Dear friends,
I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying this Christmas season. I am back home (in the States) until January 12 for my sister's wedding and am taking advantage of the Internet connection!
I arrived in Charlotte this last Tuesday morning and my parents and little brother, Kevin, came to pick me up. It is so nice to be home, but I do keep thinking of the people in Kensuli where I am working that I left behind. I pray they will stay true to God in our absence!
My parents are actually moving to Arkansas on Tuesday. My dad will be working at Ouachita Hils Academy. So I am happy I will get to see their new home before I head back to Palawan.
Some of you may be wondering how our project was affected by the hurricane. Thankfully, it totally missed us. We were in Puerto Princessa at the time for a Palawan-wide Adventist fellowship. We got a little wind and a lot of rain, but that's about all.
I have really been enjoying my time in Kensuli. Kensuli is a small village about a 45 minute hike across the river from Kemantian, the main mission station. There is another missionary family there in Kensuli and I am teaching their girls, ages 13 and 15, in the mornings and part of the afternoons. In the afternoons and evenings I go visiting people at their houses or I play with the children. These times are focused on language-learning. I feel like I have learned a lot of the language, but at the same time, I still can't understand many of the conversations that go on around me. I know that it will come in time though with God's blessing.
I am really thankful that I was able to start my time there in September instead of January. I feel like I have been able to develop some pretty close relationships with the ladies and kids in Kensuli already. One of the girls, who is 12 years old, told me that it's like it is sad there around my house when I am not there, but when I am there it is a happy place. I just thank God that He has blessed my house with His presence so that others can feel it there. Having experiences like that make me excited to go back. I am glad my year is not over yet!
Please continue to pray for God's work among this people group. They are so precious, but Satan wants them for himself. Pray that God's light will shine into those mountain valleys and that people will see how much God loves them. Pray that God will give them strength to overcome the many temptations that Satan throws their way. The victory belongs to God and He will triumph in the end!
P.S. Be looking for more blog posts with pictures in the near future. I am planning to post some articles that I wrote while I was there, but didn't have Internet to upload them.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
I just wanted to leave my addresses with everyone before I leave.
For letters:
Julie Glass
c/o Kent George
5305 Brooke's Point
Palawan, Philippines
For packages:
Julie Glass
c/o Kent George
Bolos Lodging House
Pangobilian,
5305 Brooke's Point
Palawan, Philippines
God bless! Keep looking upward!
~Julie
For letters:
Julie Glass
c/o Kent George
5305 Brooke's Point
Palawan, Philippines
For packages:
Julie Glass
c/o Kent George
Bolos Lodging House
Pangobilian,
5305 Brooke's Point
Palawan, Philippines
God bless! Keep looking upward!
~Julie
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Two Days Left!
Recently I got the news that my launch goal has been reached in full!
Praise God and thank-you so much to all of you who have made this dream
come true! The last few days have been a blur of activity ever since I
found out my departure date was only five days away. I am excited to be
leaving, while at the same time a little intimidated about the unknowns.
Thankfully, I have, as do all of us, a Best Friend that is flying with
me on Tuesday!
I just wanted to praise God for a couple of the things He has been doing for me while preparing to leave. This last Thursday my mom and I went to the local health department to ask about getting the typhoid vaccine. I had not gotten it yet even at this late hour - just like the procrastinator I can tend to be! Anyway, the lady went to see if they even had the vaccine. When she came back she announced, "We have one left." Wow! I can just imagine God telling His angels to save that one just for me.
Another instance I saw God working for me was with my camera. It had not been working properly and sometimes wouldn't even turn on. I was pretty sure the battery was done for so I went to the Radioshack in Bluefield, a town nearby to ask about it. The man said it could be the battery or it could be the camera itself. He didn't carry the battery I needed to test it anyway and would have to order it. I did not have time for that so I asked him if there were any other Radioshacks in the area. There were, but he said they probably didn't carry the battery either. I left the store not knowing what to do. I really needed a camera with me so that I could take pictures of my mission experience to update people with and supply AFM with photos as well.
That afternoon I went to the Radioshack in the other town near our home. The lady there checked to see if she had the battery I needed and she did! She told me it cost $40 and that she had a camera that cost the same price. "It's probably just a cheap one," I thought but I asked to see it anyway. It turned out to be just the same specs as my old camera, just a Canon instead of a Kodak. The camera had been marked down again and again until the saleslady told me, "Even I bought one of them because I couldn't resist the deal. And this was our last one." Instantly my mind flew back to the typhoid vaccine and those same words I had heard just a day before. It really seemed to me that God had saved that camera for me just as He had saved the vaccine. I drove home that evening tired after a long day, but so thankful for my God who cares about even the "small" things in life.
