Musings and Memories

by: Rebekah



Leading up to this journey I was pretty anxious and a little concerned. I wanted very much to go on this trip, I just didn't know what I was getting myself into! When I stepped off the plane into Manila, I wasn't sure what to think, what to expect... all I know now is that this trip was one of the most amazing times of my life. From beginning to end, this trip was simply unbelievable. Laughter and tears, beauty and sickness, miracles and more... God's hand was over the whole thing. In just three weeks I saw, experienced, and learned so much.



I'm so thankful for each individual who participated in this trip. Every person who went along contributed something grand to the team as a whole. Each person was so wonderful as an individual but they also put into the group something that only they could. Leah is so beautiful in how she unabashedly lusts after Jesus and trusts Him in the most minuscule parts of life. Her compassion for the people around her is vast... just watching how she encourages others is so inspiring. Hannah is the kind of person who will just stop and say "look how amazing God's creation is!" and then keep walking. It doesn't matter how big or how small, she marvels in anything and everything; you can see in her all the time that she just adores her God and his creation. Her smile lights up not only her face but the faces of everyone around her. Carolyn is so sweet and caring - she is the person who will go out of her way to help you in any way she can. She is sympathetic, when you talk to her she listens to every word you say. She is so trusting in God, looking to Him as a child looks to her daddy. This team was originally to be just us four girls so when I heard that two boys were coming along, I was a bit worried! So much for our awesome all-girl team! But what can I say, the team would have been crippled without Steve and Micah. Steve is visibly passionate about God; when he prays you can hear how much he is in awe of God. His personality was a huge magnet for the children... he would often have a crowd of kids gathered around him laughing uncontrollably... they loved him! Micah has a strong and willing heart. He was so protective of the women of the team, constantly putting us before himself. As he became more mature as a man of God, his actions and words encouraged us females to become better women of God... it was a really beautiful thing. The love he has for his Heavenly Father is evident in his life. And then of course there's Francis, and though he didn't travel 20+ hours from America, he was still very much a vital part of our team. Francis is brilliant, yet humble... quiet, but his actions proclaim loudly the love he has for his people. Just by watching what he does or listening to him when he talks to people you can see his complete dedication to God and how excited he is to carry out God's plans for his life. God's power and love flows through him, it's so evident!



Before coming on this trip I felt so overwhelmed with empty Christianity. All religion, no faith. I saw "prophets" blindly prophesy; I saw "great men of God" put on a big show and pray healing over people with no results. I heard Christians sing lyrics with empty voices instead of praise songs full of worship. Then all of the sudden these plans came together and I was swept off to the Philippines on an aeroplane! Almost every morning this team of Jesus-lovers would gather in a small bedroom to pray and sing praises to God. Just listening to my six teammates singing, I could swear I was hearing angels. I don't think I've ever heard worship like that before, it was so beautiful, so pure. I loved just sitting there singing to God with my team... worshiping Him, praising Him, and loving Him through our songs. Then something else happened - something I've never seen before in my life. Hannah mentioned this already in her blog, but it is definitely worth mentioning again. We traveled to Welfareville and set up a medical clinic to go along with a local church's feeding program. There was a baby there... so terribly sick. Just by looking at her you could see that things were not good at all. This baby just laid there limply in her mother's arms. Her eyes were closed, she had a fever, it was taking all she had just for her to breathe! Hannah and Carolyn, after examining this child, knew that the situation was bad - this sickness combined with these living conditions could almost certainly mean death. Seeing this, they took this baby in their arms and prayed for her life and healing. The baby and her mother then went on to see Dr. Francis, receive medicine and instructions for care, and enjoy a hot meal. Later on in the day, Hannah and Carolyn got to see this baby again... she was fine. Breathing easily, looking alert, her fever was gone! Hannah and Carolyn prayed over this baby, believed she would be healed, and she was healed. God powerfully healed this baby through their hands because they prayed and believed! This was, and still is, absolutely amazing to me.



