Week 2 in the Philippines

**I meant to put up another posting before this, but I've somehow deleted it. So, that will be coming shortly. It explains where we are, what we're doing, etc. in further detail.

Hello!
We've been in San Francisco, Camotes, for a little over a week now and we definitely hit the ground running. God is moving in unexpected ways, as He always does. The team is really coming together and partnering with church members here to share the Word in many different ways. We've each had chances to share our testimonies and lead Bible studies with non-believers, new believers, and established believers here in San Francisco and the neighboring communities. One group is particularly special to me. They are the neighbors of one of San Francisco Baptist Church's members that meet on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Three have accepted Christ since our arrival and we just had our third meeting this morning. Whenever we arrive, they are eager to hear what God has been speaking to us about and eager to pray with us as well. If you would, pray at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays (which will be the time of the group's meeting here) that this group would be truly experience the love of God and begin to grow in their faith.

There are many Filipinos whose lives have become intertwined with ours, but we've also encountered a few American men here who we're beginning to befriend. It's strange that God would bring a bunch of American kids halfway around the world to meet other Americans, but God's never been one to meet our expectations. We're hoping to show God's love to them in a new and powerful way and perhaps move them to seek His face. I'm learning, as silly as it sounds, that America is not all there is. There isn't an equivalent or even a comparison for everything America has here. It's been a challenge for our team to overcome the massive cultural barrier and be relevant in the lives of Filipinos. We've discussed and prayed as a team about finding a way to build real relationships with people and be faithful witnesses to God's grace in our lives. We are being led to serve people in somewhat more practical, physical ways in an effort to show our love for them. Please pray that God will receive the glory for the way He is moving here and that people will be undeniably confronted with His love through His body.

Leah