Day 100! And it’s actually on time. God has totally blessed this little project and I feel so renewed and rejuvenated each day. It’s crazy how your entire life can change when you shift the focus of your conversations. After 100 days, I couldn’t imagine going a day without having a “kingdom” conversation or without sharing the Gospel to someone that needs it (which is everyone really if you think about it…). So, I guess today is a little celebration, but in another sense, it’s just another day. I have another day to share this love and the Gospel that has completely wrecked and saved my life.
With this being day 100, I guess it should be someone special, but I guess I’ll settle for this guy (Ha! only kidding…). Donald was my first Filipino friend and has really stuck by my side the whole time I have been here. Like I always say, family is super important to me and I believe that I have been SO blessed with the family I have been given, and now double blessed by the family that has surrounded me out here. Back home, my brother is quickly becoming one of my closest friends, so it was a blessing to meet Donald, who is similar to my brother and the same age. Donald was the first person to welcome me and has been beside me the whole way.
Officially, Donald is in charge of volunteer teams and getting them plugged into ministry opportunities and really just making sure they can make the most of their time. So, over the last several months, I have spent time with Donald at the dump, Bible colleges, the jail, on campus, at feedings, traveling to villages and doing house visits, driving to and from the airport, meeting with elected officials, sitting and having coffee, watching basketball games, going to movies, and sometimes just sitting. What started off as a business partnership quickly transitioned into a brotherhood that I couldn’t imagine being more of a blessing on my life.
During the last couple of months, Donald and I have had some long sit downs and talks about life, ministry, sports, and everything in between. It has been fun to combine my stateside thought process with his Filipino thought process and just work through some life decisions. Much like my brother and parents back home, Donald has become a huge voice of wisdom in my life and will be a big part in helping me work out and through future life decisions. Just to be honest, he could never replace the family that I do have, but with them being so far away, God has truly blessed me with a friend like him.
On top of all of this, I have something huge to celebrate with Donald. HE’S GETTING MARRIED! He has found himself a beautiful girl with a great personality and I’m so happy for him and Marie. While I do realize this will make less time for us on my return to the Philippines, I’m willing to make the sacrifice for these two. Donald has been a great friend my whole time out here, and he will be the first person I track down on my return. Thanks Donald for being a brother and the countless hours you’ve spent with me and congrats on the upcoming wedding and marrying up!