God's perfect timing is another thing that became so clear to me on this trip. Some things happened while we were there that were a long time in the making. It was really cool to look at what happened and say "Wow! Look at everything God did in preparation for this, and see how God's timing perfectly brought all of this together!" Then there were some other things that just showed that God is always watching us and knows our needs. I'm speaking now of what happened a few days before we left the Philippines to go home. I'll try to sum it up in a short-story, but please bear with me... I'm not the best story-teller! We were on our way home from visiting the Tamboan village. To get to this village, we had to go on a 4.5 hour hike. The hike TO the village really wasn't all that bad. The first 3/5 of the hike was entirely downhill, and the rest was just a little strenuous in some parts... you know, some uphill, a little downhill, some level parts. Overall, this hike was pretty moderate. However, the hike BACK was a bit of a different story. When we reached that part where it was all downhill going TO the village, it got really tough. The shade on the path seemed little and far between, and I was rapidly getting very hot. I was actually so hot that I started shaking... which is not so great! I was drinking a lot of my water, as I should have been doing, but that meant I was also running out of water - water that I needed for the rest of the hike. It seemed to me that we just kept on walking and walking and walking, getting nowhere. I was starting to feel so defeated, like I could barely go on at all anymore... it was so hard, and we still had so far to go. But of course, there was only one thing we could do to get back home and that was to keep walking forward, so that's what I did. As we kept going, our water supply kept getting lower, so Steve decided to go on ahead to try to bring us back more water. Micah had already gone up ahead to meet with our hired van to tell them that the rest of us were on our way. Micah was carrying his backpack AND Carolyn's backpack, so dear Carolyn decided to take my backpack for me. I am so, so, so grateful for what she did... if I had been carrying my backpack I don't think I would've have been able to do anything. And, by the way, Hannah all this time had been walking with a pulled muscle in her leg! I don't know how we did what we did that day. Surely it was God's help that was pulling us through. So there we were, still walking, still running out of water, and we see a group of Filipino men loading rocks up into the back of a pickup truck. A truck! A vehicle with a motor that requires no walking! Looking around, you could see all of our eyes filling up with hope for getting a ride to the top of the mountain... we were excited! The men on the truck saw us, waved, and drove on up the hill. So we were still stuck walking. Later, after trudging on for quite some time, we had either run out of water or were dangerously close to it... then we saw that truck again. This time they waved for us to jump on! We walked to it as fast as we could (which wasn't very fast at all), and climbed aboard. As soon as I sat down in the cab of that truck I wanted to cry because I was so happy to not have to walk the rest of the way! Our God is so amazing... right when we had no more water, he provided us with a ride home. His timing is perfect! After we got in the truck we all drove along the road and picked up Steve, who was on his way back to us with water, drove a little farther and picked up Micah, who ALSO had water for us, and kept driving. It seemed like we just kept driving for miles... I knew we were far away, but I didn't know we were THAT far away! I honestly don't know if I would have been able to do it. But God knew that too... so he gave us a truck to ride in. He is so good.



I could keep going on and on with many other stories and details but after a very long blog, I think I'll leave you with this...



One night I sat alone on the beach, quietly singing praises to my Jesus. The waves gently crashed against the shore, the dark sky occasionally lit up with lightning far off in the distance, I sat there taking up handfuls of sand and letting the thousands of grains slip softly through my fingers. Then I asked myself a question... how big is my God? My mind was baffled, I just couldn't comprehend the answer. Staring at the ocean and the lightning, playing with the innumerable grains of sand, I kept asking myself "how BIG is my God?" The only answer I can come up with is that my God is bigger than anything I could ever imagine. My God is more powerful than anything I could ever imagine. My God is great.



The splendor of a King clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice!
He wraps Himself in light and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice, and trembles at His voice

How great is our God? Sing with me!
How great is our God? And all will see...
How great, how great is our God!

Age to age He stands and time is in His hands
Beginning and the End, Beginning and the End
The Godhead Three in One Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb, The Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names
You are worthy of all praise!
My heart will sing
How great is our God!

