I'm no saint

I love sharing about what God has called me to do in Manila...but I never quite know how to respond when someone says, "you're so good." or "you're a saint." Honestly, I want to laugh because God knows just how far from that mark I fall...on a daily basis. I complain with the worst of them, I'm cynical, judgmental, prideful, and still very much a work in progress. Trust me folks, I'm NO saint.

I now have a small glimpse of what Paul meant when he wrote, "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..." (Eph 3:8). I'm sure at times people called him "good" to his face.

The challenge to a comment like this is to turn the focus from me and any goodness I have within me to the greatness of God. Truly my desire to go to the Philippines and improve the quality of life of the underserved is a response of God's incredible grace towards me. I am not good, He is. Of course I can say something like this, but the difficulty is saying it in such a way that doesn't sound preachy or sanctimonious. Any suggestions?

As I say my goodbyes at work and with friends, I'd love your prayers as I try to explain succinctly and plainly why I am going to the Philippines without sounding like a saint or a Sadducee.

26 more days!

*Clarification* added 1/24
Yes, all believers are saints in a Biblical sense. I don't mean to get into a theological issue. What I mean is, I am not a "Saint" as the world sees saints...such as Saint Mother Theresa, St Peter, St Catherine, etc... Make sense?