Thursday, July 2, 2009

June 27, 2009; Day 8: Barely Made It!

Today was our last day in Kalibo. There was only one flight out of Kalibo today, so we had to schedule our ministry game early just to get it in. We woke up and went to Jolibee at about 7:15 for our final breakfast... I don't think anyone is going to miss eating at Jolibee, that's for sure. After breakfast, we went to Barangay Tigayong. There was a little bit of water and mud on the court when we arrived, but they were beginning to get things cleaned up and ready for the game. Things got started and we held a pretty commanding lead, despite only having 5 guys who were healthy enough to play. God was so gracious to give us the strength to finish these last few days. Despite some injuries, we were thankful that we had enough people to play and complete the ministry we had set from the beginning. Elliot gave the testimony at half, and again, Pastor Perry gave the message. For 9:00 in the morning, we had a pretty good crowd and the response to the Gospel was positive. We left Pastor Perry and his congregation with our promises to pray for them as they followed up on the response cards from the last two days. We also gave them a Buhay Sports Basketball as a token of our appreciation. Since it was our last day, another fun thing that the players got to do was give away their jerseys. All week people ask us for a "remembrance," something they can remember us by. What they mean to say is: "Hey Joe, give me your jersey!" Well, since this is the last day, off they came... everyone who was lucky enough to get one was very excited. We hope that it will not just be a remembrance of the American team who visited, but of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His love for us.

Please join us in praying for Barangay Tigayong and the many people there who don't know Jesus personally, but might have had their heart opened up to Him by our basketball game or through the the ministry of Pastor Perry and his church.

After our game, we dropped Pastor Gary off at the bus station where he was catching a ride to visit his mother, then a flight home to Davao City. We then headed back to the hotel for a shower and last minute packing. We said goodbye to the workers at our hotel, and loaded up for the airport. We met Pastor Hope at the airport and gave him a love gift from the team to show our appreciation for his hard work and effort in getting the trip set up.

What a blessing it was to be a part of this trip. Despite all of the bumps in the road, it is always amazing to see God work things out in a way that only He can. Praise His Name!

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