Saturday, December 1, 2012
Day 9
Mae West said "You only live once (on Earth) but if you live it fully once is enough". We the Aussie team (Southern Hills and Rehoboth) have seen how true this quote really is and how it applies beautifully to the life we are living right now. Once again today has been so fulfilling as we are here doing what God ultimately wants us to do: to love and to cherish one another and to glorify him.
We woke up feeling pretty stiff after yesterday's full on day of hard work, however the kitchen mum's delightful breakfast (eggs, toast, mangoes and our favourite bread rolls) made it all better and filled us up with the energy we needed to get through another tough rotation of construction. We worked together with the Rehoboth team and got most of the swimming pool dug out!
No matter how small we may think we are, with God anything is possible. Today was one of those amazing days where we got to witness that first hand. The $3650 that we raised amongst the 42 of us bought soap, rice, shampoo, noodles, face washers, sardines, water, rice, crackers, combs, coffee and hand cream which will last the 350 families we gave them out to about two weeks!
After that was lunch which consisted of curry, rice, watermelon and chocolate cake and was Mas masarup! The second rotation of construction was held near the mango property where we managed to pour the floor of a basketball court for the community.
The feeling of giving with no expectations is like no other. We went to Navita, which is where the food parcels were handed out. The ride to Navita was long, tiring, hot and crammed but seeing the life of the locals pass by in a chaotic maelstrom, we felt incredibly fortunate to be sitting in van with clean clothes and listening to music with friends!
When we got to Navita, we were standing face to face with poverty: meeting some of the poorest people on Earth. Seeing the satisfaction on the faces of the people after getting their parcels was amazing! But on the other side of the coin, we couldn't feed every one in the big community and to look at the desperation on their faces was heart breaking. It made most of us stop and re-examine our own lives. We know that these people could have easily been us and out of all the people on earth if God chose us to be here, to help the poorest people and to witness the sufferings, then it's pretty clear that He wants us to do amazing things in our time on Earth. This was not chance, it is a plan made above.
And with that we carry on with the rest of our lives, keeping in mind that the love that we have for our neighbours won't ever be a dot but a line that stretches for the rest of our life both in Earth and Eternity.
God Bless
Southern Hills Manila Team
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Your words are so powerful, I wish so many others could experience what you are doing and seeing, our world would be a better place, de ja vou!!! Well done to you all, so proud we are and makes us all so humble and grateful for what we have. How lucky we are to have the blog, thank you and take care of each other. xxx
ReplyDeleteWow that sounds like an emotionally tough day.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are doing such a awesome job over there. Keep it up. It makes me realise how good we have it over here and how much of a difference we can make. I'm very proud of all of you.
ReplyDeleteWell done you guys! I was looking at the letter to the Colossians and 3:12-17 reads as follows:
ReplyDeletePut on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and
patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint
against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven
you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
As you serve others there, your own complaints and niggles will seem minor ... but they will still be there! Don't ignore them, but keep short accounts, clean hands and a pure heart.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which
indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
It is hard to see those that you cannot help, but you must take that grief to Christ in prayer, know that he cares for them more than you can ever know, and allow him to give you his peace in those situations, his peace that surpasses understanding and circumstance.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and
admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Engage during your times of devotion with each other, don't let those opportunities pass without your full attention: God will meet with you then and supply all you need for now, during this service trip, and he will speak to you about later, after you return home, as well.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain!
Hi Jack, Miss you heaps and heaps. You are all doing such wonderful things. So very proud. I can't wait to see you on Friday. Love you loads and loads and loads. Byron says Hi. oxox
ReplyDelete