Hey guys. I am next level excited for today today is going to be a very unusual post guys.
So we are on our way to lapu-lapu, and this here is Paola if you guys were reading yesterday you would have seen that we met Paola in a coffee shop. And So Paola recognized us from a post or two we got to talking, and she’s actually from the United States she lives in Miami, and she’s doing missionary work out here in Cebu. So today we’ll be joining her kind of getting an idea of what it is that she would do on a daily basis, and check out what y WAM is doing here in Cebu City we just had a meeting at the McDonald’s right behind us there’s probably about 35 why when leaders.
And So they’re all here on different mission trips everyone is here for the same purpose to bring light into these people’s lives hello. So we’re now entering the. I don’t wanna use word slum.
Because that’s such a negative connotation to it. But we’re essentially entering a very very poor area where a lot of people call home will be going door to door, and actually giving people a Bible which has been translated into the Visayan dialect as well as a fishing net. And So the fishing net is.
Because a lot of these homes are actually above the water you’ll be seeing it for yourself in just a second here hello a sec it rains really heavily today. So it’s quite muddy your wife. I see.
So these are the boards we were told about this is where we’re going to go above the water you got to be careful they’re not very strong here definitely not strong you can hear them cracking. I what treachery Chucho on hole down there hello how are you what’s your name light. I’m Christian yes nice to meet you.
So guys this is the kind of area that a lot of the missions work is going on, and some of the most depressed areas hello. So we actually have a translator with us. Because in the poorer areas in the Philippines there’s a tendency for them not to know any English or very little of it at least for someone my weight.
But you probably wanted to heavier people to come through here. I have to be extra careful. So this is why we’re giving them fishing nets, and string.
So they can fish out of here guys this is one of their food sources. So after coming across these little platforms this looks to be their church this is the songs young New Life Church don’t we drove over the bridge go out to mock town. I recognize this housing er.
I actually filmed it when we came across last time below the hole this is the born-again Bible for invitin says you know it was a bodega new way to get the names, and houses. So we could consolidate for discipleship this is for the discipleship class this one you all if you saya discipleship track wait Jen you want to show me those Nets. So this is what we’re heading out this is a fish net evangelism fish net evangelism okay we’re gonna go knock on one or two doors unfortunately.
THE SLUMS OF CEBU CITY MIRACLES IN MACTAN Photo Gallery
We’ve started quite late we are waiting for a translator, and a lot of the times gone by. But we’re going to fill an open air performance or something like that essentially we’re going to invite a bunch of people to the basketball court to check out a service that will be held by some of the pastor’s what song are you singing what song are you singing Justin Bieber right Justin Bieber the girls got Lysa singing love yourself by Justin Bieber people are giving us the biggest smiles as we come through here hey mr. kitty they got a pool table, I’ll set up this is pretty innovative.
So they’ve hollowed out a basketball, and that’s their well down there. So they lower the basketball, and pull up water you know a lot of people think slum, and they think like just total poverty. But you know they do have a lot of things that we have to they’ve got.
I mean. I see people reading TV. I just let someone reading Fargo people are playing post game.
So we actually just went inside someone’s house right now, and with the translation of pastor Paulo was actually praying for one of the ladies here who has had a lot of head pain, and arthritis throughout her body let’s go yeah let’s go guys run. So guys this is the event of why wham is throwing. So we went door-to-door, and basically a bunch of kids who followed us over here.
I in Canada my camera battery died. But guys. I can show you everything with my iPhone this is what why windows.
So this is not your comfortable Western Christianity where you come sit up church for an hour, and then go home while AM is actively out there trying to show people Jesus teach them that he loves them while AM is giving. So many people the opportunity to turn away from the evil in their life. I mean especially in impoverished places like the Philippines in these slum areas.
So many people turn to things like witchcraft witchcraft is very rampant in these areas. Because they’re simply. So oppressed one of the leaders here Sean actually showed me a necklace that was sold to some of the people here, and the necklace said if you wear this you will not go to hell.
And I was being sold through their Catholic Church people are so misled here they think that by spending fifty pesos on a necklace they have the ticket to heaven. And So why Wham gives these people an opportunity to get to know Jesus on a one-on-one level to offer up healing, and this may sound totally crazy to you guys.
But there is literally miracles that happen here with ym they actually come in they heal people people who cannot see begin to see people who can die here begin to hear there are 50 year olds there are 13 year olds, and there are 80 year olds coming, and asking for healing. Because there are so many people here that know that they have something missing in them, and that’s what God offers them that’s what Jesus came, and died on the cross for was for healing.
