Lindsey, Katie, Kristi, and I walked through the barred gate and into the women's compound of the prison. Before we could comprehend what was happening, fifty Filipino women were flocking to us and there was a microphone being shoved into our face, "You lead a song," they said.

The four of us looked at one another, a little bewildered, and without words, understood that we were just going to have to dive into this. It's difficult to describe the scene when my brain barely had a second to process the situation. Having prepared nothing, because we hadn't found out till a couple hours before that we were actually going to be getting in to the prison that day, my simple prayer was, "Lord speak."

  

We stood and shared our testimonies. My teammate Mike, later on that night, said "in situations like those, Satan likes to come and whisper in your ear- ‘you have nothing to offer these people, you can't possibly relate and your testimony pales in comparison to anything they've been through.' But it's in those moments when you realize we all have the same need and every story of God working is a redemption story."

After singing, sharing, praying, and getting to know the women, we ended up in the most surreal situation of my life. They had volunteered my teammate Katie to sing a karaoke song (yes, they have a karaoke machine in the middle of their prison cells.) They picked the song- N'Sync "This I Promise You." So as Katie took the microphone, my teammates and I acted as back up dancers and singers. Then I joined Katie on the mic to help with the words, and it was like putting on a mini concert for the 54 inmates that sat in front of us.

It sounds silly- but I'm pretty sure it made their day.

 

God is so good. I wish I could capture the joy of the prisoners. The jail we are working with is 90% Christian, and the women pray and do Bible studies together. However, their resources are limited and the burst of encouragement that visitors are able to bring breathes life back into their community. Pray for these women, the ones who do not know the Lord- that their hearts would be penetrated by the truth of the gospel. Also, there is a lot of guilt and shame that the women live with because of what they've done to end up in prison. One woman already cried while sharing with me that she was ashamed because her five children are now living without her and she doesn't know for sure how they're being cared for. Being able to look into her eyes and tell her she was loved and that even though there are consequences to our actions, God took care of that guilt and shame and does not want her to live in it, was one of the most powerful moments for me on the trip so far.

I'm buckling up for this one, because I feel like it's going to be a crazy ride...

This is Our God...

Just a little under a week ago my teammate Kristi stood up in front of our squad and expressed her need of $4000.00 by April to be able to stay on the race. We, as a squad, prayed in faith that the money would come in, knowing that Kristi is supposed to be here.

A lot of money right?

If ever anyone doubted going on this kind of journey because of funding, I only need to point them to my teammate Kristi and her story of how God provided.

This morning she logged online to look at her support account and someone had donated the ENTIRE $4000.00!

I know God is provider and I know he used some special people to work in Kristi's story of gaining support- and I am overjoyed by how He came through.

 

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Aligning ourselves with God's will and prayerfully pressing in by faith... I feel like I saw a mountain move today.

This is the QUICKFIRE (thank you top chef) update on the Philippines and hopefully it'll give you an idea of what is going on here and what ministry will (may) look like for the next month.

My entire squad is staying together this month in one central location, which is a huge blessing. It's really neat to be able to eat meals together, worship, and work alongside one another. With all 8 teams being in the same place, it really feels like this explosion of power and community.

Ministry this month!

-Our entire squad is undertaking a 24-hour prayer ministry for the month. Each hour of the day is accounted for by at least one person who pledges to spend it in prayer. I'm really excited to be a part of a group of believers who not only see the value but the necessity in something like this, and push me to be a part of it.

-Team 91 is working in prison ministry this month. We aren't positive what it will look like completely, but we're hoping to be able to visit the jail 2 or 3 times a week and spend a couple hours there each time. Our contact, Rollie, loves the prisoners- his passion for them is written all over his face. The women will be working with the women and the men will be working with the men. It could include crafts, basketball, volleyball, worship, and Bible study.

-Team 91 is also working with another contact named Dan and his wife Sam who run a gang ministry to teenage boys that live in the community we're staying in. We're getting together with the boys, cooking and eating meals, hanging out, playing basketball, and will be visiting their homes. Dan's heart is to see these boys love Jesus and choose to follow Him instead of falling into an idleness that leads to trouble. We've already spent one afternoon with them and I'm really excited to see how God works through us to pour into these young men.

-I am also coaching basketball for girls, ages 11-13. A few of the other women on my squad and I are working with them a couple of hours a day, Monday-Friday to teach skills, and share devotions with them. They are preparing to play in a tournament.

-Besides these things... there are the children. They crowd the streets during the late afternoon and into the night just begging to be held and loved on. They laugh and play with your hair and they climb all over you. Literally... there are hundreds.

So as you pray, please just pray for wisdom and discernment for our team as we seek to share Christ. Pray for bold things to happen like baptism in the jails, total revival of the inmates, and for the boys we're working with to totally commit their lives to Christ. Those young men have the power to change their community, but it'll only happen with God working through them.

