I haven’t blogged in quite some time now I see. Let me catch you guys up…
The move from Chile to Peru was a very hard one. My team was blessed tremendously by the ministry and family we had there. Those goodbyes were some of the hardest ones I have had yet. I want to take some time to introduce some of those faces I have come to love so much.
Juan and Elvirita: This couple. They have bigger hearts than anyone I have ever met. During our time in Chile they were in the middle of a massive move up to northern Chile. So our last day in that Church and home was also theirs. And yet they still said yes to taking in seven 18 year olds for two months. If that is not living for Jesus I don’t know what is. And that man and woman still loved us and their community with an overflow of the Fathers love. They both spoke so much into me as a leader and loved me like their own daughter. They will constantly have a special place in my heart. Elvirita’s heart for women and for how uniquely the Lord crafted each of us in His image is something that fundamentally changed the way I see myself and my sisters in christ. Juan’s jolly spirit and ability to invite people into the joy God has given him made for a home away from home. I miss them so dearly and know that God has unimaginable blessings at their new home.
Fernando: The biggest gentleman I know. This man walks in more freedom and has a fire for the Lord that is contagious. He is a man who knows his purpose here on earth and lives every day in the love that was shown to him by Christ. He would ride his bike to the church almost every day and put up with whatever shenanigans we had going on. He always wore his heart for adventure on his sleeve. We were able to go on a camping trip with him where we definitely trespassed to hike up La Mesa. This mountain was not easy and the chilean heat is very very hot. Time and time again he sacrificed his water for one of us who didn’t bring enough. He would go behind those who were having trouble hiking and encourage and walk beside them until they were going strong again. He shared with us the beautiful ways he saw the world and the history that made his heart giddy to talk about. This is who Fernando was. He loves fiercely and boldly.
Valentine and Maria Antoinette: These two were my self-proclaimed Chilean grandparents. They lived next-door to the church we lived in. They would holler at us from over the fence when we were hanging in the back yard. They had been friends with Juan and Elvita for years. I think we saw them least once a day for the whole time we were there. So when Christmas time rolled around we did team secret Santa and Claire Jones an I needed a secret location to cook Christmas cookies. We got Valentine in on it so he let us use his guest house kitchen. He would come in every 15 minutes to check on us and pretend to eat the peanut butter balls or cookies we made. His wife, Maria Antoinette, was partly disabled due to a major accident she was in when she was younger. She broke so many bones that over the years she has had to undergo 14 different surgeries. This women came to almost every women’s meeting we had with the biggest smile on her face and ready to kiss everyone of us. (Greeting with a kiss on the cheek is the chilean way) Her contagious joy and perseverance was an inspiration.
Victoria: This woman is straight up who I want to grow up to be. She is in her 70s with a heart of a 20 year old. As is sit here asking Sara Mac my squad leader if she knew how old she was her response was, “70s? But she is an incredible woman thats all I know.” And that is so true. Victoria is just the greatest. She actually knew English perfectly because she was an English teacher. Now… Victoria is slight of hearing so she talked SO LOUDLY. But I think even if she had her full hearing she would still be loud because that woman was so full of passion for life. She lives every day to glorify her savior. Weather that be through singing at random moments or dancing by herself. That woman reflected the whimsy of God like no other. She brought the joy of the Lord everywhere she went. Gosh I just can’t do her justice with words. But I feel blessed to have been able to soak up the joy of our God through her.
So I realized that I don’t have any photos of Marcela… BUT these are two of her children who are hers through and through. Meet Christobol and Alondra. They have my heart too so this is pretty appropriate. These two are Marcela’s whole world!
Marcela: My Chilean aunt. This is Elvirita’s sister. She would live with us at the church from time to time and help cook meals for us. She attended church sometimes but was not super committed to the faith. It was incredible to be around her because she was just so full of thankfulness. This women love us like family. She took care of us like family. My favorite time with her was at meals when she would just laugh at us crazy gringos. Towards the end of our time there Elvirita told us of how she had not fully embraced The Lord has her savior but how grateful they were to have us come and show the love of Christ to her in all of our interactions. We saw Marcela as the Lord sees her.. not as the world does. The world has been hard to her and caused her pain. But because we decided to see her as The Father does she hopefully was able to feel an even ounce of His love for her. Keep Marcela and her 4 children in your prayers that she would feel as loved as she truly is and dedicate her life fully to The Lord.
Now there are others but these were the ones who come to mind when I think back on my days in Los Andes. Those were some seriously sweet two months. Each of these men and women are doing incredible things for the Kingdom and I couldn’t thank them enough for all they did for my team. So now I have been in Peru for almost a month! I can’t wait to give you guys a glimpse of life here as well!!
