Beautiful Things

There are some days where I just can't wait to get to Heaven. Today is one of those days.

Something beautiful happened today that I was able to witness...the 'official' adoption of my brother Mark into our family before a judge of the state. I put quotations around official because Mark had been with us for a few years now and is our family in every other way. But to finally have it all legalized was an awesome thing.

You would think today of all days Mark would have been on his absolute best behavior. Well, if any of you know Mark you're probably laughing at me for even thinking that. Before we even told him what was happening today, that little bugger woke up with that glint in his eye that says, "How far can I push buttons today?" My sisters and I spent a good half of the morning convincing him that inside voices are just as effective as outside voices, no marshmallows are NOT for breakfast, don't be rude to your siblings, and...you get the picture. Typical Markisms.

Once we got to the courthouse (yes, the whole motley crew plus a few) the excitement set in. We met up with the lawyer, caseworker, Aunt Lana, and cousins Addie and Sammie. After being scolded by a courthouse employee for being too loud (I guess e forgot our 'inside voice') we finally got to go into the courtroom where the show would really start.

It was awesome. My beautiful mother told the judge about Mark and how much we love him and that he's already one of us. Then the judge very sweetly but directly asked Mark if this was all OK with him. Mark just beamed that toothless grin of his and gave a little grunt of approval.

Even though he definitely acts like a 6 year old brother and there are plenty of times where I'm thankful I live in my own house, in that moment I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that kid more than I thought was ever possible to love someone that doesn't share my flesh and blood.

All of a sudden, it clicked for me. This love that I feel for Mark is not from me because it is nothing I could produce in my own. This is from Christ's love in me spilling out on to this little boy with no teeth. It's from my own salvation when I was adopted in God's family to be a coheir with Christ for all eternity. God saw me, in all my blatant rebellion, brokenness, filth, and sin, and still chose me. He chose me; to pursue and to love. And not just for the time of my life on earth, but for forever.

Wow.

Adoption is a beautiful thing and I am so blessed that in this small way I have been able to tangibly see the Father's adoption of me. I cannot wait for the day to run into the arms of my Abba Father. Who cared so deeply for silly little me that he gave it all to make a way for, not just me, but all of humankind to experience this kind of salvation and redemption.


The king proclaims the LORD’s decree:
“The LORD said to me, ‘You are my son.
Today I have become your Father. (Psalm 2:7 NLT)

Not the End

I'm home! I've been home for about 4 days now and I can't believe it's almost been a month since I posted any updates...sorry! We got pretty busy at the end of our trip. We had our last Bible study with all our friends; we made brownies with ice cream and gave out salvation bracelets after explaining their meaning. At the end of our study, we had two of our friends come to know Christ as their personal savior...can I get an amen? :]

So some of the kids stayed up for ice cream too...just don't tell our director they did! ;]

We also did one final out reach at the hospital that we had become very familiar with (we had to take a couple babies there but I am glad to say both of them are back at Ruel and doing very well now!). We took our friends with us and once we got there we basically said, "Ok, you guys are in charge!" They would have had to translate anyways so why not just cut out the middle man? It was awesome to see them step up and share the gospel with boldness!

Jeannel explaining the bracelets in the Mangyan ward (she was fantastic!!)

A lady praying with her sick baby

Praying for healing

Lauren handing out the bracelets

A girl in the isolation room

Miller helps her put on her bracelet

We also took some of the older kids to church one of our last Sunday's and they had fun. It was nice to be able to take them out of the house just for a few hours and spend some time one on one with them.

Waiting for the tricy to take us to church!

Finally, our last night there we finished in true Filipino fashion...karaoke! After dinner with Pauline, the director of Ruel, we went to Ate Donz's house and karaoked for about four hours straight...no joke!

Dinner on the beach with Pauline, Moses, and Ate Grace

Jeannel and Megan singing their hearts out!

Snapping a photo while Tinz sings :]

Ate Donz and I :]

Of course I had to sing at least once...or five times...or more. 

