Huangascar

Another week has passed and I have realized that I have left another piece of my heart in Peru. With each village I visit and each person I meet I found myself falling more and more in love with this place. While I know that right now I can't stay forever there is a part of me that wishes I could stay and make my home among these people. 

The team from Texas (Micah's team) and April arrived last Thursday very late at night but without incident. We took them to the hotel and then returned to the apartment to pack a bag and catch a few hours of sleep before we headed back to the hotel in the am to get the team ready to leave for the villages. All went smoothly and 8 hours later we had arrived in Huangascar-- all tired and all ready to get out of the vans and trucks after being on unpaved roads up the mountain for 3 hours. 

We all stayed in Huangascar the first night and then the next morning the group of 26 divided into three groups: one group would stay in Huangascar, one would go to Madean, and another to Vinac.  After the two other teams left Huangascar-- it was 6 high school age kids, April and myself and the adult leader from Aledo Texas, Brady.  The next two days were spent ministering to the people of Huangascar. We found the pueblo very empty because of some festivals going on in villages above ours, but God was faithful to provide kids to play with, love on, and the opportunity to share the story of creation and the 10 commandments with. We also got the chance to play some volleyball. I am horrible at volleyball so I tried to just stay on the sidelines and play with the kids. Huangascar is located on the ridge of a mountain surrounded by mountains-- we all stopped multiple times daily to talk about how incredibly beautiful it was, how big and creative our God is, and one student said over and over again that the mountains and the view spoke so loudly and clearly that he didn't understand how anyone could not know there was a God. 

Day 3 was spent in Chocos-- a village about 35 minutes away. We walked around the pueblo and had conversations with women and teens who were out on the streets or had their doors open (most doors are open if the people are home). We found it hard to find men to talk to since they work in the fields during the day and were informed that a lot of the time the men drink during the day while they are in the fields working. There have been several things that have broken my heart for these people since I have been here but I think the strongest and greatest one is the lack of male leadership and commitment to their families. I can't tell you the countless stories I have heard of woman whose husbands cheat on them, are alcoholics, are abusive to their families, or just emotional negligent. I find myself compelled to pray that God would raise up men in other parts of the world or Peru that would call men to live out their biblically mandated roles. 

Day 4 was spent in Azangaro walking around the pueblo sharing the gospel and then playing in the plaza with the kids and sharing the gospel with them. This was the teams favorite day. It was the first day that everyone was back to "normal life." The schools had been out of session on Monday for a teachers day so Tuesday was the first day that there were just a ton of kids and people out and about. 

Day 5 we went to meet up with the other groups in the other two villages. We got the chance to see what their ministry had been like and got to partner with them. My part of our team was in Median. We got to share the story of David and Goliath and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the elementary school. After a full day of ministry we headed down the mountain to Huangascar where we had a worship service in Victoria's home. It was so encouraging and such a blessing to get to worship with them.

We traveled back to Lima on day 6.  We all took much needed showers and then went to have dinner.

Day 7 I got to spend the morning with April exploring Lima-- it was like we had gone back to when we were in college and studying abroad. She is always such a joy to be around. I am so grateful she got to be here. After some time to explore we headed to meet the team at the Inca Market-- Then the only time left was a quick trip by the apartment to get April's belongings before we were off to the airport with April and the Team. 

Some of the highlights of the week:

Victoria- an 85 year old woman this year who was born and raised in Huangascar. She opens her home for Percy and Maura to have house church. She loves praising our Lord and Savior and is passionate and excited to meet young people from the states. She encouraged us all to fervently pray for Peru and showed us what it looked like to love and worship with all that we are.

April- what a JOY and HONOR it was to have April serving beside me this week. April and I studied in Spain, traveled in Europe and studied abroad in Ecuador together. This was my first time to leave the country for an extended period of time and not have her by my side as I boarded the plane-- so it was such a blessing when it worked out for her to come this week. She adds an extra sense of excitement and adventure as she loves life and takes great joy in the small things. It was awesome to get to share the gospel side by side in Spanish after having labored together for literally 4 years to learn the language so that we could express the love of Christ to these people. We had time to chat and reflect on life in our down time and enjoyed sharing things like Coca Cola Light and Choka Soda crackers. I will miss her dearly as she heads back to the states but will be incredibly thankful she got to come and encourage and labor beside me. 

We spent today recovering, doing laundry, and packed our stuff to head out for the last 3 weeks of our time here. I won't be back to Lima until the 28 of July.  I am excited about our last few weeks-- we will spend a lot of time traveling. Tomorrow we begin a 15 hour journey to Huancopi-- then we are off to Chupa-- and then to Oyolo-- getting to Oyolo will include at 6-8 hour hike. Literally the roads go no further and thus you must walk. 

