(Ehman, Me, Emil, and Noy)
This is Emil. Emil and his brother Ehman and friend Noy all are teenage boys (17, 18 and 19) who work and live at Grow International Ministries headquarters–where my team and I served last month. Emil is the director of children’s ministry. This means that at church Sunday mornings he leads Sunday school for 20+ children of all different ages. Also when the boys from the streets come to camp every other weekend he is responsible for updating their files about things like family, school and age. Emil is also pursuing a theology degree from a local seminary. While we were at camp Emil did his daily chores, took care of his children’s ministry projects, went to school, and helped us around on our days off. The last day with Emil I asked him what his favorite memory was. He responded with a minion laugh and said the trip to the beach.
I laughed too because let me just give you a quick low down on our team’s beach adventure. We woke up on Saturday morning with the knowledge that a typhoon was coming into the Philippines. However we thought that it would hit south of us. We loaded into the jeepney and took off on a 3 hour trip which turned into 5 after a blown tire along with a rain and wind filled last hour. We pulled into the place we were going to camp out on the beach only to find out it was full. Our options now were to try and find some sort of ‘resort’ or drive back. We found a resort not too far away so we pulled in. They offered us this ‘cottage’ which was actually only a picnic table with bamboo siding. We managed to get a small room, which 10 of us crammed into and the 4 remaining people from the group-including Emil- set up tents outside and listened to the rain and wind blowing in from the ocean. The next morning we woke up and walked out into the water for 20 minutes then climbed back into the jeepney and made a 6 hour drive home. Although this trip did not go as planned it was an adventure and we all still laugh about it today.
(This is the “cottage”)
On one of our last days at Grow we were having a bonfire with our camp full of street boys. I pulled Emil aside and showed him the blue bracelet I had been wearing all month. I told him that there were over 200 people back at home praying for the Philippines and wearing the exact same bracelet as mine. He was blown away. I then told him the second meaning of the bracelet. I said that each month I was going to be wearing a different bracelet and praying not only for the country but for a specific person to give a bracelet to in the community who is making an impact. To this he responded with a quick- “Woah!” –which was a very common response to most things by him, his brother and friend. I then proceeded to give him his bracelet and pray over him and his ministry in the Philippines. He was blown away and it was such a blessing to be able to bless him in that way.
Please join me in continually praying for Emil, Ehman, Noy and the rest of the staff at Grow. Also for the boys we met last month from the streets of Manila. This month we are in Thailand and are wearing pink bracelets. We haven’t found out which ministry specifically we will be doing–working with kids from the slums, serving at a cafe with girls rescued from sex trafficking, doing bar ministry, etc. We have spent the last week here in Thailand debriefing last month and preparing for this big month ahead. Pray for freedom for the women here. There are so many prostitutes every where we go just waiting outside of the bars that cover the streets. Pray for the men. Chiang Mai is a tourist destination and one of the reasons is the amount of prostitutes. There is a lot of darkness all around us here, so pray that God would use us to bring light and show His hope in this community. And pray for spiritual strength as we encounter situations that make our hearts cry. Speaking of–take a look at one of my squad mates blogs if you have a chance, it will help paint a really clear picture of what I am talking about: I Saw a Prostitute Sell Herself Today.
With Love,
Shelby
