Back Again

Yesterday, we woke up at 3:30 to catch the boat and arrived safely back in Oras around 7 am. Moving from barangay to barangay is challenging, but God is faithful, and I believe it will get easier.We travel on the riverboats between each one. It is about a two hour ride to the furthest barangay. The river is beautiful, especially in the morning. 

Now, we can put faces with each barangay. I'm praying God will let us fall in love with these people more and more. They live on little and are still so kind and generous to us.

This week as we go back for another round, please pray that we will be able to determine what to study with each group. For privacy’s sake, I won’t refer to the barangays by their actual names, but will call the barangay we visit on Mondays “barangay #1”, the one we visit on Tuesdays “barangay #2,” and so on.

In barangay #1, we are actually going to have two Bible studies. As Amanda and I were walking around it, we met a family who told us they could not attend our Monday night time, but would like to have a Bible study with us in the afternoon. Some of the attendees of our Monday night Bible study agreed to join us for the afternoon Bible study. We hope that they will be able to gain some experience leading with us there, so that they might have the confidence to lead this group themselves when we are gone. When they see that they can do it, we hope they will even start other groups.

Pray for each group, that they will know God wants to use them to reach their families and friends. Many of the people we have met are already sharing with others, and they are eager to learn. Pray God will raise up leaders for them who will continue the meetings when we leave and start new ones among new believers.

When we got back to our apartment yesterday, I ate a bowl of cereal and when to sleep. When I woke up, Amanda and I went grocery shopping and then rode a motor trike to Dolores to eat lunch. On our way home, I sat next to a lady who did not know English well, but between her little English and my little Waray, we were able to exchange a few words. She was holding some flowers she had made. It looked as if she had wrapped thin scraps of paper in colored plastic wrap, and then woven them together into flowers. Each one must have taken hours to make. They were beautiful, and I told her so. Then, to my surprise, she gave me one. I wished I had something with me to give to her in return. Her kindness made my day.

"For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15