There is a season to everything and some are wonderful and some are just tough! Sometimes everything happens at once. It's been one of they kind of times.
Since our house flooded during a typhoon last month, we have had sickness after sickness. This weekend will be the first that no one in the house sick. Wooohooo!
When we got stranded on the second floor of our home, Josiah and Eli though it was all a huge adventure. Living only upstairs was a great game to them! A child's perspective is an awesome thing.
We were much better off than many in Manila. We still had food and electric. Hundreds of others were stranded with no food and no dry clothes. The flood was an inconvenience because some of our appliances were broken and some furniture damaged, but it never took long for Ron to have the house looking ( and smelling kind of) back to normal. The amount of sickness was the most challenging. Ron was unwell and just not getting better for weeks, but we are so thankful that he came back clear from Tuberculosis. Docs just wanted to check because we work with so many families that have TB.
The hardest thing about living at the other side of the world is being away from family. It's a funny thing having two countries that are home and the Philippines really is my home now. But if you want to talk about the sacrifice of being called to another country, for me it's just being away from people we love, especially when they are very ill or going through sadness. It's the times when our toddler can't understand why he cant play with his cousins or pull Granny through Skype to paint. It's missing your nieces and nephews grow up. It's not being able to celebrate good times and bad times with friends.
I hope this is not sounding like "woe is me" kind of blog! lol. But I'm thinking if I'm going to give an honest account, then I need to be willing to be a bit vulnerable. It's not always fun or exciting out here. The trouble shooting and problem solving parts are sore on the heart at times. Really my husband is the one carrying the brunt of all that side of the work. But in it ALL, we can have joy.
The joy is Jesus, not circumstances. And truthfully there are times we need to fight daily to get our joy restored because that joy is strength.
Even in parenting right? It's not like everyday is packed with jobs we all love to do. Parenting is not for wimps! But in the midst of the day in and day out necessities we definatly can EN-JOY it all.
Last weekend we took 30 of the youth leaders to hear Francis Chan speak. We were all challenged and encouraged. He said this;
"It's sometimes gonna hurt to follow Jesus.
It's gonna be tough but it's gonna be worth it in the end" (Francis Chan)
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" ( 2 Cor. 4:17)
The reality is that following Jesus will just be tough sometimes. He will ask us to do things that don't make sense. He asks us to live a radical, out of the box, out of the norm kind of life. He will ask us to sacrifice until hurts. He will ask us to love and help and give all ourselves to help when there may be no return. He asks us to be remain faithful when it would be easier to take the easier options available to us.
But He IS worth it.
I woke the other morning after a kind of discouraging dream about loving some in the slums who seem to throw it back in our faces and those who don't seem to be bearing fruit or changing. God clearly spoke to my heart;
" I have called you there to love- no strings attached. Keep doing it."
Ok, Lord I get it! I needed a reminder that this life is not about me It's not about little joanna but about a big God!. Our lives should really be all about Him. How challenging is that?!
(SO challenging)
"That those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again" 2 Corinthians 5;14
The times we feel most overwhelmed, under pressure and heavy with the burden of responsibility are the times we need to be running to God. On the days we least feel like singing, it is exactly then we should sing. Sing truth. Read the truth of His word.
But oh my! How our flesh will fight doing these very things. Why? Because spending time with Him, in prayer, worship and the words are our lifeline and if we don't have these things the very life will be sucked from us and we will merely survive and be robbed of the things God has for us.
It's been a couple of months of real spiritual warfare and attacks on our family and on our ministry team. The enemy is not happy and this is a good thing!
Since God put on our hearts to raise funds for 500 children's Tagalog bibles, it's been non stop. I was asking God, why now Lord? It's a time of difficulties financially to sustain things. (2 main funders are very late in giving and even through this we have seen God provide for the kids in Tondo and Navotas)
But God said "Now".
So we stepped out and again he has been faithful.
His word, the good news, the truth going into 500 homes in easy to read Tagalog.
He loves these families so much that He wants them to know the truth that the truth might set them free from the strongholds of poverty.
If we trust Him and obey God will bring us all through the exhausting and fragile times because everything has a season and he knows how much we can bare. He doesn't ask us to do ANYTHING without His help. He has promised us He will be with us in it. Through the best times and through the worst He sings his songs of love over us. I can imagine the angels cheering us to keep going, to finish the race of life in faithfulness. Don't become weary in doing good. Keep getting refreshed and recharged before Jesus, keep pressing in and pressing on- in our families, in our communities or for people in a foreign land. Jesus is the motivation. If He is not- we will burn out. If we are followers of Christ, our lives are not out own anymore. They are His.
People often ask how we cope with all the suffering we see here. Simply, Jesus, my husband and boys. I'm thankful that whatever I go through, I go through it with them. Thankful.
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| at the beginning of the month we got 2 days in hubbys home province at our favorite beach. perfect timing. |
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| They are a sweet escape from the amount of suffering we see in Manilas slums. |
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