; attempting to sort through some of my thought before leaving. I am very much at peace with the last three months. It was an absolutely incredible experience, and I have learned many valuable things.
Over the course of the last three months, I have been forced to depend on God in a way that I never have before. There have been moments when I've questioned if missions is really something I could do for the rest of my life. At the end of this three months I've realized that it's not something I can do. But it is something that God can do. And I've learned that through depending on Him, He can do great and mighty works through anyone who will allow themselves to be used by them. So in answer to my own question, yes, I do think missions is something I will be doing for the rest of my life. I think I have also come to a greater realization in the past three months of how much dependency on God that will require. But then again, when you have no control and it's purely God, that's when things get fun.
I've made mistakes along the way, but I've realized that God takes us as we are and uses us - all our fears, failures, and short-comings. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me next, and what opportunities He will lead me to. And so, I would like to end my time here in the Philippines the same place as where I started.
"The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him." - Nahum 1:7
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Counting the Cost
I realize that it has been over a month since I last posted. I'm sorry! Life here has been great - over the last month we have: had VBS, held three evangelistic concerts, and had our team retreat in Palawan - as well as visting Pastor Sam's hometown in Brook's Point, and sharing with the youth there.
The past two months have flown by, and the end of our time here is quickly approaching. God has been working in each of us and teaching us so many new things. Over the past two months God has really been moving in my heart and challenging me to truly understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ. I recently read a book called "The Heavenly Man" by Chinese House Church Pastor, Brother Yun, and am currently reading "The Cost of Discipleship," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. These together with my personal devotions and a sermon Moses recommended to me by Mark Driscoll have challenged me in what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
To be a Christian is to be a follower of Christ; to live life as He lived it and to live for what He lived for. In many cultures today it is all too easy to walk the fence. And yet Christ does not call us to mediocrity or to complacency - He calls us to a life radically devoted to Him. Luke 14:27 says "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." In his sermon, Mark Driscoll addresses this verse, describing how to carry a cross in the days of Jesus was to literally be a dead man walking. If you were carrying a cross, you were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. When Christ calls us to carry our cross, He is not calling us to be patient under inconveniences, or be nice to people who can be hard to work with. He is calling us to come and die.
Later, in the same passage, Jesus says "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:33. Christ calls us to give up everything, to take up our cross, and to follow Him. Not everyone who becomes a Christian will die because of their faith. But if we claim to be followers of Christ, we need to be willing to follow Him anywhere, even to death. This is where Christ leads us - to pick up our cross and follow Him, He bids us come and die.
And so the question that must be asked is, if we are not willing to follow Christ, can we truly call ourselves Christ followers?
(I highly reccomened this sermon, Counting the Cost, by Mark Driscoll.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-axDXZmlRU
The past two months have flown by, and the end of our time here is quickly approaching. God has been working in each of us and teaching us so many new things. Over the past two months God has really been moving in my heart and challenging me to truly understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ. I recently read a book called "The Heavenly Man" by Chinese House Church Pastor, Brother Yun, and am currently reading "The Cost of Discipleship," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. These together with my personal devotions and a sermon Moses recommended to me by Mark Driscoll have challenged me in what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
To be a Christian is to be a follower of Christ; to live life as He lived it and to live for what He lived for. In many cultures today it is all too easy to walk the fence. And yet Christ does not call us to mediocrity or to complacency - He calls us to a life radically devoted to Him. Luke 14:27 says "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." In his sermon, Mark Driscoll addresses this verse, describing how to carry a cross in the days of Jesus was to literally be a dead man walking. If you were carrying a cross, you were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. When Christ calls us to carry our cross, He is not calling us to be patient under inconveniences, or be nice to people who can be hard to work with. He is calling us to come and die.
Later, in the same passage, Jesus says "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:33. Christ calls us to give up everything, to take up our cross, and to follow Him. Not everyone who becomes a Christian will die because of their faith. But if we claim to be followers of Christ, we need to be willing to follow Him anywhere, even to death. This is where Christ leads us - to pick up our cross and follow Him, He bids us come and die.
And so the question that must be asked is, if we are not willing to follow Christ, can we truly call ourselves Christ followers?
(I highly reccomened this sermon, Counting the Cost, by Mark Driscoll.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-axDXZmlRU
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