Thursday, June 28, 2012

Updates

(Almost) One month down, one to go!
The time I am spending on the mission field is never easy to put into words. Each day brings new struggles, new victories. Living in this place is hard. It is teaching me new things about myself and about my walk with the Lord. After today, I will be in the village for 2 weeks. This will be a tough time for me-I covet your prayers.

I will try and finish this post..but if I cannot please forgive me. I have been sick the past week and I am not feeling well at the moment. I have a whole post written to type but I honestly just don't feel up to it. The devil attacks in tricky ways- please pray.

Sunday we were able to experience worship with the local believers at MJ. We headed back to the village that afternoon-this time they put me on the wings of the habble habble.
Tuesday was our medical mission day. We had over 100 families that were registered and over 90 teeth were pulled! I pray that this opens doors for us to enter homes and share the love of Christ with them. The most difficult things I am dealing with are a lack of strong leadership and sharing my evangelical beliefs with people of the catholic faith.

Daily I must be reminded that I am here to be a servant of the Lord. My strength is there and I know that God will give me guidance in making decisions. My flesh cries our for comfort but I know I can do this! I may not be able to post for quite a while-don't forget about me over here! Continue to pray for my team. We will be working diligently this week to disciple the local believers and I am going to try and begin a
"story time" in the common area. I am horrible at teaching but I am going to give it a shot. The devil gets in when I let my guard down the slightest bit. My dad taught me that "attitude is everything" and I will continue to remember that always. Pray that God gives me strenght to lead this group when I need to and that He gives me a contagious joy. The thoughts and prays that are relayed to me through my parents mean SO much to me-they keep me going! You all are the best and I am one blessed girl to have so many precious and caring people in my life. Much love to all of you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX7z3OLR6eU&feature=endscreen&NR=1&noredirect=1

Friday, June 22, 2012

Don't do it for the adventure, do it because HE died.

Elisabeth Elliot once said, if you ever come to a crossraod in life and have a choice of an easy raod or a hard road, always choose the hard road. That is the way the Master walke. His road always included a cross.

Galations 2:20

Everyday here is an adventure.
The adventure becomes slightly less romantic the 40th something time I have rice, you have to use the outhouse in the middle of the night and your thighs hurt from squatting; there is a GIANT cockroach in the bed; you get leg cramps at night because the room is so small you can't stretch your legs; and the people don't see a need for our Savior.

We made it to our village Tuesday-Lamosig. I was so sad to leave all of my friends from the team but I was ready. I have been mentally preparing for the village and it was finally time. The road to the village was not as bad as it could have been but it was rouggghh. We rode on a habble habble (dirt bike w/ wings). Our team unity is growing but it still needs some work. It is hard to get to work together sometimes when you are together every waking moment, dealing with exhaustion and spiritual warfare. There has been a lot going on. The first our translator was sick. The second day there was a "fiesta"-lots of cock fighting, drinking and gambling. The next day it rained all afternoon. Kuya Bong and Trent brought us letters from the other village on Thursday-I was SO excited. Our host family is precious! They have offered us everything they have. It has been such a humbling experience-It is more than I ever expected. Filtered water is a commodity-we have a tiny pump for filtering. The village people just have to drink the water and many of them die from bacteria related diarrhea each month. 1 pump from the filter=tiny squirt.We have been bathing in the river. The only real food source that they have is "sweet potato" (Filipino Style). There are many health needs-UTI's left untreated turn horribly wrong. We will be hosting a medical team (doctor and dentist) on Tuesday-there will be a free clinic and we will be able to assist. Circumcisions are planned for July 4th. I will miss home that day-It is one of my favorite family holidays. Continue to pray for us-I am so encouraged by all the message that you have left and the thoughts my family has shared with me!

Papaw-I love you! Please feel better, and get a BIG hug from my mama. I am sending one all the way from the other side of the world!! I can't wait to see you. xoxox

More updates soon!!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Day 19

The days of summer continue to pas on this beautiful island. God's grace & beautiful blessings continue to amaze me. The fire in my soul fades on some days-but His glory will always be there & I pray that the fire ignites when I need it most.

6/14 Thursday
Today we went to a new area for our afternoon evangelism. I was able to share my testimony twice. The first opportunity turened out to be a little more difficult than planned. After I started sharing my testimony, she almost fell off the bench. There was too much alcohol involved in the situation for the story to be effective but, we shared our story and then moved on. We had to give her fake names because Bulong said that the communist have a list and that it was unsafe to give anyone our real name on paper. The second lady was across the street. She was very sweet and listened attentively as I shared my story and the gospel with her. This morning we learned how to perform a Filipino circumcision. We practiced sutures on a piece of old tire. We learned remedies for several different ailments. The taught us how we will help the people of Lamosig build FAITH (food always in the home) gardens. We will be given 10 kits to plant gardens while we are there. The people of the village do not have fresh vegetables and this will allow them to have food and a small income. The rats were on the move tonight-they are pretty big-they come out when we eat dinner and at night when we are sleeping in the hammocks-yuck!! Tomorrow we will have a full day!