Be watching for more updates as I launch into the field. I'm sure they will be few and far between since I have to dictate them to my parents over the phone. But none-the-less, I hope to keep in touch at least in this small way while I am gone. Please pray for safe travels on the 10th as there will be a group of us flying out on that day. God bless!
I just wanted to praise God for a couple of the things He has been doing for me while preparing to leave. This last Thursday my mom and I went to the local health department to ask about getting the typhoid vaccine. I had not gotten it yet even at this late hour - just like the procrastinator I can tend to be! Anyway, the lady went to see if they even had the vaccine. When she came back she announced, "We have one left." Wow! I can just imagine God telling His angels to save that one just for me.
Another instance I saw God working for me was with my camera. It had not been working properly and sometimes wouldn't even turn on. I was pretty sure the battery was done for so I went to the Radioshack in Bluefield, a town nearby to ask about it. The man said it could be the battery or it could be the camera itself. He didn't carry the battery I needed to test it anyway and would have to order it. I did not have time for that so I asked him if there were any other Radioshacks in the area. There were, but he said they probably didn't carry the battery either. I left the store not knowing what to do. I really needed a camera with me so that I could take pictures of my mission experience to update people with and supply AFM with photos as well.
That afternoon I went to the Radioshack in the other town near our home. The lady there checked to see if she had the battery I needed and she did! She told me it cost $40 and that she had a camera that cost the same price. "It's probably just a cheap one," I thought but I asked to see it anyway. It turned out to be just the same specs as my old camera, just a Canon instead of a Kodak. The camera had been marked down again and again until the saleslady told me, "Even I bought one of them because I couldn't resist the deal. And this was our last one." Instantly my mind flew back to the typhoid vaccine and those same words I had heard just a day before. It really seemed to me that God had saved that camera for me just as He had saved the vaccine. I drove home that evening tired after a long day, but so thankful for my God who cares about even the "small" things in life.
Be watching for more updates as I launch into the field. I'm sure they will be few and far between since I have to dictate them to my parents over the phone. But none-the-less, I hope to keep in touch at least in this small way while I am gone. Please pray for safe travels on the 10th as there will be a group of us flying out on that day. God bless!
Monday, August 26, 2013
God Has Ways!
So much has happened in such a short time! As some of you know, I really wanted to launch for Palawan in September, but was reluctant to do so because of my sister's upcoming wedding in December. I decided to try to raise enough money so that I would be able to come back for the wedding in the middle of my SM year. So I sent out a slew of letters and let my church family know about my situation. As I was waiting to see what God would do, He started to impress me in many different ways that I should launch in September even if I wasn't assured of a way back for the wedding.
First of all, the George's (career missionaries in Palawan) were telling me how big of a help it would be if I could come in September. Then my sister told me, "Well, if they need you that much, than maybe you should just go and let us fund raise for you to come back for the wedding." A few days after Janelle told me this I was having my devotions and reading 2 Corinthians 4:4-9. It was talking about the minds of the lost being blinded to the gospel. I told God I didn't want to contribute to that blinding. The treasure of the Good News is in us earthen vessels. I didn't want to keep that amazing treasure to myself! The beautiful character of the Father is portrayed in the face of Jesus. I wanted to go and, by God's grace, let the people see Jesus in me. The hymn "I Would See Jesus" came to my mind. "We would see Jesus, our weak faith to strengthen For the last conflict, in this mortal strife." Jesus is so beautiful!
That very night, my sister Heather and I went to prayer meeting. I had sent out a note to the church telling the church members about my situation. After we sat down, the pastor turned to me and said he had a question about my note. It had sounded like I felt God strongly calling me to go overseas now, but that if I didn't get enough money to come back for the wedding, I was going to stay here anyway. He said it seemed like just the fact that they needed me so badly was enough to know that God was calling me there. Wow! I was so amazed at how strongly God had spoken to me that night through my pastor. I thanked him afterward for the advice and talked it over with my sister on the way home. When I got home, I told my parents and grandparents about the whole incident. It seemed like God was strongly leading me to step out in faith and go NOW!
Then my grandpa asked me if I had ever thought of the option of using willing people's sky miles. He said that he and grandma had some themselves that they would be willing to let me use. To make a long story short, after searching and changing dates around we finally found a ticket that they were able to afford with their miles. God knew that I wanted to do His will and He graciously granted my heart's desire.