I ask that you pray for wisdom and discernment in every step we take and every form of transportation we get on. I also pray that God continues to teach, mold, and shape me to look more like Christ over these next 3 weeks. I also ask for you to pray as I begin to process and think about returning home and life in the states. There is much to think on and much to be excited about and much reason to beg God to change my heart and desires to reflect His.

I am so grateful and blessed to have so many praying for supporting me. Your prayers are priceless. 

Trusting Him,

Celeste

Photos Week 6 & 7

I have posted more pictures from the last two weeks. You can view them by going to Facebook or clicking the link to the right. 

We are leaving again tonight for Huancapi tonight but I will post a blog about this last week before I leave.

Praying for you guys in the states!

Thanks for your love and support.

Trusting Him,

Celeste

Change of Plans...

We all know what it is like to make a plan and then to discovery nothing we planned is going "according to plan." When you are overseas that is compounded and it never fails that in the weakness of my plans God shows himself to be faithful and strong. The first half of the summer was planned to consist of village visits to  Vilcas Huaman, Huancopi, Andamarca, and Bella Union. We actually visited Matucana, Cordova, and Bella Union. It went much different than planned E. Coli and strikes could not have been foreseen by our team-- but we all hold fast to the truth that they were ALL seen and known and planned ultimately by a loving God for our good and sanctification. I cling tightly to Psalm 31:15 that says "My times are in your hands." Whether in the aspects of my daily life and ultimately in my death my times and life are in the hand of an infinite God.

I ended the last written blog on June 10th stating we were headed back to the bus station and heading to Vilcas Huaman-- That was not where we ended up. As we climbed back in a taxi and headed across town at 7pm the night of the 10th our team prayed in the car for wisdom and direction.  We knew it was a possibility that the bus may not run at all and the strike may continue on, but we also knew that sometimes the buses don't know ahead of time that the strike won't end at it's "designated" end time and so they get on the road only to get stopped at road blocks and either have to turn around or wait it out there on the road. We wanted badly to be in Vilcas Huaman but didn't want to go if it wasn't where God wanted us. After praying and then arriving at the bus terminal we were informed that the buses were not leaving because the strike had not ended. We then contacted Mike Weaver to make a decision about trying to head somewhere different that night. We decided to go to Ica (5 hours south) so that we could be in a more strategic place to head out the next day. We arrived in Ica at about 2 am and the pastor and his wife graciously opened their door to us to rest our tired heads. 

In Lima at the bus station waiting to find out where we would go when we learned the strike had not ended

In Ica at the pastor's house about to leave for Cordova

The next day it was decided that we would head up the mountain to Cordova-- if you look at week 2 & 3 pictures you can see photos from our trip up the mountain as well as how gorgeous it was from the top. Although our time in Cordova was shorter than expected it was a great time to get to know the summer team that is there-- they are from Kentucky and so it was good to talk about places we all knew about in KY. We spent a lot of time praying in that village- praying for the summer team as they minister, praying for the few believers that are there -- that they would rise up as leaders among their people, and praying for the hearts of those so desperately searching to find hope and meaning for their lives. Cordova also provided an amazing opportunity for a LONG 3.5 hour hike.  Kristen and I set out and got to explore some but mostly stuck to the path-- we hiked to the next village.  We spent the first hour basically in silence- both just needing a little quiet, reflective time.  The next 2.5 hours we spent talking what God was teaching us, the use of financial resources in the lives of believers, and a fair amount of time discussing what transition will look like for Kristen as she heads back to the states in August after having served in Peru for 2 years. Upon leaving Cordova we returned to Ica and got to spend some time with the pastor and his wife. We also had the blessing of spending time with those in their local faith family.  We played volleyball in the street with the kids on Saturday evening and Sunday we had the opportunity to teach Sunday School. They asked us to teach on Matt 7:7-11 God used that passage about asking your Father in heaven for things and him giving you good gifts to teach me a lot during that time. It was a strong reminder that God is faithful and good.

Ellen helping with Sunday School 

One of the joys of Peru is getting to sit close... this station wagon had 8-- us 4 in the back seat 2 + driver in the front and an older gentle in the hatch back.

The view on our hike... it was breathe-taking

Kristen's dad and younger brother had the opportunity to come and travel with us for a week. They arrived on the 15th and were here until the 22nd. We spent the time they were here in Bella Union which is about a 9-10 hour trip south of Lima. Bella Union is literally one LONG street-- it seems to go on forever. I believe it is about 4-5 miles long. The summer team in Bella Union-- Kyle, Adam, and Amelia-- were such a HUGE encouragement to us and our team. Two of them are in college and one graduated this past May. They each have a strong desire and passion to minister to the people of this village and a faith and belief that God is mighty and they want to be spent on serving these people. We were able to do 2 formal training sessions with the believers there-- teaching on what it means to be the church looking at Acs 2:42-47 and then praying and thinking through what it would look like if a church planting movement began in their village. They were eager to learn and listen-- a few of the believers in that village are so passionate about sharing the gospel and what they are learning. I treasure the times of meeting with them as a house church-- singing songs with just our voices and clapping, seated around in a circle studying God's word, and then sharing with one another ways we can be obedient to what God is teaching us. We left Bella Union excited about the work there and encouraged by the summer team there.

