How Do I Sing Your Song In A Foreign Land?

For some people it’s bizarre to have someone call their home-country a foreign land. But for missionaries, it’s perfectly normal to feel as if your home-country is a distant land sometimes. It’s mainly because a missionary spends an astronomical amount of time learning how to live in another culture and adapting to new ways of doing things. And in the process they give their heart to those God called them to, making it extremely difficult when it’s time to transition again.

In Psalms 137 the Israelites were in captivity in a foreign land and they were longing for Zion. During that challenging time they asked a very important question," How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?" I meditated on this question myself and I wondered," Lord, how will I sing a song of thankfulness and gratitude in this land for the two years you allowed me to serve you in the Philippines?" The truth is that I want Him to always find me with a song in my mouth no matter where I am. I believe the key to singing Him a beautiful melody everyday is remembering, remembering all the amazing things I was blessed to be a part of. 

Here’s my melody:

Thank you for blessing me with an amazing family of missionaries!

And out of all of the missionaries...you gave one special friend who taught me many things about your Kingdom :)

Not only was I able to be a part of Lyn Lyn's life and see her grow, but you also gave me the privilege of baptizing her.

You gave me a couple of loyal & encouraging swimming buddies :D

               

You taught me how to see through your eyes...

stop for the ONE

and lavish your love without reservations.

You taught me what it means to worship you

and how to be childlike!

Thank you!! You are my greatest reward in every season and soon I will be face-to-face with your precious daughters in Chiang Rai, Thailand!

Called to Give & Serve

I was able to teach at a Calvary Bible Institute for three evenings. As always, it was challenging to get in front of an audience and speak. But with the grace of God I was able to teach the module, Power of the Word, with confidence. My favorite part of the teaching was when we got to dissect and study a passage of scripture together by using the inductive study method, which is observing, interpreting and applying the Word of God in our lives. His word came alive and we left on the last night with encouraged and revitalized spirits knowing that God’s Word and His promises are always true.

I also had the privilege to see how God began to reveal destiny and purpose in the lives of the young adults from the Sonshine Center. Like most new things, it was very challenging to get the Royalty Meetings started and perseverance was definitely the key. The focus for the meetings was directed toward the young ladies. For six Saturdays we met for lunch, a group discussion about the journey into womanhood and the discovery of purpose and destiny. After all this, both the young men and the ladies were able to choose a one-hour class of singing, dancing or abstract painting. The end goal was to help them reveal a passion for one of these areas and begin their discovery journey for what God has deposited in them. I am certain that this is only the beginning of a long journey. But what I was able to witness on the last night, God doing amazing things such as healing their hearts and unveiling destiny to be walked into, made all the sacrifices worth it all! A young lady’s words after our time of ministry on our last day together are still echoing in my mind. With tears streaming down her face she said, “Thank you for everything. God is never late. He is always on time. What He has done in me I can now share with other people He brings in my life.”

Powerful time of ministry with the girls!

Showcasing Night :)

The moms who helped cook our meals were treated
to a nice dinner.

      

  

Discovering Passion

In August the pre-teens from the Sonshine Center worked very hard to prepare masterpieces for a showcasing night. They got to choose to join an art, dance, or singing group. I was the art teacher. When the showcasing event finally came, I was ecstatic to display my students’ artwork and looking forward to see what the other pre-teens had prepared. I glanced at the their faces throughout the night and their countenance reflected passion and confidence.  It was then that I was reminded of one of my strongest passions- to see people discover their passion and realize that they were created for a purpose.   

