My Foray into the Philippines, Pt. 16
San Jose, Nueva Ecija Welcomes Me
In October 2009, I went on a mission trip to Nueva Ecija with the students and staff. It was the first weekend of being in the Philippines; so needless to say, it was quite a memorable experience. I really admired the pastors who welcomed us into their church and sponsored the outreaches our group facilitated. I met those pastors again at Come to the River 2010 and they invited me to come back to their church for a visit. As my remaining weekends started to fill up with activities and trips, I was left with this past weekend as my only free weekend to visit these precious pastors and their church. When I asked the director of the Bible school if it was okay to make a weekend trip out of my visit, she told me I should have a companion because the area is not too safe for lonely foreign travelers. A rebel group called the New People’s Army hides out in the mountains surrounding the area, and these brigands have apprehended a few foreigners in the past. It was nice to know that she was looking out for me. I have found so much favor with the staff here; they have been such a source of joy in my life these past months.
I traveled with one of our students whose pastors invited me to visit. I kept laughing at her inability to guide. She is less than five feet tall and one of meekest students at the school. Not really having guide material, I think I could have navigated my way just as easily without her, but it was nice to leave the communication to her, only confirming and not dictating our travel plans at each turn in the road. On the way back, the pastor gave her strict instructions on where we were supposed to transfer, etc. and I asked her about these plans when we got onto the bus. She looked at me blankly. She didn’t know! I just smiled and gave her some counsel on how to take down better directions. (God knows I have been there so many times. In fact, as I chuckled to myself, I laughed about my current situation and the plentitude of other situations I had gotten myself into in the past by not recording proper directions. Such a simple thing in theory and yet such a complicated affair in reality!) The other thing that made this girl a poor guide was the fact that she has done such little traveling. In fact, she has only made the trip twice between Baguio and her home, which is much more than most people her age. People in the provinces tend to be very simple people with few reasons to ever leave their hometown. This means that the majority of people lives and dies within a 10-mile radius of where they were born. All in all, I must say, it was nice to have an unassuming companion with whom to travel and with whom to laugh about the general absurdities of Filipino traveling.
Travel Humors
My traveling companion (when I say this, it makes me feel like I am an 80-year-old woman who needs to be watched) and I arrived at the van terminal near Burnham Park in downtown Baguio. We had to weave through hoards of people who were strolling about, basking in the energy and fun of the Panagbenga Festival 2010—flower festival complete with parades and street fun. The 15-passenger van was not “scheduled” to leave until 1 pm, but the departure was completely dependent on whether or not the van filled up. I was hoping beyond hope that it would fill up quickly, but my hope dwindled as the minutes languished and as we waited for more than two hours in anticipation. I dozed in and out of sleep, alternately reading and trying to stave off my disappointment and despair. It is amazing how quickly one can become negative when you are trapped in a small space and have long legs. I dealt with my despair as I prayed and thanked the Lord Jesus for the wonderful things he would do that weekend. At 1:45 pm, we had 14 passengers, and the driver informed us that we could leave if we each paid 15 pesos extra for the non-existent passenger. (I cannot fault them for ensuring that they meet the quota. I mean everyone needs to make a profit. I tried to keep this in mind as I grudgingly took out 15 more pesos—about 30 cents! You know I don’t always convert the amount when I use pesos, so 15 pesos sounds like a lot, when in reality it is little to nothing. At least, I am not a spendthrift.) Then, a small miracle happened. As I was handing over my money, one more passenger showed up. We were full! Off we were on a harrowing journey of three hours weaving in and out of traffic at a speed that was so much faster than good sense would have permitted. Oh, well, we didn’t die and we got there in less than three hours.
Filipino Hospitality
The pastors told me I would be staying with a member from their congregation whose house had air-conditioning or air-con in Taglish. They explained that their house only had air and no conditioning!! I thought that was funny, and demonstrates a Filipino phenomenon: they want to give their guests the best they can, even finding a relation to fulfill the commitment when they are not satisfied with their own capacity. I am always a little embarrassed when I find out that someone has made some special arrangement because they think I need something special or would not approve of what they could give. I didn’t even use the air-conditioning! Well, I had the opportunity to stay with a lovely family: a mother and her daughter and two grandchildren. They were such hospitable people, making me even feel a little overwhelmed by their kindness and their desire to make me feel at home. I am not used to and I do not particularly like being fawned over, but I smiled and let them be consummate hosts and loving Christians. Her sisters, who I had the opportunity to meet briefly, invited me to come to their home and visit them whenever I had the opportunity! Amazing. I am learning a lot about hospitality from the Filipinos with whom I have stayed, and I hope that I have the opportunity to apply the same degree—less fawning¬—of sincere charity.
