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Posted in Philippines by Lana Waites on 3/12/2010
My team, along with the rest of our squad and a few N squaders, are in the Philippines this month. We are living in the [dense] city of Manila as we work alongside Jeff Long and his ministry Kid's International Ministry. I have been blown away by how many different ministries Jeff and his family are a part of. We have been given so many opportunities to use our gifts and passions to love and minister to the people here.
My team is working at KIM's children's home 6 days a week. I get the joy of playing with beautiful kids every day from 3-8pm. Due to those hours, we are the ones getting the little ones ready for bed, reading bedtime stories, and tucking them in at night. Talk about melting your heart.
[Jolina and Jessica].
[Jolina].
[Jessica, the sassiest kid I know].
[Pauline].
This particular ministry has been difficult for me in a few ways. One, it breaks my heart to think that I will love these kids...pour into them all month... only to be another group that leaves them at the end of the month with nothing but disappointment (and hopefully a few good memories). However, the Lord is teaching me that if it is Christ that I am demonstrating to these precious children every day... if it is His love that is flowing out of me... then that "disappointment" is not even an option. If for one month, they feel the love of Christ in a tangible way... I am confident that will leave its mark. I just sometimes have to remind myself of it.
Along with working at the orphanage, I am a part of prison ministry with Danny's team [Trumpets of One]. Three afternoons a week, we get to go to a local prison and befriend the prisoners. Many of them are believers so we are getting to encourage them in their faith, spur them on. My prayer is that the Lord will use us to ignite a passion in them to have a Kingdom mindset in that prison... that when people are sent to that prison, it will all be part of His glorious plan because THAT is where they will meet Jesus. My prayer is that these individuals would know Christ in such a way that draws others to Him the moment they step into that prison.
I hope that gave you a glimpse into my life this month. Below are a couple of members of that fabulous Trumpets of One team.
[Kendall and I].
[Michelle and I on the jeepney].
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Posted in Philippines by Lana Waites on 3/2/2010
My squad left Australia on the 26th, flew to Singapore then Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After spending the night in the airport, we left for the Philippines. For the past few days, and continuing until Thursday, we have been "debriefing" as a squad. Rest, rejuvenation, and relaxation have all happened for me the past few days. It is refreshing to be poured into by our coaches and squad leaders and just be on the other side of ministry. It couldn't have come at a better time for me. It's come at a time when I need to process through things... a time when I need to focus on what the Lord is teaching me (because it's insane, btw).
This past month in Oenpelli, the Lord began a huge process in me. He began to open my eyes to the fact that I wasn't praying the way He desires for me. Our last night in Australia, I was telling Mark (our squad leader) about what all the Lord was teaching me...
that I didn't desire to pray that I lacked confidence in the Lord hearing me
that I would only go so far in my prayers... He asked me how that has changed since the Lord has shown me those things.
Hm... good question, Mark. I answered with "...not really sure that it has changed..." and we left it at that.
Then, during our "team time", one of my teammates was struggling with some things and we decided to fight for her by praying. To be honest, my intention was never to pray. I figured I'd sit there and listen to the prayers of my teammates, and perhaps agree with their prayers, but that was as far as I wanted to go. While my other team members were praying, the Lord reminded me of Mark's question. "Here, in this moment, I want to change it for you... I want to change the way you pray. Right now. Quit thinking about what you want to say, just open your mouth out of obedience and I, not you, will do the praying."
So, I decided to do just that. I began praying and to be honest, I only thought about the first sentence. After that, it wasn't me praying. Somehow, in that moment, I learned what intercession actually looks like... what it feels like. I was no longer praying the things that I thought God wanted for Emily. I wasn't praying what I thought she needed to hear. In fact, I wasn't praying at all. The Lord was speaking THROUGH me. Confidently. Boldly. Without hesitation. Without thinking before I was speaking. I was just speaking. And in that, Lana's words weren't coming out. I felt the presence of the Lord in an overwhelming way. I felt it and my team felt it.
Sometimes He is just waiting for us to get over ourselves and quit trying.
Quit thinking.
Quit fearing.
Quit hesitating.
It all goes back to solely depending on Him. Not ourselves. Not our prayers, but His. This has absolutely nothing to do with us. The moment that we die to ourselves is the moment that He comes alive in us.
I'm dying everyone. Daily. Just wanted to warn you.
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Posted in Australia by Lana Waites on 2/26/2010
Before we left for Oenpelli, I had no idea of where I was going. With strangers telling us of how horrible Oenpelli was, we didn't know what to expect.
Bugs.
Filth.
Danger.
Bugs.
Laziness.
Violence.
Bugs.
Cheeky dogs (more on this later).
These are the things we expected to find. While we did find most of these, I was in awe of what else we found in this town.
Beauty.
Glory.
