Greetings from Tibuk! Today is Friday and we have been back from Pakaak for 3 days now. Being in that paradise for 5 days was at some moments beyond words. I battled alot with the desire to return home to the states, when really God was right there in front of me. Being able to dig CR's with some of the village men was such of a priveledge. I know for me personally that my desire was to utilize the time that we had duriong the day and go 100 mph and get the projects done as soon as possible. I was completely missing the heart of the worktime. The heart was to fellowship and get to know the people and the culture. Once I came to that realization I knew such more joy through my pain and struggles. It was difficult to keep a good attitude sometimes because we had setbacks at the holes. Some work times there was not much to do and many hands, and then one evening we came back to the hole after an afternoon of rain and found both holes 8-10 ft. full of water. Pushing through that only came with much prayer and lots of rest that the Lord gave me.
During this trip I felt so at peace and knew that God was holding the group together as one body. We learned to speak encouraging words and life into one another and do it with love. Once we started to live in that on a daily basis, my desire for wholeness reached a whole new level. I read a book called The Doctor Is In by Maurice Bernquist and he talks about the great peace and benefits that come from living in the Kingdom of God on a daily basis. The people there were so alive with the glory of the love of Jesus Christ. It was apparent in their lifestyles. The way they praised, talked to one another, and worked. I learned so much from the simplicity that I saw them live in.
My highlight of the trip was being able to do a house stay with John, the worship leader of the church there. I totally thought it was going to be ackward at first, but once I got there I was welcomed and received with his warm heart. We sat, drank coffee, and talked about our lives for atleast 3 hours. After a dinner consisting of alot of rice, cabbage, and jackfruit some of the youth came over to his hut and we all talked and laughed about our favorite American things. It was a time of love and fun. I know I will never forget the people in Pakaak and the character that they modeled for me. The smiles will stay in my heart forever and I pray that one day I may return and be reconciled with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Right now I'm unsatisfied with my walk with the Lord. I want and need more and my eyes have been opened. Tommorow we will be in Manilla where the others will be blogging as well. Much love and thanks for the prayers! In Christ,
Isaiah
Thursday, May 10, 2007
To Live Is Christ, and To Die Is Gain
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3 comments:
wow Zai emense growth on your part man ! good gracious ! Bless you and the others. see ya soon, dude you are crazy ~! love ya man
So glad to see you are feeling better. Maybe Matt's ability to groove with the Lord brought laughter to your heart. He has been into rhythm of his own making from an early age. Ask him about his washer dryer grooves...hee hee hee Alyssa knows. Can't wait to see all of you Tuesday night. Ruth
Oh my, Zai! Way to go, bro! Continue to embrace what God is revealing to you, be encouraged by the opportunity to grow like this. Keep pushing towards it, you're doing great my friend! I'm sure the people were as blessed by what God revealed to them through you - it's a two-way street. Wish I could hear what their 'blogging' to their friends about from their time with you. ;-)
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