Faith in Jesus Christ
The pastors I went to visit informed me earlier in the week that I would be their Sunday preacher. At first, I kind of balked at this because I have little preaching experience—I preached once in Loo, Bugias on another mission trip—and was unsure of whether I was qualified. I knew that the Lord Jesus can use anyone who is willing to serve him, so I set myself to study and prayer and grew in my faith last week, leading up to the Sunday service. I am continually amazed at how Jesus Christ is working in my heart, and how I have started to desire more and more spiritual discipline and concentration on Bible study and application. I knew that if I wanted to be a vessel through which Jesus Christ could minister to others, I would need to commit myself to a regimen of godliness. In thinking about how to write all of this in my blog, one analogy has become quite pertinent and illustrative: a star athlete.
Winning athletes know that to win you must sacrifice a lot of time, energy, and sometimes in even relationships to be the best. They have a goal and look neither to the right nor the left; they are persevering and dogmatic in their efforts to attain the goal. Those who fail to sacrifice and fail to practice in season and out of season will never attain the glory of the gold, of the crown of victory. The apostle Paul, who wrote the majority of the New Testament, understood this very well, which is why he compared following Christ to running a race, competing for a prize, or fighting a good fight (Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 3:13,14; 1 Timothy 5:12; II Timothy 4:7,8). This is such a powerful analogy that I am finally beginning to understand.
Now that you see the point of view from which I am writing I will tie this explanation to the weekend. I wanted to do more than just preach. I wanted to minister to people, touching their lives with the power of God. I prayed that I would have the words to say and the authority with which to say them that would really get into the hearts of the people. I wanted to see an amazing work of God because it says in 2 Corinthians 4:20 that the kingdom of God is not about words but of power. These days, we tend to talk too much and do too little, pontificating without lending a helping hand and spouting florid ideas of social justice without getting dirty next to those who need the assistance. Well, I have learned that Jesus Christ is not like that. If you read the gospels, he never proclaimed the kingdom of God without healing people and demonstrating the power of God. So, I as his disciple should follow suit.
I woke up early on Sunday morning to pray and study the Bible, calming my sense of inadequacy and focusing myself on the Lord Jesus and his promises that we will have whatever we ask in his name (John 14:13,14). When I exited my bedroom, I knew I was ready. When I got to the church, the verse was Psalm 118:28, which says, “I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.” I knew that the Lord had answered my prayers to be with me, to give me the right words, to show his power. I preached about having faith, which comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). This is the example I used. I said that when I was in college, I would study very diligently before an exam in order to perform well and to receive a good grade. I took the initiative to get the material into my mind, so I could synthesize it on paper and demonstrate my level of knowledge. I didn’t put my books under my pillow and expect that through some sort of mystic osmosis—the passive passage of material from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration—to happen. I told the 50-member congregation that we must apply this to following Christ. God the Father has given us the best manual ever written, and if we want to perform well, if we want to be a star student or a star athlete, we need to follow the textbook—the playbook.
I read scripture after scripture because I figured I had no authority beyond that of the Bible, and considering my preaching inexperience, I thought it would be better to give precedence to God’s Word than Kelsey’s word. I could see the congregation nodding in agreement and looking intently at their Bibles. As the message continued, my voice waxed stronger and more confident. At the end of the message, I said that I had prayed, and believed the Lord Jesus had answered me, to be able to lay my hands (Mark 16:18) on anyone needing to be delivered from their struggles in Jesus’ name. About 20 people came up to surrender their struggles in Jesus’ name, to give up their worries and to humble themselves before the Provider and the Healer. I just prayed what came to my mind, with authority and compassion. I didn’t doubt that my prayers would be anything by effective and that the Lord Jesus was working through me to help these people. For several of the people, I even felt the power of God coming out of my hands, like a vibrating pulse. People were crying and shaking with deep emotion. I knew that sight could only be the result of God’s Holy Spirit moving in their spirits. As God’s vessel, I felt like I had aced the test and won the race. It was the greatest high I have ever felt, and it certainly confirmed my desire to serve Jesus Christ with winning discipline and excellence.
Life is so funny. I am so glad that God the Father is more faithful than me and that he has pursued me until this point and will continue to strengthen me day in and day out. He has said that he ranges or scours the earth looking to strengthen those who are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9). I know that verse is for me, and I cannot see where it leads. For many years, I have committed myself to a life of discipline. In school, I forsook a lot of social gatherings so I could graduate with high honors. In order to assuage my desire to travel and see the world, I worked myself to the bone to pay for my trips. In order to stay fit and healthy, I run. But, I never applied this sense of self-discipline to my relationship with Jesus Christ. I finally comprehend that great blessings will result in my life when I sacrifice certain things to pursue mind, body and soul, the things of Christ Jesus and his work in ministering to others. I do not know where this determination will take me, only God knows. One can again make the comparison to a star athlete: a star athlete goes where the prize is greatest, not always aware of where he/she will be next month or next year but confident of the fact that when he/she arrives at the competition, success is only a few moments of pain away. I have decided that I need to take the necessary steps, keeping myself pure and focused, for whatever lies ahead. I have never known such empowerment, understanding that when I have committed myself to God, he will give me the strength to go where I am most useful. That is why the apostle Paul tells Timothy “…be prepared in season and out of season…” (2 Timothy 4:2).
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