Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 3/7/2010
I was attending my youth group meeting, one night when I was 17 years old, and God spoke to me. He told me I would be going to Africa one day. After that night, I never though too much about it, because I wasn't used to hearing from God. Or realizing that when I did hear from Him, that it was actually God speaking. I stopped attending youth group and once I hit college, my life was full of very bad choices. So it's so neat to me that 12 years later....I'm going to Africa! God is so good, He is faithful, and He keeps His promises. I'm excited not just to see what He has for me there, but to see what He has for our whole squad. I fully believe our squad is going to experience some amazing things that have yet to take place on this race. It's going to be an amazing 3 months!
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 3/3/2010
Our team rode a train from Danang to
Saigon. Our seats were basically a wooden park bench, without any
cushion, that should have only fit 2 people on each side. The train
was completely over-booked and some people who purchased tickets had
no place to sit. The workers eventually brought out little plastic
chairs and crammed 6-8 people in a space of 4. The bathrooms were
hideous, the sinks outside of the bathroom were full of puke, and
there were roaches crawling around our feet. Not the most comfortable
situation for a 24 hour ride, but G-d used it to teach me many
things.
One, as Paul said there will be times
of abundance and times of want, but it is important to be content in
every situation. How do you find contentment in a time like this? The
answer is to pr-y, pr-y, pr-y and dwell on the positive rather than
the negative. Kelsi helped us with this, by recording us saying why a
24 hour train ride was worth it (video to come). Although I have been
in a spiritual desert lately, I was able to read a lot of the Word
and G-d spoke to me like crazy. My B-ble looks like a college
student's notes after a lecture. There are so many words written in
the margin and things underlined. I read 1st, 2nd and 3rd
John and learned that G-d only really asks us to do one thing. Yes we
need to love Him, and by loving Him, we obey Him. So what has He
asked of us? To love others the way He loves us. As long as we are
doing that one thing, we are in right standing with G-d, and there is
no need to strive or have self-condemnation. This was a very big
revelation for me.
Two, Josh was missing for quite some
time. When he finally came back to our seats, he told us that someone
he was talking to, had decided to commit their life to Chr-st. How
awesome is that, Josh lead his first person to Chr-st in a closed
country, where it is illegal to evangelize. This totally made the
trip 100% worth it : )
Three, we got to see the reason why
G-d is close to the poor, and the kingdom of heaven is theirs. There
were people sleeping under tables and in the aisles of the train.
They never once, got angry, complained, or treated each other
unfairly. Instead, they shared their floor space, and allowed people
to put their legs or feet on them, just so they would be more
comfortable. Even though these people were strangers. There wasn't
much food to go around, but they still shared whatever they had with
us and with others. They even gave Justine and I some money so we
could buy a plate of food to share, because we didn't have enough.
Talk about the love of Chri-t radiating from these people, and who
knows how many of them, if any, were believers. It makes me think of
how poorly, as a believer, I have treated those in need around me,
when I was back in the states. I pray that when I go home I go out of
my way to take care of those around me, strangers or not. They are
all G-d's creation, and He said whatever we do for these least of
these, we have done for Him.
As much as I went stir-crazy on that
train ride, I wouldn't change it, because it is in those moments when
I learn so much from God and really see Him move. For that, I am
thankful : )
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 3/3/2010
On the first day of m-nistry in
V-etnam, we went to visit a woman who opens her home to street
children. While the street kids were playing outside, this woman
would knee down with her two sons and pr-y. Her sons are 7 and 11
years old. The family would always pr-y with their front door open,
so the street kids started noticing what they were doing. Eventually
the kids from outside wanted to come in the house, so she opened up
her home to them. Now they come for a few hours a day and she gives
them snacks, they pr-y together, she teaches them w-rship songs, and
she teaches them about the B-ble. She never asks them to come, they
just show up everyday. She is such a sweet woman and her passion for
Chr-st is like a raging fire.
There was another woman there the day
we visited. She was very quiet so we just assumed she was one of the
teachers. After getting to know her, it turns out this woman is an
undrground p-stor. She travels to the most remote villages in the
north of V-etnam and teaches them about J-sus. These villages are
where most of the perscution against Chr-stians take place. She says
she goes to these places, completely lead by the H-ly Spir-t. She
will ask the H-ly Spir-t who she should pr-y for and He leads her to
people who need heal-ng. The people she pr-ys for get he-led
immediately and they spread the word about her to the other
villagers. Next thing she knows, many people come to her for pr-yer
and she is able to lead them to Chri-t by sharing the g-spel with
them. She is a mighty, brave warrior for the L-rd.
