The Purchase

I did it. I bought my ticket. Even as I sat there searching through all the possible combinations of flights, I knew God had already told me the dates and details. I made what probably seemed like a million phone calls to my parents at the worst possible times (like when they were in a meeting, out with friends, driving in school zones, taking a nap, working, etc.), each one ending with, "Raymi, we trust you. Go ahead." I called travel agencies, used Orbitz, texted friends, and finally ended with the cheapest price for the days I want to travel using Cathay Pacific.

My itinerary will be a little bit interesting to navigate solo, but I know Jesus is my Travel Buddy. :-)

I leave June 29th at 9:40pm. I arrive in San Francisco at 11:10pm. I leave for Hong Kong at 1:20am. I arrive in Hong Kong at 6:25am. I leave Hong Kong at 8:00am. I arrive in Manila on July 1 at 9:55am. On February 4th, God promised me a good gift in July. I wonder if my arrival there is that gift.

I will do all of this in reverse on December 21. I'm coming home for Christmas and will return to the Philippines shortly afterwards. I don't have to make those plans right now, though!! :-)

This all just seems so surreal. I am walking in my destiny! I am walking into being a full time missionary! I have wanted to do this since I was 14! My plan was to go as soon as I graduated High School. Here I am, only 6 years after high school, 10 years after the call was placed in my heart, with more experience than I thought possible, going to a place that exceeds my expectations! I am soooooo excited!!! But I am also in shock and awe. When you make Jesus the Boss and then obey, you get more than you bargained for, that's for sure! God is soooo good, so faithful! He truly causes all of His words to come to pass.

And He is the One who answers prayers. So, as I pray to finish well, tutoring at 7:15am tomorrow will have its dividends as well!

Oh, here is the organization's website: http://www.iflintl.com/ifl_new7-8-05_001.htm.

Here are links to other people's blogs who have visited IFL:

http://mikoacosta.multiply.com/photos/album/55/Institute_of_Foundational_Learning_Cabuyao_Laguna

http://www.prescriptionformercy.com/updates/index.html

The Waiting Room

There are such mixed emotions while in the waiting room. There is an excitement and anticipation of the results, but so many questions that arise while waiting.

How do I carry myself here?

What tasks do I put my hands to?

There is not a whole lot to do except pray. And praying is what I am doing.

I am praying for the right time to tell my students what I am doing.

I am praying about how long I will be gone for.

I am praying about buying my plane ticket. Do I get a one way ticket? Do I plan on coming home at Christmas or Thanksgiving or at all? What day do I leave? What airline do I go with? How soon do I need to have this figured out?

I am praying about what to do with my stuff. I have a car that is paid off. What do I do with it now that I won't need it? Do I sell it, give it away, loan it out, store it?

What do I do with my furniture? Will I ever need it stateside again?

Is this for a season or forever?

What things do I need to buy to be ready? What do I need to pack? What do I need to get rid of and how?

Most of these questions do not need answers right now, I know. But they do need answers within the next few weeks. My weekly schedule is so demanding that I feel the need to make plans so things will actually happen.

I hope to meet with Gateway's Global Ministries department sometime soon and get some wisdom from them in how to walk down this road.

On a more exciting note... I bought a raincoat, hiking sandals, and a waterbottle for my trip! :-) REI is an amazing store! I could have spent so much more time (and money) there!

The Call

On January 2, 2010, my mom called me to tell me that if God opened an up opportunity for me to go somewhere this year to actually go. She told me not to go to grad school (which had been my plan for this year), that I didn't have to teach anymore, to stop pursuing the American Dream, to take advantage of being young, without a family, and "free." I was in the middle of Wal-Mart when I felt my heart change. You see, my mom has ALWAYS asked, "Raymi, there are so many people here in the states that need your help. Why do you have to go overseas to help people?" I have always responded with, "Yes, there are people here, but I am not called to them."

