Further Thoughts on True Happiness

         I guess I'll get right into it. I believe to obtain true happiness you must know that God sent His Son to die for you personally. Without that knowledge, I believe that self doubt and questions of why will not strengthen you, but will be your undoing. Without John 3:16 as an anchor for our questions in life I don't believe we can find true happiness, but having said that I believe a Christians can also struggle with questions of happiness. I know first hand that deep questioning can bring heartache, but it also brings deeper faith in God. With faith in Christ we are free(er) to question happiness. I have a growing belief that earthly goods bring a shallow happiness, and also bring on the problem of wanting more and more. My favorite Rock and Roll band The Rolling Stones wrote the song "(I can't get no) Satisfaction", and I believe that in their case it's true because they are trying to fill a void with things that only God/Christ can fill. 

         My thoughts on happiness are also inspired by a plaque that was made by A.E. Mitchell. It's the answer to the question, what is the key to happiness? The plaque has the word OTHERS disguised so that you have to figure out for yourself what it says. That's what I see in the poor here. Though they don't have earthly goods they have happiness in each other. Yes, they also don't know what it's like to have things, but my growing feelings are ones that question whether personal possessions should be held in such high esteem in our lives. It is obvious to me that these things are not necessary part of life, but they are a great enjoyment. I also want to make it clear that I also really love having things, but I want to make a concerted effort in my life not to make those things become idols. They (books, movies, and music in my case) have brought me much joy in my life, but they are not the reason for my happiness. I don't think people can find true happiness through these things because there is nothing we can impart or give back to them. Whereas, there is a give and take relationship with people that can bring us happiness. 

         Now, I understand that the majority of the poor are not happy, but I have seen a real contrast here in the Philippines between their poor and the American poor. I believe this is because the poor that I have visited with in the Philippines have been Christians with understanding that they are not "home" in this world. They realize this isn't all there is, which is the exact opposite of the poor in America. The motto "get rich of die trying" is a prevalent view for most of the unsaved poor, and I truly believe that is the exact opposite of how we as Christians are called to live. We, as Christian, are called to not be tied down by the things of this world. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says to the rich man, "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me." I think this verse applies when talking about why the Christian poor here have so much joy, while the unsaved poor back home have little hope. Christ is our hope, happiness, and joy. 

         The Edward Mote hymn "My Hope is Built" says,

         

         My hope is built on nothing less 

         than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

         I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

         but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

         On Christ the solid rock I stand,

         all other ground is sinking sand;

         all other ground is sinking sand.

This is where I believe we receive our happiness. Jesus' blood and righteousness give us our happiness, not our things. Happiness is not necessarily reserved only for the Christians who are poor. To have things can bring joy, but they need to be remembered as only things. They are not the source of our joy, the source comes from the people you share these things with. 

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We went with all the kids to Rizal recreation center on Monday and Tuesday. We had such a great time. There is so much to do there. We played ping pong, volleyball (in the rain), swam in the pool where there is a huge water slide, played basketball, badminton, chess, watched movies, and had an all around good time hanging out. I had so much fun playing with the kids at all the different games. I’m amazed at how good they are at chess. One of the kids, Ronnel, completely destroyed me. It was great to have some good competitive games though, and we had a lot of fun.

            I had to lead devotions one night. For those of you who know me well know that public speaking is not one of my favorite things, but I actually looked forward to talking in front of them. We had a little over 40 people there that I was able to talk to. I shared with everyone my Bible reading challenge that I have given to the boys, and I also challenged everyone there to start a Bible reading plan. I tried to impart how important it is to read the Bible daily because it is God’s word to us, and how it is all applicable to our lives in every situation. Joshua 1:8, Romans 15:4.

            Today, Wednesday, Toto took a few of us to visit one of the churches they built a couple of years ago. It is right on the beach, and because there was a typhoon the other day the people hadn’t eaten in three days. We brought with us about 15 boxes of food for the church to hand out to the surrounding community.