After she told me this story, Justine
said to me, "You should have her pray for your eyes." I have been
saying out loud tha G-d will heal my eyes in Africa, but Justine was
telling me why wait, have Him heal them now. I have worn glasses
since the 9th grade and without them, I can barely see
anything. Why live with this, if G-d the Heal-r and He created our
bodies to work in perfect order? I asked her to pr-y fr my eyes, and
when she did I could feel the H-ly Spir-t moving. In that moment G-d
told me to throw my glasses away....so I did! The next five days I
couldn't see a thing, and I remember G-d telling me that He would
lead me blindly, all I needd to do was take hold of His hand and
trust Him.
After those 5 days, I started to get a
little frustrated....I don't understand, I believe He can heal me
with all of my heart....I have the faith, so why I am I still not
he-led? My fellow teammates told me it was important to sow the
he-ling of my eyes, and it was funny how G-d gave me ample
opportunities to pr-y for the healing of other people's eyes. The
first person I pr-yed for was a blind man who was poor and was trying
to raise his children. The second person I pr-yed for was my friend,
Hun's aunt, who was diagnosed with throat cancer. She had a stroke
and it damaged her eyes, but not permanently in J-sus name : ), and
the third person I pr-yed for was a woman who has such bad cataracts
she was completely blind, and there were white scales over her eyes.
I believe he-ling is manifesting in these people, just as it is
manifesting in me, but I still had that question lingering in my
head....Father, is there something I still haven't done? Are you
waiting for me? Am I not trusting enough or having enough faith?
Yesterday, we met up with the woman
who opens her home to street children, and she asked me about my
eyes. I told her I had sowed he-ling into other people, and I am
still believing G-d will heal me in His timing. She looked at me and
said everytime she pr-ys for the healing of others, they get he-led.
She showed me the verse in the B-ble where it says that you are saved
when you believe it in your heart AND confess it with your mouth. She
told me to give thanks to G-d for he-ling, outloud, everyday. This
was an answer to my question, because I haven't been doing that. I
have been asking, asking, asking, and not thanking G-d for the
victory and he-ling He has already given me. Justine showed me in the
B-ble, how Jonah thanked G-d outloud for the delivernace He had given
him, even though Jonah was still in the belly of the fish, and in the
next chapter the fish spews Jonah out. G-d is faithful and He always
delivers, but I need to thank Him for what is unseen, because after
all that's was faith really is.
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 2/26/2010
In Cambodia, it was pr-phesied over me
that I would be going through the desert and at the end of the desert, I would
reach a kingdom. So far, the "desert" has been an amazing place. This was not
at all what I was anticipating. To be honest, I was expecting the worst. I was
full of fear, even though I shouldn't have been. Why, because G-d always
protects His children. He is mighty to save and He promised that no harm would
befall the righteous. So what exactly was I afraid of?
V-etnam has
been quite an amazing place. I love the way the people here embrace you like
you were their long lost relative. They truly treat us as brothers and sisters
in Chr-st. Their generosity is beyond anything I have ever experienced in the
states.
My new
sister Hun, she is V-etnamese but currently lives in Australia, has quit her
job to come and take care of her aun,t who is battling throat cancer. We had
two days off between m-nistries, and she was so touched by the m-ssion we are
doing, that she invited us to go to the beach, all-expensespaid. We
traveled 8 hours by bus to a famous beach town called Nha Trang.
While I was
in Florida,
before the race, I had gone to a V-etnamese restaurant with my sister. While we
were eating, there was a huge, beautiful painting next to our table. It really
caught my attention. The painting was of mountains surrounding a turquoise blue
ocean, V-etnamese people were in canoes floating on the water. On the bus trip
to Nha Trang, I woke up at 6 a.m. and looked out the window. I saw the exact painting
I had seen in Florida
right before my eyes.