I was not looking for a missions opportunity for this year. But, unbeknownst to my mom, God was setting one up for me. The very next morning, I met with some friends to catch up after having not seen them for a few weeks. Heidi Young (her family hosts the Thursday night worship group I help facilitate) shared that her family was planning a trip to the Philippines. As she shared all that the trip would entail and invited people to join her, I began to weep Holy Spirit tears. All that she shared is what God has been building into my heart since I met Him at age 13. Heidi shared that the organization in the Philippines, Institute for Foundational Learning, is a school supported by agriculture and that it has a feeding program for orphans and children in slums. Heidi and her family were planning on going for two weeks and leaving June 26th.

I took the week to pray over the opportunity of going even for just two weeks. That Thursday, January 7th, I went to Heidi's house for worship and looked up more information about the Institute of Foundational Learning (IFL). I saw on their website that they were praying for teachers to come make 1-2 year commitments and that Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL) was a benefit, but not a requirement. When I went to Argentina two summers ago, I learned how to Teach Students of Foreign Languages (TEFL), which is basically the exact same thing. In seeing this on the website, I got really excited and knew God was calling me to sign up.

God had already set up for me to be free to take the opportunity. I bought a car last March and have been diligently paying off that debt in HUGE sums each month. I also started seeing a chiropractor last year- another huge expense. At Christmas, my grandma knew my financial state...I was able to pay for everything, but hated owing money. So, she and my grandpa gave me a financial gift that, combined with one more paycheck, allowed me to be debt free! :-)

Besides being debt free, my current job ends June 5th, my apartment lease is up June 13th, and the trip was planned to leave June 26th. I was praying about where I would live for two weeks when my parents said that those two weeks would be the family vacation. They had planned this vacation time last year, before I considered going anywhere. God has a great plan! :-)

So... Thursday night, after worship, I went home and was writing a letter while listening to the House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOP) through their webcast. Wes Hall asked people who were called to the mission field to raise their hands. The presence of God wooshed into my room. I put the letter aside and joined the internet service. The people started singing and praying for people to go to the nations, especially unreached people groups. Every word they sang and prayed was a reflection of my heart. I took my laptop into the bathroom, turned up the volume, and sang and wept along. It was such a powerful moment for me! They sang such specifics as, "Will you tarry with the Lord for an hour?" I was up past my bedtime for an hour as this went on. "You do not need to worry. God knows the plans He has for you." I worry very easily. I have a blanket with Jeremiah 29:11 (God knows the plans He has...) stitched into that I use every day. Then, after praying/ singing/ crying for an hour with me saying, "Yes, God, I will go. I will answer this call. Send me!" I had a question in my heart about my back being healed. IHOP immediately prayed for "spines to straighten" and my back popped in two places. My back still needs more healing, but it was as if God was saying, "Don't worry about that. I'll take care of that, too." Again, it was amazing!

I applied to join IFL, was accepted, and can't wait to get there!!!! I signed up for one year, but do not be surprised if I stay longer. Heidi and her family have since decided that they are not going to go. So, I am going alone to join an amazing organization. I am so glad they were a connecting point for my destiny!

I will be teaching English to remedial students. I will live in a dorm type setting, sharing a room with a teacher from the Philippines. I will have meals provided for me from the garden- I will not need to cook. I will hopefully get to work in the slums, the garden, and help with the medical outreach part of the mission. I also will work with Jesus Revolution.

There is a 10 hour difference. The plane trip is 23 hours. I will get to navigate the foreign world with just Jesus. It's a good thing He has the whole world in His hands! I will have Skype (raymijoy is my name there) and continue with facebook updates, as well as updates here. At this point, I don't think I will be raising support (but I won't turn away what God puts on people's hearts). Since I am debt free now, I will be able to save quite a bit to live off of before I go.

I am raising prayer support, though. I need all the prayer I can get!!!! Please pray for the details of everything to go smoothly, including when I am to go now that Heidi's family is not going. Also, please pray for my relationship with God to go even deeper as I prepare to leave.

I'll add more later. It's past my bedtime. :-)

Blessings, friends and family.

~Raymi