Over the past few weeks I have had the distinct and wonderful pleasure of working alongside Kuya Al, Ate Marina and their daughter Ate JoJo. They have taught me the importance of true generosity by always doing their best no matter what it is, ministering, hacking away at a mountain, cooking, or building a swing. They give of themselves to their work and to their community. A house of God is as much about community as it is about God. We cannot be just a bunch of believers out walking around believing in Jesus, we NEED to be in community with one another. We need to involve one another in our lives and trust that the relationships that we form will bloom and grow because they are Godly relationships. God is at the center of them. There are people, who I mentioned in a previous blog, who walk two hours to get to our church on the hill. Little did I know about their walk until we rode a jeepney up their MOUNTAIN. It was a 45 minute long ride, straight up. There are no sidewalks, if you step too far to one side you'll get down a whole lot faster, but you may not be in the right shape for church, you'll be in great shape for the E.R. though. When we passed homes and saw women weaving the bracelets that we have sorted and counted, and saw their smiling faces, all I could do was cheer out D-E-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N!! These people are dedicated to their faith, to walk down that mountain and then do the hour or so hike up and down more hills and mountains to church and then do the same hike back. It literally is about 2 hours, uphill, both ways, in intense heat and humidity. They come for the glorification of the Spirit, for the praise of our Father in Heaven, to fill their cups of faith for the week, and to be in community with other believers. That kind of dedication is humbling and inspiring. We did finally reach the top of Ponderosa, and it was an incredible view. There was also a golf tee off there. It was a par 3, no I didn't drive a ball, do I wish I had, yes, yes I do. Regardless we could see almost the whole island up there. Seeing it reminded me that God created all of this, all this beauty and He loves us. He loves us. Wow. God you are amazing. I want to pursue you with a fierce dedication.
For the next month I will not have internet. Please pray for my squad, our squad leaders, our team leaders and logistics. Please pray for my family as well, it's going to be hard to be out of communication for this long. I miss them a lot. I miss all of you a lot. I love you all and I can't wait to write to you again. I love you, pursue God and His will for your life!
