My thoughts have been consumed by my country as I pray for the upcoming election. Sunday, I was in charge of watching the kids in the library which gave me the time to read some different Bible passages as I was thinking about the state of my country. How easily the prayers and situations of the prophets seem to coincide with all that our country is going through.
In the passages that I read I kept seeing the importance of first confessing one’s own sin. When we come in with repentance and humility we can present the needs of our country.
Daniel 9:3-5 "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws." This is my own confession as I desire it to be my country's confession.
2 Chronicles 20:3 "Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD" How much I am like Jehoshaphat I fear for the state of my country. I want God to preserve this country for himself. 2 Chronicles 20:15 "Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s" How comforting! God calls us not to be afraid but know that he is in control of the battles both physical and spiritual. Verse 16- 18 we will go out to battle and trust in the Lord and he will give us cause to rejoice (v. 27)
Nehemiah 1:3-11 "The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.
Nehemiah’s Prayer
4As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."
Like Nehemiah I have a deep sadness for my country. Like the wall that surrounded Jerusalem was torn down so our moral wall is coming to ruin. While The Israelites were reassembling after being scattered my prayer has been for the Lord's mercy, that he would not bring destruction upon us by our own hand. It is so important to keep up our wall of defense as an individual and as a country, not letting our worldview be torn down by those who would have us live in lies.
Who knows how this will be read four years from now, or even tomorrow night.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Me Amigos
The bus ride to church.
Josue is 13 years old, but he is really big for a Peruvian. Since the bus drops me and the older kids off at the Presbyterian church on the way to the kids church, we have half an hour hang out at a park.
This is Josue. He took my sweatshirt so . . . I took his. I am still wearing it tonight and hope I don't have to give it back! I am sure a lot of volunteers probably give the kids some of their clothes when they leave, I wonder if any take some from the kids!Renew
Hey friends and family,
I am still here! Staying busy as always. Recently, I have enjoyed meeting a lot of new people at two different churches. I always love meeting new people and spending time with them. I know that even these encounters have a purpose, and I pray that God would let me be a "light" not just a "white" distraction.
Patience is a virtue and there is always plenty of room for practice. Sometimes it is really hard not to get frustrated when you have been doing the same things with different kids day after day and then one of them won't listen. In the last week I have really begun to refocus my language therapy and school time. I have always been the kind of person to just do the work and then move on to the next lesson. Since about 7th grade I've closed all my school books only to quickly open another until I could say I was done. Now, I know there is always another one! In the last week I have really begun to refocus my time in language therapy and in school because while there will always be a need for physical improvement the comparis has no comparison to the importance of spiritual issues. In language therapy I have started reading a different verse to them every day and then piecing together some Spanish words, in my still ever so limited Spanish, to explain the importance of the verse. I've really come to grasp with the importance of just taking the time a child needs for proper correction rather then getting frustrated with how little we are getting done.
I have had the opportunity to read different passages of scripture with one of the older girls in the last couple of weeks. While she does not yet have a personal love for God's word, she definitely knows how important it is to me.
I will be starting with two more girls in language therapy this week. Pray that I would get enough sleep and have plenty of energy to smile, hug, and love.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Cor. 5:17
I am still here! Staying busy as always. Recently, I have enjoyed meeting a lot of new people at two different churches. I always love meeting new people and spending time with them. I know that even these encounters have a purpose, and I pray that God would let me be a "light" not just a "white" distraction.
Patience is a virtue and there is always plenty of room for practice. Sometimes it is really hard not to get frustrated when you have been doing the same things with different kids day after day and then one of them won't listen. In the last week I have really begun to refocus my language therapy and school time. I have always been the kind of person to just do the work and then move on to the next lesson. Since about 7th grade I've closed all my school books only to quickly open another until I could say I was done. Now, I know there is always another one! In the last week I have really begun to refocus my time in language therapy and in school because while there will always be a need for physical improvement the comparis has no comparison to the importance of spiritual issues. In language therapy I have started reading a different verse to them every day and then piecing together some Spanish words, in my still ever so limited Spanish, to explain the importance of the verse. I've really come to grasp with the importance of just taking the time a child needs for proper correction rather then getting frustrated with how little we are getting done.
I have had the opportunity to read different passages of scripture with one of the older girls in the last couple of weeks. While she does not yet have a personal love for God's word, she definitely knows how important it is to me.
I will be starting with two more girls in language therapy this week. Pray that I would get enough sleep and have plenty of energy to smile, hug, and love.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Cor. 5:17
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Food for Body and Soul
Maybe you were wondering about the food. Have they served the chicken foot soup since I have been here ect. . .