The Lady with the Green Bag

I found myself walking down the entrance of the city dump with a few of the church members from my church and Chris, another Go To Nations missionary. We had just decided to do things differently that Saturday and go to the people working at the dump first. As we got closer to the busy workers near a big dump truck, we noticed that the pathway that we normally took was freshly excavated and we couldn’t go up to the top of the hill. Feeling a little disappointed, we talked about what we should do next. As we talked I noticed a lady with a green plastic bag with uncooked rice and fish walking towards the workers. When she passed us, I stopped talking to the team and ran to catch up to her. With a huge smile on my face I introduced myself to her. Surprisingly, she stopped walking, smiled back at me, started talking to me and told me her name was Emily. The rest of the group noticed what was going on and quickly joined us. Chris asked her if she knew where she would go once she died and she said she wasn’t sure. We then began to tag team and shared the gospel with her. She was smiling the whole time and when we asked her if she wanted to make Jesus her Lord and Savior over her life, she immediately said yes. We prayed with her and she became a part of our family. I couldn’t contain the joy I was feeling inside of me so I hugged her and I began to laugh out loud. We invited her to attend our church and then we said goodbye. The pathway was closed for us to go to the top of the hill, but God still made a way for us to share the great news with His new daughter. 

We Found Shelter at the Dumpsite

Every Saturday I visit the children who go to Kid’s Club with a group of young people and moms from the church I attend. We go there with the purpose of reminding the children about Kid’s Club on the following day. But before I came back to the Philippines, God placed a desire to reach out to the people working in the heaps of reeking trash, scavenging for scraps to recycle. One hot and gloomy afternoon, as we carefully climbed up the hill, we met a mother and two of her daughters.They were resting underneath a makeshift tent on top of trash.

We introduced ourselves to the family and asked if they had any prayer request. The lady looked at us with a smile on her face and said, “Pray for the health of my husband because he is not feeling well.”

Shortly after we prayed for her, it started pouring down rain. She told us to get inside her tent until the rain stopped. I personally was having a blast as I sat on a piece of plywood supported by old tires because I was getting to know the family more. Some of us got more wet than others, but we all climbed down the muddy hill rejoicing about how we found shelter in the rain and got to meet a wonderful family.

Saturday Visitations- A glimpse of your inheritance :)

Responding in Love

During summer camps, as I spent time with many different children from many different backgrounds I noticed a trend.  We ministered to over 1,100 children, but in most camps I found myself being drawn to the kids having a hard time with boundaries and rules. It was difficult at times to respond with patience, but when I got to know them, to know their stories, I was able to see them in a new light and respond in love.

I have special memories of Ton Ton, an eight-year-old boy who arrived a day late for his camp experience. At the registration table, I saw Ton Ton; he was a little shy and hesitant at first, but he soon came out of his shell and began to test boundaries! During our times of prayer, he would come and sit on my lap. Most of the time he would pretend to fall asleep and wake up after just a few minutes. I knew that was his way of getting attention. After I found out that he had no parents and lacked love and affirmation, his behavior made more sense.  When I prayed with him, I was moved with compassion and I realized that his behavior was just a signal for me to do what God wanted me to do - hold him, hug him and give him my undivided attention.

                         

    Memories that last a life time!

Treasures in Heaven (2012 Summer Camps)

Every summer the Sonshine Center has the opportunity to host two and a half day camps in different parts of the island. The theme for this year is Treasures in Heaven. Instead of helping with crafts and games like I did in 2011, I’m helping as a counselor this summer. I am assigned to the older children because most of them speak English. This is a very exhausting job because I’m with the kids the whole day. But it’s also so rewarding because you get to be a part of their lives, and watch them be touched by God. We just completed our third camp a few days ago and it was a special one for me because it was for the children in Calajunan. It was great to reunite with the children I had spent a lot of time with last year during my apprenticeship year. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the new children that have started to attend Kids Club in Calajunan.

We were known as the Amazing Rangers!

