As I count down my last few days here, I am still reminded of the importance to be flexible. We had this whole week planned out specifically in order to get every last minute detail wrapped up. And then i got sick. Came home yesterday with a fever, couldn't sleep all night, and had a worse fever this morning... the result being we had to cancel our outing to another part of Peru today :(. I have spent the day in bed... the fever is gone, but not the headache. It has given me time to pray and be reminded of some of what God has been teaching me... hopefully tomorrow I will be well and can finish out the week well!
Yesterday we went to see the movie "Robin Hood." It was very good! Yasmin and I treated the Ledesmas to a movie in theaters... they hadn't been in 30 years or so.... :) It was fun! We also went shopping at the Indian Market.
Monday was a relaxing day of grocery shopping. In the evening, Yasmin and I went to a friend's house for some fellowship with our girlfriends from church. It was a night of good stories, laughter, several rounds of Uno, and sharing testimonies of God's faithfulness. Oh, and we learned (through stories) the right way and the wrong way to kill a chicken. Lot's of laughter!
Sunday was a busy day! It was the 12 anniversary of this sector of the church. We were at church all day practicing and decorating and preparing food. I was asked to sing "Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord" in English. A bit outside of my comfort zone, but God blessed! We were out of the house from 8am-11pm. Long, but great day! It was also my parents 29th Anniversary! :-D
My Daddy is now home, and as far as I know recovering well. Thank you all for your prayers! I'm going to go now and Skype with my parents and then go lay down....
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Today
This past week has flown by in a flury.... is it really already Friday? It has been a relaxing week, after a long week of going non-stop. It’s been good to catch up on studying and preparing.
As I look at the week ahead, I am both excited and sad... Excited, because I will soon be home! I miss my family a lot! Especially since my Daddy is in the hospital... Yesterday was hard. I got an email that he had been taken to the hospital for emergency surgery... Praise God for technology that allowed me to stay in touch with my family and pray as the day went on. Daddy is in recovery now and resting... as far as I know. It’s hard not being there. So I am very excited to be coming home soon!!!
I’m also sad, because i’m going home soon and will not be here in Peru anymore. I’ve built good relationships, and I am sad to leave them behind... I know we will stay in touch, but distance sometimes changes things. This trip has taught me a lot, and stretched me... sometimes, i want to stay here because i can see so clearly how God is working in me and others... At the same time though, I know that God still will be working in my life no matter where i am.
Emotionally, and Spiritually I kinda feel like a rubber band that has been stretched out really tight, and then let go... and not it is neither loose nor tight, but different. I hope that makes sense.
Well, that’s all i have for now... i’ll try to write again in the next week... Thanks again for reading and praying!
As I look at the week ahead, I am both excited and sad... Excited, because I will soon be home! I miss my family a lot! Especially since my Daddy is in the hospital... Yesterday was hard. I got an email that he had been taken to the hospital for emergency surgery... Praise God for technology that allowed me to stay in touch with my family and pray as the day went on. Daddy is in recovery now and resting... as far as I know. It’s hard not being there. So I am very excited to be coming home soon!!!
I’m also sad, because i’m going home soon and will not be here in Peru anymore. I’ve built good relationships, and I am sad to leave them behind... I know we will stay in touch, but distance sometimes changes things. This trip has taught me a lot, and stretched me... sometimes, i want to stay here because i can see so clearly how God is working in me and others... At the same time though, I know that God still will be working in my life no matter where i am.
Emotionally, and Spiritually I kinda feel like a rubber band that has been stretched out really tight, and then let go... and not it is neither loose nor tight, but different. I hope that makes sense.
Well, that’s all i have for now... i’ll try to write again in the next week... Thanks again for reading and praying!
May 8, 2010
We went to the Zoo! It was fun a lot of fun... it was a long day of walking, but sweet fellowship. Every time I go to a Zoo I am amazed by God’s creativity... Sea Lions, Penguins, Giraffes, Monkeys... I mean really.... our God is SO CREATIVE!
We came home from the Zoo late, and to my surprise the house was filled with guests! They threw a surprise Birthday party for me... It was SO fun and encouraging :) I am truly blessed with the friendships I’ve built here...
May 9, 2010
Mother’s Day! After Church, we ate Chinese food. (Chinese food is a favorite here among Peruvians). In the evening, we went to the Paseo de Aguas... otherwise known as the Water Park... There are a lot of beautiful fountains with lights and music... it really is a beautiful place. We just relaxed and celebrated Mother’s Day...
We went to the Zoo! It was fun a lot of fun... it was a long day of walking, but sweet fellowship. Every time I go to a Zoo I am amazed by God’s creativity... Sea Lions, Penguins, Giraffes, Monkeys... I mean really.... our God is SO CREATIVE!
