We Serve the Creator of the Universe!!

Hi Ya'll!  (I had to, I kinda miss the Texan ya'll :)

I pray that all are doing well and the Lord blesses you everyday.We are doing so well here as well as all the other teams. This week has been one full of adventure to say the least...

So, our week started on Sunday (your Saturday night) with illness running rampant through the group! Remember how I said no one was sick in my last post? Well...it all started that night. It's just colds and coughs so no schistosomiasis yet. Pray for health among our teams! I knew that Satan would be playing hardball with us here, but I didn't know it was going to be sickness! In 1 Peter 5:8 it says "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour'. Please pray fervently that he does not get a hold on us! Something to take comfort in if you are in a similar situation is 1 John 4:4 which tells us "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is GREATER than the one who is in the world." So we have nothing to fear for the Lord will go before us and prepare the way. A good chapter to take comfort in as well in John 14. A girl in our group (Kate) read that to me today and it is a good one to read in those hard times. Just remember that the Lord is our ROCK and PROTECTOR and He will always be with us for now and forever. He will never leave your side. Take comfort that out heavenly FATHER will never leave you. Things in this world will fall away, but one thing remains...

On Sunday I didn't have a voice all day! But I believe that was a gift from the Lord because the message that a teammate spoke over was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I really needed that message and if I had had a voice, I would have gone out to teach the children, so I believe that the Lord wanted me to learn something. An odd lesson, but I talk too much anyway, I need to spend more time listening. Nate, another teammate actually had said that day "Preach the gospel always and use words only when necessary." That was a perfect line for the day in my life! :)

Monday began very early as we had to meet the jeepney outside at 6:30 to go back to our villages after our weekend at the BOOST. This week the medical team from the States came to visit all our villages and provide medical care for those in need. The team consisted of a pediatrician, dentist, pharmacist, and a few nurses. We met them that morning as they went off to the first village of Tud-ol. They came to my village, Consorcia, on Wednesday. Our "team time" on Monday was full of tears of conviction, joy and freedom! The Lord was really moving in our team and really bonded us through similar experiences. Also, in team time we waited on the Lord and listened for words or pictures of houses or people we needed to talk to. The Lord gave me a picture of a white T-shirt and jean shorts...I honestly didn't think much of it because I thought it was just my spastic mind. Never will I doubt the Lord's voice again!! The first house we came to was a single mom and a 1-year-old little boy and guess what she was wearing...A WHITE T-SHIRT AND JEAN SHORTS!! I was basically in shock and awe. How great is it that we can not only talk to the Lord, the creator of the universe but he actually cares for us to speak back!! It was a great time, and we set up to have a Bible study with her later this week. It was a great day and on the way back to the clinic (where we are living) we met a family who are Baptists that go to church in the city. Praise Jesus! We most often take for granted fellowship with other believers, but consider the analogy of the Good News being a light (common, I know) and you walk into a large room with no lights, no windows, no nothing. You candle burns bright for a while and then (as life happens) it starts to fade. With no other lights around we all began fade away. But just as that happens, you see another light strike up in the room and you meet up and began to build a big fire. Soon enough there are no more dark spaces but just light in the room. This is what we hope to accomplish in Consorcia. In a village of 1,500 we hope by the grace of God we can began a huge bonfire! It was a huge encouragement to meet this family. 

Tuesday I was feeling pretty sick and I had an awful headache! So I stayed in for morning house to house.  It was about 10am and I was reading a book that Ross brought called Jesus Freak Martyr.  It's multiple stories about Christian martyrs from around the world. The had already starting working in me and I felt better immediately. I felt so convicted that I just had a head cold and meanwhile there are brothers and sisters dying for our faith! I was just about to go out and find my group when about 30-40 children came running up to the windows of the clinic yelling "Ate Rachael, Ate Melissa!" This is common after school in the morning because they like to come say hi to us. So I thought this is what was occurring so I just went along and was getting my things together. Well, there was one thing...there was a child at the door with a bloody face!! It scared me so much!! I brought him in and it looked at first that something was penetrating his eye. We are miles away from the nearest hospital and I am in no way qualified to remove a penetrating object from a little boy's eye! Thank goodness there was nothing penetrating his eye though...there was a large laceration right under his lash line. I had no idea what to do so I cleaned up the blood and put some gauze over his eye. Later Melissa laughed at my dressing, but at least it stopped bleeding, right? Anyway, I'm glad the Lord used me even when I didn't go with the group. I'm very glad I was at the clinic at that time. The rest of the day we had Bible studies that went very well. I think the Lord is working with one lady who began to cry when we were reading about Paul and Silas in prison and the guard being saved through their actions. I pray He works in her and uses us! We have another Bible study planned for Monday of this week. 

Wednesday was our medical day!! Finally it came! I have been waiting for this day for a while. Loren, Ross and I were running the check in table taking temperatures and blood pressures. I'll say this, I wasn't good at BP before but I think I took BP about 100 times! I sure am good at it now! :) The team came and provided medicine and dental work for anyone who needed it. Melissa actually got to give injections and pull a few teeth! She's a nursing student so she has had some exposure to injections before so she was definitely qualified. We saw many people and I pray that we made an impact for the Lord! 

That night our village began the annual fiesta. We wanted to go for the experience and culture...but it was pretty intense...the party started at 10PM with a "fashion show" and a "disco dance". It was so loud we could barley talk to each other standing a foot away! Our people sure do know how to party. So after the fashion show we left and went back to the Barangay where we sleep but it was so loud no one was going to sleep that night...I was lying in my hammock and I was praying that the Lord would reveal Himself to our people and right at the moment the power to the whole village went out!! Hahaha that sure is an interesting way to show Himself! I had such a goofy grin on my face for several minutes :) 

I love it here, and I know we still have a month until we even start to make the trip back, but I can already tell you that I may not want to come back :) I miss you all and I am praying that the Lord works in your life as well! 

I won't be able to post anything until July 19th because we are staying in our villages until then, so no internet access, but I ask you to keep us in your prayers and always remember that we serve the God of the universe! Nothing can stop us, we are moving by the grace of God and I pray that He bless us to be able to minister to these wonderful people!

Thank you and blessings on all of you from our heavenly father

--Rachael