Malupa Baptist Church

In light of a beautiful day yesterday at church, I wanted to share with you all a little bit about our church family here in Maria Aurora. Malupa Baptist Church is a 2 minute walk from our home. Here we worship with Pastor Jojit and several of our friends and neighbors. We have worship service on Sunday, prayer meeting on Wednesdays where we circle up in small groups and pray for each others' needs, and a discipleship training time on Thursday evenings. There are also occasional men's and women's days held on Saturdays which last from about 9am to 3 pm!

Malupa has planted 7 churches in the surrounding areas. We are blessed to meet with the pastors of these churches every Tuesday morning over breakfast to be informed about their ministries and prayer needs. We are excited about the future of being involved in each of these church plants. Already, Josh has begun training Pastor Melchor (pastor of a church in the community of Calabuanan), and in the coming weeks we will be training believers within his community to do Discovery Bible Study with the lost people around them.

Nonetheless, we are currently worshiping at Malupa where we were quickly recruited to become Sunday School teachers :) I lead youth girls, Josh leads youth boys, and Monica leads the young adult singles group. Though getting people to show up on time (or at all) has been a challenge, we've had a few special times with our Sunday School groups. Particularly, I have a young girl named Karissa who truly seems to be seeking the Lord. She told me this week that she's been stressed lately because she wants to learn to make disciples but feels she is not capable and doesn't know how. Her words were so beautiful and innocent! I am delighted to continue meeting with her each week and seeking the Lord together to train us up to make disciples. Praise Jesus for the desire He has put in Karissa's heart to obey His command!

If any of you are not part of a local church body right now, I urge you to find a community of believers. Hebrews tells us not to neglect meeting together. We need each other. Overall, there's no excuse. As believers, we must be part of a local body. On our own, we are only one part of the body. We cannot function fully unless we are whole. We need both legs and arms, eyes and ears. The whole body. Please, don't neglect the church. 

Here are some sweet stories, funny stories, and just some of our favorite things about church:
* Joke-Joke (Barry, Lilia, and our dog) attends church with us every week.
* Yesterday, a little boy brought in a baby bird with it's feet tied to a straw rope.
    He was so proud of his pet and it chirped all throughout the service!
* Some of our friends comprise an incredible praise band, singing both Tagalog and
    English songs. 
* It never fails that about 20 minutes before service is over, the local ice cream man
    pulls up outside ringing his bell. Almost every child discretely walks out and then
    back in holding an ice cream cone or ice cream sandwich (in the most literal sense-
    it is ice cream stuffed inside a white bun!)
* A couple weeks ago, 2 young sisters sat with Monica and me. As time grew on,
    they snuggled closer and closer, finally resting their hands on our Bibles or legs. They
    would quietly whisper to each of us, "what's your name?", "where are you from?",
    "how old are you?" Then they would share their new-found information with each other.
     They were precious.
* One week the last 20 minutes of my Sunday School class was spent with the sweet
    teenage girls asking me if I personally knew some of their favorite American artists,
    such as Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, Carrie Underwood, and Celine Dion :) They
    were convinced that I had to at least know one of them. Finally, they settled with
    telling me that I look EXACTLY like Mariah Carey. O, the things we hear!
*Josh's Sunday school class has ranged from ages 3 to 63. It's always fun to see who comes.

Malupa Baptist Church

Sunday School in the cubo

Inside the sanctuary. Christmas is almost here!

 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." 

Hebrews 10:24-25