Here is a little of my routine, each morning I go downstairs around 6:30a.m. to have breakfast with the kids and then bring up the bread for the other volunteers. The bread is really good but the problem is you can eat a whole lot of it before you notice you have had any. Every morning the kids also get either chocolate milk or oatmeal. None of the other volunteers partake in this part of the diet but I have begun to help myself to some of it in the kitchen every morning. The thing to know about the oatmeal is that it is a drink with particles floating in it, not the normal oatmeal ideal. I really didn’t care for it at first but now it is pretty good. There are always bananas, apples and oranges that we can have at any time.
I love lunch which I eat at 1:oop.m. as soon as school is over every day. It is normally white rice, beans, and meat (a lot of times chicken) and then most days either a lettuce, cucumber, or radish salad. There is also juice or warm jello to drink.
And finally, for dinner we will have a soup or rice and something smaller like a veggie patty or a plantanon pancake. I really like pretty much everything that is served at the orphanage I even eat a little ahee which is a spicy sauce very popular down here.
Oh, yes we have had the chicken feet soup several times but they never put any of the chicken feet in the volunteers tupperware: ( One day I will have to get one though, a least for a picture : )
For spiritual food I am studying Galatians which the volunteers then discuss on Tuesday nights. I have also been reading some Psalms and Proverbs that always have encouraging and wise words. Finally every free second I have, I pick up the Journals of Jim Elliot which are really inspiring to read as he sought to serve on the mission field and fought with continually giving his whole heart to God.
Here is a little of my routine, each morning I go downstairs around 6:30a.m. to have breakfast with the kids and then bring up the bread for the other volunteers. The bread is really good but the problem is you can eat a whole lot of it before you notice you have had any. Every morning the kids also get either chocolate milk or oatmeal. None of the other volunteers partake in this part of the diet but I have begun to help myself to some of it in the kitchen every morning. The thing to know about the oatmeal is that it is a drink with particles floating in it, not the normal oatmeal ideal. I really didn’t care for it at first but now it is pretty good. There are always bananas, apples and oranges that we can have at any time.
I love lunch which I eat at 1:oop.m. as soon as school is over every day. It is normally white rice, beans, and meat (a lot of times chicken) and then most days either a lettuce, cucumber, or radish salad. There is also juice or warm jello to drink.
And finally, for dinner we will have a soup or rice and something smaller like a veggie patty or a plantanon pancake. I really like pretty much everything that is served at the orphanage I even eat a little ahee which is a spicy sauce very popular down here.
Oh, yes we have had the chicken feet soup several times but they never put any of the chicken feet in the volunteers tupperware: ( One day I will have to get one though, a least for a picture : )
For spiritual food I am studying Galatians which the volunteers then discuss on Tuesday nights. I have also been reading some Psalms and Proverbs that always have encouraging and wise words. Finally every free second I have, I pick up the Journals of Jim Elliot which are really inspiring to read as he sought to serve on the mission field and fought with continually giving his whole heart to God.
Sunday Lunch
Hey for those of you who read a post at a time I thought I would let you know that the post Language Therapy dated September 18th was actually posted later but showed up under an older post, so if you haven't seen it check it out.This Sunday the psychologist intern invited me over for lunch after church. I normally eat lunch with her at the orphanage, and she likes how I eat all the food and go back for more! Several of the workers call me Peruvian since I like the food, the Americans call me a garbage disposal because I finish up what everyone else does not want. So Claudia's mom asked if I wanted to try cuy, I said sure, it is kind of like a little rabbit I figured this out from Claudia's little English, my little Spanish, and the looks of the foot that sat on my plate. It was good, tasted like chicken!After lunch she showed me pictures of some of her family that lives in the states, and then she looked at some of my pictures.I then had an interesting experience as she went to her room for a nap and I slept on their sofa for about 30 minutes! Then we went to her grandparents’ house where I met her grandparents and a bunch of her aunts. I really enjoyed talking with her grandfather while she would translate and every now and then I would look up a word in the dictionary.Please pray for Claudia she says she is a Catholic but she seems to need a personal relationship with Christ not just a religion name. Her and I had a short conversation about my interests in the mission field and some of the differences in Catholicism and Christianity. Pray for more opportunities as well as wisdom for me.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Hodgepodge
I have been staying very busy recently with different outings and activities that are planned. Sunday there were spring parades all over the country, but the biggest one happens in Trujillo. It is kind of like the Macy parade of our country. Samantha and I took two boys to church with us, to the lunch, other places and then to the parade. We were out with them a total of twelve hours. The parade was really long I think we saw about two and a half hours of it and I´m not sure we caught the beginning, but the boys seemed to enjoy it. The funniest thing that happened is while Samantha and I were watching the parade a boy in one of the bands pulls out his camera phone and takes a picture of us! Samantha and I smiled and then died laughing as all the people around look at us and laugh!
So one of my favorite things to do down here is write notes to the kids or the different workers and then translate them into Spanish. I write Miss Ali the school teacher about one a week and I always include a scripture at the end. The other day after reading the note I had left on her desk she comes up to me with tears in her eyes and said how much she needed that verse for the day. It was Psalm 46.1 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.
