What Have I Gotten Myself Info???

It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for 18 days already. This summer has been filled with so many moments of “What have I gotten myself into??” For example: 

• Riding over two hours squished into a van from Naga City to Daet barely after arriving in the Philippines over a mountain nicknamed “the intestines of a chicken”. With no translator. And a driver who kept turning around while we had no idea what was going on and no way to find out. 
• The first morning in our village as I realized we were staying in a house on an island that is 45 minutes away by boat with no electricity and bugs literally all over the place. 
• Realizing that I’ll probably never sleep all the way through the night this whole summer and will wake up at least 3 times during the night or lay awake for 3 hours more often than not. 
• Hitting the shock of the sheer amount of people who live in even smaller cities. 
• Being awakened by the sound of a rat chewing on our bed platform. 
• Reaching the point of utter exhaustion in on the 2nd week.

But then moments show me what we have actually gotten ourselves into. 

• We are learning that when we are weak, when we are tired, when we are sick, God moves all the more. 
• We are learning more and more that this summer is not about us. 
• We are becoming more bold in sharing the Gospel and are gaining a sense of urgency in doing so. 
• We are meeting beautiful people with even more beautiful and generous hearts. I honestly feel like I am in a dream 99% of the time when we are sitting surrounded by these people in this place–It doesn’t feel real. God is slowly ripping out my selfish heart and replacing it with a new and grateful one.

This week, at least 8 more people accepted Christ. We only have a week left in this village, so we are trying to be more and more intentional with them. Some Bible studies are growing, and some are shrinking, but both are an answer to prayer because the people who are genuinely interested are the ones showing up. 

So prayer requests: We have an increasing need for strength that goes beyond us. 
Most of all, prayers for the people that we have such a short time with are needed–prayers that they would realize that the salvation we talk about with them every day is a free gift that only they can accept. No one else can accept it for them.

-Deanna