Month one is complete! I’m writing to you from a hostel in Manila, one of the largest cities in the world.
We arrived in the Philippines on Thursday evening with our entire squad for debrief. Debrief is where we get to reconnect, rest, talk about what went well, what we could have done differently, and celebrate what God’s been doing. Let me tell you, it’s been super helpful and needed.
Bali was incredible– from our hosts, to the rest of our C3 family, to the village leaders of Batuan– I’ve been overcome by the generosity of our friends.
Today in our team meeting, we talked about accepting the gifts from the Lord. As a team we’ve wrestled with the idea that we don’t deserve some of the gifts we’ve been given. It’s easy to feel like we have to struggle, because we signed up to do missions, signed up to sleep in a tent in a village without running water, signed up to live in the uncomfortable, signed up to leave everything familiar because Jesus told us to. Yet, we’re learning that in our obedience, the blessings are far greater than we could have imagined. We’ve learned that people want to bless you. They want to support you, with their time, energy, resources.
As I write this, I picture our friends Rechta and Issac– who drove us around the island for entire days without payment, to support our ministry. I picture the village leaders– who welcomed us in at the drop of a hat and treated us like the most honored of guests. And our hosts– who made breakfast for us everyday, took us to the hospital, prayed over us, and treated us like we were their children.
It makes me think of a passage we studied at a discovery group, when Jesus sends out the seventy-two.
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.
5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’
6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.
7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.
9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,
11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’
12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:1-12)
What I’ve learned, is that this may be the year I learn about blessings. That I learn to bless others in my obedience. That I learn to accept blessings in my obedience. I’ve been overcome by the blessings each of you have bestowed on me since last April. It’s given me more empathy and humbled me more than I ever could have imagined.
Like it says above, we’re called to go out, leave our old life behind, and accept the blessings that come from our obedience to Him. It’s our job to declare that the Kingdom is coming.
Which can feel pretty mighty in the everyday, but the rewards… are pretty sweet.
ALSO, be sure to watch my video, full of clips from the last month and the places we got to see.
