Update 6: Deeper into Aurora

The past two days in Aurora have been intense. Yesterday we were up at 4 traveling 5 hours in the jeepney. This was not just "driving". This was the most rigorous ride of my life. We rode through mountains and drove through small rivers. The jeepney is not very shock absorbent and the roads in the mountains are extremely rough and unpaved. It felt like we were on a 5 hour roller coaster through the jungle! I must say, as much as it was difficult, the journey was beautiful and quite entertaining. There were palm trees, goats, caribou, land everywhere. Something that has been so apparent to me on this trip has been how evident it is that God is in all of his creation. It's like every rock, stone, tree and animal is crying out and singing praises to God. As much as God clothed the earth with this splendor, it blows me away that he cares for us way more than it all. I think about how people say they do not believe in God. But saying they don't believe is impossible to me. When one looks around at the earth, God's finger prints are all over it. There is simply no way it was all an accident. If a person never gets to hear the Gospel, they can see this evidence and realize who God is and that he must have created it all. It is far too intricate and creative. The verse from the bible that comes to my mind constantly is " In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of ALL creation, became his choice possession "(James 1:18). It awes me to realize the brevity of this. God chose to make us so that he could love us and be loved back. He gave us his TRUE WORD when he made us his own children. We are the God of the universe's CHOICE POSSESSION! Then to top it off he loved us so much that he sent his only son to save us and die for us. That is something to celebrate.


I have been mentioning the poverty and different lifestyle of the Filipino people. One thing is true, and that is we all suffer through trials and tribulations on this earth, wherever we live. When death and sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, it enabled all of this to take place. God's original intention was for us to all walk in peace and with him in constant communion without sin. "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later"(Romans 8:18). And sending Jesus as our redeemer gave us access to an eternity with him. In the meantime "All of creation anticipates the day when it will join Gods children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the holy spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering" (Romans 8:22-23). This is true of us all and of all the beauty I am staring at around me. There will be a day when everything will be as it should be on earth as it is in heaven. For us who believe, we can hold onto this hope.

When I think about the long hours we have here, the bumpy rides in the jeepney, the sweat, the traveling; none of it really matters when I think about the souls that were saved in the distant land we were coming from. I have to remind myself that these are not just schools and places I am going to marking off checks on my list of places I went to share the word. These are PEOPLE, souls that are going to heaven because of the fact we went to speak the truth to them. If we didn't go up there or we decided it was "too hot" that day, then thousands of people would not have gotten the opportunity to accept Christ as their savior. That thought brings shudders down my spine. I wish I could reach every last person on earth so that none would be left out from hearing the words. My heart bleeds for lost souls. The thought of even 1 person going to hell utterly separated from God and any kind of goodness forever causes me to tremble with sadness. I am not just someone who decided to go on a "mission trip" for the sake of experiencing it. I have always had a desire to tell people about Jesus. People say your passion is something that lights you up like when you flick on a Christmas tree. This is how I feel when I'm talking about the Lord to people who are itching to hear the message and open to his saving knowledge. I was just never able to go on a trip for missionary purposes. Now that I can, I am glad I am here and I'm open to whatever calling God has on my life. It could be on U.S soil, it could be both in the U.S and elsewhere. I must ALWAYS remember that its our love that the people here see more than anything and cannot ever get calloused to the saving words I'm speaking to them. It's easy to get caught up in numbers and allowing the message we say to be something we merely memorize because we've heard it so often. I pray each time before I go up to talk to the kids that the holy spirit would give me the words, whatever direction he may want to lead me. The way these words hit their hearts is up to the spirit of God to bring understanding. This is a concept we in the states that are believers must remember as well. We are called to be bold ambassadors of Christ, not silent wallflowers blending into society. The message of the cross will sound like foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who believe and are being saved- it is the very word of life. I just hope to be able to continue to be used as a vessel for the Lord's purposes as I remain out here and throughout my future endeavors.