Still jet lagging, Tara and I were talking around 3:00 a.m. this morning and she mentioned something that was priceless while on outreach… She said she loved the fact that all three of our kids, even 3-year old Regan, would toodle through their day singing praise songs like “Waves of Mercy,” that Tanner one day took the shirt off of his back to give to a boy who didn’t have anything but a rag on his back, and that Keaton ministered mightily to our dear Alna Grace just by being his wonderful self. That truly is something that you can’t purchase with money, but you sure can obtain through sacrifice and prayer. We also didn’t realize that we would be the parents of “Barbie” while we were in the Philippines, but that was Regan’s moniker in most of the communities.
One of the things I jotted down while we were in the Philippines were a couple of top ten lists. For example, here are ten things you cannot take for granted on outreach:
10. Your food preferences (including that a hot meal will actually be hot or that something that is normally cold will be cold)
9. Soap
8. A bed
7. Potable water
6. Safety
5. ATMs
4. A shower (let alone warm or hot water) and any way to clean clothes other than by hand
3. Toilet paper (In the Philippines, when there are bathrooms (what they call comfort rooms or CRs), they never have toilet paper. We aren’t sure we understand what the Filipinos do….)
2. Transportation
1. Intestinal regularity, whether going too much or too little… (too little for over a week is a very bad thing for a big guy!)
And here are things you might not realize you need for outreach:
10. Baby wipes
9. Laxatives/fiber
8. Mosquito nets
7. Clothes that will dry quickly after hand washing
6. Toilet paper
5. Salt
4. Peanut Butter
3. Culturally appropriate clothing
2. Bibles in the local language
1. A good brush for feet washing and for clothes washing
We can’t believe we are about to return to Arkansas. Because God rented our house for the entire time that we were gone (click on the link to see the story) in spite of the fact that we were trying to sell it, we have a house to return to, but we have no idea for how long we will be able to keep the house absent God’s provision. And, we have no idea what we are going to do next. We are wide open and are willing to go or do whatever God desires of us. If God lays anything on your heart for us, let us know! We are still praying for clear direction on our next steps and cannot wait to see what He will reveal!