**Two other new posts are also below this LONG one... :) All of this is in lieu of the email update I promised awhile back.
Psalm 118:13
…I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
I do pray that this finds you all well. Can we talk about how AWESOME God is? He just really astounds me, and I hope that you’re seeing Him in beautiful ways in these times, even if you're going through hard waters and hot flames...
Some random updates:
-I had my first doctor’s appointment in Arequipa. I had to go to the dermatologist. I waited for two hours for a ten-minute consult. I am now on a ton of meds, and we’ll see if any of them actually work.
-We’re taking salsa dance classes from a guy named Edu, who is from northern Peru. I like Edu because he is normal and not sketchy. The same goes for my gym friend, Lucho—I actually like going to Peruvian gyms more than American ones.
-I can’t speak or think in English anymore. I know you’re thinking that I’m ridiculous right now, but it’s true. In being around Spanish and speaking it most of the time, I’m peppering English with Spanish, and sometimes I can’t remember simple words in English, but know what I’m trying to say in Spanish. It’s lots of fun. ☺
-Winter is coming. It’s quite strange. The sun is out all day for the most part, but it starts to get really chilly; it’s even pretty cold in the shade. I’ve learned even more just how much I love warm weather. In other news, we’ve had a couple earthquakes recently. One of them even made me actually get off the bed, prepped to leave my house if necessary…I think it was about a 5.4, five hours south of us.
-I am blessed by white people AND Peruvians these days: We have a small English study every Sunday night, and it is just great to worship in my heart language and be with Americans for a time. My Sunday morning fellowship is beautiful, too. I truly believe that God is using this small group to be an example of His light in a country that has a very-skewed version of the Gospel creeping into every corner. I’ve been blessed to be in a solid community of believers, and I meet new people all the time through Iglesia Refugio. El Pastor, El Jefe, El Comandante ,and my great amigo Efrain and his family have become like family to me (as have others within the church). We have such a great time together. I’ve gone horseback riding with them, eaten Pizza Hut to celebrate Mother’s Day together, had them over to eat, gone to eat at their house (Dorcas is a great cook, and we like to eat ☺) and had fun at the market. I’ve also started to volunteer at the Café, which is going to present some really great ministry opportunities. Pray that the church at Refugio is strengthened, and that recent monetary issues concerning the Cafe are resolved, because it truly is an incredible ministry.
-Things are in full swing with ESL classes! We have something almost every night of the week, and we continue to pick up things to fill our days. Nathaniel and Stacey are certainly blessings, and I truly believe that God is going to touch so many lives with their presence here. I LOVE our students, and their zeal for learning English AND the Bible is great. They bless me all the time, and I feel so encouraged by being able to meet, work, and fellowship with them. There are hard days, obviously, but the good outweigh the bad. Stacey and I are having our first women’s meeting on Monday (tomorrow), and Nathaniel will be having a men’s event as well. We’re asking that those go magnificently, so ask with us, please.
-I’m going to Europe in October! I’m so excited. Susan and Caroline and I will spend time in Madrid and Lisbon. I miss those beautiful girls so much, and I can’t wait to see them. I’m a little nervous about being around Spain Spanish, though…that will be interesting. Speaking of J-Man friends…Gosh, I miss y’all. I was so blessed to hear from some Africa friends and know that they’re in prayer over Peru. What a blessing to know that Africa is connected to Peru. Know that I’m so pumped to see friends again in the future, but until then, I’m so excited about the work God is doing around the world through all of you. Please pray for friends around the world who serve in obedience to Christ to see His name made known in all corners.
God is teaching me a lot. I’ve entered into a season of admitting some things to God that I haven’t wanted to talk about with him. Isn’t it interesting how we try to hide things from the One who created us? I do it even when I don’t realize I’m doing it. As always, He is faithful even when I am not; He forgives when I come before Him, ashamed of what I’ve done or what I’ve not done; He is here even when I don’t think He is; He provides for me in ways I can’t comprehend; He equips me in things I find myself to be not-so-good-at; He answers prayer in ways we want Him to and in ways we don’t want Him to, and that’s ok; He puts people in my life who teach me patience, who teach me love, and who teach me about Himself; He tests me and pulls me into the flames so that I emerge stronger in HIM. So much happens in this life as a daughter of God, it’s really beautiful. In eight months of being in Peru, I’ve learned more about myself, about others, and about Christ-in-me than I have in my entire life, or for that matter, my almost-five years of being a Christ-follower. I can’t wait for the year ahead.
Danielle (my friend in Africa) reminded me of one of my favorite verses the other day. I was spilling some of my troubles to her (and they've been great) and she was gracious enough to give me this: Micah 6:8, which says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” This is pretty much it, right? Let’s all go out, wherever we may be, and spread justice and love and mercy and righteousness in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s the heart of life.
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