Living inside of a Volcano, with Mother Mary, Mangos, Cows, Puppies and Cockroaches.
There I was, preparing to leave my apartment to go and teach the Gospel of John at the Bible College. It was one of those mornings where you think you have more time than you actually do, and then realize you have 15 minutes to get dressed, make coffee, grab your things, and be out the door. The race to be ready in the states is one thing, but when you add the hurdle of a flying cockroach the size of a mouse, it makes life a lot more interesting.
As I was running around trying to get ready as fast as I could, I opened a small bag, and from it scurried a shimmering copper cockroach. I did jump and scream a little, BUT remember I’m in a time crunch, because I still have to do all the things. My brain is now jumping between fear, disgust, and finishing getting ready.
The cockroach makes its way under my fridge, and I begin thinking,
“ Deprii, you can’t just leave it. What if you lose it and it lays eggs, and then you have a full infestation!? ”
So, now an unexpected task is added to my 15 minutes…
finding and killing the cockroach.
After clumsily and fearfully pulling out my fridge and shining my phones flashlight through the under and inside parts, I found my unexpected roomie.
I smashed him, wiped him up, and continued getting ready.
And I briefly thought to myself,
“Deprii, this is just now a part of your life, living here in The Philippines.”
Hello beloved forgive me for the image above, just wanted to give you a peak into life on the field. I pray this newsletter finds you in the love of God and the peace of God.
In this newsletter, I’ll briefly share about what life has been like here in Tagaytay, Philippines and how God has been moving.
The city of Tagaytay has been built on the Caldera of a volcano called “Taal”, meaning the city sits on the edge of an ancient volcano mouth, that could explode at any moment. This gives us epic, gorgeous and potentially deadly views. (pictures below)
The environment around me is a city surrounded by a tropical jungle with slum communities, malls, hotels, restaurants, roaming livestock, stray dogs EVERYWHERE and a variety of creatures I have never even heard of. This is a place where beauty and brokenness clash in everyday life.
Most dishes in the Philippines are made up of Fish, Pork, Beef, Chicken, soy sauce & vinegar, fresh fruit & Veggies (THE MANGOS ARE LIFE CHANGING) rice, rice, rice and more rice!
Our team has been slowly but surely learning Tagalog (The local language), but it is also nice that English is a commonly spoken language here as well, making communication in almost every situation possible. The people in Philippines are incredibly hospitable. Filipinos live up to their reputation and are so kind, so generous (even when they have nothing to give) and they desire to shower you in honor. God has been deepening our team in our relationship with Him, each other and the community we are serving in.
The major religion in the Philippines is Catholicism, a religion that views Mary as being seen as divine, there is even a church built under a 322 ft tall statue of Mary. (pictures below) This religion looks to good works as the means of salvation and sadly not grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Please be praying for the salvation of those lost in the lie of this religion.
It’s a wild world here, but The Father has been teaching me dependence and reminding me that His presence is my home, my peace, my joy, my strength, my comfort, my refuge, my hiding place; especially living in a place that is so different than the one that I come from…but in the totality of it all, it’s been such a blessing and an honor to be here representing Christ and seeking to introduce Him to lost souls.
YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE JOURNEY!
SIGN UP FOR MY SIGNAL GROUP CHAT!
I will be living and serving in the Philippines for 10 months; and want to invite you to join my Signal Group Chat! I will be posting live updates, videos and pictures of my time. It allows you to stay up to date on all the details of what God is doing and gives you opportunity to pray for prayer request as they appear.
Click the link below and follow the instructions. If you have issues signing up, feel free to email me and I will help you!
Hope to see you there!
Signal Sign Up
PRAISE REPORTS
&
PRAYER REQUESTS
Praise Reports:
I have finished teaching through the Gospel of John and Genesis!
Prayer Requests:
We need wisdom and guidance from God on some problems we have run into.
Pray for unity & love in our team. Pray we would be protected and provided for spiritually, physically, and financially.
Pray that we would be a blessing to the local church and community we are coming into.
Pray that we would be able to learn the local language, Tagalog.
Continued provision, my budget is measured by re-occurring donations that will cover my living expenses while on the field, which allows me to focus on ministry and reaching the lost. If you feel led to partner or give a one-time donation, there is a giving link posted below.
Pray for my Muslim friend R, in America. Pray that his eyes would be open and he would come to Christ.
That God would save thousands upon thousands of children, women and men across the world!
That God would reveal where He would have me serve long-term.
For my walk with Jesus to remain intimate and that I would abide in Him.
That I would walk in His perfect will for my life.
If you have any prayer requests, please respond at the end of my newsletter, and it will be sent directly to my email!
Thank You!
I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this newsletter, prayed for me and partnered with me!
I am so excited to share this journey with you all, as we fulfill the Great Commission together!
If you would like to partner with me in the work of the Gospel financially either on an ongoing basis or through a one-time donation, you can do so by clicking the “Become A Financial Partner” button below, OR you can mail a check written out to Saving Grace World Missions with “ Deprii support” in the memo section to Saving Grace World Missions, 17451 Bastanchury Rd., Suite 203, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1873.
And may we all continue to faithfully follow, love, obey and walk with the Lion and the Lamb.
God Bless!
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