Julia On Mission

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Hi all! I apologize for not updating you guys in a while. These past couple of weeks have been so action packed, but as my time in training comes to a close, I hope to update you all more regularly. I want you to see how God has been working!

The past several weeks have been eye-opening for me. I have never seen God work so clearly, in my own life and in the lives of the people I am ministering to. I really feel that God has "leveled me up" spiritually. My vision is clear; all I can see is God's ultimate plan for the world, to spread Himself to all nations. How does God do this? He uses people, people share Jesus with the whole world (Matthew 28!). When the Scriptures say to keep your mind on things above, we often shrug our shoulders and agree. No action or second thought is even attempted. When you are taken out of your comfort, and set into a space that ACTUALLY needs the Gospel, your vision is cleared. Why would I live any other way? Why would I build a temporary life to make myself comfortable? Why would I keep the best thing that ever happened to me just to myself? I can't, it's impossible.

During my weekend ministries, I have been blessed to become part of a church home away from home. They have poured so much more into my team than I have to them. Our deacon and his family are the most selfless people I know. Serving us physically and spiritually, they are like my Filipino mom and dad. I am grateful to them and all the other church members who care for me. I look up to them as an example, and I will write a whole blog post on these AMAZING people soon!

During this time we have really connected with the youth and kiddos. My favorite part is hearing a "Ate Julie! Ate Julie" play tag with us!" Running around with them, giving hugs, and "snailing" fistbumps. My heart is melting at the thought of having to leave them. Teaching Sunday school for the older youth has been an amazing time. These youth are so eager to learn about God. I have been teaching them how to build spiritual disciplines, sharing the gospel, and encouraging them to stay close to God. These kids do not have an easy happy going life, its very hard for them. Yet, they are really soaking in the Word of God, I pray and hope that they continue to stay fast in their walk as they grow older.

This past weekend, my team and I have been doing many cottage prayers (house visits) and Bible studies. Saturday, we walked 20 minutes into the jungle, along a dirt road that was so rough, no vehicles can drive through. Past rice fields and rubber trees with beautiful flowers. I was in awe of God's creation, staring into the scenery whilst trying not to fall into the mud. I often ask myself, "Where am I? But- where else would I be right now? HAHA. Nowhere better than right here where God has me." At the end of this dirt road was a small built church, where he preaches, and greeted us warmly. This pastor had begun this church around 2 years prior. He recognized the extreme need for a church there because of how difficult it is for the community to travel on the road. This village is poor, and the need for God’s love is evident. As we spoke with the pastor, I could see how determined this guy was. His eyes sparkled as he talked about his church and his Almighty God. A few church members came to the church to listen to some words of encouragement. Spoken by my friend Geoff and our amazing youth interpreter. Afterwards, we were able to pray for this church. Just from listening, we could see the ways God was impacting this village through this pastors faithful determination. His heart and mind were all in, completely sold on faith, and continuing to let God work, despite his discouragement. I am so thankful that we were able to encourage this pastor, learning what it means to live sacrificially and be determined to advance in faith!

My training is quickly coming to a close :( I am feeling many mixed emotions, both excitement and sadness. I love the ministry and people here, it will be so hard to say goodbye. We have a short time left until my first deployment. I am beyond ecstatic for this next opportunity, and I cannot wait to tell you about the ways God is working there!

Thank you for reading, may God bless you all, and may you seek a determined faith like the pastor I visited.

Prayer Requests:

• For my team and I to grow spiritually before our next deployment, that we may be fully ready for the work God has prepared for us.
• For the youth at my church, that they would continue to seek God and be consistent in Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.
• For the youth that attended the fellowship hosted by Nehemiah Teams. My team had 3 hours to perform songs, skits, and share the Gospel. We are expecting 200 youth to attend! 200 (UPDATE! over 400 youth attended!!) youth will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and be mobilized to share the Gospel around they world! Pray for seeds to be planted in these youth.
• The chilly weather in the mountains have been affecting our teams health, please pray for healing! No more stuffy noses and stomach aches.
• For the Philippines as a whole. There has been a recent typhoon that has hit the North part of the Philippines (Luzon). Many people are flooded out of their homes (10 feet+ of water!), lost their lives, and are absolutely devastated. I personally have many friends that live in that area. Please pray for Luzon!

With love and gratitude,
Julia

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Hi Everyone!

The past three weeks have been the most thrilling weeks I have ever lived. I am daily seeing God move in the life of my teammates, and in the community we are serving. Where do I even begin? I cannot wait to see all of you again and tell of all the amazing and crazy stories from all the places, people, and foods I have tried.

God has grown me tremendously during this training. One aspect of living in His will is learning to completely rely on Him. Some of these times have been unexpected, I am often thrown into situations where I am uncomfortable, and good thing! I have spoken in front of many churches these past three weeks... From singing multiple times on stage, being a host at a women’s conference, sharing my testimony in front of my church, teaching at house visits, and leading a youth group every Sunday. My constant prayer is, “God, I am your vessel, I am open, please use me.”

And God is answering this. I feel as if God is drilling this into my head! No matter how nervous or blank I felt, I have been able to speak clearly, with intention, and have the words to say. Every single time! Truly, God will provide, all I need is to be an open vessel.

During our weekend ministry, my sub-team of three has been working to build relationships with the youth. This weekend we saw so much progress, hearts are opening up to the Gospel. At our first weekend ministry, my team and I were asked to teach the youth about the true meaning of baptism. They were afraid if they were baptized, that they would sin again! We were able to share the truth with them, and seven youth are going to be baptized this Saturday! Praise God!

