LIT Faith Trip

  

On Monday 4th June, Team Awesome (Jimmy - Thailand, Emma - UAE/USA, Viktor - Hungary, and me!) left the LIT house in Olongapo at 7am bound for ‘Orani’. With only Bibles, notebooks and water, we set forth on our faith trip, which was to last four days and three nights. We were not allowed to take any food, money, spare clothes, toothbrushes or anything other than Bible, notebook, water and one camera to bring back proof to our leader.

We were given a list of over 20 tasks to complete which included:

- Share the gospel with over 100 people

- Pray for 4 pastors

- Pray for 6 grandmothers

- Pray for 10 homeless people

- Cook a meal for someone

- Have a running race with street kids

- Have a running race with adults

- Tell each other bedtime stories

- Pray without ceasing

- Do group devotions each day

- Keep up with your own personal quiet time   

       each day

- Pray with someone the same height as you

- Pray with someone the same age as you
- Pray with a family of 10+ 

- Each person had to share their testimony with someone  

       outside of the LH team

- Do a Bible study 

The aim was to bless and serve others as we trusted in God to provide for our needs. The tasks were given as a springboard for ministry. It was not about meeting our needs or God being a vending machine, but trusting that He will provide what is needed as we serve our neighbour and have faith in God. 

After asking for directions at a nearby house, we headed to the bus station and learned that Orani was a four-hour walk. So as we headed out, passing the Triangle Park, we decided to stop and pray for some of the homeless people living there. Some good connections and conversations were had and we could encourage believers and non-believers and pray for healing for a lady with asthma.

Upon leaving the park we continued on our way and came across a second bus station. We again asked for directions but the bus coordinator insisted it was too far to walk. After we explained that we had no money and again asked for directions, he offered us a free ride under the condition that we split up – 2 people in each bus. We didn’t think it wise to split up, so after stopping to pray, Jimmy once again asked if we could all go together in one bus. After a few deliberations and after the first bus left, the coordinator agreed we could go together and as we boarded the bus, the heavens opened and it started raining.

Sis. Marilyn & her daughter Kate

After a 90-minute journey, we were dropped off in the town of Orani. After asking about the whereabouts of a church, we started walking into town but ended up going in the opposite direction to locate the Public Markets instead. Next door we found the Full Gospel Christian Church and decided to enquire of the pastor within. The place appeared deserted, but eventually we talked with Sister Marilyn and were invited to wait while she contacted the pastor. After an hour wait, the church secretary (Sis. Teresa) spoke with Jimmy and after he explained our situation, we were offered a place to stay and to join in with some of their ministry.

While we were waiting, Viktor and I enjoyed playing with Kate and Zarod, Sis. Marilyn’s children – they became a big part of our time at the church and were a beautiful blessing. So after settling our bags and being given a mattress for the girls and a mat for the boys in the Sunday school rooms, we set out to walk through the town. We met Jasper, one among a few street kids and homeless people and Viktor was able to share the gospel with a few tricycle drivers. Upon returning to the church, we were able to pray with the women’s prayer group, which has been faithfully meeting together for prayer over the last 27 years.

That evening, after a time of team prayer and worship, we were invited to join in to pray for those at Pastor Alex’s bible study. We connected with them especially over their 2 missionaries in Thailand (Jimmy’s home country) and Indonesia, where the ship is soon to be going. After eating with them, the first day ended with bedtime stories.

Day 2 was due to begin at 6:30am and having no alarm clocks, we had prayed that God would wake us up on time – He did! Sister Marilyn blessed us with clean shirts to wear as well as soap and shampoo which was aptly named “Rejoice!”, which Emma and I did! After a delicious breakfast prepared by Sis. Marilyn (the beginning of much amazing hospitality), we met Sis. Beth and once again saw Sis. Teresa, the two women who would be with us during most of our ministry in Orani. We headed off 7 people on a tricycle to do a series of visits to many of the elderly people from FGCC.

We heard many amazing testimonies of how God had brought these men and women to faith and had healed many of them. We first visited a couple with 21 grandchildren all living on the same compound, and it was special to see how this lady was impacted by what God had done in her life, healing her from a stomach ulcer. Next we visited a laundress who initially thought we were Jehovah’s Witnesses, but after she was reassured by our lack of pleated skirts, she shared that she found her life had become easier since she gave it to God in spite of being widowed and a mother of many at a young age. 

At the third house, I was able to encourage an elderly single lady who suffered from asthma by sharing my own testimony of being healed from asthma and to pray for this lady's healing. At the following house we were struck by the testimony of the father: while working in his field, he heard the pastor of the church built on their property preaching from Matthew 11:28. As he heard the verse, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest", he felt the need to 'come' and entered the church even in his mud-covered state. The mother shared that although they are poor, they are rich in spirit through God's hand in their lives.

Our next port of call brought us to a couple who lived in an upstairs room of the house. He was bedridden due to arthritis and enjoyed sharing his war stories with us, as he was a WWII veteran. This 82 and 92 year old couple took great delight in seeing us and were very grateful that we could pray for them. 

