Caranday- the hills are alive!

Well the past week has been pretty intense- good but busy.  We left Mayong last Wednesday and had three days of vacation at a beautiful beach in the northern part of the island that we're on.  Vacation was so relaxing.  We just had some good time to relax and sleep and hang out.  Friday morning we headed to our final village, Caranday, where we'll be for the next two weeks.

So far the people in Caranday have been very welcoming and receptive to our message- which is wonderful. We have two Bible studies going on there so far, and the people have been really interested in studying the Bible with us.  Another helpful thing about this village is that we have a guide with us.  She is a believer from the tribe we've been working with this summer.  She's from another village, but a lot of her family lives in this village, so it's been really great to have her.  She's been able to introduce us to most of the people in the village, and she is really excited about taking the gospel to her family.  I'm so thankful to God for blessing us with her.

As far as living conditions, we're staying with a wonderful older lady, whom we call Lola (Bicol for grandma). She's welcomed us into her home and is sharing her kitchen with us- which is a huge blessing.  It's so much easier to cook over a fire when it's at waist level and you have counter space! (Just in case you were wondering).  Another small issue with our current location... our closest water source is the river, which is a fifteen minute hike down the mountain from where we are staying.  Thankfully, the Filipinos have been wonderful to help us with getting water a lot of the time.  It's just a little less convenient than normal.  It's a beautiful area, and I love being able to hike here.

Please continue to pray for strength for our team.  We're all pretty tired, and we have a week and a half left of ministry before debrief.  So please pray for us to stay focused, but also to be able to get the rest that we need to finish the work that the Lord has for us.  Please also pray for the people to have open hearts for the gospel and for the guys on our team to be able to connect with the men here.

The Lord has been so good to us- I'm so thankful for how I've seen Him work in and through our team this summer.  He is a good God and worthy of praise.  He is worthy of all of my devotion and no sacrifice is too great for him.  I'm learning so much about being content in Him because He is my God and I love Him.  Regardless of whether or not I have a toilet seat, running water (or any water), a real bed, or familiar food.  I would rather be in the center of God's will than have all of the comforts in the world.  He is more satisfying than rich food or a clean bed.  My God is great and greatly to be praised.