My month in The Philippines was a beautiful mix of remote living, and family loving. We had the pleasure of living with a Filipino family of 5 in the gorgeous mountains San Mateo, Rizal. I really thought The Philippines was surely going to be a beach month, but alas we were in the mountains, and I very soon realized that that was God’s best for me.
The previous month in the Malaysia I began having a desire to dance to the Lord. I wanted to buy fabric to make a flag to incorporate into my worship time. I couldn’t find fabric, and was losing my excitement regarding the idea because of that. But just in those moments one of my squad-mates offered me some purple fabric that she found in Malaysia! Everyone knows I love purple, and the reason I love it so much is because it represents the majesty of God. Jesus’ kingship, royalty, and because He qualified me, my very own royalty shines through when I looked at the purple fabric. I gratefully accepted her beautiful fabric as a reminder that The Father sees me as His royal princess.
So, I began my month dancing on a platform behind the house with the most beautiful view of the hills and valleys.
Worship. My month in The Philippines was filled with worship. It was beautiful and good.
What was also great about this month was that we were with another team, and 2 of our squad leaders. Being with our extended family made for a special month as we got to know people we haven’t been on a team with all year.
So, what did we do in the mountains? We were working on a micro farm where there were roosters, turkeys, pigs, and rabbits. Some days we were cutting down bamboo trees, other days we were building chicken coops. Still other days we took part in the different ministries that the church we were living at had.
One day we were able to bless the women of the prenatal health class held at the church by giving them a special graduation from the course. Many of the woman in the Philippines are forced to take care of their families on there own, and have many stresses and/or responsibilities on their shoulders. So it was special to pamper them as they
celebrated completing this class. We held a spa day for them and gave them haircuts, manicures and pedicures, and shoulder massages. We prayed over them, and simply loved them. It was one of my favorite days in the Philippines!
The following week we held VBS at the church, and about 100 children were there! I was with the 3-6 year old children which were a joy to hug and kiss on. We sang songs with them, and shared bible stories with them. I loved their little precious wonder! We would walk the streets in our neighborhood and I would hear the children yell “Aunt Tera” which was sweet and special. Filipino people are extremely warm, and the babes were just the same…it was wonderful!
Look out for part 2…
