Today is Monday and I feel that we are finally settling in to a routine. My church is in the little town of Liliu which is known for making shoes. The church is actually a large open garage with a metal roof over it and it will seat many people. The members rented a bus to go up to the nearby mountain and bring the people.
There are over 100 people attending and many stand outside and listen. We have a young lady from the church who sings named Jen Jen. She has the voice of an angel. The people sit in rapture and listen to her. I am humbled and feel completely unqualified to be speaking for God, but I see the power of Holy Spirit working in the faces of the people. I believe the majority of the people are from a Catholic background and are wanting to know God. My translator tells me they are very interested in what we are teaching them.
The biggest problem here is that the people have no money to buy Bibles. I told the pastor that they must have Bibles or they cannot grow in Jesus. The cost here is $7.00 per Bible and they are very poor. I am praying for God to show me how we can supply this need.
On a personal level, at the beginning, this trip was rather stressful. We were very tired when we arrived and it seemed we rushed everywhere and there was not time to rest. But God, who is faithful, has given us strength because we are here to share His love with His people. So many do not know how much He loves them. I kept thinking, if Jesus left the beauty of heaven to come to this earth why should we not do all we can for others? And now the rewards are already coming from seeing the smiling faces of the people at our churches.
This week is passion week here and there are processions planned as well as a Passion play in which they crucify a man. I have been told that four men have actually died from this. This is a yearly play and people walk down the streets hitting themselves on their backs. Their picture of God is so wrong. I feel a special burden to share the true character of God while I am here.
I would like to say to each of you reading this that stepping out to do evangelism for God is the most rewarding thing you will ever experience. It is humbling to realize that God will use anyone who will say yes. And only in eternity will we know the final results.
Posted in 2008 Philippines For Christ