Honestly, this summer I went in ready to work. I was gonna play with babies, change diapers, and mop floors all summer. God had other plans, and they were so much better than mine. I was so blessed by the presence of all our friends at Ruel, and to be apart of God's work there in Calapan...wow. There are no words that would come close to how grateful I am to my heavenly Father. 

Now I'm ready to see what God has next. I grew more in my walk with Him in the 52 days I was there compared to the rest of my life (and I really mean that...no exaggeration). For once I was actually living out everything I have been taught and brought up on and man, it was exciting. If I could leave you with anything it would be this; do not be afraid to say yes to our Lord. He is calling each of us to fulfill His work of bringing the gospel to all the nations. He doesn't need us at all. Instead he chooses and invites us to be apart of the blessings pour from Him when we follow His commands. I'm not saying it is easy, I definitely had my struggles this summer. But...nothing compares to the image of the perfect Son of God hanging from a tree as He paid the price for every filthy thought I've ever had, every nasty comment that has left my lips, and every time I blatantly disobeyed Him and spit in His face. I owe Him my all.

Thank you Lord for everything you did both in and through me this summer. God I simply stand in awe of you and I ask that you continue to reveal your will for my life. Give me open ears and an open heart to follow you to the ends of the world if that is where you want me to go. I love you Lord, nothing I can do will ever come close to the love you showed at Calvary. 

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. they were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, 

'Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne

and from the Lamb!'"

Revelation 7:9-10

Worthy is the Lamb!!

Recent Things

I can't believe we are nearing the end of the summer...actually I may be in denial a bit. We're down to just two short weeks here in the Philippines and I wanted to give you all a quick update while I got the chance.

-I turned 20 this week! (OK...we probably could have survived without that update but a girl only turns 20 once, right? ;]) I got to spend it with my most precious and favorite new friends who surprised me with a cake and Jolibee burgers AND a balloon!! Best birthday EVER!

-Our Bible studies have been absolutely a blast. We acted out the story of the Good Samaritan and have been able to share the core truths to the gospel. The discussions that have ensued have been fantastic and totally orchestrated by God. Please continue to pray for the seeds that God is allowing us to plant. I know without a doubt in my mind that God will finish the good work He has started here, with or without our presence.

-Four of our temporary care kids went home two weeks ago. It was sad but also a happy moment to have them reunited with their families. Please pray that they continue to grow strong and healthy not just physically but also spiritually. Even though they were all young, we know God is pursuing them even now to have a relationship with them someday.

-Two new babies arrived this week! Both of them are pretty sick kids; one is even in the hospital right now for worms and malnutrition (which, unfortunately, go hand in hand). Pray for healing for both of them and that they will start growing and gaining body weight very fast. Also pray that they adjust to life at Ruel. One is a little girl who is about 18 months and she is having a hard time being without her mom. Pray that she calms down and accepts the love from the caregivers at Ruel.

Even though we're almost at the end of our stay, we're not done yet. I know God has appointed us here for just the right amount of time to do HIS work. Pray that we all stay God focused.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for man."

Colossians 3:23

Obedience

If you know anything about me, you know I am a planner...at least when it comes to big stuff. My favorite part of the school year is signing up for classes and meeting with my counselor and being able to see when I will be taking what classes for the next few years. Yes, I change my mind a lot, but I like being able to look at that sheet of paper and know that I have a path that is neatly laid out for me to follow.

However, I am quickly learning things don't always go accord to the 'plan.' Sometimes this gets me so worked up and frustrated I want to just throw in the towel and call it quits. This summer God has really opened my eyes to the fact that this is not my life to live. By that I mean I shouldn't be following my plan but rather simply seeking HIS will for me daily and just following him with no questions asked.

We have a little metaphor we use a lot for Nehemiah Teams. God has given us a compass (the Bible), not a map. But with that compass we should be able to simply follow him even if we don't know where we are or where we are going. Not only is this just obedience, but it is also trusting God whole-heartily.

