They LOVE to eat...

When the Lord provided the opportunity to come to American Samoa, one of the first things I did was to check a map to see where it was.  The second thing I did was check the weather.  After realizing it was going to be hot and very humid, I figured I would be sweating a lot and losing some weight.  Well, only part of that is true.  Yes it is hot and I am sweating constantly, but the losing weight is not happening.  The people of American Samoa love to eat and share that tradition with you.  I am sure you have figured that out if you have read any of the previous blogs.

Today was not was no exceptions.  We attended the Wednesday night service at Happy Valley Baptist Church. (American Samoa for those of you in Arizona)  It was a great time of worship as usual and the message was outstanding.  It was given by Pastor Mark from the Alaskan team and it was refreshing and encouraging.  He was speaking from Hebrews chapter 10 from verse 1-14.  These verses speak about how the law was a shadow of the good things to come.  What was really refreshing to me was the fact that the law required an annual sacrifice that was a reminder of our sin, but with Jesus Christ there is not need for that annual reminder.  Verse 14 says "... because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."  What spoke to me about this verse was that the sacrifice of Jesus is what makes us perfect in order to step into the Holy of Holies and have a relationship with a living God, but the process of being made holy is still going on in our lives.  That process is exactly why God has me in American Samoa.  He has given me an opportunity to step out on faith to trust in Him and lay all of my worries and concerns about this trip at the feet of His Son Jesus.  What an amazing thing.  The perfection and the being made holy is all done by God.  We must respond in obedience and allow him to do an amazing work within us.  Thank you Lord Jesus for allowing us to have a personal relationship with you that is perfect and on going.

After that encouragement from the Holy Spirit, another pot luck.  Pastor Elise wanted to show his appreciation for the teams being here and helping out on campus.  So, they invited us to their Fali (House) and along with the other missionaries who stay on site and teach at the school, they provided an awesome time of food and fellowship.

The testimony in all of this is that going back to when the opportunity arose and we were getting information on the trip, a certain dollar amount was recommended for us to bring along to take care of our needs while on the island.  This included food.  I had even confirmed that the original amount would be okay.  So, when we first arrived, we were eating out at every meal.  The kitchen in the mission house was torn apart and we were not able to prepare meals like we had thought.  God had provided double what was recommended I take and I was starting to get a bit worried that the funds would not last.  Especially being that if we need tools or items on the jobsite, we were to purchase them and get reimbursed when we returned to the states.  The reimbursement is great, but it doesn't do much for me while I am here.  Also, the credit/debit systems here are not reliable, so as they say..."Cash is King".  I remember doing the calculation on how much I could spend per day with what I had left at the 4 day mark and I was a bit anxious.  I prayed right then and the Lord gave me a peace that he had provided for this trip and he would continue to provide while I was here.  That is when we started actually working on the homes and lunch was provided daily.  It seems that above that, once a day, someone was either taking us out for a meal or cooking for us.  God has not only been sufficient, he has provided plentiful.

I am looking forward to Thursday.  We are back at the house of the High Chief to hopefully finish up the job. We have been waiting for more material that has arrived and we have been waiting for a good break in the weather in order to do some work on the roof.  The forecast is mixed at this point, but it appears to be the best day of the week.  Please pray that the rain ceases for the day in order for us to completely finish the job before we leave.

Thank you all again for your continued prayers and support.  I know the Lord is hearing them and acting upon them during this time.

May God Bless you and I look forward to updating you again tomorrow.... Billy