Philippine Mission Trip 2011

As some of you may know, Si and I went along with the mission team that traveled to the Philippines this past month. It was a total life-changing experience! We were asked to each write a report on the trip, and the following is mine:

Hanna’s Philippine Mission Trip 2011
January 25th – February 9th

Hello all and may the joy of the Lord be yours today!
As some of you may know, my brother Si and I were privileged to be part of the mission team that went to the Philippine Islands this past month. For us, it was an entirely new experience; I am so grateful for all the members of the team who were there to help instruct and watch out for us.
We eagerly prepared for our trip, packing such things as were needed for warm weather. We traveled up to my Grandpa and Grandma H.'s house on Sunday afternoon since we were to begin our journey at the Moline airport.

Early (and I mean early!) Tuesday morning we woke up and traveled to the airport to catch the 6:00 flight to Atlanta. From Atlanta we boarded the long 14 hour flight to Tokyo, Japan. The novelty of flying very quickly wore off and by the time we boarded the 5 hour from Tokyo to Manila, Si and I had to be reminded to keep our guard up. I found out that when you are tired and have gone through serious time changes, it is very easy to become irritable. Both Si and I were encouraged that we could not give the enemy ANY room to work - even in being tired. With some other members of the team, we landed in Manila late at night and checked into our hotel. I was surprised by the condition of the rooms as it was not like any hotel I have ever been in before. As I mentally made comparisons, I had to tell myself to “buck up” because I really could not expect things to be as I have known. This was not America- but the Philippines!



The next morning after breakfast, (garlic rice anyone?) the other team members left for the airport for their flight from Luzon, the island we were currently on, to Mindanao, the island that we would spend the majority of our time at. Then, some more members of the team arrived, including our Grandpa and Grandma A.



The afternoon was spent in rest and that evening we had a prayer meeting. Friday morning we checked out and traveled to the airport once again for the final flight. After going through security and having a delay due to the plane not arriving on time, we finally took off for Mindanao. We landed about an hour later in a rain shower. It was a light rain and it very humid out but it felt so wonderful to me after our freezing winter snow and ice back home! Our contacts there, a pair of sisters who are native Filipinos themselves picked us up with smiling faces. They soon had us and all of our luggage packed up and transported to the hotel. Here, the rooms were even smaller and I noticed tiny, little bugs running up and down the walls. I didn’t say anything though, because while traveling through Butuan City on our way from the airport to the hotel, I had had a chance to see some real poverty and it shocked me. Who was I to complain?!



We all set off the next morning for a 2 hour drive through mountainous country to Lianga, a town on the coast. The resort and conference hall they chose was picked for our safety and protection. The area by the Philippine Sea was simply beautiful. Here I was truly blown away by God’s creation.



From our arrival, we placed our bags in our rooms and went immediately to the meeting hall where the people were waiting for us. Grandpa A. brought the word that morning and it brought encouragement to me that we can be sons of God and that we can overcome. That afternoon another team member spoke, Bro. Mark, and then Grandpa H. shared the testimony of his salvation. To see the peoples’ faces and open hearts was truly a blessing. I wonder if we here in America had as little as they do, if we would receive the Word so openly and with as much joy as they did. It was truly a blessing.
The next morning, Bro. Martin shared an excellent word on how we can overcome our human nature and be like God. Then in the afternoon, Grandpa A. again shared, and the anointing was so strong in that place. I felt so humbled by the Lord that He would allow me to be there and witness this marvelous work. The prophetic ministry began to move and as peoples’ lives were touched, the spirit began to work in them. After these anointed meetings, some of people got up and shared testimonies from the weekend; they were so blessed by the meetings! To hear their joy, and see their thankfulness that we would even come to share this kingdom message with them was truly remarkable. I am still in awe of their thankfulness.



Monday morning we traveled back down to Butuan City. We took a different, longer route this time as we were told that the rain was washing out some of the roads and making them very slippery. Our drivers were taking no chances in us perhaps sliding off the edge into a ravine! We arrived safely, and unpacked our things and had a brief rest as the rest of the week was to be spent in meetings.
Tuesday arrived, and with it, all the elders and “shepherds” came for our elders’ meetings. Brother Mark, Bro. Martin, and Grandpa H. all shared over the course of 3 days, on all sorts of topics. In the first meeting, Bro. Martin taught about divine order and why we, in the kingdom message, do not believe that a “pastor” is a Biblical concept. I was particularly interested because I myself have never fully understood why we don’t have pastors. You may think it strange, but I really didn’t! I was quite interested as Bro. Martin took us into the Bible, Greek words, and illustrations that showed that the Anti-Christ spirit behind all of hierarchical systems of “modern” churches. As the meetings continued and ending with Grandpa H. sharing on the Five-Fold Ministry, I was being taught right alongside all of these people! They were so open to hearing it- no matter how different or strange compared to what they have been indoctrinated with all their lives. A Bible teacher and his wife gave an incredible testimony. They are part of a very large organization, but after hearing this Word, they knew they had a responsibility to go back and tell their church the truth. Please keep them in your prayers as following Christ with all of their hearts will undoubtedly have a cost.