While at
the beach, we got to ride a banana boat, took a boat to a remote island, took a
glass bottom ride to see the coral reef in the ocean, swam in the middle of the
bluest ocean, and went down a water slide in the middle of the sea. We were
completely pampered and blessed by the Most High God.
Why would a
complete stranger go through all the trouble of blessing us so much? She is the
daughter of a p-stor. Her father pre-ched in the city but was forced by the g-vernment
to move to the countryside to p-stor a church. During that time, he did not
receive a salary, but had to support his family solely by the food that was
given to him by the villagers. Sometimes there was no food. They lived in this
village for 7 years, and his daughter begged and pleaded to leave and find a
better life. However, her father decided to be obedient to the L-rd and he said
he would stay as long as G-d needed him to. They suffered a lot, and the
g-vernment would tell them, deny your G-d and we will pay you lots of money,
give you a good job, and food. They refused and persevered. After many years,
G-d opened the door for the family to go to A-stralia and p-stor a church there.
Now they have a life full of
provision, and Hun says the reason why G-d allowed them to go through that
suffering, was so they could experience the suffering of the mountain people
first-hand. So they could always have them on their heart and remember their
need. Anytime she encounters people who are doing all they can to share the g-spel,
she will do whatever she can to bless them, and at any cost. This angel is
racking up tremendous blessings in he-ven. I hope to be as generous as she is and
bless my brothers and sisters in Chr-st the way she does. I pray that G-d would
continue to bl-ss her ten-fold and make her invisible to her enemies in J-sus
name.
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 2/13/2010
My friend Two from Thailand, just emailed me to let me know he is moving to Bangkok in April. He got a new job working for the office of a bakery, so he will no longer be working in the bars. God is so good! This makes me want to shout for joy! : )
Also, I wanted to remind everyone that I will be going into a closed country tomorrow, and they do check all of our emails. I won't be able to disclose any information about where I am or what I am doing. So I may not be blogging this month unless absolutely necessary. If you send me an email please do not mention the country that I am in or ask about my assignment. If you need to write something about it, please leave out a letter or two so the email search will not be able to pick up on it.
Thank you for understanding and for all of your prayers and support. Love you all...God bless you!
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 2/11/2010
I apologize for not writing a blog in over a month. Our team was in a remote village in the middle of Cambodia. We were 3 hours away from the closest city and the only place where internet was available. To get to this village we took a van, a bus, a ferry, and then a truck. The church we stayed in looked like a huge treehouse. There were spiders as big as my fists, rats, huge beetles, and geckos, so I was having a very difficult time adjusting my first week. After lots of prayer, God adjusted my heart and began to embrace the Cambodiam village lifestyle. These people are absolutely amazing!! I have never met such a generous, loving, kind, gentle group of people. I learned so much from them. They pour out love on you...they are a physical, tangible, living example of Christ's love for us, and how we are to love one another. I praise God for stringing my hearts to theirs and allowing me to love them the way He has. He is using this people group in MIGHTY ways, and they are bringing the Heavenly Kingdom to the earth.
While we were there, we prayed for an elderly woman who had really bad shakes in her hands and arms, most likely from Parkinsons Disease. She asked if we would pray for her. She came to the church EVERY morning for 16 days! Each day she revealed more of how the Lord was healing her. First, she could not walk to the church without stopping to rest and she walked with a large stick. She also has been taking sleeping medication for the past 4 years. The shakes and nerve damage in her arms and hands were so bad, she couldn't even lift her pillow. She also said that she would see and evil spirit in her house, and she was afraid of it. During the course of these 16 days, she no longer used her walking stick, she no longer stopped to take breaks during walking, the evil spirit had left her house, she stopped taking her sleeping medication and has slept completely fine, the pain in her knees went away, and her hands straightened out. She said she was finally able to do housework. It was such an incredible thing to see...the POWER of prayer and the POWER of God's hand. I feel so blessed to be a part of it, and it has taken my faith to a whole new level. I praise God for this month in Cambodia, I feel like I have grown so much!
Our next stop is to V--tnam. It is a closed country, so I won't be able to discuss any details about our assignment. God has been speaking to me loud and clear that I will be facing a VERY LARGE trial during this time, but I know that I know that I know, God is taking me through it and I will make it out victorious. He has shown me the end result, and it is beyond my wildest dreams. Please, Please, Please pray for me without ceasing this month. I need warriors behind me. I pray right now in the Name of Jesus, My Savior, My Rock, and My Redeemer, that I will have supernatural confidence, boldness, strength, and protection. That His holy, warring angels would be encamped around me on every side and that I am sealed in the blood He spilled on the cross for my life. I praise you God....and I will be obedient.
