Balikbayan (Part 1)

Since I wasn't able to share with you guys on Sunday at SBCAC, I thought it'd be nice to do it on here.

Honestly guys, if I were to tell you everything that I learned and experienced there in the P.I., it would be too much data for this little window to handle. So let me give you the highlights... (Photos Courtesy of Fred)

Arrival

Everyone said that the first thing that I would notice once I left the plane was the smell. And yes, the smell was the first thing that I noticed. It wasn't as strong as people described, but it was unique. If the Philippines had a distinct smell, that smell that I smelt would definitely be it. (And it was everywhere we went!) Even the heat wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. This could've been due to the fact that it was rainy season when we got there so I can imagine it being much worse. Nevertheless, we still did plenty of perspiring once we got there so any air conditioned cars, cool breeze, or even an oscillating fan felt like salvation to us.

It just felt so good to finally be in the Pinas given the fact that I had never been there prior to that trip. Walking out of the sliding doors of the airport and driving around the streets of Manila just seemed so familiar to me. I hope I'm not getting mystical here, but I didn't really feel like a stranger. Maybe it was the environment I grew up in or something else, but the only thing I could say to Fred once we landed was "Man, I feel like I'm home."

Nueva Ecija

Before heading to Munoz in Nueva Ecija, we had to pick up Pastor Felix who went 1 week ahead of us. We got to meet Sean Ransom and his wife Jessica. A wonderful caucasian brother in Christ that married a Filipina in the States and moved to the P.I. after they were called by the Lord. They now live as missionaries in the Pinas with their They hosted us when we were in Antipolo for the Purpose and Passion Conference in Ortigas. Sean is a graduate of The Master's Seminary and he is affilliated with The Master's Academy International. He teaches at The Expositor's Academy where they train people in ministry to accurately divide the Word of God so that they can be faithul to minister, disciple, train, and teach others also as God intended. The Lord is using Sean and his family in an awesome way and it is clear that my brothers in the P.I. are being provoked by the Spirit to have an unquenchable thirst for the scriptures. When Sean had told us of what the Lord has been doing, I couldn't help but get all giddy inside (Almost like hearing about Disneyland for the first time, I had to see it for myself). Whenever I hear the testimony of lives being transformed by the scriptures, my spirit gets lifted and I can hardly contain my joy. I still can't get over it...

Though the Ransoms minister in a different location as us, their goal was the same as ours. We were so blessed by them. God has granted them a wonderful opportunity to feed these people with the all-satisfying Word of Christ, my prayer is that they may press on towards the end and never lose sight of the goal.

After picking up Pastor, we made our way to Nueva Ecija. Once we arrived, we got to see Ate Rona's old house (where we stayed) and we met her father and brother. Tatay Roy (Ate Rona's father) thought I looked Japanese, so the entire time we stayed with them he called me "Japon" (which you can obviously translate for yourself). So that was one of the many on-going jokes on the trip. I was given the opportunity to lead a devotion with the family and members from Munoz Christian Church where Pastor Felix would eventually preach at the following Sunday. Ate Rona's desire was for her family to hear the Gospel and I pray that we displayed that in not only our words, but also our deeds. It was such a blessing to teach the Word in an environment where it needs to be heard. I was so happy to be given the opportunity to encourage my brothers and sisters there. We reminded them that though we may be an entire ocean apart, we are still running the same exact race together.

On Sunday, Pastor Felix was invited to preach at MCC. How refreshing it was to hear his exposition in Tagalog. I couldn't stop smiling. Even though Pastor Felix's tagalog isn't as good as theirs(since he left the P.I. at age 13) it seemed like the message couldn't have been any more clearer. Hearts were definitely burning after, almost as if they have never "heard the Word" before. (And it was like that everywhere we went!) He stressed to MCC (as to everyone on our trip) that our "message isn't a different message, it is the same one, were just here to remind you." Exposition is not a new concept, we are just exposing what the scripture says. Pastor reminded everyone (and us) that the message has never changed, it has always been about the scriptures, which He left us, that are sufficient for our entire lives. It is only through the scriptures where we hear that the salvation of man is only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is through the scriptures where we find the call to please our Father in heaven by seeking holiness that doesn't earn salvation but is a response to the great Gospel of Christ, and it is through the scriptures where we find our everything. That was the message that we wanted the P.I. to hear. Our love for them drove us to point them to the scriptures where God Almighty speaks to us and where truth superabounds.

We were invited to fellowship with their youth group and we gladly accepted. By God's grace, we were able to teach them or favorite praise songs here in CA and it was a joy to minister in that way. Jeremy shared his testimony and Fred preached on Matt. 7. It was a great thing to be with people that I'm familiar with-- "high schoolers." I am surrounded by high schoolers back at home, so it was awesome to see the young people hear on the other side of the world.

The funny thing was is that these were tagalog-speaking high schoolers. Jeremy and Fred knew ZERO tagalog and I have the tagalog of an filipino infant. But despite our concern, the youth was blessed by our fellowship and they knew enough english to understand us. I endeavored to use Tagl-ish (English and Tagalog) and it actually worked. My sentence composition was terrible. I only know what I picked up from my parents. Since I knew very little, I would screwed up from time to time, and boy would it get some laughs. (I hope that my terrible pronunciation didn't produce a swear word. I can only hope! lol.) Anyways, I do believe that the Spirit made up for our lack of Tagalog. Praise the Lord that the Word of Christ isn't bound by culture!

Overall, the people at MCC were very welcoming and hospitable. My hope for my brothers and sisters there is that they stay faithful to Christ in every aspect of their lives. I'll constantly be praying and thinking about them. The brethren at MCC were just so wonderful. I already miss them.

There was a great need over in Nueva Ecija, but it may not be the need that people first think of. Yes, it was evident that the physical needs in Nueva Ecija (and all of the PI) are great. But if you look at it from the correct perspective, the physical needs were not the problem. It was the spritiual needs which needed to be tended to. The Lord was gracious enough to allow us to encourage the brethren in a way that cannot be destroyed by moths and rust, but will be treasured in heaven forever. Though we still ministered in a tangible way to their physical needs, we had to remember that neither money, bread, nor water could ever save a man's soul from eternal damnation. John Piper once said that "Good works without the Gospel only makes people comfortable on their way to hell." (Paraphrased) Strong words, but so true. Our ministry had to go beyond that of the physical because that is what was everlasting. Food and water would have only given them temporary sustenance, but giving them Christ would grant them eternal life. That was our goal. We wanted the lost to hear the hope of the Gospel and for the saved brothers and sisters to be encouraged by our presence.

It puts a smile to my face knowing that the relationships I made at Nueva Ecija will not be bound by location and time. I have finally met my brothers and sisters in this province and they will be my brethren for eternity. Imagine, this was only the beginning of a 2 week journey on cloud 9. I thank God for so graciously granting this opportunity to me---an undeserving sinner saved by grace. Glory to God for his grace upon grace. Thanks for listening.

-Micah

P.S. - This was more detailed than I thought it'd be... but anyways, stay tuned, theres more to come.