Random thoughts on my eight year anniversary in the Philippines.
Eight years ago I stepped off an airplane into the most amazing chapter of my life. I still remember my first night here. It was my first time ever to venture outside of my own country. The sights and sounds were new, fresh, and vivid. I was in a different world.
Much has changed since then.
My original barkada was a mixture of young American missionaries and Filipino church mates (we called ourselves the “pacutes”). Many of them are not even in the Philippines anymore (including the Filipinos).
My mentors have also left. They are the ones who taught me how to live and minister in a cross-cultural context.
Ministry has also changed. Some of my old alliances corroded and new (healthier) partnerships have taken their place. God has blessed me with opportunities I never would have dreamed of eight years ago.
The Philippines still manages to surprise me every once in a while, but life here seems much more mundane and familiar. Such is the case when a place becomes home.
One thing hasn’t changed: God is 100% faithful! I can’t thank Him enough for the past eight years.
This morning, O Lord, I praise You for all the past—so wayward on my part, so wonderful and gracious and longsuffering and forgiving and tender and inspiring on Yours.
–Oswald Chambers