When I was fretting one day about not knowing God's plan for me (and really in all honesty I was just whining) my supervisor who was visiting us at the time sweetly took me by the shoulders and looked me square in the face. She said, "I'll tell you the plan for your life, Obey God."

Sounds simple, right? Well, it really is! I think we highly over complicate the simplicity of seeking God by spending time in his word daily, being quiet before him to hear his answers, and then (the part that is almost always overlooked) stepping out and actually doing what God has told us to do.

Christ is the ultimate example of obedience to God's will. Being fully man while here one Earth, even he struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked for this cup to pass over him. But...what if Christ didn't obey? I can't even fathom the very idea of that.

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

Romans 5:19

Dear Jesus, thank you for being the ultimate example of obedience to God's will. Help me to be able to follow you even if I don't know 'the plan.' Lord, thank you for loving me enough to let me be apart of your plan that is better than anything I could do for myself anyways. :]  

Simple Story

This past week my team and I got to go to one of the hospitals here in Calapan for a few hours with the intent of passing out banana's to kids in the pediatric ward and then praying for them and sharing a few Bible stories from a children's Bible we brought with us. We visited two different rooms and each room had about 8 or 9 patients in it along with their families. It was awesome. I won't lie, at first I was really scared...I was totally out of my comfort zone. Before we went into any of the rooms, we prayed and held on to the fact that the Word is alive, sharper than any two edged sword and does not return void no matter what language it is spoken in.

When we ran out of banana's we were headed for home when we unexpectedly ran into a local friend of ours who is a nurse at the hospital we were in. She wanted to show us the ward she was working in that day so of course we followed. This specific ward was set up outside and definitely had a different atmosphere than the rest of the hospital. It was basically one giant room with about 20 beds in it and all the patients there were from one specific tribe from up in the mountains. Once we got inside, we really wanted to share a Bible story with them but they understood absolutely no English. 

This is where it gets cool...our friend who was with us, the nurse, is not a Christian but she agreed to translate for me while I read the story of Christ healing the 10 men infected with leprosy found in Luke 17:11-19. Friends, it was seriously one of the coolest experiences I've ever been able to be a part of. 

Thank you God for allowing me to be apart of your work here in the Philippines. Please continue to use me and just let me get out of the way so that YOU can touch the heart of the people. 

No Words Necessary

Change in the Making

Wow, what a week it has been. I'm not even sure I can do it justice in just a few short words. Here are a few highlights:

- Going to a Filipino church last Sunday with some of our new friends who are caregivers here at Ruel...There is just something about worshiping the same awesome God with fellow believers but outside of your own comfort zone. I couldn't tell you what the sermon was about really because honestly I had no idea what they were saying. But despite that, the same Holy Spirit that resides in me at all times was definitely present in that building. The worship songs were in English and being able to sing with my Filipino brothers and sister in Christ...even now it gives me goose bumps. We serve an awesome and powerful God who loves us all more than we could ever know no matter where we are on this tiny blue planet.
- Going to the BEACH and building relationships :]
- Hearing the kids sing worship songs never gets old
- Team Bible studies and being blessed by the presence and fellowship with my teammates!
- All girls love fingernail polish no matter their age

I've tried to summarize how God is changing me but I just can't. There really are no words to describe how my view point is being transformed and I know my life will never be the same. I feel like I'm at the precipice of an important decision- a choice to surrender and let God continue to mold me and change me, or to just simply finish out this summer with a smile, go home, and check this off my bucket list.

Please pray for me as I battle with fleshly desires of worldly comforts. I get close to giving in to Satan and just marking down the days till I'm back in the States but then its almost like I can hear the thousands upon thousands of souls who enter hell each day simply because they have died without ever hearing the name of Jesus...ever.

C.T. Studd puts it best, "Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell." 

I'm not saying I'm at that same point as Studd or that anyone is. Even the best missionaries (including Studd) were still normal people with people problems just like you and I. The difference was they saw the need and they let go of their life and let Christ run it.

"How then, can they call upon the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching it to them?"

Romans 10:14-15

Love you all. Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to me.

Catherine Johanna