I’ll
apologize upfront that I’ve been MIA from the blogging universe for the last 2
weeks. For some reason I have had neither the motivation nor energy to write
anything, so instead of posting empty words, I’ve just not written anything…but
I think I’m better now! Thanks for your patience. J
Here’s
the quick rundown of what’s happened in the last two weeks…
After 3
weeks of miscommunications, city leader negotiations, and waiting for the green
light, we were finally able to construct the church in Lomo de Corvina. We
dedicated the church last Sunday and had the first service there. Although it’s
not completely finished (still working on the roof and a door), the Shalom
church that we worked with in Villa el Salvador is committed to
finishing the project.
Visitors!!
My mom and Bo (Kari’s boyfriend…or shall I say Fiancé!) were able to come and
visit for 4 days last week so that was a huge treat! I think my mom gave enough
details about her visit in her blog to cover both of us so I won’t repeat
everything she said. We had a great time, and it was fun getting to share this
part of my life with her, even if only for a few short days.
Shalom
gave us an amazing send off last Sunday night. They invited all the World
Racers up to the front, told us how much they appreciated having us here,
prayed for us, and gave us all gifts. We love our new Peru stocking
hats…now we’re ready for the mountains! After the prayer, Pastor Moises and his
wife invited the entire church up to bless us with us hugs and kisses. It was one
of the most overwhelming things I’ve ever experienced as 200-300 Peruvians
swarmed us coming from all directions to kiss us and say thank you. I felt so
loved…the entire experience was very humbling for me.
Probably
my biggest highlight happened last Tuesday with my mom. We were in Lomo working
on the church, and in the afternoon the guys started working on putting up the
roof. There wasn’t much work for the girls to do, so my mom and I went with our
translator
Amalia to talk to this family that they had visited with earlier in
the day. This was Naomi’s family. (Read my mom’s blog for details about the
entire Naomi story.) They were going back to their house to give Naomi the school uniform they had bought for her in the market so she could go to school.
I can’t explain how neat it was to see the life and joy that came into that
beautiful 10 yr old girl’s eyes when she tried on her new uniform for us all to
see. She was SO excited! Then she and I went outside and painted some
watercolor pictures while Mom, Bob Cooley, and Amalia prayed with Naomi’s Aunt
and Uncle inside. I don’t know why, but this girl touched my heart differently
than all the other kids I had met and played with. Maybe it was because I
actually knew her story, she became an individual to me. There weren’t 30 other
kids around screaming for attention. I went to her house, painted a picture
with her, and prayed with her. I think it also struck me differently because
she had
become so attached to my mom. I saw my mom pouring out love to Naomi
the same way she pours out love to me, and that created a deeper connection.
When we finally had to leave we were all crying. I watched her cling to my mom
and beg her not to leave. This little girl’s mother had abandoned her, and my
mom had stepped in and given her the mother’s love that she was missing. At
that moment I gained a huge new appreciation and thankfulness for my mother
like never before. She was my hero and I was so proud of her for the difference
she had made in Naomi’s life, even if it was only for one day. I love you, Mom!!
These
are just a few of the people from the Shalom church who became our good friends
during our 5 weeks in Lima.
We laughed together, cried together, prayed together, worshiped together,
played together, and served together. They are all amazing men and women of God
who have blessed our lives. They are selfless servants who poured themselves
out day after day. They have such a passion to reach their city for Christ and
are fully committed to the work the Lord is doing. We will miss them!
And last
but not least, these are our amazing translators. After surviving Mexico and Guatemala without any translators,
they were a very welcome addition to our team; although they probably had no
idea what they were getting themselves into when they signed up for this! They
truly became like members of our teams as they lived, ate, slept, worked, and
served with us every single day. Not only did they translate, but they
willingly jumped into whatever ministry we happened to be doing (passing out
tracts, playing with kids, building, painting, digging, cleaning up trash,
etc.). They were such troopers and made our ministry so much more effective!
Overall I had a great
month in Peru.
God is continuing to teach me how to live a genuine and authentic life, and I’m
beginning to step into my gifts and find my place within the team. I know God
still has a ton more to teach me, and I’m just trying to be open and soft to
whatever He has for me.