6/15 Friday
I read Acts 8 this morning-what a true testimony to God's faithfulnes throughout the ages. Today is Tuli day! When we arrived at the clinic this morning we had about 20 litlle guys waiting. I won't post the whole graphic procedure but, it was crazy to see how different things are done here. The kids were laying on newspaper and our sterile glove package was used as our "sterile drape". The sutures are definitely the hardest part..practice, practice, practice. I got to assist and soon I will be a pro at it (hopefully!). All of the little guys were such troopers! In the afternoon some of us deceded to go looking for an adventure.  We set out on a hunt for ice cream but after a 3.5 mile hike uphill and in this crazy heat-there was no ice cream to be found. SAD DAY! We settled for a cold coke, some break and a crazy trike ride back.

6/16 & 6/17  Saturday & Sunday
This weekend we traveled. Our team of 5 headed out to a village to preach at a church. The means of transportation is always amazing to me-not much safe about any of it! A jeepney, truck and motorcycle! Last night we slept all 5 of us in hammocks in the church. The mosquitos are very bad here because we are surrounded by banana trees. The toilet is a porcelain hole and wooden walls. The house had a bamboo floor and the steepest steps I have ever seen. One of my teammates fell down them, but she is ok! Sunday morning we participated in the church service. I got to share my testimony and the white people sang again! haha

I continue to miss my family. This adventure is incredible but I wish that they could experience it with me. I think about all of you every day. Please pray for my teams as we prepare the head to the village on Tuesday.

Pray that...
-I keep my focus on the task at hand
-I continue to stay free of injury or illnes
-Spen hearts and minds for the peole we will meet and talk with
-My homesick heart
-Safety as we enter into the village

I love you all! Blessings from Butuan City.

Monday, June 11, 2012

We made it!

Maayong Buntag! (Good Morning)

I made it to the Philippines! I am still in complete shock that I am living on an island for two months-AN ISLAND! God is so incredibly good. Our journey here was quite long but, we finally made it to our final destination in Butuan City. Orientation was some of the most intense training I have ever been through. Nehemiah Teams has prepared it's members to be incredible disciples of the Jesus Christ. Leaving Alabama and seeing my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ venture out into the world was exhilarating and so very encouraging-we are not alone in this battle or in the race for glory!

Upon arriving here we spent our first day in the market. It was quite the local experience and I am very thankful that our translators/Filipino teammates were there to help us along. Our white skin and height creates quite a  commotion anywhere that we go. The first day was probably the longest because of the time change. It has taken quite a few days to adjust {12 hour difference}. We have been going to bed at 7 and I wake up around 12 or 2 wide awake. My feet have been so swollen that they will barely fit into my chacos-but I am adjusting to the heat and I think my body will begin to embrace the tropical climate. Our days are slow but the heat is draining.

Friday was our first full day of ministry. It was a new experience for me, to say the least. I am so thankful that the NT gang had adequately prepared me for sharing the word of God and facing the problem we may encounter on the way so we set off to visit our first homes! We visited three homes our first day out. We are doing house to house evangelism in the local area. The last home we visited invited us in on our way back to camp so, of course, we took the opportunity to enter their home. We were able to share God's good news with the family! We came back the next day for a bible study and the family members were very curious about the message we were preaching. The major religion in this region is Catholic. There are some Muslims in the rural villages and many Jehovah's witness churches. Our messages is quite different from anything that they have heart - they are very receptive to the true message of the bible.

On Sunday, we visited a church of believers and I gave my testimony. I was nervous but the Lord calmed my fears and with the help of my translator I was able to get the message across. In this culture, the males are expected to do the preaching so I was off the hook there (hehe). The guys all did a wonderful job and the Lord spoke truth through them. In order to get to church, we had to cross the agusan  river - Home to the world's largest Alligators (21ft)! It was a teeny tiny canoe.Our church was wonderful and after the service we were escorted to the pastors home. They served us lunch while we watched game 7 of NBA eastern finals {who would have thought?!} -I was disappointed to have to sit there and watch the heat win. Not cool. Manny Pacquiao had a fight and the whole community stopped to watch the match. He is a local hero to everyone in this country. The family was so sweet to have us into their home and we enjoyed their hospitality. 




Monday, we visited the Burangay (village) captains. It was the most fun day I have had so far! The village I am assigned to will be visited often by the local government officials because of the level of security needed. However, I trust that I am in the Lord's palm and nothing can snatch me away. {MOM} Please do not worry for my safety- they will take care of us! I will be leaving to spend two weeks in my remote village on June 19th. 
Yesterday, we saw much of the country side while riding on top of the jeepney (basically a school bus). It was beautiful, breath-taking and absolutely surreal! I feel as if I am living in a dream on most days.

Today, we are in the city to get some food items and just to take a short break. We are planning to visit an outdoor store (I need a bigger water bottle) and take in a movie or two!

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. I can truly feel them. There have been tough days and I am sure there will be more to come. Please pray for my mental and spiritual endurance. The devil will be at work as long as we are sharing the word of God. I miss my family-nothing can take their place in my life. I wish that you ALL could see this beautiful place-it is a true picture of God's craftsmanship.The Lord continues to be my rock and my shield. He is amazing and has blessed me greatly.

For updates on the team visit nehemiahteams.blogspot.com - our media team member will also be posting updates there!

Talk to you soon-In Christ Jesus,
Meagan
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