Regressing toward Childhood

My time in Peru thus far has been such a good reminder of how much I do not know. There have been many times where I put my life in the hands of thirteen year olds to get me to where I need to be. It has been a challenge to swallow my pride time and time again when I have to ask a six year old to repeat himself, because I am unable to understand. Of course, he does not know why I don't speak his language and gets frustrated or shy. As the weeks have gone by, I have felt at a loss with my limited vocabulary in Spanish. There have been many things that I have wanted to say, but by the time I have an idea of what it would be like in Spanish, the opportunity has come and gone. Mostly, this happens with the teenagers in the church. There have been many times where I have wanted to talk to them more about their walk with our Savior, but by the time I figure out the words in Spanish, they are usually gone. It has been frustrating, to be honest, but as always, God's Word has proved to be a comfort. A dear woman in my church and language helper, Ana pointed out some verses to me the other day when I was trying to explain how things have been going. Ana went to Jeremiah 1:5-9 where God reminds Jeremiah of his ordination as a prophet. Verse six characterizes my attitude so often, "Ah. Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." Too often, I choose to hold my tongue and not speak when I really should try. Verse seven, then has been a huge encouragement to me, knowing that I am unable to do anything without God's help. "But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." When there have been times of doubt or discouragement, I am reminded that I am, right now, doing God's will. He has led me to Peru at this specific time. He knows the difficulties that I have faced and will face, yet He has promised to be with me all the way- never leaving nor forsaking. Though often I feel as a child, God's constant help and presence has been a huge blessing. Please be in prayer for me as daily I seek to communicate God's truth of His Word to the people that I come in contact with each day.

A Different Pace

This week has been a little different than most weeks. We have had our two hours of Spanish in the morning, but no other class follows, as would normally be the case. Also, this week, there is a work group from South Carolina that is helping the Carlton’s build their new church building in Manchay and is hosting Bible clubs in the afternoon. After finishing our Spanish in the morning, it has been great to help in Manchay. The other ARRIBA girls and I have helped serve lunch to the workers, gather children for the club, and taking part in the club by singing, helping with crafts, and translating a bit. All in all, it has been nice to fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ and to take part in my first Bible club here in Peru.

When Pigs go to School

Students around Lima have been rejoicing since this last weekend. It was announced late last week that all classes would be suspended until August 3rd. This took affect July 15th. This suspension occurred because of the presence of “AH1N1” (the swine flu here in Peru) in the schools. The government is trying to control the spreading of this flu. There have been a few people who have contracted this flu and died, but had health problems previous to their contracting “AH1N1.” Though people are nervous about the spreading of this influenza, the students are enjoying their time off. Normally, their summer break begins in December, so this is a short winter break for them. This suspension is only for the kindergarten through the high school, so yes, I still am going to classes each day.

Making Melody in Your Hearts

After rolling out of my warm bed two Sundays ago, I was greeted by the familiar sound of Pastor Antenor (my host father) singing. He was singing and whistling familiar hymns as he woke up his daughters and called them to breakfast. While we were sitting at the table half-awake, Pastor came in with a wide, bright smile on his face as he greeted us all enthusiastically, “¡Buenos días, Chicas!” After a somewhat mumbled response, he explained how enjoyable it is to sing praises to God in the morning. I let the comment pass by until this last Sunday. The night before I didn’t get to bed until after two in the morning, but as I helped María in the kitchen before breakfast, I couldn’t help but sing. Let me tell you, that singing and joyfulness stayed with me the rest of the day. Though in the morning you feel as though you just want to sleep, let me encourage you to sing praise to your God. It will brighten your day as you think about all He’s done for you and of what praise He is worthy.

Three Strikes...You're Out!

Peruvians depend very heavily on the bus system, because most Peruvians do not own their own vehicles. Since the buses are very necessary, it is a problem when there are days that the buses do not run. For example, two weeks ago there was a paro (a strike) where the buses did not run for an entire day. Taxis were available, but the ladies that I normally go with each morning and I walked for about a half an hour before we even found a taxi that was willing to take us to our desired location. In other places in Lima, people destroyed parked buses with stones and fists. When we found out the next week that the strike was going to run for two consecutive days and was supposed to be worse than the last one, we knew that something needed to be done. The strike was going to be held part way through the week, so how were we supposed to make it to Fetzer Memorial Christian School (were we have a special ARRIBA building for our classes) each morning? Because the school year had ended at Fetzer early this month, and the teachers were moved out from their apartments on campus, the three other ARRIBA girls and I got to stay on campus for two nights. The language helpers (that we normally have) had a day off, while some other tutors who lived nearby were able to come. The Morrells, the professor and his wife, had the apartment behind the classroom, so they had no problem getting in in the morning. We all made it through the strikes and were thankful for the place available for us to stay. With the three strikes, we were out of our Peruvian homes. It felt so good to get back to them just after the two days we were gone.