Thursday afternoon we all went to Sister Merlinda’s school. She has started a school for the very poor and destitute children who could not normally afford to go. Best of all, they are being taught the Bible along with their other normal classes!
Lots of little smiling faces greeted us as we introduced ourselves to them and shared something. This was a step for me since I absolutely hate to get up and talk to a lot of people or even interact with people I don't know very well. I'm not sure how well I did or if they even understood me, but I shared with them about Jesus and Josiah taught them a song. They were so cute! They sang us a song and, although most them were singing it to their own tune, it was certainly with their whole heart! To see these precious little ones being taught, not only school basics but the Word of God as well, was so encouraging. The Philippines, as with any country, have so many people who need to be reached out to and shown the light. I believe that if we can teach our children to follow God, they in turn can reach many as grow up.
The children were so adorable; some of them shy, others a little rowdy, and some who just sat there looking at you. Being very tall and obviously foreign, everyone stared at us... and wanted pictures. I have two pictures of myself with two ladies - and I have no idea who they are! But they wanted a picture with me and my Grandpa told me to just bless them with it. For some reason, they feel inferior to Americans/foreign people in general and if something as simple as having your picture taken with them blesses them and makes them feel special, I did it.

After departing from the school, Sister Merlinda took us to her house for dinner. Her nephews prepared a traditional meal with rice, vegetables, and meat. However, we were told that the very poor people in the Philippines often ate only white rice for their meals - 2 or 3 times a day. I never was so grateful for our wide food selection back home.



During this time, the city became flooded from all of the rain and we began to pray for the water to clear up so people could even come to the meetings. Praise the Lord they came despite the water and Friday, the next morning, we began the last conference, with Grandpa A. sharing. The funny thing was, our usual translator was unable to translate, so Sister Merlinda had to find another person. The person she asked was a bishop of some 30 churches! This man had been in our elders’ meetings and so he knew that we did not believe in the pope/bishop system. But he was asked and he was so excited to get the opportunity to translate!



The meeting began and the spirit fell. I felt so excited that God was moving and I was literally on the edge of my seat! The spirit fell upon the man who was a bishop and he began translating like never before! It was an excellent word with the prophetic ministry moving.
Brother Mark shared that after noon and many people came up to be saved. I felt so privileged that the Lord would allow me to be there and witness His marvelous works- because, really? What are we that God would love us so much? Sometimes I feel quite overwhelmed that He would love me, even through all of my problems, and bend His ear to listen to me, and even fulfill my desire to go on a mission trip to the Philippines. God is so good, people!
The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, were also spent in meetings with the Lord moving and peoples lives being touched. Once we sang a song that said:
“Lord, I give You my heart,
I give You my soul
Every breath that I take,
Every moment I’m awake
Lord, have Your way in me”
The anointing was so very strong that tears came to my eyes as I stood with others surrendering everything to the Lord. Those weekend meetings were so wonderful and it was beautiful to see peoples’ lives touched.
These meetings also closed with testimonies of the people- and oh! I wish you all could have seen the joy in their faces! So humble and grateful they were as they expressed their thanks to us over and over again. At one of the conferences, they were so excited, because it was the first time they had a meeting in an air conditioned place!
Monday was our last, full day, where again, some of the team left ahead of us to fly to Manila, on Luzon. A few of us went to visit the school once again, this time speaking with the teachers and viewing the classrooms. I tell you, we are so privileged to have all that we do. To see the poverty of the people was truly humbling. People “bathed” in ditches, for lack of showers. Little children were left to roam about as they pleased - I saw a little girl carrying a baby and leading a little boy down the road. My heart broke for these people, and I prayed for them, that if I could not share with them the gospel, that God would send someone who could. There is such need in the world and sometimes the best we can do is to pray.



After the school, we started to drive to view a plot of land Sister Merlinda has purchased and hopes to build a bigger school upon. I say “started to,” because the road was blocked and our van could not get through. So out we all piled to march through wild jungle really, on foot. My feet got all muddy, but I didn’t mind so much as I once would have. It was a beautiful piece of land, thriving with banana and coconut trees. We discussed ideas for even building a road so the children would not have to walk through the jungle. That evening the sisters wanted to bless us and so they took us out to dinner. The sisters (Merlinda and Marissa) were so kind and thoughtful; they were always doing anything they thought would be a blessing to us.



We left the next day and flew back to Manila. We stayed in the same airport hotel I told you about in the beginning, but you know what? When I walked into the room this time, my thoughts were different. “What a spacious room! Such a wide, sunny window. And this bathroom is SO nice!” Having lived for two weeks in various conditions, I came back to the first hotel with a totally different perspective. I brought it home with me as well as feeling just how privileged we as a people are - not only in the natural, but in the spiritual as well. We can go to church every week and hear the true Word of God. We can read the Word and literature to help us grow in the Lord and we can fellowship one with another. These people have small “huts” for churches, very few Bibles and even if they all had Bibles, some would not be able to read them. It humbles me to my very core when I think of how stoical we can be while these people beam with such real joy and thankfulness that someone would come and show them the right way to Christ.
I do thank each one of you that has prayed or is praying for the work on the mission field. There were many breakthroughs and deliverances that I am sure were due to the praying men and women of God.
It was very hard for me to come home - I almost felt at home there and could have stayed much longer! I am now praying for God to show me if it is His will that I go back- I certainly want to, but don’t want to do anything outside of God’s plan for my life.
But, no matter how much longer I could have stayed, there is the need to come home and fight the battle here, as well as on the mission field. I almost think the battle at home is harder than out on the field! At home, you are immediately greeted by your familiar surroundings, temptations and tribulations, and it is SO easy to fall back into old dispositions and wrong attitudes. But, I really do want to overcome, and to do so, you must be “tried in the fire,” as it were. I believe that the only way we can overcome our sinful, human nature is through tribulation and, you know, I came to such a startling revelation! It is very easy to say “Lord, I will follow You; I will overcome. Lord, I want tribulation in my life!” while on the mission field or in an anointed meeting, but it’s quite a different story when you arrive home!
I would ask for you to keep me in your prayers, as I continue to “fight the good fight” and strive to become a son of God. Thank you so much for your support and love - it is greatly appreciated and never taken for granted.
God bless you all,
Hanna