Today we woke up
and hit the ground running! Our morning started as usual with a yummy
breakfast, worship and devotions together. We were all so excited to go back to
the school. The sweet, smiling students were already waiting for us as we drove
up the driveway. Today, the character trait that we taught the students was
kindness. We used the story of Jesus washing His disciples feet as a foundation
in learning what being kind looks like. Jesus is always the best example! Each
day we have been singing songs with the children. Becky Bernardes has done a
wonderful job sharing the hand motions with students and leading them in
worship, alongside our students. The students have learned the songs and shout
out all of the lyrics! They have so much fun worshiping God in a new, fun and
creative way. We are continually blessed by the students. They are so sweet,
humble and genuine. Their smiles light up this world! Games and crafts were
wonderful, as the students were encouraged to decorate popsicle sticks (as
bookmarks) to give away to someone else or keep to themselves as a reminder to
be kind. Teia shared her testimony with the students today and incorporated the
difficulty, but joy in being kind to everyone. It was amazing to see our team
members show the students what being kind can look like, as they washed each of
their feet (just like Jesus did)!
In between school
times, the entire covered court where we have been "hanging out" all
week was filled with children of all ages. We played jump rope, sang songs,
played games and continued to get to know the students. We ran the VBS two
times, as we have done each day this week. Once in the morning and again in the
afternoon. Around 300 students are able to hear the word of God and learn more
about how to follow him in very real, practical ways. Our students have
completely bonded with the students of Kamuning Elementary School. They are
already asking if we are coming back next year. It has been an encouragement to
hear feedback from the school faculty. They are very grateful and are also
wanting us to continue coming back through the years.
We arrive home
around 4:00 pm, drenched in sweat and ready for a hot meal and a cold shower!
We ate a homemade Filipino dinner which included mixed vegetables, pancit and
chicken. Our students are quite the adventurous eaters! Thunder was booming
through the house for about an hour. It was so loud and the rain came down so
fast. It is crazy how humid it is all day. It definitely feels very tropical to
say the least!
At night we were
able to have a team debrief. We shared stories from the day and talked about
different things that impacted our hearts. The students shared about
materialism and how so many of the things they have at home are not real
"needs" at all. They shared about the kindness of the students. Many
of our students received gifts from the children of Kamuning Elementary School.
These children, who in comparison with the "wealth" in our country do
not have much at all, but will give the little they do have to bring joy to
someone else. We realized that we often have more to learn from them than they
do from us.
We finished the night writing in the 300 bibles that we
are able to give to them. Every student and Pastor Steve was able to write
their names in the bible with a message: "God loves you! Love, Saddleback
Church, Manila". We hope and pray that these bibles will be read and
shared together amongst the students. Today, I thought about P.E.A.C.E. I thought
about how all over the world, there are people who do not know Jesus. I love
the stories that we get to here from other countries who have established
P.E.A.C.E and have many churches. It is an encouragement in hearing successful
stories, as we are in the midst of planting one here. It is not an easy task,
but it is a noble one that requires a lot of energy, love and courage. Our
pastor is remarkable and it is times like this that we feel so blessed to be
under his leadership.
We look so
forward to the days ahead when Saddleback Manila can be known as a city for
Jesus. We know in our hearts that the seeds planted today are going to grow
into something more beautiful and impactful than we could have ever
anticipated. There is so much hurt, so much loneliness, lack of hope and
homelessness. There are children starving on the streets. There are girls being
sold into sex trafficking. There are children being abused and people that do
not know the love of Christ. We serve a BIG God that is doing BIG things in
Manila and we all feel VERY fortunate to be able to be a part of something so
amazing. Starting a church is not easy, but with Christ nothing is impossible
and it is so fun knowing that when we place Christ first, He brings healing.
We love the Philippines, we love Manila and we LOVE
Saddleback Church, Manila!
LOVE,
Your Manila Team
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