Pray for hearts to be open to the gospel and for children to understand who God is.

I want to thank you all that have supported me! Not one blog comment has gone unnoticed or unappreciated. All your emails and messages have been wonderful, and some days your words have literally changed my attitude or perspective, and God used it to wake me up.

I have about $3500 left to raise to be fully funded, so thank you to all for your financial support.

God is so good. He has been showing me the deep meaning and joy of being able to come alongside others and be a tangible presence of His love on earth. I get excited thinking about the fact that He chooses to use us, we just have to be open to Him and obey.

Nestle is the first little boy I've met since being in the Philippines. He and his sister were brought into the ministry house we've been staying at, and for the past couple of days have been recovering from malnourishment.

During his time here there was an improvement in his demeanor and even his actions, but there was something that bothered me about Nestle: He never smiled.

At around 2 ½ years old, he barely spoke, much less laugh. He was mostly expressionless and there seemed to be a sadness that rested on him- my heart broke.

 I immediately thought of my niece back home, whom I love to dance with, sing to, and listen to her joyful giggles as a huge toothless smile breaks out on her face. I wanted that same joy for Nestle.

 

I prayed for hours that Nestle would be able to feel the love of the Father through the hands of Ricki as she held and cared for him. I asked for the joy that I had in my heart to infect Nestle's heart. I petitioned for his growth, both physically and spiritually, that he would know who God was and feel the delight of being one of the Lord's creations. I asked God for a smile.

Nestle went back to his home today, and he left without having worn even an upturn on the corners of his mouth.

At first I felt defeated. I had poured out my heart for Nestle that day and came up empty. Where was the smile I had been begging God to show me? Then I thought about the PRIVILEGE it was to spend my day interceding for this little boy and how, even though I didn't get the smile I asked for, I saw the contentment in him to be held and cared for. I watched as my friends were able to literally be Jesus' loving arms, a safeguard, and I thought about how we were meant to play that role in the lives of others- a tangible presence of God here on earth.

Immersed in a results oriented culture, I am often looking for the product of my prayers. When I don't see them as I thought I would, I retreat into a mindset that says my prayers aren't powerful enough or are, even at times, meaningless. But that isn't truth.

 

One of the themes in Scripture that can be found in it's narrative is; God choosing the unlikely and calling them to positions they would be otherwise overlooked or not even considered in the running for.

During our time in Wujal Wujal, a prayer request that was heavy on our hearts was for someone in the community to rise up and be a leader in joy and enthusiasm, willing to encourage fellowship with other believers.

Outsiders, like us, could always come in and try and stir things up, but honestly it was going to take a local, a native aboriginal, to make a lasting and extreme impact.

We hadn't seen anyone with the fervency that would seek to undertake a calling like that- and it was a bit discouraging, as we wanted so badly for people to understand the inexpressible joy of knowing God.

Then we got to know Russell.

Russell had an accident awhile back that left some brain damage. However, he still walks around with a big smile on his face, and his love of country music has led him to work at the radio station in Wujal. Friendly is the first word that comes to mind when describing Russell, and he genuinely cared about our team- always excited to see us. We didn't know where he stood spiritually, so we invited him to one of our fellowship meetings.

When Russell showed up, our ministry changed. I have never heard someone sing "Amazing Grace" with such abandon. During that fellowship meeting, he was the only one who showed up (except for the stray dogs), and what would seem like a failure, turned into one of the best meetings I've been apart of. We heard a little bit of his testimony and he talked about his relationship with Jesus.

The next, Russell showed up again. This time joined by two others. When he got there he told us, "After I got home last night, I was just so happy inside." He explained how when he walks along the street he just knows that Jesus is there with him, holding is hand. So simple- so trusting.

 We sang "Blessed Assurance," one of his favorites, and the truth of those lyrics rang throughout the community and I couldn't help but think that Russell's joyous praise was an offering of a sweet aroma to the Lord.

This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long...

I think we have found a native who has that expectant and inexpressible joy we were praying for. It came from someone who we least expected, and isn't it just like God to use the least expected. I know it's not very eloquent to say- but I just think that is so cool.

We encouraged Russell to organize his own meetings, to play music, and to share with others and not keep his joy quiet. We prayed over him and poured words of life into him. I may never see Russell or hear of him again, but he's my brother, and when we left Wujal I had hope that God was going to use him in spite of what other saw in him.

I told God I wanted to see change..

God told me to open up my eyes to the need...

I told God I wanted Him to use my gifts...

God broke me from what I thought my gifts were and said, "allow Me to work through you in spite of what you think are your gifts..."

I told God what ministry needed to look like...

God said, "Kathryn, you have no idea, give me room to work..."

I told God I wanted to see people the way He sees them...