10 Things You Might Want to Know About Me.

1. I think I should be nominated for worst communicator for the first portion of 2009. Please forgive my lack of information. My brain is all muddled and I'm finding it hard to put what's going on into words.

2. I've never known that I was an internal processor, but it's becoming clear to me that I am. Every time I arrive in the US it takes me like 2 weeks to be able to express, with some sort of clarity, the things that are in my heart regarding life here. So sometimes when I'm here in the midst of things, I just can't seem to be able to get my brain wrapped around it enough to share it. This seems to be especially true right now.

3. This school has been......interesting, a challenge, exciting....WAY TOO FAST. We're in week 12 of the lecture phase. Graduation is on Saturday and outreach will start on Sunday. Partway through the school, one of our students chose to leave, which was a very hard thing for Tom, who is leading his first school, and on the rest of the staff team, and especially for the other students. We continue to honor the student by not sharing openly with everyone what the issue was, but we also continue to speak blessing to him and his walk with God. Our prayers in this school have focused on a need for unity and willingness to be open...so....

4. The staff have taken turns throughout the school to share their testimonies openly with the whole school and my turn is coming on Thursday. I'm struggling to figure out what portions to share and how to best give God the glory for the things He has done...and be open. oh dear.

5. As it turns out, I'm leading outreach this year...and I seriously need your prayers for this time. For some reason I'm really struggling about this...and I haven't been able to specifically identify WHY...I'm praying through it and asking for HELP.

6. My Dad came for 10 days last month. It was great having him here and showing him the place I've been living the last 4.5 years. :) I think I even heard him mention that he wants to come back... ask him the next time you see him...maybe he'll bring a group!! :)

7. I'm learning ALOT about patience these last few months. It's coming in many different areas, both personal and in ministry...I'm not very good at it...At times I do ok, and at others I throw little fits that show how far I have to grow in this area....Last week we had a discussion question that asked if we ever try to shortcut the pain of God's dealings with us....and my answer was that sometimes I wish there was a pause button that would give me a short break from the process, sort of a time to gain perspective and catch my breath...and that's true in this whole learning the patience thing too...actually if I did find that pause button and press it, I think I would miss what He's teaching me in this moment....and I most certainly don't want to relearn this one. :) Am I being clear as mud?? Sorry. I'm giving the best I've got so far...:)

8. Have you read 2Corinthians 4 lately? How about Romans 15:5? They're amazing. Really amazing. The first one says "do not lose heart" twice. The second one is our prayer for this school and now for the outreach....

9. There is a school starting at the end of August called Introduction to Primary Health Care. It will be held in Manila for 3 months and then 3 months of outreach. It's a second level YWAM school....one of hundreds that can be taken after CDTS. (Other examples would be a biblical studies school where they study the Word in depth for 9 months and an intro to Biblical counseling school where they teach counseling from a Biblical perspective.) So this school will teach practical skills needed for primary health care...things like immunizations, skin care, delivering a baby, clean water issues...and the list goes on. I'm praying about this opportunity. I'm excited about the prospect and can see how the skills this course teaches can be used in any place that God may call me...:) Will you pray with me?

10. God is moving. Teaching. Speaking. Gracing. Loving. Calling. And I need help. I'm exhausted. Overwhelmed. Desperate. Frustrated. And I have a not so nice ear infection. I need you. To pray. I'm so not able to do this without you. And I've done a terrible job telling you that recently. But it's still the truth. Please love me in spite of my weakness.

We've Hosted Our First Overseas Team!!

So have you ever hung out with a group of people who speak a completely different language, yet somehow through you common love for Jesus, relationship is formed in a beautiful, only-God-could-have-done-it way?

I live in a place where all around me everyday is a language I don't understand...yet. But somehow it's become a familiar unknown. Last month we hosted a team from New Caledonia, which is a French territory.

For two weeks I kept thinking, "WHY didn't I take FRENCH in high school?!?" The team was made up of 4 YWAM Discipleship Training School students who came to the Philippines for their outreach, and their staff leader, Aza, the translator.

We are so thankful they came. They were able to complete the painting in the drop-in center, help build a parsonage for a local church, participate in an evangelical crusade for children (which resulted in a children's Bible study group being formed), help us with our Christmas party (a month late) and prayer walk through parts of our city.

In the short time they were here, God formed a beautiful relationship between us. They prayed over us and over our volunteers, and as they prayed, they wept. God delivered a message to them about what He's doing here that didn't need to be translated. Through His revelation they understood how to pray, and how to encourage, and how to be a blessing in this place. It's my prayer that they were blessed beyond measure through spending time here in the Philippines, and that one day they will be able to return and see the fruits of their labors here.

Andy and I on the way home from church, in the jeepney.

Valery painting the face of some kids during the crusade.

Aza, their leader and amazing translator.

All of us. originally this was the nice group photo, but with a click of the button, I deleted the nice one. So here's the goofy one. Who ever said missionaries are SERIOUS?!!??!

Palanan 2007

As an application of what has been learned during Crossroads Discipleship Training School, after 12 weeks of lecture we lead the students on an 8 week outreach into remote areas in the Philippines to serve in the name of Jesus. This video shows what part of that experience can look like through the eyes of one of the teammates....me.:)