MIKE MISLAN in the Philippines!

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.(1st Cor.15:58)

It's been a tough week and a problem that I thought was solved, came back, even worse than it was before.  I had been deceived, misplaced my trust, and will pay the consequences.  And sometimes it is easy to think that things are hopeless, that you are all alone, and that what ever you do doesn't matter.  But then something happened.

As I was burning the trash I saw a lady walk onto our church property.  I recognized her as an 18 year old who used to attend our church but suddenly stopped.  Her Dad had wanted her to work a job and as a result, she had missed church for a few months.  And the first words out of her mouth were "patawad mo ako" (please forgive me).  As we sat down she immediately shared how she missed the Word of God, had money but wasn't happy, and quit work so she should return to our church and take some courses in our seminary.  When I listened to her speak, I thought to myself.  Yes, it was worth it all.  I am glad I had invested in this woman.  I had taught her as a Values Ed teacher in her High School, invited her to our church youth group, she got saved and baptized, went astray, and now returned stronger than ever before!  Yes, it made my week. It showed that God did a real work in her heart and her conversion was genuine. And for me, that's what it's all about!