I never expected to see Jesus and Bob Marley spray painted on the same bus. I never expected to see 14 of my squad members willingly eat duck fetus from an egg and not throw up…well..almost. I never expected to hear a horse whinny be used as a horn on a bus. I never expected 12 of us could squeeze into a Jeep. I never expected to eat an earthworm…just for the heck of it. I never expected to sleep on the floor in the orphanage during the night shift with coackroaches and spiders running around me… and survive the night. I never expected that hugging lice infested children would become no big deal. I never expected to be moved by drug dealers, thiefs, murderers and gang members. One of the “never expected’s” of this month are two people named Fheme and Kikum. Every Sunday and some days throughout the week, we visit the local jail, which is right next door. The jail is packed like sardines, with the amount of prisoners more than doubling the supposedly maximum amount. The jail holds men, women, and minors all together. As soon as I met Fheme and Kikum, I knew they would be in my life consistently this month. I didn’t know how..but I knew they would be. Kikum is 18 yrs. old and a soft spoken guy. He has been in the prison for two years for drug dealing. The court system’s are insanely slow, so it’s a long waiting process for a conviction and a release..let alone a court date. Fheme is 23 yrs. old and a strong, extremely independent woman. She is Kikum’s girlfriend who visits as often as she can. The first day there, Fheme shared her life story with me. She also told me some of Kikum’s. This past month, I have been diving into scripture with both of them, praying that the knowledge of the Word they hold in their heads would penetrate the walls around their hearts. It has been challenging. I feel so inadequate and incapable sometimes when speaking and going through scripture with them. Ever since day one, Fheme has said she will fully surrender and believe in God when Kikum is released. This is her miracle, her sign from God. In that moment when those words were first uttered, I believed God for Kikum’s release. I declared to them that I would pray for God to release him by the time I leave. This past Monday, Kikum had a court date. I woke up that morning with mixed emotions. I heard God tell me that the hearing would be postponed. I argued with him until I surrendered to his will. You see, a week before I found out about his court date, I hit a rough patch after leaving the prison. I realized that even though Kikum could have physical freedom, it really doesn’t matter if his soul is still in bondage. Until he can find freedom in the Lord, he won’t ever be free. If he left the prison now, he would go right back into the old ways. When we went to the court date, they were so excited to see Michael and I. Michael mentioned on the way there that just us being there was a huge deal. And he was right. Our presence there truly did something. I saw this new level of trust and acceptance in Fheme’s eyes. I will only get to see my new friends one more time before leaving the Philippines. Please pray for them. Pray for courage to surrender to God. Pray for any seeds planted to grow and prosper..that they would know the height and width and depth of God’s love for them. On another note-God continues to speak and move daily. Here are a few brief testimonies: -We couldn’t hear the minors in the jail due to the rain. We prayed and asked God to stop the rain… and he did..in a matter of seconds. – Jasmin and I prayed for a man in the ICU with renal failure. As we prayed, we felt his sickness was demonic. We casted off demonic stongholds, then began praising God and calling out his attributes. Jasmin started singing, and we continued praying. This man, writhing in pain, unable to lie still, and barely able to breathe, was slowly stretching out more and more until he was fully straight on his back. Even his breathing settled down. -Some of my squad members went to a feeding this past week. They had food for 150 students- and 450 showed up. Not only did every student get fed, but they had enough for seconds. Praise God for muliplied food! There is more than enough in the kingdom! -Michael did spoken word at the gang ministry. Tim shared his testimony with the scholars at the University. I’m so thankful to have these men of God on my team! -God told me we would be meeting high ranking officials this year. This past Monday, we got to meet and pray with the governor of Malaybalay. So awesome!
Our team was supposed to make a video on “Things We Never Knew”. I hope you enjoy it!
Living overseas brings many “unexpected’s.” Transitioning from life in the states to life abroad can be the easiest thing, while at the same time the hardest thing. We have been in Malaybalay for about three weeks now, and our days are spent taking shifts in the orphanage and planting grass on their big soccer field. By the time we leave, the whole field should be planted!
I cannot believe this is my last week in the Philippines. The days here fly by, but I feel as though I have been here for months. Thank you for your prayers. They have been much needed, and sometimes I can feel the prayers of you all from home. I am so thankful for you! Continue to pray for my squad and my team. Sickness is floating around, and I have been sick the past week. Next time I post, it will be in Manila before flying to Cambodia for month 2!
P.S.