I saw a lot of familiar faces and new faces in my small group of eleven year olds, but there was one little boy who stole my heart. I noticed little Johnny had an extra thumb on his right hand and I couldn’t help to wonder how other kids treated him because he looked a little different.  He had the most outgoing personality and the cutest smile. After the first day, I noticed how he always wanted me to sit next to him while we had our activities and our time of worship together. I couldn’t help but to give in to his irresistible offer as he asked me to sit with him with a huge smile on his face. I carefully held his right hand, not wanting to hurt his fragile hand but showing him that it didn’t matter to me that he was different and that I loved him. It was hard to see him walk home after our last day of camp because I got really attached to him. But the good thing is that once we finish with our camp season, I’ll go back to helping with the Kids Club in Calajunan and I’ll get to see him again!

Mary & Johnny :)

Vessels of Worth

I’ve had many wonderful opportunities in my life, but I can say that the month I spent in Guatemala has been one of the most precious ones. Why was it so special? Because I was surrounded by vessels of worth that have not realized their value in God yet. I joined Randall and Jackie Darby at El Oasis, a ministry for prostitutes, only three times but it just took me one second to see their worth and value.

Our time of worship.

I tried not to cry as we drove past the one-room shacks where women were waiting by the door for their next male customer. Once we arrived at El Oasis, some of the helpers set up the room with tables and chairs for the ladies who would come during their one-hour lunch break for a snack, but most importantly, to receive a word from God. Randall and I went door-to-door inviting the ladies to join us for a time of rest and fellowship. I was shocked to see the women God calls precious and valuable in their nightgowns, wearing excessive amounts of make-up and stilettos. I smiled at every single one of them as we invited them to join us. Some smiled back and others didn’t. I could see the despair and hopelessness in their eyes as they walked in shame and condemnation. I couldn’t help but to think, “If they only knew the God who calls them beautiful. If they could only see themselves as God sees them.”

Just a glimpse...

The ones that have been attending at El Oasis have been learning about and experiencing God’s unconditional love for them. It’s hard for them to express their emotions and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, but I am convinced that what God does in their hearts during their time there goes far beyond what can be seen, and cannot be measured by whether or not they cry. God’s word never returns void and the seeds that were and will continue to be planted will come to fruition in due time. I can’t even imagine what the Father feels when one of His vessels of worth realizes just how worthy she is!

We celebrated Valentine's Day together! I was in charge of games.

Sharing about their worth and value! 

With Randall & Jackie Darby.  :)

El Oasis from R. Darby on Vimeo.

Ashes for Beauty

There are so many negative ways we can react to an injustice or something we feel shouldn’t have happened to us. Usually the younger we are when a wrong was done, the more we feel it just wasn’t fare and we tend to use whatever that was as a crutch for the rest of our lives. This is the case until God sends just the right people at just the right time to bring healing in our lives. It’s during this time that God does something amazing and in time a beautiful transformation takes place. He exchanges our ashes for beauty!

Here at Prince of Peace, a home for girls in Guatemala, I see this beauty running around, jumping, dancing, singing and giving me the best hugs ever. Yes, sometimes they fight with each other or sometimes they don’t listen to the “Tia” assigned to oversee the house, but God still sees them as He destined them to be and calls them beautiful. The pain that some of these girls have had to face cannot be fully understood by most of us. You must be thinking, how can they smile after everything they have had to endure? An encounter with Jesus changes EVERYTHING!

Vilma de la Cruz is the Social Worker at Prince of Peace. People can look at her at first glance and never realize just how much she can relate to the girls at the home. Vilma was a girl herself. She was placed at the home when she was about eleven years old because her stepfather sexually abused her. At first her innocent mind wasn’t able to understand why that had to happen to her and having a hard time adjusting to her new home, she began her journey of healing. All the pain she had to go through was not in vain because God still had a plan for her life. Vilma finished her education and received a degree in Social Work. She is now happily married and has two children. She has been serving at Prince of Peace for ten years, impacting the lives of many girls with her testimony. God changed everything the enemy intended to harm her and used it for good. The ashes of her past became her beauty so that she, and everyone who sees her will glorify the Father!

Vilma de la Cruz

Isaiah 61:2 & 3

To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.