Samaritana

“How are you feeling?” 

It seems a bit surreal that after all of the months of praying and fundraising and preparing that the trek is actually here.  I’ve heard the same questions over and over – “Are you excited?”  “Are you prepared?”  My answer lies somewhere in between “oh my gosh what am I getting myself into,” and “I just want to get to Manila.”  Whether I am more excited or nervous, I am still looking forward to everything that God has in store for me – the heartbreak and the joy.  I am about as prepared as I’ll ever be and trusting that God has prepared me already in ways I’d never imagine.

In six weeks some part of me will be changed and at times this seems a little daunting – but its only natural.  We cannot progress without change.  And we cannot expect the world to change if we do not first change ourselves. God has been in the Philippines since the beginning and I cannot wait to be able to witness his work.

by Lindsay

Questions.  

“Are me and you okay, God?”  I come to ask that question a lot.  It has become essentially one of the central questions of my faith journey.  Crazy!  I never really understood how dangerous it could be if this is the only one of the few questions I was asking.  It is and important one, yes, but there are other important, beautiful questions to be asked as well.  “Who are you, God?”  “Can you help me to grow a better understanding of you?” “How can I integrate justice as a central piece in my life?”  “How can I actively seek joy and hope in the hard spaces and hard places of injustice?”  “How can I be confident in the authority you have given me as daughter of faith?”  “How am I being invited to press in faithfully this summer?”

It’s been a fun and hard beginning of the journey of asking different questions this summer.  The first few days of orientation have provided the space to think about the questions and I am eternally grateful.  I pray that as we start our time in Manila more questions arise that challenge every Trekker to think beyond the question of  “Are me and you okay, God?”  God, thanks for all you have done and all you will continue to do.

by Jamilla