Unsung Heroes

Have you ever played the martyr
Only for the reason of a prize
Can we ever give up trying
To be something in another's eyes

We're so selfish, self seeking
We're so desperate to be number one
So unworthy of what's given
What are we doing here... unnoticed

unnoticed
plumb

Unnoticed… that's what some of us are. We interact with various people everyday and many of them don’t even get the chance to know what difference has God made in our lives. Like we're just another face in the crowd... Im not judging anyone. I have been passing through life unnoticed for quite a while…

I remember my mentors, who inspired me to write this blog...

I remember a British man who took me to the mountains of the northern Philippines, introduced me to a people who were "reached" beyond the mountains because of the willingness of disciples like him to leave the comforts of the west to go the tribal peoples of the east. We had to walk up to the mountains for about 3 hours before reaching the villages. He taught me how to spot drinkable water from among the brooks. That was where I got to taste the most delicious water that I’ve ever drank. And that is no exaggeration. I can still almost remember how it tasted. I was like 19 then. His name is John.

I could still remember an American man and his family in north Thailand. He was instrumental in taking me to the highest places in Chiang Mai, ministered to the different "northern hilltribes" as they are collectively called, and the Burmese refugees in the mountain borders. I remember him inviting me to his house to celebrate my birthday with his family when I was almost alone doing my cross-cultural internship. His name is Craig.

Then there was this Filipino man whose passion was to reach the folk muslims in the south islands of the Philippines. He took us on an exposure trip, to have us experience an on-site taste on how it’s like to be with them, even just for a week. For the purpose of giving us awareness of a world different from our own. We had a water worship where we sang praises in the sea as a symbol of letting the sea waters conduct our worship to the connecting islands. I didn’t get the symbolism. I found it too charismatic. Too Pentecostal. Except that during our singing and celebration, little fishes gathered around us we could even scoop them with our hands. To this day, I still don’t get the message why God let us experience that. I didn’t see any miraculous significance. But it sure was amazing. It surely was supernatural… His name is Lut.

Then this recent mentor of mine. White skinned like my two other mentors. One of the pioneers of the work in the south of this country, among the descendants of Ishmael. He encourages me even without saying a word. Seriously. He doesn’t have to teach me or exhort when we meet. His life is more than enough to shame me of my complacency. Of my lack of passion and zeal to pursue the call… the call of letting Ishmael’s sons know that from the lineage of Isaac came the Masih… [Arabic for ] the Messiah. His name is… sorry not this one.



There are many more… Unsung Heroes. You wont see them speaking in big crusades or leading multitudes in worship or selling a million copies of their latest books or newly released CD… They wont be getting any prestigious award like the Noble prize anytime soon... They might not be getting any acknowledgement from any religious, social, or political clubs and organizations. Some of them i got to meet durin the conference i just attended. And im sure I’ll get to meet a few more along the way… Unsung heroes. Working where only the Sender sees. Whose reward is yet to come... When the Father says "welcome my faithful servant and fearless soldier."

..........................................
this blog is especially dedicated to a man named Dough, a mentor, an inspiration, and who i love like an older brother...