At the beginning of February, we sent Allie Acuff to Manila to serve with CO LEAD. She arrived well-prepared, surrounded by a prayer team, fully financially supported, and equipped through CO SERVE’s pre-deployment training. When her plane landed, an excited ministry team was waiting at the airport to welcome her.
Still, even the best preparation cannot remove the learning curve that comes with stepping into a new culture. No matter where we walk with God, the principles of ministry remain the same. We pray, open God’s Word, build relationships, and trust the Spirit to work. What changes are not the principles, but how they are lived out in a particular culture.
That is where Kamila comes in.
Kamila is the Filipina teammate Allie is partnered with this semester. She is helping Allie learn how to engage students with the gospel at the University of the Philippines—showing her the rhythms of campus life and what ministry looks like in Manila.
Kamila knows firsthand the power of someone taking the time to share the gospel.
When Kamila was in her second year of college at the University of the Philippines, two Campus Outreach Manila staff members approached her and shared about God’s love. Because someone once stopped her on campus, Kamila shares Christ’s transforming love with others as a Campus Outreach intern. And now she is helping Allie do the same.
The two of them are meeting students together and leading Bible studies as Allie learns the rhythms of ministry in Manila. In the past few weeks, she has spent time building relationships on campus and joining Bible studies with students. It is already clear that God is at work.
Kamila and Allie are currently meeting weekly with two students, Joreen and Alyanna. Recently, both women were able to clearly communicate the gospel and shared a desire to tell close friends about their faith.
In February, the ministry hosted a Galentine’s event on campus. During the event, Alyanna shared a testimony about her experience with Campus Outreach: “I’m grateful to God that I met Kamila on campus. I haven’t just built a friendship with her — she has helped me grow in my relationship with God.”
As Allie walks alongside Kamila, she sees what faithful ministry looks like in this new context. And her prayer is simple: that the Lord would use her in the lives of students just as He has used Kamila in Alyanna’s life.
Different culture. Different campus. Same gospel. And the same God who continues to change lives.
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