Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone for being apart of this trip. Even though you won't be in Boracay with me physically, you will be there in my thoughts and prayers!

First, thanks to those of you who contributed financially to this trip. I know a trip like this wouldn't be possible without all the generous people in my life. So many people were generous during the Holiday season when funds were tight. 

Thank you for your prayers. It is prayers from friends and family that brought in the funds, made things fall so perfectly into place, and took the fear out of traveling to a foreign place all by myself. And I ask that you all continue to pray for me and for the missionaries and people of Boracay Island. 

Finally, thanks for reading. It is nice to know that people actually read this so I don't feel like I am writing to no one! And I would love to hear from everyone while I am gone. So contact me here, or my email at jnething57@juno.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So much to do, so little time!

20 days and counting......down!

I can't believe how fast time has gone by. Before you know it I will be on a plane, beginning my long journey to the Philippines.

I freaked out a little today as I thought about all the things I have to do before I go. I'm a list person.......

•  I found somebody to take over my rent, so I have to pack up all my things and move it into storage before I leave. Ahhhhhhhh I hate moving!
  
• I'm going to type out my testimonial to share with people while I'm on the island. There will actually be three high school youth groups visiting the island while I'm there. They are visiting from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Taejon, Korea. I've been asked to share my walk with Christ with these groups in a unique way! (Maybe when I'm done I will post it on here.)
• I need to prepare Bible lessons for kids (I already know what I want to teach, but I need to get more organized!)
• I need to find a really good Bible study book and pick out some studies to share with some of the adults on the island.
• I studied Health and Exercise Science, so I want to teach the kids some good games to keep them physically active. So I need to go through the rolodex in my head to bring up some games I learned while working with elementary kids here in Fort Collins!
• I want to buy a nice camera with my tax return so I can come home with amazing pictures of my trip. I will be able to blow up some high quality pictures and hopefully get many of you copies to display in your homes! So I will have to go camera shopping, oh, and learn how to use the dang thing too!
• Most importantly, pack for the trip. What to bring?

The sticky thing about there only being 20 days left is........ Valentine's week. We do 5 days of Valentine's at the Melting Pot. So, work work work until I leave! Hopefully my parents will be coming the last few days before I leave. If that is the case, both their birthdays' are the 17th and a little celebration is called for. My pa turns 50, that's a big one!!!!! Not too mention, there are soooo many people I would like to spend some time with before I am off. What if I decide not to come back ;-)

I pray I can use what little remaining time I have very wisely! My only hope is I won't get stressed out, because stress just takes up too much time!!!!!

Trip details....

I fly out of Denver on February 18th. I have layovers in San Francisco and Seoul, South Korea before I reach Manila. From Manila I will have to book another flight on a small airplane to Boracay Island. I arrive in Manila late February 19th, so I probably won't actually arrive on Boracay until the 20th!

I will leave from Boracay early April 15th to catch a flight from Manila, to Seoul, to LA, and finally back home to Colorado!

There are so many ways in which I will be serving while I am on the island. I will be involved in feeding hundreds of mal-nourished children, while sharing the Gospel and the love of Jesus with them. I will have a chance to lead Bible studies with the local people. English is spoken in the Philippines!!!

I will also help to build a three-level multi-functional ministry center. The ministry center will be used as a Bible school, Christian school, church and medical clinic. The missionaries and believers on Boracay say there is a great need for a ministry center like this.

Boracay is a tropical island paradise with white sand beaches, so I am also excited about the opportunity to spend some time in awe of God's creation, but more importantly, I will have a chance to serve God in unique ways that I have not experienced before. This will be a new and unusual culture for me.

En Gedi?

So, why is my blog called En Gedi? What is En Gedi? What does this have to do with my mission trip to Boracay? I hope I can answer all these questions without confusing a single person, including myself!

En Gedi is a major oasis with lush gardens and Israel's one and only naturally-occurring waterfall. It is on the west coast of the Dead Sea. But, there is more meaning to En Gedi than just a physical place. So read on......

The first time I heard of En Gedi I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. He mentions it in his sermon on Song of Songs.

 "My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi." 1:14

In this context he is talking about his lover and how being with her is like being in a place of perfection, serenity, surrounded by walls of safety. 

After this sermon, I have heard it a few times throughout the Bible, and each time it reaches out and grabs me. To me, it is a place to escape to be in the Secret Place in prayer with the Lord sitting and enjoying His perfect scenery.

In 1Samual 23:29-24:1 En Gedi is mentioned when David sought refuge while being pursued by Saul. 

"And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi. After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, 'David is in the Desert of En Gedi.'"

It was a place where David felt safe and in the protection of God. That's what prayer time with God should be like for us. When we are spending time with God we are safe and protected from Satan's evil. Satan can't touch us when we are in prayer with God. 

Boracay will be the ultimate En Gedi for me. It will be a place of refuge, a place for me to get away from all the distractions in my life, and to grow closer to the Lord. It will be a place where I can spend many hours protected by His armor, knowing that nothing can knock me down. I don't have to travel half way across the World to reach my En Gedi, but what an amazing place to bask in God's glory! 

Friends and family...... I can't wait!