Joey (joie), share somethings that God taught you this summer, or how He spoke to you and what you learned.
Biographies:
I don’t know Jess Jennings. I
never knew him and all I know about him is the short ‘About the Author’ segment of the anthology
“Look What God Can Do!” But whoever Ptr. Jess is, I owe him the knowledge I
have now about more or less thirteen great missionaries who were totally
surrendered to God. And I should be thankful to God because He let me be
speared by Ptr. Jess’s challenge… to say, “The world is yet to see what God can
do through me who is totally surrendered to Jesus.”
The lives of thirteen
missionaries inspired me to be a ‘real’ World Christian. I realized that
someday, I may face persecutions, I may get frustrated, I may get weak, I may
have my heart broken because of what I may perceive but as Jeremiah 29:11 tells
me, God has a plan for me—to live a a meaningful life, worthy to be written and
talked about.
If ever God really is calling me
to be a missionary in the field, reaching for the unreached. I know the road
will never be easy and I cannot expect a comfort zone to wherever God will send
me but I am willing to be sent. I am willing to fulfill the Great Commission
handed over to me. I surrender myself to the will of God.
Thanks to the lives of those
missionaries. They may be ‘short’ but they inspired me to be humble and
valorous in serving God.
Quiet
Times:
Quiet
Times. These are the moments I spend for me and God… alone. The first three
weeks of my quiet times led me to believing more in the power of prayer. In the
power of God.
The
QT guide, which is focused in the book of Acts, helped me to realize amazing
things. Amazing things like: Being bold in my faith for Christ and in spreading
the Gospel even in the most feared places of the world; persecutions,
hardships, inevitable circumstances and losing one love are not reasons to be
discouraged or frustrated, instead, they are reasons to rejoice for God always
has a purpose; being a World Christian is being Christ-like; the Holy Spirit is
the friend I can always lean on for It’s always a gift given to me; and being
willing to die for Christ is not a lost, it’s always a life gained. A life lived to the fullest.
World
Christians
I
am called by Jesus not only to be a normal Christian but to be a Global
Christian. I have to commit myself to what God has called me for—to bring souls
(of all nations) to Him so that they may be saved.
MEMORY
VERSES
Among the 32 verses I had to memorize and recite for
three weeks, only 1 John 1:9 and Rev. 20:15 were familiar to me. At first, I
couldn’t understand why I had to recite those verses for food. But later,
little by little, God taught how important those memory verses were (any of us
six could not eat a meal without reciting the verses) and could be in the
future, especially in bringing souls to Him.
These
verses may be my sword in times of trouble, in preaching, and in times of
questioned discipleship (simply put as ‘persecution’).
Of
all the verses, though I know all of those verses are important for me, these
three struck me most: Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not because of righteous things
we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”; Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call
on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of
whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching?”;
and Rev. 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he
was thrown into the lake of fire.” I
guess and believe these verses can speak with themselves.
FIELD
AND PEOPLE
For a short period of time, my mind was opened to
the reality that many people who already attend church are not yet saved. Every
individual we asked with , “Kung mamamatay po kayo ngayon, sa tingin niyo po,
saan po kaya kayo pupunta?” (If you will
die now, where do you think will you go?) the answer is always, “Hindi ko
alam.” (I don’t know.) or “Hindi ako
sigurado.” (I’m not sure.) or
“Hindi.” (No.) or there will be a
long silence. A long silence that may be followed by a slow nod or of a gaze on
the ground or of a shrug. Everyday, any of the scenarios happen, causing my
heart to be broken…everyday. At this moment and continuously, I pray for the
Lord to touch and continue to touch the lives of the people who don’t know the
‘real’ essence of salvation yet.
Three
weeks will always be a short time. Five families or so ‘souled out’ to Jesus is
not enough. He needs more families, more churches. And I want to be a tool for
Him to be known.
In
Malatgao, people are open for the notion of truth about salvation but in
reality, it’s not always the case. Some may reject us because we are not
welcome to them or because of conflicts regarding doctrines; some may be just
afraid because of prior circumstances they experienced in the past. Hence, I always have to be prepared.
Apparently, I also need to be a prayer warrior.
Three
weeks ago, circumstantially, my decision to volunteer for Nemehiah Teams was so sudden. It was not something I thought about for
a long time, but I’ll never regret that decision because it’s the decision that
changed and will continue to change my whole life. I guess, my life verse,
Jeremiah 29:11 may summarize the realizations I had for this three-week mission
trip. J
Joey
Joie is 22 years old. she heard that NT in Palawan needs 1-2 volunteers. before the end of the camp, she made a commitment to join the team for 3 weeks . and she did come and became a real blessing!
thank you for your life joey!
pray for Joey as she seeks instruction from the Lord as to how to move forward from here. also pray for her as she leads the youth being the newly elected youth president of their association.