Heading out to invite people to bible study and to minister to the people

Soccer or futbol is huge in Bella Union- Friday nights the guys in the village come out to play. We supported them even though we were freezing!

We returned to Lima to take Kristen's dad and brother to the airport-- we also had the opportunity to celebrate Kristen's birthday a few days early while her family was here.

Kristen's favorite gift as a child was still a hit at 24-- Glitter Girl finger nails.

It is hard to believe but Mid Summer has come and gone. The 130 of us convened in Naska for debriefing. We were there the 26-29.  It was an amazing time of hearing about the work God is doing among the people of Peru and also to hear how God is changing and molding the hearts of the college students who are here serving. It was also an opportunity for us to worship together (thanks to Hayes, Solomon, and Kyle) as well as share meals and some good long conversations.

Tonight, Micah (Kristen's fiancee), some of the youth from his youth group in texas, and April Ciervo (one of my best friends from college who now lives in San Marcos, CA) are coming to spend a week ministering to the people of Huangascar and 2 surrounding villages. We are excited for them to arrive and excited to be back out in a village.  There will be a total of 26 of us traveling and we will be split between the 3 villages. We ask for your prayers and pray that we would be used of God during this week.  

As of today it is 32 days till I return. There are lots of mixed emotions about this. I miss each of you terribly but am really content and grateful for this opportunity. God continues to amaze me with His grace and continues to sustain me. 

Love you all! Thank you so much for the prayers!

Celeste

More Pics

Well, more time has past and I have not written more but I have uploaded more pictures-- weeks 3 & 4. I am working on another post now. 

Thanks for all your prayers, support, emails, and encouragement. 

Celeste

Pics

I promise to write more later but I did add a link to facebook pics to the right-- weeks 2 & 3. I will post more soon. Sorry it has been so long. Know that God is good, faithful, and working mightily here.

Trusting HIM,

Celeste

Praise the Lord

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with tambourine and dancing, 

Praise him with the strings and flute,

Praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

Praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.  Psalm 150

Praise God that he is Sovereign and Reigns over every detail of our lives. Despite the fact that I have been really ill this past week I have had great peace in knowing that not one detail of the sickness or my time here is out of His control.  I am so grateful for all of your prayers- countless of you have prayed for healing that I my fever would lower, my stomach would settle, and I would regain strength... all of your prayers are being answered by the Mighty One.  What started May 28th as cold like symptoms escalated over the next few days to full blown flu symptoms and I had to be confined to the bed with a fever hovering around 103. This past Thursday was the hardest day and that night was the low point but even when I felt so dehydrated and couldn't even keep water down I was comforted and strengthened by a Savior and God who promises to never leave us or abandon us and is even concerned with the small details of our lives. 

Friday morning we finally made the call to head to the doctor.  After about 4 hours in the emergency room (it was different that an American ER-- it was actually more comfortable) and blood work and the work up of a stool sample (sorry, probably too much information) I was cleared from typhoid and malaria and a parasite and was told that I have a bacterial infection. I am taking Cipro (antibiotic) and that has really made me feel a lot better. I have continued to feel weak over the last few days and haven't really progressed past chicken broth and rice, bread, and mashed potatoes. We are still waiting on the culture results to know which type of bacteria it is that has invaded my body.  I praise God though that I am feeling better and continuing to regain strength. 

Of course getting sick was not part of my plan, but I know and trust that not one moment has surprised God. While I know and trust God in all of this I have hated the fact that I have kept my team behind and from traveling for the last 5 days as I have recovered. They have both been gracious and both have said they trust that God knows what he is doing and we are in Lima for a reason. I couldn't ask for a better team.  I really owe a whole blog post to Kristen and how amazing she has been while I have been sick but let's see if I can at least give you a glimpse of how she has taken care of me. For the multiple days that I wasn't able to get out of bed she brought me water, gatorade, and tea to my bedside as well as my tylenol when it was time for me to take it again. She has sat with me, prayed for me, and stayed at the ER with me for the 4 hours while we waited. She has made countless trips out for me to pick up gatorade and juice, my prescription, and gone back twice to the Dr's office to see if the test results were in. I have told her she is getting great practice at being a mom and I believe she will make an amazingly kind and tender mother!  

I got my test results from the laboratory this afternoon. E. Coli is the official diagnosis. There honestly is no telling how I got it-- bad water, not properly cleaned vegetables, bad meat, or my personal favorite fecal-oral transmission. I will continue my antibiotics for the next 3 days.

