This post brought to you from the beaches of Boracay

I do not know if it was an oversight of some sort, but somehow we managed to arrive in the Philippines the same week as the beginning of their rainy season.  The rain we have received over the last two days have been incredible!   This morning  the ladies in our group went shopping  at one of the local markets.  I almost did not take my umbrella (the weather was pretty nice when we left, and who really needs an umbrella anyway?), but it's a good thing I did.  I think I can say that I have now experienced a torrential downpour.  And it kept on coming!  We were wading through streams of water by the time we headed back to the guest house.  The storms have made for some really nice waves on the beach too.  I've been told that normally the waters are not as rough as they have been.  The waves have been really good for body surfing though.  Only one of many "first" experiences I have had on this trip.  Several of us even went swimming after dark last night.  We did not have to worry about undercurrents like we would back home.  There is a reef surrounding the island, so you can go out pretty far before the water gets too deep.  The water feels so good too, especially with the high humidity here.  It has been the perfect way to cool off.

I have really enjoyed getting to know the members on our team and to see the work that the church here on Boracay is doing.  Sometimes it feels like we are not really doing that much, but this morning I was reminded that simply by taking the time and effort to come "all the way over here" has been a tremendous blessing and encouragement to the believers here.  I'm afraid that I underestimate the work of the Lord far too often.   God has also used this time to remind me that  I do not and cannot define what His work is.  My job is to be faithful in whatever sphere I find myself, and live for His glory.  The church here has a tremendous outreach on this island through the children.  They now have twenty-one feeding sites where they feed upwards of 1000 children each  week and teach them about the Lord.  Through the children they have been able to reach the parents and they have a number of different Bible studies going on throughout the week.  The passion that these people have to reach their community is so encouraging.  They are very focused in their vision.

Thankfully, I have not seemed to have had a problem with jet lag even though we completely skipped Tuesday due to crossing the international dateline.  Weird.  I'm still confused as to what day it is. 

Well, that's all for now.  I wish I could include some pictures, but I do not have a way of downloading them at this point.  That will be remedied when I get back home.

Thank you for your continued prayers!  It means so much to know that there are people on the other side of the world who are praying for me and the ministry we are involved in here in the Philippines.  God bless!