We returned to the church for lunch after visiting one or two more. Here we found that our dirty and smelly shirts had been freshly laundered and hung out to dry! We then headed out again in the afternoon for more visitation. I got to see the lady I had prayed with the previous day in the women's prayer group and we could pray for her daughter who was still childless after 12 years of marriage. The next house belonged to the 'head of ushering' at the church and we were able to pray that her husband - a retired police officer - and her daughter would come to Christ; this was slightly awkward as he was standing there with us as we prayed that he would become a Christian.

This lady offered to show us a church where we could do children's ministry. As we walked to the church, we were surrounded by a growing crowd of children, many of whom came into the church with us where we did an impromptu children's program. The group of 70 prayed the prayer of salvation with us before they and many more participated in a foot-race outside. They then joined us in praying for a man sitting in the street who was partially deaf, had a hole in his heart and was also paralysed. As we continued walking, the children gradually dispersed as we made our way to Jan's house - a 31 year old man with cerebral palsy. Although he couldn't talk properly, Jan showed much excitement at our presence and we could pray for strength, understanding and joy in Jan's life and also for his family in spite of the circumstances.

Upon our return to the house, we were greeted by the loud noise of the youth worship team practising. We were invited to participate and Jimmy, Viktor and I ended up having a great time connecting, in spite of our fatigue. After, the boys ended up telling very effective bedtime stories, as the girls were asleep before the end.

On Wednesday (day 3), with the girls in new pants and all of us in clean shirts, we visited a lady who was on dialysis. We were saddened to see how upset and bitter she was about her husband who had left to earn money in Dubai then forgotten about the family and converted to Islam, yet she was praising God for her amazing children who have been a great support.

During the rest of the morning we met and prayed for some local pastors. Pastor Will had been to and received people from the ship and is himself the senior pastor over six churches in the surrounding area. Pastor Jun was encouraged to hear about our faith trip and expressed his desire that his congregation should do faith trips themselves! Pastor Willie and Pastora Olivia asked us to pray that they would be able to get a new lot and church for their expanding congregation.

After lunch we had a few hours spare. While the boys caught up on some much-needed sleep, the girls enjoyed fellowship with Sis. Marilyn. We were very much encouraged to hear that her service of us through cooking, cleaning and washing was actually a great blessing to her. She had had the same opportunity 7 years ago when people from the Doulos came, then the family moved away and only returned to the caretaker position at the church last October. She felt that it was a gift from God that she was at the church both times missionaries have come and it was encouraging to hear that we were not a burden, but that God was using us to bless her. As Sis. Marilyn shared about her financial burdens, Danielle was able to encourage her with a personal testimony to continue trusting in God about how He provides for us in all ways including our finances.

Previously, Sisters Beth and Teresa had organised for us to do a school visit in the afternoon. We were expecting a small group of perhaps 30-40 students, but when we entered the school we found awaiting us over 200 screaming students excited to see us. We were given a stage and microphones on which we performed two dramas, played some games and shared the gospel through the paper cross rip. We concluded by leading the children in the prayer of salvation and afterwards prayed with the teachers also. Our desire to pray for the principal took awhile to be fulfilled as we struggled through the paparazzi of students wanting our autographs.

That evening we joined the youth group, aged 15 - 28. After joining in a time of worship, we had the opportunity to each share a testimony before Viktor gave the message about serving god wholeheartedly regardless of peer pressure. After we split into guys and girls groups and could have a meaningful time of relevant sharing. We were then invited to join them to socialise in the Plaza (park) an enjoy some chicken blood and pigskin. Despite this tempting invitation, we were exhausted and reluctant to go but felt God pushing us to make the most of this opportunity to connect with the youth who were excited to meet us, this being the firs time many of them had met a foreigner. Thankfully, the food shop was closed and we live another day!

Our final morning, after a small sleep-in, we did some cleaning, cooking and much taking of photographs before saying a tearful - on Sis. Marilyn's part - goodbye. Sister Teresa took us to the bus stop and we awaited the bus' arrival, unsure of where the fare would come from. We had thought that as she was waiting with us, that perhaps Sis. Teresa may have intended to buy our tickets but we found that this was not the case. When the bus arrive,d Jimmy got on and urged us to jump onboard much to our consternation. As we took our places on the crowded bus, Emma, Viktor and I quite confused, Jimmy simply urged us to pray. With pounding hearts we prayed as almost never before as the conductor approached Jimmy. We were praying for divine intervention and that Jimmy would find favour with the bus driver and after a moment of discussion, Jimmy turned around with thumbs up. We took this to mean that we could stay on the bus and started praising god as I cried tears of relief.

As the bus progressed, Emma and I were excited to see both a wedding and a funeral, something we had prayed for. After we left the bus in Olongapo praising God and quickly finishing the tasks we had been given, we walked back to the ship amidst pouring rain. The beautiful rain and witnessing a wedding and funeral were just two of the tiny things we had asked God for and it was exciting to see how during the entire faith trip He provided not only for our needs but also our desires, no matter how small and inconsequential. We saw God's faithfulness as He provided our transport and gave us an abundance of food, a place to sleep, spare changes of clothes, shampoo and much more. It really served to remind me that God truly does provide for our needs - we only have to focus on worshipping, glorifying and serving Him and He will take care of everything else.