Matucana.  We left Lima on the June 1st for Matucana. We spent that first day getting to know some of the believers in the village and talking with the Summer Team that is there. On Tuesday we spent the morning praying, talking, and studying to get ready for the training we would do that afternoon and evening. Over the next two days we did 5 training sessions. I was only physically present for 3.5 of them because I got really sick halfway through session 4 and did not leave the bed again until we left Matucana. Despite being sick it was amazing and humbling to see the work of the Holy Spirit in that village. God had radically and genuinely saved several believers over this last semester and it was so cool to get to see the work of sanctification in their lives. Kristen taught a session on obedience based discipleship and focusing on how we are to respond to the word with our lives. We seek to know and understand scripture with the prayer and intention that our lives and hearts will be changed in the process and molded to look more like Christ. When we come to the word we come ready and eager to learn the truths about God's character/attributes and to learn how it is that our lives should be lived out and then to humbly and obediently submit all that we are to align ourselves with the Word of God. One couple came back the night after this teaching and said that realized that they needed to be married. They have lived together for many many years--- they have a 16 year old son and two younger kids, but they have never been married.  They were both saved this May while an enhancement team from REAPsouth was there. Based on the word and the work of the Holy Spirit they realized they were living in sin and wanted their lives to be changed in order to be obedient to God's word. It was really cool to see them hear the Holy Spirit and then respond. God is faithful to show us our sin and faithful to give us the strength to find our way out. 

We are leaving at 7 am tomorrow the 10th of June for Vilcas Huaman. It will be a 14 hour bus ride-- well, a 10 hour bus ride and a 4 hour bus ride to get us there. Please be praying for safe travels and healthy bodies.

I would also ask you to pray for our team as we go into this village and prayerfully make an assessment of what the believers and leaders of the house churches need teaching on. Pray that the hearts of the believers would be ready and eager to learn from God's word. I am even asking that you would pray big things like that a house church planting movement would stir up from among the believers of Vilcas Huaman that they would have an unquenchable desire for the people of their village and surrounding annex to know the truth of the gospel that they would not rest in seeking God until He answers their prayer. Also, prayer for the Summer Mission Team that is there-- pray that we would be an encouragement to them in their walk with Christ. 

As of the last count I heard-- I think there were about 40 some odd people of the 120 summer missionaries who have been pretty seriously sick. Please pray for health and strength and for the knowledge and wisdom to know when to go to the doctor and such. 

I am incredible grateful for the prayer and support I have received while I was sick. I couldn't do this without each of you and your countless prayers. 

I anticipate being back and being able to update you on our time in Vilcas Huaman.

Trusting Him-- Celeste

A flash back from the states...

Very soon-- and even today-- I am actually going to write some about this past week, but I received an email from the states containing some amazing pictures that I just thought I needed to share. The pictures and the memories they contain sure make me smile. Royce and Sandra took Mandi and I over to the lake house to let us fish and then Royce took us the following morning turkey hunting. It was an adventure as I am sure you can imagine. We were successful at catching fish but no turkey was shot, but it was worth getting up at 3:30 am just for the experience. Royce- thanks again for taking us and teaching us how to shoot all those guns. We sure had fun.

This one is my favorite! Miss you Mandi!!

Gangsters? Doubtful.

Sweet and innocent... except for that gun.

We were pretty excited to get our hunting gear on!

The one and only bass I caught.

Facebook Pictures

For those of you that don't have Facebook I will link the photo albums I post there to the blog. They are located on the right hand column of the blog at the top .... enjoy =)

Samford Grads

I already posted the pic of the Samford students together at La Finca, but today I got word that the Samford Belltower wrote a short article about us in their weekly only newspaper. I thought I would share the link in case you were interested.

http://www.samford.edu/belltower/060309/snapshot_summermission.php

(I can't seem to figure out how to make it a hyperlink-- I guess the ol' copy and paste method will have to do)

I will write more tomorrow. I have continued to be sick. I think it is just the flu but I have a lingering fever that has kept me in bed for days now. 

Please pray that God would heal me so that we can head back out to the next village to teach, share the gospel, and spur on the other teams to love and good deeds. 

I am so grateful for the HUGE army of prayer warriors I have. God is so good to give me so many people who love and encourage me.

Off to bed. Praying the fever is gone in the AM.

Quick trip through photos... more to come

We are about to head to Matucana to do training and teaching. Thought I would give a quick glimpse of life here through a few photos.

Ellen (Journeygirl) and I before a soccer volleyball match

Family Group #9-- So soccer volleyball wasn't exactly our thing but we still had fun.

Me, Brit and Ryan (both Journeyman) at the camp

Our room. Kristen taking a nap.

Samford students. The guys are on an ESL team in Cusco.

A view of La Fina

Our team. Me, Martin, and Kristen.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”.  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong”  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

A continued glimpse of our week at La Finca...