I grew up in a Christian background my family is Christian but. I’ve never been in this kind of environment this is true missionary work people going out of their comfort zones people are in a slum halfway across the world sharing the gospel quite an amazing experience to be here there’s still tons of people be afraid for you. So the group here will actually be doing this every day for the next seven days they’ll be going through different communities every day, and basically spending two-three hours going door knocking, and gathering as big of a crowd as they possibly can telling them to meet at a local meeting point in this case it was a basketball court it’s especially important in communities like this one these areas are filled with drug trafficking child trafficking where we going Paola the baptism alright.
So right now we are off to check out the baptism, and the tide is out. So we can actually walk down here which is nice. But you can see guys that this is not clean water these rocks look like they’re staying with oil all sorts of pollutants it is not clean here kind of beautiful on its own way.
So over there Cebu City, and this is mock time this is actually where we stayed we stayed on the opposite side of Mactan. But this is the big bridge we took to cross to get into Cebu City just down there guys they are having the baptism Shawn how many people do we baptize we go picking six rid of it six or seven Wow we are just leaving now such an amazing day doing them. I know our key bugs guys this is Sean, and Sean is here with why Wham hey guys.
I do. I want to give Sean a second to kind of explain what he’s doing with ym what is why women, and how did he get involved absolutely yeah. So I’m with why wham why William is a missionary organization called youth with the mission what we do is we train up youth, and other people who want to learn about the Lord, and who he is, and what it means to be discipled, and actually be missionaries, and we send them out to different nations when we go to the nations we raise them up, and how to be discipled there’s a lot of unreached people groups, and we go out, and we talk to them, and we let them know value Jesus’s, and we bring them into the church we disciple them for a couple months, and then we go to another country, and we do the same thing again there, and it’s happening all over the world we have something like.
I think it’s like 1200 why we have vases around world the other week. I prayed for somebody who was blind, and they were able to see out of their eye. I prayed for somebody who was in a wheelchair for four years.
Because they couldn’t walk. Because their feet were crooked, and their feet aligned, and we’re just seeing the power of the Lord really break out in this place, and we’re right now we’re in Philippines. But it’s happening all over the all over the world that’s in a nutshell what we’re doing we’re teaching them really quick how to be disciples how to live the way Jesus lived, and then how to teach people that.
So it’s not we’re just coming in, and just letting them learn, and experience who God is. But we’re training them up, and how to keep it going, and then how to disciple people as well what made you want to get involved by Wham yeah. So for me.
I’ve never understood what missions was. I’ve grown up in the church my entire life but I didn’t have a passion for the Lord, and when.
I really truly met God he said that Sean. I’m supposed to be Lord of all you’ve been using me as just a tag-along buddy if he’s not Lord of all he’s not Lord at all. And I said God.
I want you to be everything to me. I want to live my life fully for you, and he said um as. I got.
I’ve been living for 23 years. I’m 24 now been living 23 years for myself. I want to live the rest of my life for you.
I want to give you everything. I have. And Because of that he said.
I want you to go out to the nations. I want you to show them my glory. I want you to tell them about Who.
I am how. I’ve affected you, and it’s not necessarily preaching religion. Because that’s not what it is Christianity is never supposed to be a religion it’s supposed to be a relationship with the Lord that’s why.
I got dot that’s why Jesus had to come. Because he created everything. But as creation we ran away from him.
So Jesus had to come, and die for us, and when he died for us he he bridged that gap between God, and man. So now we believed in Jesus if we believe that he is Lord, and then he, and we confess with our mouth that he is Lord we believe in our hearts that he is that he’s risen, and died for us, and it says we’ll have eternal life that will believe in him, and that means giving your light it’s not just a list of rules that you have to follow it how to love that a conviction. Because he died for us it’s a love that demands a response he gave everything up for us, and he says will you give everything up for me, and that’s what changed my heart after getting that heart revelation.
So that’s why. I gave my life to being a missionary for the rest of my life it’s. Because I want people to encounter the Living true God.
Because it gives you a purpose in life when you know that you’re living your life for something greater than just yourself all right guys we’re back. I charge my phone, and we’re right outside of the restaurant we just ate it up amazing meeting all the while, and team, and Shawn in particular guys Shawn was telling me the story of how he got into ym, and essentially he had no money he had no idea how he was going to do it he had sold his car, and just broke even on his down payment he had like $50 to his name, and God just spoke to him basically with the first two hundred dollars coming from a friend without any questions asked his friend said no sooner dollars, and with them without money Shawn bought a ticket to Kansas City, and that’s how we started with why web all the whywe leaders here are funding themselves as they travel on their trips not too sure where the next money will come from. But just knowing that what they’re doing is following with the Lord’s calling, and you guys have given eleven hundred dollars to us to decide where to donate.
And I think that two hundred of US dollars should go to Sean guys. I think that he is doing amazing things for the Lord. And I know that at least five hundred dollars came from Christian donors.