Then sings my soul my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

7,000 miles later . . .

thoughts, ponderings, and random observations
by Steve a.k.a. "Steeb"

Thanks to a sweet little Filipino woman named Arora, I am now affectionately known as this Steeb . . . or Arnold Schwarzenegger (I know what you are thinking and guess what-don't!) Now that the Philippines have dissolved into our memories, I am left wondering if my body will ever remember Eastern Standard Time again; and if I will ever forget the spectacularly extraordinary moments of these last weeks.
To begin, I must fall to my knees and join the host of heaven in declaring:

"Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify
Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."

How good is our God? If only I could put into words all that I am feeling and seeing. If I could accurately walk you through the remarkable experiences of our team, I might tell you how inspired I was when standing on the holy grounds of Lars and Monica's Stairway (a safe house for abused boys--street kids that the world walks by with less compassion than the self-righteous priest in Jesus' story of the good samaritan). I would attempt to put into words how I sensed a thunderous voice from heaven saying come, sit and learn from this astonishing couple. A man and his wife who witnessed a need and transformed their lives, settling in the jungles of Puerto Galera to love these precious souls that no one else sees. Lars fascinated me as he described his simply journey: see a need then do something! Monica mesmerized me as this once breathtaking dancer labored across the wooden stage without complaint. Even walking is a miracle since having been paralysed by sickness and disease and I pray that my God restores her fully as He woos her heart. As we sat around a table sharing cups of coffee, God revealed Himself to me as the Truth, the Way and the Life and the most astonishing revelation was that Lars and Monica do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord, yet they love with abandon more than most "christians" I know. Intrigued, I pried for understanding. I listened intently as hope rose within me: to be the hands of Jesus in this place would truly be a gift from God! Only I have no idea how to accomplish this leap. What can I offer this place? Why would they want me? Yet my God is able!

I might also tell you how honored I was to walk along side of six stunning hearts, fearless and passionate about those God loves. I would labor to explain how at times I humbly led this team toward Jesus, but in the next moment how, responding in the flesh I breathed frustration and fear over us all. If I could find the words, I would try to help you understand how I depended on grace and how I needed their forgiveness for my selfishness and pride.

I might also try to reveal how each reflected the glory of God: I saw strength in Micah and Rebekah. Hannah and Carolyn showed great compassion. Leah relentlessly pursued righteousness and justice while Francis frequently demonstrated both. I have rarely seen a heart as pure as this Filipino doctor who with great patience always took the time for just one more. With an eager heart, Rebekah was always willing to help or listen or laugh. In fact, all these mighty women of God daily practiced the joy of laughter and with expert analysis were quick to prescribe this "best" medicine. I marveled at how Leah came alive in this place as if God had fashioned her specifically for this sweltering, gracious land. I watched Micah fight for wisdom and understanding; and Carolyn's startling ability to breathe peace over her anxious patients did not go un-noticed. But mostly, I stood stupified at how my God placed precious pieces of His heart into Hannah. She smiles and darkness flees. She is quick to listen and understand. There is much strength in her spirit, but also an acute sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. She wont settle for less than righteousness and purity of heart. She rarely judges in weakness, but always seeks to love. How blessed I am to know this breathtaking woman. I delighted in how we all sought to learn each other and extended grace when one acted in weakness. Truly the Lord built this team and for this purpose. I love you all!

And of course, I must thank all of you readers. Your prayers and gifts encouraged us as God responded to your cries and carried us on the wings of eagles. I laugh at how a beatup, white diesel flat-bed truck full of rocks and Filipino workers looked exactly like an eagle! Thank you Lord for rescuing us on the road to the Applai tribe. . .and for teaching us along the way.

Our favorite Pics

Hearts Stirred

If you believe a land can speak, Puerto Galera made every effort to woo my(Steve) heart. Filled with the rugged-untamed beauty of a "Lost" episode, this coastal region on the north shore of Oriental Mindora (the island just south of Luzon-the big island) shouted out praises to our God.