Teaching-- Dr. Sills continued to teach about the missionary call-- mostly demystifying what it looks like when God calls his people to the mission field. Obviously, as believers we are all commanded to make disciples of all nations but how do you know if you should sell your home (or not buy one), pack up your life, and move yourself or a family to a another part of the world where you probably don't know the language, don't recognize the food, and come from a different world view? Basically, it comes down to Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." When we take our greatest delight in our relationship with Christ and our humble and passionate pursuit of Him-- He (the great giver of all things) places desires in your heart and then when you pursue them you get great joy and He gets great glory as He accomplishes His great plan. It's amazing and freeing to recognize that as I abide in Christ (John 15) I am freed up to pursue what I desire and in this, the God of the Universe is Glorified. So if you have a passion for culture, people, a desire to learn languages, love for travel and being over sees, passion for sharing the gospel-- then you are likely called to missions. 

I am praying this summer that God would draw the 130 of us here to greater and deeper intimacy with Him. That He will grant us great joy to keep us moving and enough trouble and hardship to keep us humble before Him. I pray that as we grow in intimacy with Him that He would grant and give us great desires and that as we part ways at the end of the summer we would pursue those God given desires with all our might and joy.

Family Groups-- to make 130 people seem a little smaller for training and relational purposes we were divided into 10 teams of about 10 people a group. Family Group 9 (my group) is pretty much amazing and a huge blessing to me already. We spent time in our teams practicing storying (reviewing over and over the stories we learned that day), asking questions that we didn't feel comfortable asking in front of 130 people, sharing what we need each other to pray for, laughing, having praise and worship (Hayes Parnell is in my family group and he is an amazingly gifted worship leader), and spent time on our faces for our own souls, the state of our hearts, and the souls of those we will come in contact with over the next 2 months.  Kristen Seay (my volunteer missionary friend) and Jess Sorrell (a journeyman who has been here since January) were our Family Group leaders, both are extremely knowledgeable but more than that they have a passion for seeing the glory of God seen in Peru and are living that out in front of us. 

One part of our Family Groups was to compete against the other teams in earning points through various activities such as soccer volleyball, question time after each teaching session, and then finally through team challenges. I was part of leading the game time with Ryan Northup (Journeyman). We tried to come up with funny, challenging, and at time disgusting team challenges. It's hard to know which was my favorite seeing 10 people eat a banana off a chair with no hands and yes, that does mean peeling it with just your teeth, cramming crackers in your mouth and then trying to whistle, or maybe just maybe the best and worst was seeing them each HUGE and I mean HUGE crickets we collected. It was totally insane to me that not one of them hesitated who volunteered for their team to complete the challenge. They popped that cricket in their mouth and chomped away. I had thought only Lydia, who grew up in the Philippines, would be up for this challenge but they were all willing and bothersomely eager to eat the cricket. It was such a close call on who consumed the cricket the fastest that we had round two... run outside, find your own cricket, run back and onto the stage, and bite the head of the cricket, eat it, and then eat the body.  Why someone would even consider this is beyond me but they were off at go and Andrew Crosson was back and onstage eating the head first and then the body (after it jumped out of him mouth) before you really knew what happened. Like I said it was disturbing. But maybe just maybe this eagerness to try the weird and desire to get the job done will be what will help them as they move out into villages of the highlands of Peru.  

Prayer-- our need and dependance on prayer can never be over emphasized. 

Here are a few quotes from men who sought God in prayer...

Martin Luther (a pretty busy dude) declared he had so much to do, he could not possibly accomplish all of it unless he spent THREE OR FOUR HOURS ON HIS KNEES before God each morning.

"Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still." 
E.M. Bounds

Our Family Group got the chance to spend a fair amount of time for each other, our needs, and struggles, and for the Peruvians we will minister to.

Please be in prayer with me for my heart and the hearts of those in my group to be united, not divided, for God.

O Lord, I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. (Psalm 86:11)

I am oh so grateful for each of you and for the power of prayer. I thank my God for each of you as I remember you in prayer.

Lima

We got back to Lima yesterday and got the chance to go the mall. It is called Jockey Plaza. Honestly, it was slightly overwhelming but good to see a Starbucks since I had been without coffee for most of the week. I spent the rest of the day at the apartment after getting home from the mall because I have come down with what is probably just a cold. We have kidded about passing around swine flu, mostly because it is more fun to say. I think my weeks of little sleep and busy schedule finally got the best of me. I am trying my best to rest and recover but we are still planning to head out tomorrow to start traveling. So, I would ask for your prayers for health and strength. At this very moment, my fever is down and the chills are gone so we may be moving toward getting better. 

We are going to have those who are still in town over in just a few minutes for some worship and prayer time.  