During this time, the deacon and his family have been helping my team and I lead our gatherings, house visits, and etc during our time at the church. They are the most selfless family I have ever met. Such a blessing, joy, and example of servanthood. Soon, I will share all they have taught me about leading a family in the will of God. I cannot wait to continue serving with them!

This past Saturday, my entire team of twelve attended a church thanksgiving. A Filipino church thanksgiving celebrates the anniversary of a church. This was my first time trying lechon (an entire roasted pig). Finally! I was so excited to finally try lechon after hearing about it AFTER I left the Philippines last year. It was worth the hype! Lami kayo (so delicious).

My Filipino friend, Z, challenged a few of us to eat the tongue of the pig with him. Though, he didn’t like it himself! I absolutely despised the thought of it, but I had to rise up to this challenge. So, I grabbed the head of the pig, cut off the tongue, and handed each of us a small piece. I did indeed put it into my mouth, it was a delicious smoky flavour. But as soon as I bit down, I knew it was game over. It sure did taste good, but it did not feel good. After a few minutes of deep contemplation of what I should do, I spit it out, not wanting to throw up the lechon from earlier.

My American friend had a similar reaction, and we all burst out laughing. My team has been so amazing, they love to experience new things together. We like to say we are just “hanging out” doing Kingdom work.

God has shown Himself in so many ways in just these three weeks, I cannot wait to see what He will do in this Great Adventure as this year continues!

Please be praying for my team and I to rest well in the upcoming weeks. Some have been sick for over two weeks, and others are not sleeping at night. Pray that I will continue to be steady in Christ, to continue relying on Him with my emotions of uncertainty, sadness, joy, and frustration. Be praying for the youth that will be baptized this upcoming Saturday. That they will be encouraged, putting on the full armor of God, and blessed in their obedience!

With love and gratitude,
Julia

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Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share a quick update on how things are going here.

This past week, I had the opportunity to give my testimony at a local church Bible study, and it was such an encouraging experience! I'm also team leader this week, which means keeping everyone on schedule and focused — it's been a lot of fun, and so far, everyone’s been really motivated and committed. I feel blessed to be part of a group where everyone is giving their best and working together.

As we continue our training and service, I would love for you to keep us in your prayers for boldness and courage. Some of us have been nervous, but God has been faithful. A few teammates are feeling under the weather, so please pray for their health and recovery.

Lastly, we prayed for a local woman who is seriously ill. Please keep her and her family, especially her two children, in your prayers as she seeks treatment.

Thank you for your ongoing support — it means so much! Stay tuned for more updates.

With love and gratitude,
Julia

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This past week has been a whirlwind of blessings. The moment I met my teammates in the airport, it is like we have been family and dear friends. We have already experienced so many adventures together! The bond we have is God given. I thank Him everyday for it.

So far, we have spent time in communities where we were divided into 4 ministry teams and assigned to a local church.

On Friday, we started our weekend by attending a joint youth fellowship where we met youth and the pastor from each of our local churches. After an evening of games & worship we spent Saturday getting to know our new friends, attending home Bible studies and learning lots of new Cebuano vocabulary!

Sunday, we worshipped with our church families, singing music and sharing testimonies. I also began leading our older youth “Sunday school” class.

Over this past week, I can already feel my spirit grow closer & closer to God. This time spent daily diving into God's word, having the time to be still before God, and gathering with believers has made an incredible impact on my life already. I cannot wait to see how God will grow me & my teammates during our training.

Praise God... the adventure continues!
Julia

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Our team has arrived in Davao! We're settling in and focusing on getting acquainted with our surroundings. Everyone is doing well, and looking forward to the opportunities ahead. We're excited to share more updates soon!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

God Bless!,
Julia

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Yesterday was an incredibly special day. I had the joy of witnessing my brother and friends publicly declare their faith through baptism. It was a powerful moment, seeing them take this step in their spiritual journey.

Adding to the joy, I was commissioned by my church family, marking the beginning of my mission. I am deeply grateful to my church for the unwavering support they've shown me. The prayers, words of encouragement, and generous financial contributions have been overwhelming. Knowing so many people stand behind me and the mission to spread the Gospel is truly humbling.

To my church family, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support means everything to me. As I begin this part of the journey, I am filled with excitement and anticipation for all that God has in store. I can't wait to see what this year will bring!

God bless,
Julia

Happy to report my flights have been officially decided! After months of preparation, fundraising, team calls, and emails, this opportunity is turning into a reality! As I write this, I am two weeks away from departure on Wednesday, August 28th. This travel will take three days, landing in my final location, Davao, Philippines the following Sunday. Though I have done this length of a trip to and from the Philippines, I am still nervous. Thankfully, I will be meeting up with some of my fellow American teammates in California before flying overseas together!

As my departure date gets closer, I am often reflecting on the goodness of God in the opportunities He provides. I feel such gratitude as this journey comes to life. My teammates and I are stepping into an opportunity God has provided to serve, learn, and grow together in ways that will impact the lives we encounter with the Gospel of Jesus. Leading up to my departure, I am beginning to lean into God more and more. Experiencing the feelings of uncertainty, bittersweetness of leaving, and blurry excitement for the months of training ahead. Slowly learning to let God handle all the big feelings before I begin this journey.

As the departure date grows closer, I ask that you pray for my teammates. That all the final preparations will go smoothly and be completed in time. As well as peace and safety during our travels. This is going to be a crazy two weeks!

Thank you so much for your support and prayers, your partnership and prayers are making this possible.

Stay tuned for updates as I begin training in the Philippines!

God bless,
Julia