So Much to Say

I am not sure how to begin this blog post because there really is so much I can say.  Much has happened in Peru in the short 10 days or so since my last post, and while I don’t want to right a novel with this entry, there is a lot to convey. 

Today has been a difficult day for much of the orphanage.  A short term mission trip sent from Windsor Road Church in Champaign, Illinois arrived a little over a week ago and shared their lives and efforts with us here.  They took on the task of building a garage for the bus, organized a VBS and a carnival, and most importantly bonded with and loved the kids.  So, for many of the children here who so long for a family life outside these walls, it’s tough to see them go.  Anthony, a fellow volunteer, opened my eyes to a reason why some of them cry.  This week was a chance for the kids to show these Americans that they belong in their family.  They want to get on the bus and head “home” as a new son or daughter.  Some of the visitors really formed a connection with the kids, and as Stephen Schwartz wrote for the musical Children of Eden, “…the hardest part of love is the letting go.”  However, the pain upon departure is as a result of the preceding joy, and I know that both the kids and visitors have a lot of beautiful remembrances in their hearts and minds. 

Turning a slight corner to a different topic, have I said that I have really felt peace here?  Especially through my time as a student, I tended to get quite stressed out.  I definitely had chill out moments, but life sometimes felt like a wrestling match.  While I know that my personality lends itself to this kind of approach to life, and I am still a goal-oriented, go-getter person, I have had moments of peace here that surpass what I have felt in recent memory.  In these times, I sense balance and order within me, and feel no sense of rush or lethargy, but rather an even pace.  I know that God put me here and that where I am is right where I need to be.  It brings to mind what the author of Hebrews means when he says “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God,” (Hebrews 4: 9).

If would indulge me, I have one more story I’d like to share.  This past Sunday Anthony and I went to the church of one of the workers here, a cheerful fellow named Alberto.  Before church while I was praying at breakfast time, I prayed that God would speak through me that day.  I didn’t really know why I prayed that, and I felt like it didn’t come from me.  Alberto’s church was a small, Assemblies of God gathering with about 25-30 people.  Alberto had notified the pastor we were coming, so that when we got there there were two seats up front for us.  This already made us a bit unconfortable because we didn’t want any special attention.  The service began and eventually the pastor got up front.  In Spanish he told the congregation that “We’re going to hear from the word of God, and then we are going to hear from our missionary brothers.”  I felt my heart plop.  I hadn’t prepared anything, didn’t know what to say, and was to do it all in Spanish in front of a congregation!  Now, I can speak Spanish, but speaking in front of a group of people in a non-native language is a big step, one for which I did not feel ready!  I definitely was taken by surprise, but praise God, it went so well as He spoke through me as I gave a testimony and read a bit from the book of James.  Mere hours after that prayer by the Holy Spirit in the morning, it was answered!  Once again, another way that God has showed He is prevalent here!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and please enjoy some pictures of the not yet finished garage as well as from the day we had Fiestas Patrias here!

You can see the Guinea Pig!