The Philippines! It is January 26th and we have an off day. My team woke up early had breakfast and then headed to hike and see the waterfalls. The falls were beautiful … but the physical falls were not. The hike was bit more challenging than we anticipated bc the ground was slippery and hard to get a good footing but it was a good time for growth. I got a chance to show a friend, teammate and sister what it looks like to just be there for her. It reminded me a lot of our daily walks we have with the Lord. In life there are beautiful things that are planned and unexpected but there are hard times in the midst of those as well! I know I was thinking I was doing awesome bc I hadn’t fallen … and then I fell. I had to laugh though, bc what good would it have done to get upset or let it change how I was feeling about the whole experience. I think that the in’s and outs of our daily lives are a lot like this. We will try to do it alone and we will fall, but we have to get back up. We will try and maybe we just aren’t there enough and we get full of mud trying to fix it our way instead of going to God for the help only He can give. Ultimately being a Christian means getting back up every morning and trying over again. If you fail get up and try again, if you feel like you are slipping and you need him more than cling to him and not the things that can bring us down. 
Since being in the Philippines we have had the blessing of staying at an orphanage. I can’t speak for them but to see the relationships that we are building touches my heart beyond words. I truly don’t know how I will say goodbye because I would adopt some if I could. I know there will be a lesson in leaving but for now I am focussing on the lessons in serving, loving, and making those sweet and beautiful children know how important and loved they are.
Another thing I know God had in store for us while we were here was visitations. Visitations are when 3 or 4 of us go to peoples homes and pray for them, share testimony, hear their testimony, find out their prayer requests and try to share encouragement and bible verses with them. I will honestly say experiencing this nearly broke me. I had been waiting for the feeling to hit, the feeling I get every time I go on a mission trip about the reality that is their reality. The homes we were visiting weren’t what anyone in the states would consider a “good” home. The houses were made of bamboo and the floors as well. The floors were very flimsy and the hoses were very small. There was one lady I will never forget though, because in the midst of a home I would never have considered “good enough” this woman stood and talked about her faith in God. She did not know where her next meal would come from or if her husband would get a steady job but she had faith that could move mountains! She wept when sharing with us because she wants so badly to be able to provide for her children and for them to go to school and they do not have money. She also was sad because she has twins and one is very sick. Its crazy to me how upon entering this home my thoughts were “how can people actually live in homes like this?” and how after seeing this I knew without a doubt that this woman who had hardly anything in comparison had a HUGE faith, and trust that God would get here through. I look at myself and people I know back home and know that we are the ones who could learn from this woman. She told me it was an honor to have us in her home but all I could think was that the honor was entirely mine.
My time here is sadly coming to an end but the lessons that I have learned here with be with me forever. I have learned that I am selfish. I have learned that I have never known what it means to go without. I have re-learned that no matter how little you have or don’t have its your faith in the Lord that matters more than anything else. I have learned ways to better myself for me, for God and for my teammates. I have learned how to grow in the midst of different personalities and different ways of doing things. Ive learned to give up control or the idea that I need to know what happens next. I have learned that God wants me to want him in a way that I have never fully experienced and I don’t plan on letting him down. Sure, I may fall along the way but I know that He is calling me to be more, to see more, to feel more and to love more. I can’t wait to see whats next!
Thanks so much for reading and taking this journey with me! It means so much to me to have so many people who want to share and potentially grow from the things God leads me to share from his work in and through us! Keep the prayers coming and feel free to help sponsor my trip. I am 56% funded and still need $1,950 to meet my next deadline in April. It is a blessing to have received the support and funds that I have so far! I would not be here without all of your donations and prayers!
