How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!

“How are beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!”
Romans 10:15
This verse was literally going through my mind as me, Stephanie, and Faye Ann (our Filipina friend/partner) hiked 3 hours to a village to share with the parents and kids about whats going on in the next few weeks. We were covered in mud when we returned home that day, but we loved it! We decided to visit every house no matter the distance to ask and tell each parent about the Health Camp. So on Thursday and Friday we went to all the Puroks ( it’s like a neighborhood inside a town) to also get a count of every child in the Barangy (brgy) to know how much supplied to get. So why this verse kept coming to mind is even though my feet we covered in dirt, God still calls them beautiful!

On Wednesday 3/31, we moved to our village which is called brgy, San Roque. We there soaked because it rained the whole motorcycle ride which was over an hour up the mountains. After a long talk between the village officials they came to a conclusion of where we could stay b/c at this point we didn’t really have a place  But God quickly provided us with a family. They are a very sweet family, Ate Linda, Uncle (we call him) and their daughter Ann Ann, who is 16. However we soon found out that they belong to a religion called Moncadian, it’s a mix of spiritism, Catholicism, and animism. I know and believe God has placed us here for a specific reason to share about Jesus but also allow them to see how we live out our daily lives. I pray that they will see something different about me and my team. They will see that the Holy Spirit lives within us and that we can show them how Jesus loves. We are blessed to stay in their house for they provided a room and allowed to become a part of the family. So I joke with Ate that she has become my Filipina mother, she just laughs and smiles  We pray for this family continually and I one of my prayer requests is please pray for my host family.

These next 4 weeks of ministry are going to be very exciting and I am so blessed to be used by God! This past week we have spent much time in prayer and planning on what to do. So with knowing how many kids we are now having we were able to really get an idea about how the camp would flow. By the way the first week of camp we have over 130 kids and the next week around 30! The camp we are having is a health camp which we will talk about the prevention of infection and sicknesses, ex. washing hands, clean your ears, and cleaning your teeth but with each lesion we have added a song and a bible story. This camp is ages 5-9 and will do it in the mornings. In the afternoons we will have ages 10-16, so we decided to do sort of a VBS with added worship and bible studies, also can’t forget the fun games! Along with that we are going to be having bible studies with the adults throughout the week. We have already had two and the first time we only had 5 and the second time we had 9! So we are really excited about doing the bible studies and discipling the believers. In this village there are only 4 believers and there are no bible studies or discipleship other than Sunday morning. So our goal before we leave is to have a bible study started and being led by a Filipino. We have already built some relationships with them and I got to play a 2 on 2 game of volleyball on sat night! It was so much fun however they don’t play exactly the right way. So during the time I am there I hope to teach them the right way 
So prayer requests for the next 2 weeks of ministry:
- Please pray for our host family
- The bible studies with the adults, that their hearts would be open to the truth and the other believers would be strengthened.
- The children would hear the gospel and they would retain the information given of the Health camp.
- The youth would be receptive and accept us.
- Just asking doesn’t mean we are not safe but the safety of our team. We do have a lot of drunks in our town so we are not able to go out at night.
- And that the Holy Spirit would give us guidance and direction.
- That God would fill the village and his message would be shared!

I know it has been a long time since I have written and the last time was before we went to Las Neives. That week was a hard week with many trials but again God gave us strength and courage to get through that week. The next week we were able to go to Davao to visit our supervisors and it was so nice! It was good to have a break and relax getting ready for the next 5 weeks of ministry! In Davao we were able to go to the beach with white sand!, do the longest zip line in Asia, and go souvenir shopping! Also the best part was to spend time with our supervisors and just be encouraged by them, along with having American meals! We miss those American meals ha ha rice is every meal here! So God allowed that visit at the right time and we left Davao so encouraged!

We are going out into the village for 2 weeks at a time so the next time we have internet access is at the end of April. So then I hope to tell everything that God has done in the camp, VBS, and bible studies.

Thank you for all your support and prayers! Again it means so much to be supported back at home, I know your prayers and comments have given me so much encouragement in the good times and those times I have struggled! I look forward to sharing all that God has done during this trip in person! Love you all and again thank you!

In His Embrace,
Whit