On the 10th of July after rushing through Sydney International Airport at a flustering speed, 34 of North New South Wales Conference’s Young Adults, Next Generation Ministers and accompanying parents boarded a plane to Manila. Our final destination was the island of Mindoro, where across 40 sites we would preach the Revelation of Hope message at the Mindoro for Christ evangelism series.
1. What impressed you to go on this trip?
My journey of faith brought me full circle back to the Adventist church at the tail end of 2015. It was in 2017 that I moved back home to Port Macquarie and later that year our family discovered that my mum had Stage 3 Ovarian cancer. The next two years we battled together for her survival. With a trajectory of only “two months” given by her doctor in the earlier months of 2019, I decided in faith to book the trip to the Philippines, not knowing if she’d still be around. The timing of her passing and other events leading up to our departure for the Philippines was perfect. For me in the midst of grieving, I wanted to see how God can use someone like me in just a small amount of time to bring light to the world.
2. What was the most confronting part of the trip?
The most confronting part of the trip wasn’t a cultural experience or scare from the reality of poverty in the places we served. It was seeing how the enemy can get access to the very camp you reside in and try to thwart the efforts of willing soldiers in the Lord’s army who are there to witness to others. We had several challenges as individuals – sickness, spiritual confusion, anxiety, and blatant struggle with our own sinfulness. There were times we were tired and bickering, or trying to hold our tongues when something frustrated us. It reminded me so much of the journey of God’s people in scripture in overcoming sin as they are used by God to overcome the enemy in the world. There is always a dual narrative in scripture about how God uses us to change others, and how he uses others to change us. We were confronted with our own need for the Saviour while we stood every night sharing with local villagers and townspeople of their need for Him.
3. How did you see God work throughout your trip?
God led us in many ways. One impactful example was that my housemate joined me on the trip and together we bonded as sisters in Christ. She is not Adventist and it gave us the opportunity to grow in our knowledge and experience of God’s word. I could see how challenging topics were raised and we gently and respectfully navigated our way through it all. I am assured that we are both women after God’s own heart and stronger in our faith because of it.
4. What’s was the best part of the trip?
It’s really hard to identify the best part of the trip, but on the final night of preaching, a man stood up alone to declare his desire to follow God. He was nervous, stumbling out of his chair. His face determined to shine before God in that place. I stood there suddenly aware of the reality of the impact our presence had made. Our imperfect, wretched presence. I saw a community surround the man. Without the words to say in his language, I reached out to him and simply smiled, grabbing his hand and holding it firmly in mine. We were family. In that moment, we were brother and sister.
5. What have you learnt about yourself on this trip?
One thing that I uncovered about myself was how resilient I can become in the face of so much disappointment and confusion. The trip for me was challenging as I was stepping out of a place with a lot of transitions and grief. My mum had died, I had ended a relationship and I lacked clarity over who I was. In the rain, in the heat, in the exhaustion, in the grief – with Jesus in my vessel, I could smile at the storm! He strengthened me, and I’ve taken that perspective home with me.
6. Would you recommend this evangelical series to someone else and why?
Absolutely. The challenge of the trip will surprise you, the spiritual strengthening and conditioning will elevate you. The abundance of mangos will impress you and the kindness of the Filipinos and Filipinas will warm you. The mosquitos will bite you and the exchange rate excite you. And amongst all that you will feel close with your Creator. You will experience our worldwide church in a totally different environment and format. You will realise that your spiritual experience is just a drop of water in an ocean of God’s intimate connection with all creation.
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AUTHOR: Ruth Hodge, attends Port Macquarie church.