A note from Sara Melcho:

Dear Women of Grace,

Magandaga Gabi!!!  (or good evening in tagalog, the language of the Filipinos) Wow, I can’t believe it has been two months since I began my journey of looking for God in the Philippines.  The time we spent there flew, but coming back was a different story.  Readjusting is always difficult and slow for me, but this time was incomparable.  It took me a solid week to be able to fall asleep at night, switching time zones is more complicated than I thought.  There was a 12 hour difference in Manila!

There were so many experiences that impacted me, and ways I got to see other lives impacted.  We went to an international school called Faith Academy and learned about how there were many opportunities to serve there.  We also experienced quite the culture shock when we put on two different Vacation Bible Schools in Manila.  We spent many days loving on a lot of kids, some in the slums, called street kids, some at an orphanage, and some that have the opportunity to go to a center recently developed by a young couple.  We went to church, listened, laughed, swam, worshipped, ate, sang, and learned with people.  The people of the Philippines are the country’s greatest treasure.  As much as our team worked with others, helping as much as we could, I learned so much that lead me to develop those two weeks and into the summer.

It’s funny the way learning happens in life.  Going on a mission trip out of the country, I expected to face certain challenges and discover certain things.  I even talked to a friend of mine the night before about what I was concerned about facing and how I thought I’d change.  Looking back, I realize how ridiculous it was to think that.  There I was, thinking that I knew exactly how God would use me and what He would be teaching me- what was I thinking!!?  I became very aware of the BIG God I serve early on in the trip.  Over and over He kept bringing up the same thing, something I learned a long time ago, but never really put into practice:  how desperately He wants His kids to come back to him.

While in the Philippines, I read through Romans for my time with God every morning.  In the first chapter of Romans Paul does the usual, address the readers and kind of update them thing.  Except, what he wrote in verse nine surprised me for some reason.  He writes, “God knows how often I pray for you.  Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.”  Serving isn’t unfamiliar territory for me.  Good friends and teachers have always placed a great importance on serving others, and I have always valued serving.  But, for me, serving was loving people by meeting their physical and emotional needs.  It so much more!  Paul equates serving with evangelism, something my mind had never ever grasped. 

Another opportunity we had was to sit in on a micro-enterprise meeting.  There are about a dozen ladies that make up a company called woven joy.  They were given the opportunity through a small loan, to start their own business by making bracelets, key chains, and necklaces.  This not only provides for their families, but they are sending out missionaries too!  They meet to make the jewelry, but also to invest in each others’ lives.  We watched as they prayed together, had a devotional time, and were open and involved in each others’ lives.  They pray for others too, and asked if we had any prayer requests. 

This summer, God has continued to make that burden in my life.  I want to hurt for others so much that I fall apart, that I do whatever it takes, no matter how uncomfortable, to introduce them to my Best Friend. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about that hands-on with the youth group and children’s ministry through the internship and also through an intensive week of camp, called the Institute, that specifically targeted evangelism, through teaching times and reading books.

But, now’s the hard part.  I need to make it happen.  I’m struggling to discover what that means at a Christian campus.  I will continue to disciple and invest in others lives by being a Resident’s Assistant and a leader in the English Ministry in my church at school.  But, that’s not enough.  Please be praying as God is shaping me through experiences, people, and circumstances into the woman He wants me to be. 

Thank you so much for your support and your interest in what God’s doing in my life.  I will also be praying for you, that God would use you daily in incredible ways and continuously be challenging you.