Time to find rest in God's shelter says Jen!

Before I came to the Philippines God told me that I would have an 'appointment' with him here. I felt I would learn something of the power of his love. The unconditional outpouring of love that continues in the Kanlungan work has demonstrated this again and again and the powerful transforming consequences in the children's lives.
God wraps the children in a wonderful 'duvet' of love as they arrive and holds them for however long it takes, till they are ready to engage with the wonderful workers as they support them and help them in the healing process that God has started.

My first 'appointment' was the day we took them all to this lovely outdoor swimming pool complex. There was a warm pool attached to hotsprings that I decided towards the end of our time to take a dip in. There was a young man of about 18/19 there with his parents who had had a stroke. I said to Mela that maybe I could support him in the water. She spoke to the parents and told them I was a physio. They hesitated and I held back feeling I didn't want to pushy, as it was only that I could see they were struggling. She told me they thought I would want money, but when they knew that wasn't so they smiled and I just gently helped him stand, sit, relax. He could understand but couldn't speak. He was in the navy and had been attacked by a toxic substance that had obviously hurt his central nervous system somehow. he sttled with me and smiled a lot. As I shook hands to go, Mary and mela said, shall we pray and then Mela asked if we could pray with the family. This we did, I felt so empassioned as I prayed for him for his healing, his smile turned to tears, then I knew I just had to tell him how much Jesus loved him, and then it was over and we left them there. They had brought him out of hospital for the day to see if the spinngs would heal him and instead he met Jesus!!! Thank you Lord, what a blessing for me too.

The 'appointment' we said we needed prayer for was the detention centre visit. It went well as Mark has written. Leta and Mela and myself were able to pray individually for about 10 of the boys. Some shared, they are fearful, they want to be with family and wanted to pray for their family members, many not being visited by anyone! They are so lovely, so vulnerable, so scared. Just imagine how you feel sometimes standing before someone in the prayer team who wants to pray for you. You quietly step out and share what you want prayer for because it is precious or fearful for you and then the Holy Spirit comes, and light penetrates the darkness. We prayed and then we left all the burdens with GOd, theirs and ours. One boy had been there for 4 years and still not come to trial, several of them for a year already. Such a privelege to do what we were allowed to do.

God was so gracious, he led us and held us in that dark place, otherwise it would have been so hard to go back. I trust that God has penetrated the darkness as we prayed- light over darkness-may the darkness flee in Jesus' name. Sol's team are going to begin to do more there. This is fantastic. Pray for the system that rules it to be cracked, broken and changed in Jesus' name.
Thanks for your comments. I was so pleased to hear that Kate (my daughter) went with Fred to the funeral, I was worried about him going alone, so that was an answer to prayer. This is my last blog and along enough one too I hear you say! Looking forward to coming home! Love to you all
Jen