Hello friends!
I am sorry it has been so long since I've last written to you. I found that it was really complicated to send out newsletters with the limited WiFi that I had in my last month and a half in the Philippines, and my schedule got busier and busier as time went along. But I wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten about you and as I have finished out my Discipleship Training School on July 6th, I am thankful for you, more now than ever, for your support. Whether it was through prayer or financially, I can't begin to thank you enough for supporting me throughout the past six months for what was the hardest, yet most rewarding and most blessing filled season, of my life.
So what happened since I last shared? So much! Our team traveled to another island called Cebu, and we did our last weeks of ministry there. Although I loved the first half of our time in the Philippines, doing ministry in the Manila area, I have to say that Cebu was such a blessing for our team and the fruit that we saw on that island was unbelievable! Our ministry in Cebu looked different as well, and I think what we were able to do on that island better fit to what our team's heart was for the people in the Philippines.
In Manila, you may remember, that we did a lot of house to house ministry, feeding programs, and helping out with youth camps. In Cebu, the first few days that we arrived, we helped out with Cebu House of Prayer's One Thing Philippines conference. We were on the ministry team during this conference that focuses on sharing with those who attend the importance of making Jesus our "One Thing" in our lives. Just in those three days alone, throughout the entirety of the conference, we saw so much repentance, healing, and people dedicating their lives all to God. Our team had the opportunity to pray over people and it was such an incredible experience to be there for those who were desperate to have someone be there for them - to have them know that they are seen and heard and loved by God above by praying over them. I think a lot of us on my team believed that serving on the ministry team for this conference was the turning point for our time in the Philippines for our ministry. God gave us more love for the people there and we believed, even more so, that God can do anything and everything to bring someone to Him and His love.
We had the amazing opportunity to do medical ministry while we were in Cebu as well. The second time we did this, it was in a small village atmosphere, therefore we were able to speak more one-on-one with the people there, and take our time talking with them, whereas the first time we had been a part of a medical mission, we did not. Again, we were there to minister, so we spent a lot of time getting to know those who were there and how we could pray for them. My team and I prayed for a lot of people there for healing and we saw multiple people be free from pain once we did. We also saw multiple people come to Christ as well at this medical ministry day.
Even though all of this was an amazing experience to be a part of and witness, my favorite moment during this day, was when I had the opportunity to speak to a young girl about Jesus and show her my Bible. She lives in a Catholic household, and when I showed her my Bible, I realized that her family did not have the complete Bible with all of the books on hand in their household. I showed her the Psalms and she told me she didn't have this in her Bible at home. I was so struck by this and was so moved to see how interested she was in reading my Bible, that I felt the Lord tell me to give my Bible to her. Although she tried to deny the gift (Filipinos say no twice before they say yes if they really want something), she eventually did say yes, and you could see the surprise and joy in her face when I gave her my Bible. It was such a beautiful moment - a moment that I will never forget - that I know that God had orchestrated this moment and gave this girl an opportunity to know more about Him and how to have a more personal relationship with Him. She and I are friends on Facebook now and we talk every once in awhile, and she always tells me how much she loves her new Bible and how much she loves to read it.
There have been many amazing moments like this. So many that this newsletter would be way too long to keep your attention in reading them all. What I will share is the product of what we got to witness over the past 3 months while we were in the Philippines. Throughout the entirety of our time there, we saw 1,370 salvations (and that is not including the salvations we forgot to record early on in the first month of ministry) and we saw 54 healings (not including partial healings). Can we give God praise here, please? He is so good and He deserves all the glory! He could have done this without our team's help, but He loves to use His children to bring others to Him, and I just feel so humbled and blessed that God chose me to be a part of this wonderful experience.
You may remember from my last newsletter the moment that I shared when God broke my heart for the 10/40 window (nations that don't have many people sharing the Gospel with them) and how I felt that He called me to be a full-time missionary for these nations. I still, 100%, believe that God has called me to do this, but I did know at the same time when God called me to be a missionary that He wasn't calling me to do this right away. I felt the Lord tell me that it wouldn't be for a couple of years until this were to happen because He wanted me to grow closer to my family, though I wasn't sure how that would look like at first. I also feel like God has called me to attend a School of Biblical Studies, a 9 month course that is associated with Youth With a Mission to learn more about the Word in depth, in England next year (Lord willing). I believe that God wanted me to use the year before I go to this school to learn more about other religions before I go to England next year to really have a solid foundation on my knowledge of the Word. After I would finish this course is when I believe God will want me to start as a full-time missionary in the nations, but until then, God has presented an unexpected opportunity for me this year.
I had fully intended on staying in San Antonio this year because I absolutely love this city and I really wanted to stay with my church and community that God has blessed me with, but He had a different plan for me. My sister is a ballerina and works at a Christian ballet company up in Chicago, Illinois, and she talked to me last month about a job opening that she believed I would be perfect for at this company. My first flex was that I did not want to apply for this job, but I felt the Lord tell me that I should. A month later, last Monday, I find out that I was offered the job and I accepted the offer to be their Marketing Director this year. It was not my first choice, but I am very excited now to be working with this company, whose mission is to share the Gospel through dance. It is also going to be a great opportunity, as I will be working alongside my sister and, not only that but I will also be living 3 hours away from my parents, which is a huge blessing, since I have not lived near them for 7 years.
I believe God has great things in store for me in this next season and I am looking forward to how He will draw me closer to Him in it. I start work on August 12th and will be leaving San Antonio on July 26th, but for my supporters that still live in the San Antonio area, if you would like to meet up with me in person, feel free to reply to this newsletter and I would love to talk with you more about what God did the last 6 months. For those who do not live near me, if you would like to talk on the phone, please let me know with a reply to this newsletter as well! I would absolutely love to talk to as many of you as possible before I enter into this new season!
Although I will not be a missionary in the nations for a couple of years, I hope that I might still be able to count on you to support me in the future, whether it is through prayer or financially. I am so thankful for all of you that helped give me this amazing opportunity to learn more about God and to go out and do what my heart's desire is, which is to share God's love with people anywhere that God has placed me in this world.
If you would like to still stay connected with me and receive newsletters in the future about my plans for the School of Biblical Studies and to be a full-time missionary, please let me know and I will keep you included in my updates!
Thank you again for your love and support. You have no idea the gift that you gave me to allow me to pursue my dreams that God has placed on my heart. You mean more to me than you can ever imagine.
Still on the walk with you,
Lydia Summer