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 1/4/2010
The night after New Year's Eve, I went to hang out with TWO and he wasn't there. So Jordan and I decided to go to the Dragonfly Bar. I bumped into Da and two other girls that I have said hi to many times. We purchased their time and took them to McDonalds. Then we went and lit lanterns across the street in the square. We all said a silent prayer before we let the lantern go. After wards we walked in the market. The girls stopped to look at some earrings and Jordan and I said pick out a pair we will buy them for you. They said no we are going to buy them for you. Jordan started to cry...we were both so touched...we didn't need to know how grateful they were that we took them out that night, that gesture said it all. Tonight I passed Ning, on of the "girls" ( he's really a ladyboy), as I was walking with TWO to go get some dinner, he grabbed my hand and said "Stay, Stay"....my heart just broke. I wanted to be there with him so bad, but I just purchased TWO's time. I told him I would be back, and after dinner I went back but did not see him there : ( I saw Da and invited them back to the coffee shop, so I'm praying they will show up before we leave for Cambodia.
On another note: Last night I passed by Two on the way to the night market. It's Sunday so none of the girls wanted to go to the bars. It was supposed to be our rest day. I knew that last night was the night I had to give TWO the words God had given me for him. So I pulled him aside and said I was praying to my God for you, and He gave me some words, I wrote them in a letter. It's in Thai so hopefully you understand it. He seemed really nonchalant about it, so I walked away feeling very peaceful. Then tonight I purchased his time, and he seemed really hesistent to even leave with me. I purchased his friend's time too, to make him feel a little more comfortable. We went to dinner and played UNO, he seemed to have a good time, but I felt a major disconnect. He seemed to be keeping me at arms length. Justine said that means the letter got to him. Which I know is a good thing, its just hard to stomach him pushing me away. I asked him for his email so I could send him the pictures of us, and he said I will give it you tomorrow. We will both give each other what we need to give each other tomorrow. He started to open up about working at the bar as we walked back, and then next thing I know we were there. I asked him if he wanted to keep walking so we could talk and he said no he just wanted to stay at the bar. I felt a little hurt, but I know God is in control. Maybe God is allowing this to happen so it will be easier to say goodbye. All I can do is surrender this situation to my Heavenly Father. I trust You Lord.
Update: The next night (1/5/10) I went and said my goodbyes. It was very difficult, but I prayed and asked God to help me surrender everything that happened this month. He made it a lot easier than I thought, but it was still so hard to say goodbye to Two. He completely crumbled. Lord, I did what you asked me too Father. I loved him, showed him his worth, and shared you with him. All I can do now is trust....trust that he is in your hands, and that you won't stop until His heart is Yours. I love you Jesus and I praise you for using me to bring light to such a dark place.We are now in Cambodia...we made it safely praise God. We are resting for two days and then the day after tomorrow, we will be traveling to a village where we will spending the next month. Thank you for continually keeping us in your prayers : ) God bless you!
Posted in General Posts by Melina Orengo on 1/1/2010
Thank you my Heavenly Husband, for forgiving me even though I have wronged you and offended you so badly. I put your Son on that cross, I brought him to shame, and despite that you loved me, forgave me, and saved me. Thank you for sending me Jesus, the One who provides perfect peace and joy. I am so grateful for your love : ) Thank you that you always take us back, despite how "bad" we've been. I am nothing apart from You God. I can't do this on my own- I need you. I need everything about you.
Speaking life over TWO:
Thank you Father for loving him the way you love the Israelites. Thank you that you will always take him back and welcome him with open arms. Thank you that he will return to you Lord. Thank you that he will seek you, and he will come trembling to you and to your blessings in these last days in Jesus Name...Amen!
Psal 103: 8-12
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his love for those who fear him, as fars as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Isaiah 38:16-19
Lord, by such things men live and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live. Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love, you kept me from the pit of destruction, you have put all my sins behind your back. For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise, those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living-they praise you, as I am doing today, fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.
Acts 3:19
Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.