Dumaguete Easter Mission Trip

Thursday – fly from HK, arrive at hotel, pray on roof top and rest
Friday – Open Air Clinic – pray for patients, pastors, church outreach and pray for pastors and outreach team
Saturday – house building, swim in sea
Sunday – ICM church kids from children's home – Anna preached, went to lake
Monday – devotion at care ministries, minister to pastors of Dumaguete, outreach in field 800
Tuesday – ministered to care workers, special cases video, visit special cases -= pray for Antonio, Arnold’s AOG place- worship and minister, pray for healing for Dwight’s mum
Wednesday – team meeting shopping and leave



The Dumaguete, Philippines Mission Trip seemed like one huge exercise in trusting in God. From start to finish our team was constantly reminded to lean on God. Our first reminder was arriving in Manila and transferring ourselves to the old domestic airport. Half the team were taken to the new one, when we were finally reunited, Nicky’s bag went missing. We realized we had to pray and it was like God asking us if we intended to do things in our own strength or in his. Thankfully, in the last minutes of checking on our luggage, the bag was retrieved having been stuck in the X-ray machine.. Interestingly enough, the Vine’s verse is:

I am the vine you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15 v5


For me, this was not just another mission trip. I didn’t know particularly what to expect as we hadn’t been given an agenda and we were partnering with International Care Ministries. I felt that this was a huge exercise in trusting in God. There were some outreach events, but this trip had more ministry time than I had experienced on other trips. We prayed for patients in a Care Ministries clinic, for care ministry workers, pastors of Dumaguete at a pastors meeting, people at a worship meeting and some special cases for healing.

I think that when I’m on a mission trip I know and am reminded by our leaders that we are there to serve in whatever capacity God leads us to. I also wondered what my part in the team would be as I believe God created us as individuals and we each have our specific part to play. Our team prayed for some specific cases of healing and were truly believing in faith for the healing of a man with a dislocated hip and also for the healing of one of the Care Worker’s Dwight’s mum. Many people were reduced to tears due to anger against the sickness and the fact that we were believing but did not see the healing directly. I realized that as a recipient of healing I could easily relate to the person being prayed for – having faith for healing yet being frustrated with not seeing it happen instantaneously. However, as a recipient I could also encourage the team in the fact that we had intentionally come to pray for people – to minister God’s love – this reminded me of the time people had repeatedly done this for me – and how this had overwhelmed me with love – that it encouraged me to persist in prayer, to cling to God and to step out in faith by continuing to ask for healing. I know that on the journey to healing God taught me many lessons – but the main one was to trust in him, for the timing of my healing and for everything in my life.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3 v5 and 6

Amen!