We came home from the Zoo late, and to my surprise the house was filled with guests! They threw a surprise Birthday party for me... It was SO fun and encouraging :) I am truly blessed with the friendships I’ve built here...
May 9, 2010
Mother’s Day! After Church, we ate Chinese food. (Chinese food is a favorite here among Peruvians). In the evening, we went to the Paseo de Aguas... otherwise known as the Water Park... There are a lot of beautiful fountains with lights and music... it really is a beautiful place. We just relaxed and celebrated Mother’s Day...
Friday, May 14, 2010
May 14, 2010
I’m about to go help Yasmin with lunch. We are cooking a North American dish for lunch today... Honey Chicken Stir Fry, Southern Green Beens, and Chocolate Chunk cookies (yes chunk because we didn’t find chips here... we cut up candy bars).
I just wanted to share a random thought... Yesterday was 5 years to the day since I graduated highschool.. it just makes you wander, what will 5 years from now look like? Praise be to God that He has numbered our days and knows them all before we lived even one of them!
Don’t worry, I will keep posting updates as i have time.... i’m learning to write them when i have free time, because sometimes my free time and the time when the internet is available do not coincide. (The ones i just posted, I posted in order... i wrote them today, but I adjusted the post date to make it easy...)
Thanks again for remembering me in your prayers! I still need them.... I feel like my language skills are continuing to grow (praise God!). Please pray that I will put into practice what God is teaching me... and that we would be faithful....
Pray for the Bible Study, and our students! Tonight we are doing lesson 4. Pray for continued harmony among us... and that God would continue to work in the relationships we are building.
Thanks again!
I just wanted to share a random thought... Yesterday was 5 years to the day since I graduated highschool.. it just makes you wander, what will 5 years from now look like? Praise be to God that He has numbered our days and knows them all before we lived even one of them!
Don’t worry, I will keep posting updates as i have time.... i’m learning to write them when i have free time, because sometimes my free time and the time when the internet is available do not coincide. (The ones i just posted, I posted in order... i wrote them today, but I adjusted the post date to make it easy...)
Thanks again for remembering me in your prayers! I still need them.... I feel like my language skills are continuing to grow (praise God!). Please pray that I will put into practice what God is teaching me... and that we would be faithful....
Pray for the Bible Study, and our students! Tonight we are doing lesson 4. Pray for continued harmony among us... and that God would continue to work in the relationships we are building.
Thanks again!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I never know what to put as titles...
My profound apologies for not writing in such a long time! I've been busy, yes...but not too busy to write... i just haven't. :(
But now I am, so here we go... i'm going to break this up a little bit and do several smaller posts to catch up from where I left off... So buckle up, and hang in there :) (it's actually not that rough)
Oh, and I just wanted to say thank you all for reading and for PRAYING!!!! Your prayers are priceless, please continue....
But now I am, so here we go... i'm going to break this up a little bit and do several smaller posts to catch up from where I left off... So buckle up, and hang in there :) (it's actually not that rough)
Oh, and I just wanted to say thank you all for reading and for PRAYING!!!! Your prayers are priceless, please continue....
Thursday, May 6, 2010
May 6, 2010
Hmm.... seems like there was something special about this day.... what was it?
oh yeah..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me! :) My first birthday in another country... It was great! Yesterday, (the 5th) was my cousin’s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA! She is now sweet sixteen... and that makes me feel old.... i remember the day she was born and thinking she was my birthday gift.... (i was about to turn 7).
At midnight, i was woken up by a knock on my bedroom door and singing. Eduardo, Edelmira, and Yasmin sang a Peruvian Happy Birthday song to me! It was really sweet!
We went to the Center of Lima, and then took a tour bus up to the top of San Cristobol. San Cristobol is a mountain.... from the bottom it doesn’t look that tall... but from the top, you can see what seems like all of Lima! (just for perspective, Lima is a city of many districts, and over 8 Million people! i don’t remember how many people live in Oklahoma City, but i’m pretty sure it’s less...)
At the top of the mountain there is a big cross and a museum... the road to the top is a little scary... imagine being in a bus, winding through narrow (one car wide) streets between houses, climbing up at a steep grade (think San Francisco streets if you’ve ever been there)... Yes, we were praying on the way up and down, but it was really beautiful at the top!
When we came down, we had lunch at Norkey’s. It was SO GOOD! Then we went to the Indian Market for a little bit...
When we got home, i got to Skype with my family! So grateful for such technology! It was a great birthday!
oh yeah..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me! :) My first birthday in another country... It was great! Yesterday, (the 5th) was my cousin’s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA! She is now sweet sixteen... and that makes me feel old.... i remember the day she was born and thinking she was my birthday gift.... (i was about to turn 7).
