Update

Sorry I have not updated in awhile, life here is continually getting busier. During the past few weeks we have become busy with teaching classes, bible studies, meeting with students, and taking a day off at the beach. We have now started teaching at Westmead, which is a very small and poor school. During our first class my team member Chelsea and I got to share about Christ with the students. The students in the class were interested in hearing about what we believed and asked many questions about the bible that we were able to discuss. After class we were able to share the gospel with students on the campus, though sometimes it can be difficult to understand peoples responses. While sharing with people here in the Philippines can be easy because people are open to talking, it can also be difficult because people think they already know everything they could about God and are very resistant to change. Sometimes you are not sure whether or not people agree with what you are saying because here in the Philippines it is custom to agree with anything people tell you whether or not you actually agree.

Day at the Resort

While teaching and meeting students at CLB we have seen the most response to the gospel out of all the schools we have been to. When going to our class this past week we found out from one of our students that they would not be able to attend class because they were going to the wake(showing) of one of our students, Aldrin, whose mother who had passed away. Instead of having class we were able to join the students in going to the wake. (here in the Philippines schedules don’t matter and anyone can attend just about anything) We were really glad to be able to go and meet the family and mourn their loss with them. From going we were also able to spend the rest of the day with the students in our class.

bible study with CLB students

Lately I have been convicted of the way I often say that I want to become more like Christ, to draw closer to him. Yet I feel that we only want the traits of Jesus that seem appealing. We want to be more loving, understanding, wise, knowledgeable, traits of Jesus that will keep our lives just the way they are. Though that is not all of Jesus, were saying that we only want the parts that will be easy. Jesus was a man who laid down his life for the purpose of making the glory of God known. He gave up everything his family and comforts, the things of this world. He was persecuted, poor, homeless, faced hardships and even death. Do we really want to become more like Christ? Or do we just want to be more like him in parts that are convenient to our lives?

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

During the past week Chelsea and I adopted a little kitten his name is Goliath. While we were walking back from a friends home we saw a little kitten that could barely walk almost get hit by a trike. Chelsea decided she wanted to take the little kitten home and now we have a pet. We are hoping he will he will be okay; he is pretty small and may not survive without his mom. Here’s a picture of little Goliath:

Prayer Requests:

-For our classes to continue, since our classes are extras their schedules they will often times get cancelled or moved giving us less time with students

-Aldrin and his family whose mother passed away this passed week

-To be satisfied in Christ alone as being here can often become lonely

-To have opportunities to share Christ with students and that their hearts would be ready to of Christ in a new way

-Continuing to share Christ with students and not become discouraged

Praises:

-We have been able to get access to more schools to teach and share with students

-I am gaining close relationships with friends here in the Philippines that are encouraging and inspiring