The last 2 days had been spent attending the Global Leadership Summit 2011 of Willow Creek Community Church. I was sponsored through the Rocha family and I’m so thankful that they thought of me for this. The sessions from yesterday and this morning are making me look through this imperfect heart and plead to God for continuous changing and breaking. It is unmistakable that God is speaking to me about a very specific call–a tough one that requires audacious faith, digging of ditches, humility, vulnerability and servant leadership that is possible only through the One who alone can make it rain.
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This is my 5th month on the job and after 5 months, I’m not very sure if it’s still appropriate to call the job “new”. What I am sure of though is that the last 5 months have been a smorgasbord of learning and experiencing and breaking and growing. My heart which used to be quite stiff for children and young people is being made tender. I am the first person surprised with this. It is wonderful yet fearsome. Wonderful because of the glimpses of God-prints I now am able to see quite clearly through my engagements with them. Fearsome because the heart is being majorly exposed to vulnerability (there’s that word again. Can you tell it’s one of the major lessons for me these days?). But all in all, I praise God for His faithful work in me and through me. And oh, I think I’m up for appraisal after the 5th month of my probationary period. I pray it will go well. I sure want to be regularized. Yes, even if the job is tough.
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Some 33 sponsored college students of our program together with a few alumni and staff spent an entire week last week to conduct work camp where we served 3 poor communities in Ilocos Norte. Our theme verse was: You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way which through us will produce thanksgiving to God (2 Corinthians 9:11). It was humbling and overwhelming to see the Word come to life through that work camp. Teaching around 170 children about Jesus, reading, writing and hygiene made working in the heat of the sun and under less than comfortable conditions all worth it. The small church was constructed and the homes were visited for prayer and short fellowship time. It was awesome. It was beautiful. God is at work.
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My sisters joined our mom in her work trip in Beijing, China. After business is taken care of, they are scheduled to climb the Great Wall and roam around the Forbidden City, shop a bit (or more) in Hongkong during layover. I am certain they are having a blast. And I’m excited for them because this is their first time to join mom in an international trip (I got my chance some years ago). God willing, we can go for a trip (or trips) as a family in the future.
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Aleks is leaving for a conference in Hongkong. On the day that he comes back, I’m scheduled to leave for Baguio and Dagupan for field work. Technology will be so much at work for us again.