At midnight, i was woken up by a knock on my bedroom door and singing. Eduardo, Edelmira, and Yasmin sang a Peruvian Happy Birthday song to me! It was really sweet!
We went to the Center of Lima, and then took a tour bus up to the top of San Cristobol. San Cristobol is a mountain.... from the bottom it doesn’t look that tall... but from the top, you can see what seems like all of Lima! (just for perspective, Lima is a city of many districts, and over 8 Million people! i don’t remember how many people live in Oklahoma City, but i’m pretty sure it’s less...)
At the top of the mountain there is a big cross and a museum... the road to the top is a little scary... imagine being in a bus, winding through narrow (one car wide) streets between houses, climbing up at a steep grade (think San Francisco streets if you’ve ever been there)... Yes, we were praying on the way up and down, but it was really beautiful at the top!
When we came down, we had lunch at Norkey’s. It was SO GOOD! Then we went to the Indian Market for a little bit...
When we got home, i got to Skype with my family! So grateful for such technology! It was a great birthday!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
April 29, 2010
Yasmin and I went on our first outing by ourselves! We took the bus by ourselves to downtown Lima and met some girls from church at the mall. We had fun fellowship just looking around and talking. We celebrated Pilar’s birthday because it was the next day.
It was a really neat time to build relationships...
May 1, 2010
Today was a women’s conference at the main church (sector 3). It was called “My Encounter With God” (well, that’s what it would be called in English) and it dealt with three main topics: Freedom from sin, freedom from the past, and freedom from generational sins/curses. It was neat to see God work in the hearts of over 200 women.
It was impacting for me too. God taught me a lot just in fellowship with Him. He also allowed me to understand most of two out of the three messages!
May 3-5, 2010
We went to visit with another family here, Amalia and Nelson Juarez. They live about an hour from the Ledesma’s. Yasmin and I spent three great days with them!
We went to the beach at La Punta, and Costa Verde. We also got to go to Barranco, and Puebla Libre... We had sweet fellowship with them!
Nelson and Amalia are both very evangelistic, and we saw them share the gospel with three different people during our stay! The people seemed really receptive and prayed with them... It makes me wonder.... sometimes we say people in the States are not that open to the gospel.... but are they really closed or are we just to timid to share the gospel? I’m just thinking... sometimes we are so worried about offending people or stepping on their toes... or breaking some political correct etiquette that we don’t share the gospel when God gives us the opportunity. Really, there are lost souls all around us, the barrista at Starbucks, the man in the gas station, the lady sitting next to you in the waiting room, your co-workers, your family.... we don’t have to wait for people to step inside a church to plant seeds of truth in their hearts. Are we actively looking for opportunities to share what God has done in our lives and the free gift of costly Grace He offers to all? (Grace is costly because it cost the shed blood of Jesus, therefore it is never something that is cheap, but it is freely given!)
Yasmin and I went on our first outing by ourselves! We took the bus by ourselves to downtown Lima and met some girls from church at the mall. We had fun fellowship just looking around and talking. We celebrated Pilar’s birthday because it was the next day.
It was a really neat time to build relationships...
May 1, 2010
Today was a women’s conference at the main church (sector 3). It was called “My Encounter With God” (well, that’s what it would be called in English) and it dealt with three main topics: Freedom from sin, freedom from the past, and freedom from generational sins/curses. It was neat to see God work in the hearts of over 200 women.
It was impacting for me too. God taught me a lot just in fellowship with Him. He also allowed me to understand most of two out of the three messages!
May 3-5, 2010
We went to visit with another family here, Amalia and Nelson Juarez. They live about an hour from the Ledesma’s. Yasmin and I spent three great days with them!
We went to the beach at La Punta, and Costa Verde. We also got to go to Barranco, and Puebla Libre... We had sweet fellowship with them!
Nelson and Amalia are both very evangelistic, and we saw them share the gospel with three different people during our stay! The people seemed really receptive and prayed with them... It makes me wonder.... sometimes we say people in the States are not that open to the gospel.... but are they really closed or are we just to timid to share the gospel? I’m just thinking... sometimes we are so worried about offending people or stepping on their toes... or breaking some political correct etiquette that we don’t share the gospel when God gives us the opportunity. Really, there are lost souls all around us, the barrista at Starbucks, the man in the gas station, the lady sitting next to you in the waiting room, your co-workers, your family.... we don’t have to wait for people to step inside a church to plant seeds of truth in their hearts. Are we actively looking for opportunities to share what God has done in our lives and the free gift of costly Grace He offers to all? (Grace is costly because it cost the shed blood of Jesus, therefore it is never something that is cheap, but it is freely given!)
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