Welcome to the Race. A mission trip to spread the Gospel to the nations and bring His kingdom here. Full of adventure and opportunity, growth and learning. For the past six months you all have been supporting me from home, but now I am challenging you to step into a Racer’s shoes. God has been tugging on my heart recently about my race. Prior to recently, I have confined my race to these nine months. Nine months of living radically. for Jesus, completely abandoned and reckless. And then I learned a staggering fact that really shook me yesterday. Approximately less than 4% of the Christian population have led a person to Christ. And until the Race, I was a part of that statistic. Until recently I rejected a call placed on my life. A call into my race. Not the World Race, but my life’s race. Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The Great Commission. Not just a cute-sy bible verse to put on the back of mission trip fundraising shirts. But a life call that applies to each and every one of us. So in the next three months, I am challenging you. My supporters. To step into the race. Not the World Race. But your life’s race. Where has God called you? Are you living out the Great Commission? Are you part of the 4%? As the Race comes to an end and coming home nears, I am asking myself the same questions. I am chewing over what it looks like to live radically for Jesus, completely abandoned and reckless, at home. And I am coming to the conclusion that it shouldn’t look much different. And that Matthew 28:19 is a verse that applies to myself at home and myself in the Philippines. And in South Africa. Botswana. Haiti. Dominican Republic. And everywhere.
We are officially in the Philippines! We are staying in the upstairs of a cozy little mountain church with a porch practically hanging over the mountains. It’s beautiful and we are so blessed. Ministry is relaxed, just like the way of life here. We spend a lot of time doing odd jobs around the church and recently have been tutoring local kids at the school. The Filipinos know how to feed people. Food gathers here. Our Mama Jo, the pastor’s wife, cooks every meal. You know it’s rice, rice, and more rice. Just sixteen days until PVT and the excitement level is rising! But so are the butterflies in my stomach. Pray for my teammates who also have parents coming as it is one of the first steps into integrating back into life at home. Seeing them for the first time in seven months will be strange, but so worth it. Pray for safety for the parents as well! Your support means the world to me, and welcome to the Race 😉 As always, sending all the love from the Philippines.
-Emma