We are going to end our evening with dinner and a trip to the fountains. Honestly, I don't much about them but will post soon.  I do love water and anything that involves water so I am sure I will be fascinated.

Again, I am grateful for each of you-- for your prayers, emails, comments, and words of encouragement.  

With lots of love-- Celeste

La Finca

Oh, how it gives me joy to write you all. Thanks so much for the prayers, they are felt and really appreciate. It will literally take an army of prayer warriors for us to be effective this summer. we are so desperate for Gods spirit and presence. The team arrived at the camp safely monday night about 12-2 am. they came in 5 buses. they came loaded down with bags but eager from the onset. despite the fact that it was almost 2 am they all came to check and make sure they could just head to bed... they didnt want to miss anything. We got started with traing tuesday morning and it has been pretty much non stop since. We have a professor, Dr. David Sills, from Southern seminary in Louisville here with us this week doing teaching and traingin. He has taught about the missionary call- which has been so good for our group seeing as how everyong is still in college or just out and so eager to do what God has for them. They are eager to be obedient to Gods word and leading. We have also had sesssions on the world religions that are prevalent here (mormonism, adventists, catholism, withcraft, annimism) and most of the time in most villages it is a crazy blend of several. This is a oral culture so teaching with outlines and sermon style is often ineffective and definitely not reproducible when you leave. We are learning about how and why to story and have begun the task of learning bible stories in spanish to teach from. Because they are an oral culture stories are what they know and learn from and thus reproducible. I am excite about the challenge and adventure of learning how to tell the gospel through stories.

We are all anxious to get out to the villages but know that training is important. We are beginning to bond and I (of course) have LOVED meeting new people. I am sure already I have made long term friends. It is so cool to see how God has uniquely shaped our lives and shown us his grace and brought us all here for this time to labor alongside each other.

I must end now. Back to training. I miss you each so much but know that I am loving it here and cant wait to share the good news of Christ.

Continue to pray for my intimacy with Christ and our last 2 days of training. I will be back in Lima on Saturday for over night.

Trusting Him!

Getting Started

2 am in Peru (central time)Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I arrived safely-- no glitches, no snags, no hang ups, totally and amazingly uneventful. I arrived in ATL at 3 and found my gate and began to make a few last minute phone calls. My mom and I discussed that this was going to be the 1st time I had traveled out of the states and not had someone meet me in ATL to travel with. This seemed to trouble my mom. Well, God is faithful and good even in our smallest prayers. Kristen called from Peru about 5 min later just to confirm she would be there to pick me up AND to tell me that Mike the missionary was on the flight AND 6 other college guys-- 3 of which were from Samford. So, I was able to call my mom back and let her know God had provided and I was not traveling alone. The flight from ATL to Lima is a little over 6 hours. I had great plans to sleep and while I dozed on and off God had different plans for me-- I did a lot of journaling, praying, and I started Elizabeth Elliot's book "Through the Gates of Splendor."  Below are a few excerpt from my time journaling.

I started "Through the Gates of Splendor"-- how did such a young man (Jim Elliot) have such clarity about God's direction in his life? It's a testament to God himself. God I pray that you would grant me an unquenchable desire to see your name taken to the unreached peoples of the world. I have no idea how this will look/play out but I don't have to fear because you have said I will never leave you nor forsake you. 

I got tripped up over this quote "What if the well filled church in the homeland needs stirring? (speaking to people's suggestion that Jim stay in the states to use his gifts to teach americans) They have the scriptures, and the prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their bibles"

God redeem us as a nation-- rectify our lost ambition and hollow dreams. God I beg you to keep my generation from wasting our lives on stuff-- cars, homes, and giving our kids everything money can buy buy failing to do the one thing we've been called to do-- point them and those we come in contact with to the One who created and calls them to Himself. 

I spent the last part of the flight thinking, dreaming, and praying.  The flight touched down at 11:10 central time. Our wheels had barely hit the ground before they were informing us that we would not be able to de-plan until we had all filled out forms for the health department regarding Swine Flu. When we pulled up to the gate every airport employee-- baggage workers, maintenance, ticket clerks, immigration officers ALL had those face mask things that I thought you only used when working with heaving chemicals or something.  I felt like I was in a movie as they came down the plane aisle with masks and gloves handing out forms. 

Once through immigration, baggage claim, and customs we finally entered the airport area and I began scanning the huge room with hundreds of people there to pick up passengers for Kristen... I finally located her she was standing inside the roped off area and she too had one of those masks on-- her and brittany, the other girl already here, thought they would try to look like everyone else in the airport.  We got the 6 boys dropped off at their hostel for the night and we are now at her apartment in Lima. We will leave in the AM to go to the camp where we will do training until the 31st of May. The rest of the teams, an additional 90 something people, will arrive late tomorrow night and then will travel out to the camp. Kristen, myself, and several others will go ahead to the camp in the AM to prepare for the rest of the group.  We will return to Lima before we head out to the villages on the first. I do not anticipate having internet before then. 