            I was amazed at the poverty of the area. The people live in mostly tiny huts made of bamboo with metal roofs. They make their living by catching fish, but because the water is crazy right now so they can’t do much of that. There were kids all around the beach digging through the sand because they were finding coins that were wasting up on the beach. Seeing the swollen bellies, contrasted by the ever-present smiles was an interesting phenomenon. Though they are dirt poor they always seem to find joy in the little things. It’s hard to explain my feelings because I want to help them so much by giving them things, but maybe they are living the right way with no attachments to earthy goods. Maybe I’m really the one that needs help. It really made me start thinking about helping the poor, and how Jesus kept that issue at the forefront of His ministry. I’m amazed at how loving the poor are. I hope and pray that I can repay their joy with even more.

The preacher of the church made lunch for us, and I’m still amazed. He was honored to have us, and he shared what little he did have with us. We had some Tuna and rice, and I also tried my first squid, which was surprisingly really good.

I can’t get over the happiness of these people. They literally had nothing. Their houses were feet away from the ocean, and in some cases the ocean was slapping up against the bamboo boards of their houses. Yet they were happy with nothing because they have EVERYTHING! They have Christ in their hearts, and their ministry by the beach is as real as any I’ve seen.

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Favorite verses

I was talking with a couple of the Sankey girls the other day, and we were having a great conversation. One of the girls asked me what my favorite Bible verse was. I immediately realized I definitely don’t just have one favorite, but I do have two that stand out more than others.

The first is Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” For obvious reasons that verse means much more to me now than it ever has. It has been such a great comfort during hard times. I love to picture God leading my path, and me actually following Him, not afraid, not weak, but strong and courageous into the unknown. But this was not the verse I told the girls about.

I told them the other verse that I hold close to my heart. John 16:33 “For I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world.” There is a quick story as to why that is so dear to me. One cold autumn night when I was at Wheaton College, I was having a hard time with just about everything in my life.  I sat down on a bench just outside Blanchard Hall. Everything seemed to be stacked against me.  I was just barely keeping my head above water in my studies. I was beginning to realize that basketball wasn’t my saving grace, and that I was just an average player on a really good team.  Never the Batman always the Robin, and I was trying to come to grips with that fact for the first time in my life. I felt as though I was at a breaking point, and I poured my heart out to the Lord in prayer. When I finished praying I didn’t feel any different, so I sat there for a few more minutes. Then I finally decided to get up and go back to my dorm room. I stood up and looked down at the bench I was sitting on, there on the backrest was a plaque imbedded into the wood. It was a simple Bible quote, “For I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world.” I was stunned. I realized what I was going through was nothing compared to what Jesus went through for me. That verse brought me so much joy, and I sat right back down and thanked God for all that He had done for me. I thanked Him for overcoming the world. It was a very special moment in my life where I truly felt God’s love for me.

So I told the girls this story, and when I was done I asked them what their favorite verses were. One immediately said Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” I smiled because for this girl it was such a perfect verse. Though I only know her a little bit she definitely has a joyful spirit that can easily be seen in all she does.

Then I asked the other girl who was there and she said Psalms 27:10. I didn’t know what that was off hand so I had to look it up, and when I read it I nearly cried. It reads, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” It's hard to imagine the pain of an orphan, but to get a glimpse of the hope the God gives as The Father is staggering.

I’m amazed at how perfect the word of the Lord is for all people and all situations.

God Bless

I’ve become somewhat accustomed to life here in the Philippines. So far we’ve had a pretty steady schedule, and that has helped out immensely. Though I wouldn’t call myself a teacher, I have learned how to connect with the kids in the classroom. They are all so full of joy it really is contagious, and it makes my job a lot more fun! In class this week we’ve gone over the B and P sounds as well as coming up with our own tongue twisters. Another thing I did this week with the kids was I offered to give anyone 1000 Pisos (about 25 dollars) that could read Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss out loud with no mistakes. The kids got so excited it was so funny. Needless to say no one was able to do it. I even made the same offer to the adults, and no one could do it. It’s so funny to see people try. They always start off like it’s going to be simple, but after a couple of lines everyone messes up.