We listened to the Holy Spirit at the sandy shores of White Beach, meditated and worshiped the I AM at the island resort Tamaraw and sparkled in the darkness of Sabang where we gave medical attention and prayers to the sick and afflicted. Sabang, described by the local pastors as a present day Sodom and Gomorrah, is home to Dr Francis' new medical clinic. Its darkness was felt by many on our team, but I was amazed to find unspeakable joy on the faces of the local believers and when they led us in worship. I truly felt a resounding fire roar its magnificent light into the community. I imagine we were surrounded by a host of heaven as we administered medicine and offered prayer to the people, many of whom were muslim; and to my knowledge not a one rejected our invitation to "gusto mo ipanalangin kita" (May I pray for you?) I was humbled to look into these wearied eyes and see tears surface or smiles birth glimmers of light as one after another received God's great love. Pray for these dear hearts our Saviour passionately pursues. I am listening.

Francis told us of a wonderful waterfall some distance up the mountain, so one afternoon we eagerly donned our hiking flip-flops and followed this fearless man of God into the wilderness. Time after time the very rocks in these hills cried forth praises to our Lord and we obediently joined the eager chorus, humbled again by the magnitude of beauty which the Almighty created. The waterfall delighted us all and provided an opportunity to stare fear in the face and leap off a muddy, rocky ledge into the refreshing waters below.
But this weeks song climaxed for some of us on the hillside community of Stairway, a safe-house for boys that were rescued from "detention centers", that are prisons. Listen as Hannah shares her song:
Hello friends and family, this is Hannah. As I begin, my heart is heavy with gratitude for your prayers you are faithfully offering up for us. They are felt, and we are praising God for how we see His hand moving.
Our second day on Oriental Monduro Island, Dr. Francis led us behind the beach and our huts through a gate into The Children's Center, Stairways, at the bottom of the mountain. This place looked like a magical wonderland in the jungle, with towering bamboo chutes and bridges over streams, rocky pathways led to stone stairways in between buildings that were painted bright and exciting colors. There were small boys playing basketball, and some washing their clothes in buckets...laughing and playing in the soap suds. Their eyes were alive and dancing, their teeth gleeming white against the beautiful brown skin of their delighted faces. Stairways was began by a husband and wife team...Lars from Denmark and Monica from Washington DC. Lars explained to us that here in the Philippines children that are street vagrants or delinquents are taken to "detention centers" that are prisons with adult criminals. These boys are abused physically and sexually by the inmates, and are often there for years and years. Stairways takes the children from these prisons and for one year keeps them before transitioning into boarding schools or back with their families. They teach school, enroll the boys in drama and music sessions to express what they have been through. They love these boys, and give them a new chance at life. As he explained the horrors of what these children have lived through, I watched them outside of the window...their deep brown eyes looking shyly back at us, their faces quick to crinkle into a grin. Two of them sat on a wall, quietly strumming guitar and singing. As I watched them, I was unable to control the tears that streamed hot down my cheeks. I could not look away, I don't want to. "Oh God, don't let me forget, let us help..." Monica mentioned that on Friday she was leading the boys in drama classes, and Steve and I asked to come back, she agreed.

Friday, after a morning of prayer, praise and worship blessing the opening of the clinic in Sabang, Steve and I hopped into a rickety tricey cab back to Stairways. There is a small outdoor theatre stage built on the side of a hill where the boys were preparing for an upcoming musical. I was astounded at their amazing ability to sing, dance and memorize. They laughed, lept, and spun on their heads on the stage floor. There was a part of the song that required a rap element that Monica wanted some help with, so Steve taught them how to add street flare to their learics. He stirred them up to add passion and excitement to the chorus until they looked like a scene from Newsies, Filipino version. Soon they all wanted his attention and approval, there was a chorus of "Hey Steeb! Hey Steeb!" echoing as they showed him their best tricks and he threw back his head and laughed with them. We walked over to the beach with them and played in the waves and on the sand, cheering for the best back flips and tumbles that they amazed us with. These boys now have a place in my heart, especially little Ramel..the youngest. His grin and antics and little dance moves will never be forgotten, nor him shouting "good bye mommy" to me as we walked away. Pray for continued healing for these little lives. Pray for more like them that are yet to be rescued. Pray for our hearts to be stirred to do what we can to love.