Here is a picture from this morning when the kids prayed over me and commissioned me to go and to take the gospel to the nations. A moment I will never forget. One 5th grade girl prayed that God would show the people of Peru that He is Holy. Amen.

From this 5/24 at Brook Hills-- lots of woman I love. 

Ashley aka mini me being a champ and carrying my pack to the car to take me to the airport. She would later call me and tell me to be careful carrying that thing. My pack weighs 42 lbs as of leaving the states. 

Me. In Lima. In the apartment. Happy grin on my face because it smells like South America and I love that smell!!! 

Schedule

Summer schedule as of May 20, 2009:
June 1-6...Vilcashuaman
June 8-13...Huancopi
June 15-20...Bella Union
June 22-26...Andamarca
June 26-30...Mid-summer debriefing
July 2-10...Huangascar (with Micah's team)
July 13-18...Oyolo
July 20-25...Marcabama/Pausa
July 27-30...Caraveli
July 30-August 2...End summer debriefing

Obviously, everything could change but here is what Kristen sent me today. Wow, 4 days. It is getting really real. Please be praying as I continue to diligently work by the power of Christ in me to accomplish the details and do the will of the Father in these last few days. I am praying I do not miss an opportunity to share the gospel with those I come in contact with today.

God has had Colossians 3:15 on my heart and mind for days now I just keep reciting it over and over "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

I am so grateful for God's word and the promise that above everything else God will use His Word to sanctify us. So trust God's word, memorize it, and meditate on it-- it will make you wise (psalm 19:7)

Overwhelmed by Grace

As one season ends and another begins it's always a great opportunity to stop and reflect, to see where God brought has brought me, to rejoice in the triumphs and accomplishments, and if you are like me to shed a few tears.  I love adventure but boy, do I dislike change. As I was looking back and at some journal entries from when I was ending college and starting my time on staff at Brook Hills I wrote the following and I feel like it encapsulates where I am today-- in awe of God's Grace

Overwhelmed by your grace and desperate for your presence. Grace- It's Your grace that sustains me, provides for me & covers over where I lack. It's grace I am unworthy of, undeserving of but abundantly grateful for. I'm reminded that it's Your grace that enlists, empowers & equips your children & it's Your grace that humbles me now. Humbled that You would use me, that you fashioned me together with such care, love me, call me beautiful and wonderfully made, & then you cover over all my greatest faults by the blood of Christ so that all you see is the righteousness and holiness of Your son. When faced with grace and love so great I realize I add nothing to the equation but humbly submit all that I am, possess & hope for to making Your name and glory known to the ends of the earth-- even in submitting to this I know it will require Your grace to carry me through. Thank you is too small a phrase to encompass gratitude to the Faithful One but may my lack of words be a mark of reverence. I owe a lot of people Thank You's for the countless prayers sent up on my behalf. You've provided me with the most amazing people who have surrounded me, encouraged me, shown me how to trust you more and more, and not been afraid to push me when I have lacked faith and belief. You have made clear in Your word Your plan to redeem man from His sin, to restore him to relationship with you  & I praise you that you get great glory in it.  

November 2007 

6 days till I leave for Peru. God has shown Himself mighty and faithful every step of this journey. I am incredibly grateful and overwhelmed by the way He has provided.  

The Little Things

Planning to live out of a backpack for 9 weeks means you have to get creative. I have spent my fair share of time over the last few weeks in sporting goods stores looking for wool socks, a shammy quick dry towel, soap, and a few clothes items to layer. Every time I go in I get the feeling that everyone is looking at me thinking "this girl is never going to make it and she has no idea what she needs." While it's true I have no idea what I need and have never "roughed it" for this length of time I am confident that it will be good. I am totally going to embrace and enjoy 9 weeks of no make up and hair dryer, but I think the not too frequent shower thing may be tough... but I am trusting God for His grace even in the little things. So, even if I don't get to wash my hair and my clothes very often I am still going prepared. Yesterday I found these "soap leaves." They are totally awesome. You can wash your body, hair, clothes, and dishes with it. It's like listerine strips but instead of giving you fresh breathe it suds up and makes you clean all over-- literally from head to toe and the kitchen sink too. As I explained my new find last night to someone, they were concerned that I would use the same soapy water that I can cleaned my dishes and clothes with on my hair-- have no fear, a new strip for each will be used. I will have to update at a later date on how effective and efficient the multipurpose soap is.

10 days from today until I leave. God continues to grow my excitement and anticipation. I am praying that God will direct and guide my last few days here in the states—that I would be obedient to his will and “to do” list and not a slave to my own.

It's Official

I officially have a plane ticket, a seat, and a return date.
I will leave from Birmingham on May 24th at 112 pm and arrive in Lima at 1050 pm.
I will return from Lima on August 3rd. I will get into Birmingham at 1030 am on August 3rd.

