MY REDEEMER LIVES!

The funny thing is I'm posting this blog post before I even finished the last one I intended to put up...BUT it's because I want to tell you, world, about this past evening while the memories are fresh in my head!

We had our final concert at Malcolm Square right smack in the middle of downtown Baguio today. We had all been looking forward to this even SO much. We had 2 previous concerts but in many ways those were to prepare us for this one! We new that people would be listening... people who would be hungry to hear the Word, to be moved by music, and words that told of what Christ accomplished on the cross.

It all started with Sunday service as usual... but with a word that seemed to resonate between all of us:

Easter is a celebration. A time to rejoice over what Christ did for us, and the victory over sin.

Afterwards we spent the rest of the day just nervously/excitedly getting things ready for the concert. The funny thing is, we found out about 2 hours beforehand that another Church group had booked in the time slot RIGHT before ours... which squashed our hopes of setting up early for a 5:30 start... oh well.

We showed up and realized that a short term missions team from Hong Kong of all places had come and they were putting on a very similar program to ours. I'll be honest... there was a little, playful, tiny bit of competitive sentiment upon arrival... BUT I overcame my immaturity and we got to meet a bunch of their team members which was cool. It was interesting to see how God had cast similar visions for us and for them as well. As long as the name of JESUS was being lifted up I'm alright with that! The funny thing is there were onle 2 Chinese people in a group of like 21! They were a very multi-ethnic group...

Anyways, after they moved on (late I might add) we did our best to blitz through a set-up and soundcheck. To be honest it was probably one of the smoothest sound checks we'd done up to this point! It's been such a huge blessing to work alongside the members of this church to put on these concerts I might add... Anyways, we got the ball rolling and it was awesome to see that a small crowd was gathering. It was by no means perfect but I think we sounded great... but most importantly we were all worshipping our hearts out for Christ and so were many of the people I could see.

Pastor Sam spoke with zeal as usual, and I shared my testimony. We also did 2 "Dramas" to music which I think went really well! All in all, it was just a amazing night. Honestly, it was just an awesome time of worship, but the feeling of something that you've been working so hard for finally coming into fruition, made it that much better. After we finished up the concert to a last reprise of  "My Redeemer Lives" we had a time to pray with people in the audience. I was surprised how many people came up with prayer requests and with questions about their own salvation. We prayed and prayed, there were some tears, and there were hugs, and there were smiles and laughter. Did I mention it was an amazing night?

    

Anyways, here I am sitting here at 2 in the morning waiting for some of filipino brothers and sisters to take off to Christian Training Camp. I'll have to admit, as much as I'm looking forward to this week off, it's a little bittersweet. We'll be saying goodbye to 2 friends we have grown very fond of and have worked alongside lots. They'll be heading back to their home towns for good. I don't know if God will let us see each other again, but it's been a blessing getting to know them.

We head off to Palawan in a couple sleeps! The team and myself especially are looking forward to a little RnR after a busy month of April. Alrighty folks... i think that's all for now. Stay posted for some pictures and future posts when I'm more coherent.

Until next time... Happy Easter =)

A busy/awesome week

      

 So here we are in April... but did March ever end with a bang. After a full week at Camp 7 elementary school we're already for a little rest. With 400 kids strong, and the first time that a Christian church has had an opportunity to hold a VBS program in a public school, I think this week went amazing. Besides having a bunch of VBS songs stuck in my head, the kids were all pretty well behaved and seemed to have a great time. Me and Charity were in charge of the grade 6 class which had about 45 - 50 kids. We got home pretty beat and had tons of prep to do, but it all worked out and I think we and hope we left an impression. We prayed hard for this week and amidst the hectic schedule, and other small obstacles I think God did a good thing here.

It didn't end there. To top it all off...

Friday, after we finished the graduation of the VBS class (which was pretty long...), Pastor Sam started off a new Men's fellowship at the house which will hopefully be a good opportunity for some of the men in the community to meet together, share, and also be spiritually fed. Their work schedules don't allow them to get to church or the weekly bible studies very often.

Saturday... a little bit of a quieter morning was followed up by our Personal Evangelism day. We went out  in groups of about 4 and literally went "door to door" in the neighborhood of the Ambiong Church. It was a little nerve racking and awkward, but many of the people were still hospitable enough to have us. Maybe it's cause we're foreigners, but hey it's still an oppurtunity... Andrea, Grace, Ralph, and myself had the chance to share with a few different people. A couple more receptive than the others. It's amazing how many people are drinking mid afternoon! The night ended off with a birthday celebration at Tita Pen's place for her birthday! As usual it is always a blessing to share a meal with new friends from the community!

Sunday... ah yes... Sunday. This has probably been the busiest Sunday I have ever had! We started off with service in the morning at Balacbac. I played with the team for worship and we had a reflective time over communion. We then rushed off to a birthday party down the hill in Interior A at a ladies house who goes to one of the weekly bible studies. We had to eat and run, as it was off to the Ambiong Service! Another service down and were home free.... not.

We arrived home and had a short time to relax a bit before heading off to the FIRST evening service down in Interior A at a lady's place called Ate Timet. We held the service in a basketball court, unplugged, and under the stars. It was pretty amazing, especially since there was a much bigger turnout then expected. We really hope that this new ministry will bless this community and all the families. And just so Pastor Sam doesn't burn out, there's talk of myself and Chris getting onto a preaching rotation which will be an interesting but exciting experience...

Anyways that's all I have to say for now... although there's probably a lot more, but here's a little glimpse into my life...

Until Next time...