Wednesday, all the kids and most of the workers took a trip to Simbal, a place of eternal sun and good climate. At least that is what a sign said, but when we first got there it kind of felt like Florida! We played games with the kids, had a packed lunch, and then swam in the pools! I had a great day, and I think I made some people´s day, I sat in the front seat of the bus on the way there, and there were some kids in the bus in front of us, when they saw me they all start talking, one girl waves and I wave back, this made them all very excited.
This morning all the volunteers had a prayer meeting, and we spent the majority of the time singing praise music accompanied by one of the girl´s computer. It was so nice to worship in English with other girls who are from totally different backgrounds but love the same Lord.
So we have certain food items that we always have and if I want something different I either have to buy it or create it. I´m a frugal kind of cheap person, so I am all about creating, whether mushing up bananas and sprinkling it with sugar or slicing some bread to make crackers. Tonight Amy and I made some apple sauce. I even was able to use the apple peels sprinkled with sugar to have a taste of apple pie.
Two of the more meaningful things that have happened since I have been here were one, a girl said something to me about not being a Christian, so I had her read some of the different Romans road verses in Spanish, second one of the boys in my language therapy can get really pouty and hard hearted. One day he just sat on the floor and talked about how bad he was, I told him I was bad too but that God forgives and we need Jesus in our heart. I brought in Samantha, who speaks better Spanish then I do and she talked to him but he kept saying he didn´t want to change, he had no desire to be a follower of Christ. Truly God has to do the work on a person's heart, except for the grace of God there I would be.
It is really sad to see the stubbornness of the human heart against the God of heaven and earth, creator, redeemer. How often I forget my place before our perfectly holy King, yet he blesses me and I call him Father.
So one of my favorite things to do down here is write notes to the kids or the different workers and then translate them into Spanish. I write Miss Ali the school teacher about one a week and I always include a scripture at the end. The other day after reading the note I had left on her desk she comes up to me with tears in her eyes and said how much she needed that verse for the day. It was Psalm 46.1 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.
Wednesday, all the kids and most of the workers took a trip to Simbal, a place of eternal sun and good climate. At least that is what a sign said, but when we first got there it kind of felt like Florida! We played games with the kids, had a packed lunch, and then swam in the pools! I had a great day, and I think I made some people´s day, I sat in the front seat of the bus on the way there, and there were some kids in the bus in front of us, when they saw me they all start talking, one girl waves and I wave back, this made them all very excited.
This morning all the volunteers had a prayer meeting, and we spent the majority of the time singing praise music accompanied by one of the girl´s computer. It was so nice to worship in English with other girls who are from totally different backgrounds but love the same Lord.
So we have certain food items that we always have and if I want something different I either have to buy it or create it. I´m a frugal kind of cheap person, so I am all about creating, whether mushing up bananas and sprinkling it with sugar or slicing some bread to make crackers. Tonight Amy and I made some apple sauce. I even was able to use the apple peels sprinkled with sugar to have a taste of apple pie.
Two of the more meaningful things that have happened since I have been here were one, a girl said something to me about not being a Christian, so I had her read some of the different Romans road verses in Spanish, second one of the boys in my language therapy can get really pouty and hard hearted. One day he just sat on the floor and talked about how bad he was, I told him I was bad too but that God forgives and we need Jesus in our heart. I brought in Samantha, who speaks better Spanish then I do and she talked to him but he kept saying he didn´t want to change, he had no desire to be a follower of Christ. Truly God has to do the work on a person's heart, except for the grace of God there I would be.
It is really sad to see the stubbornness of the human heart against the God of heaven and earth, creator, redeemer. How often I forget my place before our perfectly holy King, yet he blesses me and I call him Father.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Birthday Outing
Maria, me, and Yameli
We ate at Mediteranian Chicken
Maria bought cotton candy
I don't know why she needs to curl her eyelashes when her eyelids curl so well. 
Don't we look like twins?
On Sunday Samantha, Laura, and I took Maria out for her 13th birthday and she took Yameli (also 13) along. We went to church, the mall, had ice cream, lunch, and saw a movie. We gave them each ten soles to spend on anything extra they wanted. My goal is to try and teach wise stewardship. Maria chose to buy two bags of cotton candy and some chocolates while Yameli waited untill we left the mall and wanted to go to some shops on the side of the road where she could find some cheaper things. She bought a little of this and that until her ten soles were gone.
I have to tell you that earlier in the day she had been admiring my eyelashes. Apparently my eyelashes curl up while in Peru a lot of people have almost oriental features including straight eyelashes.
This little shop happened to have an eyelash curler which was one of Yameli's purchases. In the taxi on the way home I asked her about it and said did you get that so your eyelashes can be the same as mine? She breaks into a smile and says "yeah".
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