There is much still to be done from finalizing international travelers insurance to closing out my time on staff at Brook Hills. God is good and gracious and continues to multiply my moments. I trust God to order my steps and pray that what it is He has for me to accomplish in the next 13 days that I will obedient to those things and allow my own agenda to fall to the side.

The excitement and anticipation are continuing to grow-- I hope to start updating this more frequently... in my spare time =)

Refuge

I just finished writing an email to a friend who has lost her job in the last week. In this season of uncertain times, the truth of God’s word and what He teaches us through it is where we, as believer, are called to look "on the road marked with suffering or when the sun is shining down on us."  He is Sovereign and if it takes an economic hardship or relational instability to point us to His character and Grace than we must trust that in all things He will sanctify us and form us more into the image of His son.

I taught the 1-2^nd graders this last week that God is our “Refuge” and we looked at Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  We unpacked what it means for “the name of the Lord” to be a strong tower. I drew a brick wall and then put the name YAHWEH at the top, the name I AM. We then listed the attributes of God that we knew and wrote them on the bricks. These 1-2^nd graders were able to rattle off to me that God is incomprehensible, glorious, mighty, holy, just, eternal, self sufficient and a few others (I am amazed by God's grace in teaching these kids of 5-7 years old enormous truths about Himself that most 50 years olds are never able to put into words). The point of the illustration was to show that when we trust in the name of the Lord we are really trusting in His unchanging attributes- His goodness, love, mercy, grace and power. With that glorious truth we can run to his name (his presence) and know that we are in the safest, most protected place possible. 

No Call List

So-- it's official they can now solicite your cell phone!!! BOOO. I hate numbers I don't know and if solicitares start calling I'm afraid I'll never answer an unknown number. Here is the information about the NO CALL LIST!

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public today
REMINDER... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing
companies tomorrow and you will start to receive sale calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS
To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:
888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your
time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the
cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a
different phone number.

It is an automated system, just enter the following

* Select Option 1 for English

* Select Option 1 to add your phone to the National Do Not Call List

* Enter your 10 digit number and that is it

I t takes about 20 seconds.

A Life Well Lived

Coach Sallee was my PE coach my freshman year of high school.  While I don't recall too much about that class except for me trying to think up every reason why I shouldn't have to participate that day I do remember lots about the man we affectionately called Coach.

He was a man loved and respected-- not because he demanded it but because he earned it by first loving and respecting us and often times teaching us how to love one another.  He ALWAYS had a smile on his face and was NEVER too busy to ask how you were doing in the hall.  I'm sure we took advantage of his compassion and kindness but I don't think we ever out smarted him I think he just knew which battles were worth fighting and going to the bathroom a few too many times never seemed to be a battle he would fight.  I know he will be missed by many especially his wife and 2 kids. Cancer didn't win and Coach Sallee understood that. Christ already won and death has already been conquered for those who are children of the Most High. 

Here is the link to the news article and video

http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/669446.html

Set back or Providence?

I never thought when I started this blog that my first post would be this one. I had no idea when I felt God's calling to go to Peru for an extended time that exactly 15 days before I was to board the plane I would step to the side, turn my leg just right, and dislocate my patella (knee cap). Moments after it happened I was reminded by Emily (my best friend from Las Vegas) that I was supposed to go to Peru in 2 weeks. During those initial moments I focused on what I had to do--get home, get ice, ibuprofen, and get my leg elevated. It wasn't until the next morning that it really hit me what had happened, and in a flood of emotions I realized what this really meant. I had a long road ahead of me to recovery, lots of rest, PT, icing, more PT rest and icing, and I think I knew then that South America would have to wait. So, I did what I don't often do... I cried. I think it was the let down of the anticipated trip to work with Kristen and the IMB missionaries but also the frustration of rehabbing. If you have ever rehabbed something like a knee injury you know-- it's exhausting, time consuming, often painful, and never quick. That first morning was pretty rough but by that afternoon I had had a nap, gotten reacquainted with my buddy the Polar Pack (machine that pumps ice water over my knee), and had a few minutes of prayer and been reminded by my sweet mother what I know is true but was having a hard time remembering... God is sovereign, He is surprised by nothing, and He holds my days in His hands.
So this journey to Peru is going to look different than I had first anticipated; it will have to be postponed until later in the spring but I still trust and believe that God not only knows what lies ahead but is intricately involved. So for now I'll have to post about things like swelling, PT, using crutches and all the baby steps that are involved in recovery but I look forward with anticipation to the day when with strong legs and a happy heart I will arrive in Peru.

(The photo is me on my way to PT with my sweet leg brace, the one crutch in the background I still have to use, and the amazing Boho hat my mom knit me!!! I LOVE IT!!!)