So I’m sure you guys will have no problem with two hundred ollars going right to Sean who is spreading the word of God here in the field dude thanks like really yeah yeah so much to you guys thank you guys yeah thank you guys my gosh now it’s awesome yeah. So I saw Sean in action today, and he is having a tremendous impact in the community here guys never saying goodbye to Paola he met her in a coffee shop yesterday amazing day.
We’ve been back at her hotel room for about 5-6 hours. We’ve just been doing editing. I have edited like three photos finished a blog, and commented back on my blog which takes a lot of time.
Because you guys are amazing. I want to do a quick recap of what happened today simply. Because I didn’t do an amazing job blogging today.
I didn’t want to film everything. I didn’t want to have camera stuck in people’s faces as they’re being prayed for. But just to give you a quick idea of what our day look like the leaders we were with prayed for these people in the homes they asked if they had anything wrong with them it could be a sore back it could be a paralyzed arm or something like that.
I actually saw a guy who couldn’t move his arm. And So they would actually come, and pray for these people, and this may sound totally strange to you in foreign. Because even to me as a Christian.
I grew up in a Christian background the idea of miracles is just such a distant idea from North America. I mean you hear about the idea of a miracle. But it seems impossible if you talk to people who do missions work they see it on an almost daily basis they see things like people’s vision being restored they see people’s back pain arthritis just disappearing when the whywe time employees go, and pray for someone who has not been able to stand in years, and they actually have someone who’s fully committed fully willing to believe that God could help them miracles happen in those moments.
I’ve talked to multiple missionaries, and in different places in the world, and they tell me stories of people seriously guys not being able to see out of any of their eyes, and then all of a sudden just like that after two-three prayers within five minutes of praying for this person all of a sudden their vision errs are stored, and these people have their lives entirely changed through. And So that’s just a small piece of what ym is doing miracles are amazing, and there’s so much great stuff going on.
But the truth is if you’re a Christian, and you believe in what God is saying, and doing then the true gift is not being able to see again the true gift is knowing what God did for them, and that’s died on the cross for them, and it’s through knowing that, and committing their lives to Jesus, and to God that they are able to live, and go to heaven that is the real gift that Y WAM is offering these people today seven people were baptized, and for those who don’t know baptism is where you actually go out to the water, and you submerge yourself are you being submerged by the pastor or the person who’s praying over you, and it’s a symbolism of committing your life to God it’s not like a magical healing power it’s just it’s all symbolism. But it’s a sign that you’re committing yourself to God, and you’re willing to repent of your sins. And So that happens to seven people today which that’s extraordinary thing guys like not only did some people get baptized.
But seeds were planted in dozens of people dozens of people at least have their minds thinking about what happened today, and who knows maybe they will come to be baptized or maybe they will get involved at the local church you really can’t measure the impact of what happened today. But it’s one of those things where they are training people. So that they can be disciples.
So that they can go, and create their own churches, and that they can go, and help people in their own community. Because there’s so much brokenness here in Cebu here in the Philippines, and here in the world truly.
But one of the things. I did not show you guys, and it’s one of the things that only was told to us through the pastors, and the people who work with why web you see Cebu in depth than they’ve seen its roughest of rough area Cebu is an area that really struggles with oppression those poor slums we were in they are just completely rampant with drug trafficking human trafficking there’s tons of pedophiles who actually travel all the way to the Philippines for these young children. And So that’s a very real part of life for these poor areas, and what ym is doing is they’re coming, and saying to these people who from a young age have been sexually abused, and basically made to feel like they’re nothing, and come, and give them hope, and they share the relationship of God with them the hope that y1 brings to these kids is so much greater than you can even imagine. Because some of these people are just in the most empty place in life it was an absolutely amazing day, and to think it all happened just by having met someone in a coffee shop yesterday Paola thank you so much for having the courage to come, and talk to us there’s no fear she’s willing to tell anyone about God even our cab driver like anyone who comes across or she is a woman on a mission, and she’s doing it.
So well that is the end of the blog for tonight guys a bit of an unusual one. But a great one. And I’m curious what you guys think feel free to comment below.
I know everyone has our pinions on the subject. And I would like to hear what you guys think about this. Because it’s a lot to digest if you’re not a Christian, and even if you are a Christian some of the things that you may have seen today are totally foreign even for me.
I mean. I have heard about missions my whole life. But never before did.
I actually know what that looked like. So to have seen it today firsthand was incredible, and again. I’m.
So blessed to have had that experience have a good night, and let’s get lost again tomorrow. I need some of your guys’s help. So I know everyone has skills.
And I need people who have skills in web design. I need people who are designers the first thing. I want to make a new fan.
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