The reality that I am leaving for Palawan in about 1 week and 1 day has slowly been setting in more and more. I know that the God who arranged things for me so wonderfully will also go with me as I work on preparing to leave and then learn to live in a different culture. Please pray that I will be able to learn quickly how to live like a Palawano so that I can relate to them and thus more effectively share the Gospel. Please also pray for the whole project as many prayers will help to foil the devil's devices. I am so thankful we serve a powerful God!
First of all, the George's (career missionaries in Palawan) were telling me how big of a help it would be if I could come in September. Then my sister told me, "Well, if they need you that much, than maybe you should just go and let us fund raise for you to come back for the wedding." A few days after Janelle told me this I was having my devotions and reading 2 Corinthians 4:4-9. It was talking about the minds of the lost being blinded to the gospel. I told God I didn't want to contribute to that blinding. The treasure of the Good News is in us earthen vessels. I didn't want to keep that amazing treasure to myself! The beautiful character of the Father is portrayed in the face of Jesus. I wanted to go and, by God's grace, let the people see Jesus in me. The hymn "I Would See Jesus" came to my mind. "We would see Jesus, our weak faith to strengthen For the last conflict, in this mortal strife." Jesus is so beautiful!
That very night, my sister Heather and I went to prayer meeting. I had sent out a note to the church telling the church members about my situation. After we sat down, the pastor turned to me and said he had a question about my note. It had sounded like I felt God strongly calling me to go overseas now, but that if I didn't get enough money to come back for the wedding, I was going to stay here anyway. He said it seemed like just the fact that they needed me so badly was enough to know that God was calling me there. Wow! I was so amazed at how strongly God had spoken to me that night through my pastor. I thanked him afterward for the advice and talked it over with my sister on the way home. When I got home, I told my parents and grandparents about the whole incident. It seemed like God was strongly leading me to step out in faith and go NOW!
Then my grandpa asked me if I had ever thought of the option of using willing people's sky miles. He said that he and grandma had some themselves that they would be willing to let me use. To make a long story short, after searching and changing dates around we finally found a ticket that they were able to afford with their miles. God knew that I wanted to do His will and He graciously granted my heart's desire.
The reality that I am leaving for Palawan in about 1 week and 1 day has slowly been setting in more and more. I know that the God who arranged things for me so wonderfully will also go with me as I work on preparing to leave and then learn to live in a different culture. Please pray that I will be able to learn quickly how to live like a Palawano so that I can relate to them and thus more effectively share the Gospel. Please also pray for the whole project as many prayers will help to foil the devil's devices. I am so thankful we serve a powerful God!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
So training is over. It went so fast! I got home Sunday evening from the Adventist Frontier Missions training for student missionaries up in Berrien Springs, MI. It is nice to be home, but I do miss all my fellow SMs. It is comforting to know that we will all be out in the field at the same time and experiencing everything together, if not physically together.
God has blessed in my fundraising for my student missionary year in Palawan. I still have about $630 dollars to raise before I reach my goal of $5000. If possible, I would like to launch in September so that the two missionary girls will have a home school teacher. I know God is in control and will provide as He sees fit.
God has been leading my family to stay in West Virginia where we have been for the last eight years. All the other job openings in other states have been closing and God has been providing wonderfully for our needs. One huge blessing is that our family was given a new car. My sister Janelle and I's car broke down about a week ago. A few days after it broke down, someone came and asked our family if we needed a car. They didn't need one of theirs' anymore. It was perfect timing! That is just one example of how God has been leading.
I am looking forward to serving God in Palawan next year. Being at training made me so eager to get over there! Hope to keep in touch!
God has blessed in my fundraising for my student missionary year in Palawan. I still have about $630 dollars to raise before I reach my goal of $5000. If possible, I would like to launch in September so that the two missionary girls will have a home school teacher. I know God is in control and will provide as He sees fit.
God has been leading my family to stay in West Virginia where we have been for the last eight years. All the other job openings in other states have been closing and God has been providing wonderfully for our needs. One huge blessing is that our family was given a new car. My sister Janelle and I's car broke down about a week ago. A few days after it broke down, someone came and asked our family if we needed a car. They didn't need one of theirs' anymore. It was perfect timing! That is just one example of how God has been leading.
I am looking forward to serving God in Palawan next year. Being at training made me so eager to get over there! Hope to keep in touch!
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