Today we went out and did some work. I helped built a fence to keep the goats out of the garden. I had a great time using a curved machete to trim the trees that were in the way. The only bad part about it was the ants! They were everywhere, and they were definitely not thrilled to have us in their area. After we finished we played a couple games of outdoor volleyball, and it was a ton of fun. Toto used what he calls his Olympic serve, and was unstoppable.

I got my first taste of riding a motorcycle. It was an automatic so I didn’t have to worry about switching gears, but it was still fun. I’m looking forward to really learning how to ride one.

The devotions with the boys are going well. We’ve switched up the format a little bit to get them to talk more. The first thing, is now one the boys reads the next chapter in the “Measure of the Man” book and leads the discussion. It has really helped their comprehension of the material, and that’s the whole point. The other big change is now the boys speak in Tagalog almost the whole time. I’m able to understand what their saying because, I’ve read the chapter, and Jake helps interpret sometimes. I’m still able to put my imprint on the talks, but this has been much better to get them talking. Also I’ve got them all reading the New Testament now. Though I have to stay on them everyday to make sure they do it, it is so worth the investment that I have no problem staying on them.

Also, today is Michael’s birthday today. Michael is a special needs boy, who like all special needs people, is full of love and life. He is continually helping out doing choirs. He never fails to come up to and give me a hug whenever he sees me. I have a hard time not believing that he is what Jesus is talking about when he said in Mark 10:31 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

If only I could love people as they do!

God Bless

A lot has happened in the past few days, so I'll try and bring you all up to speed. I've successfully finished my first week of teaching speech class. I'm still learning how to teach these kids speech, but I really love being with them. They are hilarious, and full of smiles. Some of the Cugley kids speak ok english, and they help translate to the others who are just beginning to learn. I am getting a crash coarse in Tagalog as well. On Friday I showed them the video of The 3 Stooges teaching the alphabet. The funniest part was some of the kids acted like it was a serious lesson, and if you've seen the clip you realize how ridiculous it is. It was great seeing them really trying to learn the song.

I bought a new ping pong net for the Sankey kids, and since its been up it has been in use constantly. Some of the kids are REALLY good, so I've got to work on my skills so I can beat them. It's super hot here all the time, and needless to say by the end of two or three games I'm dripping sweat. It's been a great way to get to know the kids and their different personalities.

(Quick little story)  I come into the gym where the ping pong table is,and I see this little old Filipino playing with some of the kids. He was beating all the kids pretty bad so I decided to give it a try. After a quick warm up we started playing. I went up 5 nothing, and was super pumped. Then he smiles and switches paddle hands. I felt like I was in the Princess Bride movie. I wasn't able to score another point on him! We played to 25! He was by far the best ping pong player I've ever seen in person. It was crazy!

The Bible studies with the boys have been great.  They are starting to get more involved with the discussions, and that's huge. I've also challenged them to read the whole new testament by reading 3 chapters everyday. I told them it really only takes about 10 minutes a day. I explained how important it is to have God's word in their hearts, and how important for a Christian to know what the Bible says! Hopefully this develops into a lifelong habit in order to enhance their relationship with their real Father.

I had quite a Robinson Crusoe day today. I helped kill and slaughter a pig. Which was awesome! I learned how to skin and de-bone a pig as well as get the ribs out. It's also amazing that they use the entire pig for something. (other than the teeth, and hooves) It's really helped feed my wild side, and now I can't wait to go hunting when I get back to the states. Also today, I helped get coconuts from the trees right outside Toto's house, and proceed to cut them open and drink/eat the insides. The one thing that surprised me is that they only eat the coconut meat when its very thin and has the consistency of jelly. They say when the meat of the coconut gets thick it's too hard to eat. I couldn't believe it cause that's all I've ever eaten, and they won't eat it.

Everything has been great hear so far! Thank you all so much for your prayers! I have no doubt God has heard them and honored them. I have definitely learned to trust God in all things especially in my new surroundings. Love you all, and God bless you all!