About two weeks ago we arrived in Peru…
It was a 20 something hour bus ride from La Paz Bolivia to Lima Peru…we watched three or more movies yet the country side and the boarder area was majestic.
It reminded me of Montana mixed with Wyoming (near the Grand Tetons), the change of scenery was much appreciated as last month my team was in the desert.
We stopped in Lima for a day to rest, then boarded a bus for a 9 hour ride to Trujillo where we are doing ministry.
This month we are partnered with Ambassadors for Christ, and have been ministering in the following ways:
– Helping at a school
– Evangelism
– Painting
– Speaking at Church
– Doing worship at Church
We are doing ministry in the – Miracle – it is a small city just outside of Trujillo.
Its been a paradox with the city of Trujillo reminding me of a nice city / town in the USA and the Miracle reminding me of a desert town in Mexico. (Trujillo has a mall that reminds me of one back home with similar shops and food)
Of the ministry events i’ve enjoyed the evangelism the most, yet the hardest thing has been seeing people sick and feeling a small piece of there pain. When you open yourself up to Love others you also open yourself up to feel pain and hurt.
Yet its a small glimpse of what God must see…this past week we went out for evangelism and talked to a lady who was not a Christian but said her Dad was.
She said that her dad had cancer but ever since He accepted Jesus into his heart she noticed he had a sense of peace. We got to pray for her and her father, father and Daughter cried together after we prayed…we stayed a little while longer and spoke a few encouraging words.
I prayed for healing and that God would draw the daughter to salvation…yet all we see is a snap shot picture…
We get a small glimpse into someone else’s world…and have to trust God is Sovereign.
In that moment God gave me the following verse
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.”
– Isaiah 43:2
And the words
“God has not forgotten you, He wants you to know that, and that He Loves you”
Unless you have a perfect memory and write everything down (not me) I think in a way life is like a series of snap shot pictures with each memory or experience being a picture.
Sometimes they don’t make sense…sometimes they are stunning but sometimes they are not pretty. No one wants to feel pain, yet it is everywhere, we see snap shots of it in our lives and it leaves us wondering…
I am at a loss to try to understand or explain anything to people who have gone through deeper waters of pain. Yet I’m coming to realize that God is in the midst of those times. He is drawing those who the world would not invite…those in pain, those hurting, those in need…
Its when i realize i have nothing good to offer God in myself that is when he meets me in my need.
Bolivia and Peru Boarder Area with Lake Titicaca in background – from the bus window
Peru – Country Side view – from the bus window
Church in the Miracle
Church Service in Trujillo
Teammate – Rafael – helping at school
Starting to paint – Jaide mixing paint
