It was dark, and we were tired. "God, what should we do?"
Our long day of outreach started when men from another village came to guide us into a different region of the Philippine island of Bucas Grande.
They took us to their homes and families where we ran a medical clinic as part of a YWAM School of Primary Healthcare outreach. The huge generator and heavy projection equipment we needed to show the Jesus Film were carried by hand for miles.
At the same time, my teammates and I shouldered backpacks loaded with medicines, first aid supplies, and medical equipment. Along the way, they led us through a big flooded area. We walked carefully along narrow dirt paths between large rice paddies as we balanced the heavy loads on our backs.
The humid heat of the day rose and displayed itself in the sweat marks on our shirts, about two hours later, we finally lowered our packs and set up for that day’s medical clinic.
People eagerly lined up for the only healthcare available in their area.
Throughout the day we treated malaria, dysentery, wounds, and infections. We also taught primary healthcare principles to help mothers take care of their own children.
As the day wound down, half of our team hiked back across the island with the church translators who had accompanied us. The rest of us set up to show the Jesus film.
People crowded around as darkness fell, and we told them why we had come to help them. We shared the good news of Jesus along with the film.
While the Jesus film was showing, we talked about the long walk ahead of us back through the darkness and the rice paddies.
Someone came up with the idea of renting boats to take us along the coast to the wooden stilt-house where we are staying. These boats were small and simple, with lanterns hanging off the front bows to guide them through the ocean waters at night.
As we decided to look into this possibility, we discovered that the owners had been drinking alcohol during the movie, and they were all drunk.
“God, what should we do? Should we trust these inebriated men, or should we walk?”
We gathered together and prayed. We clearly sensed from God we were not to hike back, but to hire the drunken captains! When the film ended we were still concerned, but we packed up everything and obediently loaded ourselves and our equipment into several rickety boats.
The captains successfully delivered us to the dock by our house, and we gratefully headed for our sleeping bags to snooze through what was left of the night.
Early the next morning, people from the church gathered outside our rented house, inquiring about our wellbeing. They shouted for joy and praised God when they found out we were OK.
We were somewhat puzzled by their display of celebration.
Upon asking about it, they explained that they had gathered and prayed that night for our safety because they knew poisonous snakes slithered out of the water of the rice patties after sunset to warm themselves on the dirt footpaths.
Even though they had neglected to tell us this vital information before leading us to the other village, God knew. He had our backs, and He clearly guided us through the waters of uncertainty and brought us safely home, even if was by drunken sailors!
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