I can't recall another time in my life that I was so enthralled with God's creation, amongst such rubbish. Along with my team, I don't believe that it is an accident that God surrounded Oenpelli with heaps of His glory. I'd even venture to say it was all part of His plan...
So many times when I wondered where the Lord was this past month... then I'd glance up, and there He was. Take a look and see what I mean...
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Posted in Australia by Lana Waites on 2/26/2010
Some of us were asked on an almost daily basis to go from house to house praying for people for hours at a time. After four or five of those days, I was done... spent... count me out. I felt like all I was doing was walking door to door and sitting on porches praying mundane prayers. The same prayer I prayed five minutes ago at the neighbor's house. Just praying words... strictly because I was asked to. Finally, when I came to the end of myself, I asked the Lord what the deal was. Maybe I lack the desire to pray door to door because I lack belief? Maybe I think it's pointless? If I really believed the Lord was capable and was hearing what I was praying and actually going to heal the people I was praying for... wouldn't that change the way I prayed? Surely...
I want to be at a place where I believe that my prayers matter. I want the truths about who My Father is that I don't know yet... I want them to be revealed to me. I want to know how much He loves me. I want to know that the words I am speaking aren't my words, but they are the Spirit groaning inside me... and that they contain power.
There were a couple of times that I was praying for people that it wasn't just words... that I was actually communicating with the Lord. In those times, its like I would get to a certain place and all of the sudden, I was done. I didn't know what else to say, so a quick "Amen" is all that came out. After this happened a few times, the Lord reminded me of Romans 8:26. I was getting to a place where there were no words to speak... but because it's a place I have never been, or never desired to go for that matter, my reflex was to retreat and be done. I am still trying to figure out what it looks like to NOT go with my natural instinct in those moments, but instead breaking through to the other side. I'll let you know what I find when I get there.
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Posted in Australia by Lana Waites on 2/26/2010
"I absolutely cannot do this. Not on my own. Two and a half weeks of unbearable heat, staying in a cement room full of ticks, dirty water to drink, a shower full of spiders, flies flying up my nose... does not sound appealing in the slightest. I thought that I was prepared for this. I thought that I could handle tough accommodations, challenging circumstances. You, Lord, have to get me through this. From one minute to the next, I depend solely on you. Thank you for taking me to a place where I have no choice but to depend on you to get me through the day..." My journal, February 6th.
As you can see (or read), the first day in Oenpelli was far from easy for me. For the first 48 hours, I'm not even sure that I stopped praying. Not even to sleep. It was a ridiculous hard place to be for those 48 hours, but an incredible place nonetheless. It was refreshing to be in a place where I solely depended on the Lord. There was nothing else to rely on for comfort. I was preparing myself for what I thought was going to be the most difficult month of my life...
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Posted in Australia by Lana Waites on 2/26/2010
We left Brisbane, Australia on February 1st. We flew to Darwin and stayed at the COC (Christian Outreach Center) with a couple of other teams for two nights then finally headed to Jabiru. The "plan" was to stay in Jabiru for a night before crossing the East Alligator River. That night turned into three nights. With obstacles in our way, I'll be the first to admit that I questioned whether we would ever make it to Oenpelli. We were hoping to be able to drive the troopie across a few puddles (I would call them rivers) then take the boat over the river and be picked up by our Aboriginal friends in Oenpelli.
However, once we crossed the 2 puddles (again, more like rivers) we found out that our ride on the other side couldn't make it to the river. All the while, we still didn't know where we were staying once we (hopefully) arrived in Oenpelli. On the third night in Jabiru, our team came together and prayed. We believed the Lord wanted us there. We trusted there was purpose in us going. We prayed that He would provide a way and a place to stay. Thirty minutes later, we received a text stating we had accommodations. This led to our flight... and by flight, I mean a tiny little plane with a ridiculous amount of cargo (i.e. our month's supply of food).
So finally, 9 days after departing from New Zealand, we arrived to our destination. (video to come).
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Posted in Australia by Lana Waites on 2/1/2010
We had a day off in Brisbane, Australia before we headed to the wilderness. This is how we spent it...
It began with Starbucks...
Then we headed to the Botanical Gardens...
Then we rode the fairy...
Then we played in the park...
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Posted in Australia by Lana Waites on 1/31/2010
It is hard to believe our month in New Zealand is finished and now I am in Australia. Welcome to my life. We arrived in Brisbane a couple of days ago and have rested and rejuvenated. We fly out to Darwin today and Oenpelli tomorrow. Oenpelli is where my team will be for the next month. We will be helping start a youth group within the Aboriginal community.
This month I will not have the internet, therefore, I want to apologize in advance for my lack of blogging. However, I will fill you in on all the details of my month when I return to civilization. I am looking forward to solely depending on the Lord as we enter into the wilderness with nothing but my teammates and the few grocery bags for the month.
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