May 4 – 16, 2011
One of the last things Jesus did with his friends before He returned to Heaven was to hand out their new job descriptions. I wonder what the reactions of the disciples would have been after basically he said... “Go into all the world for Me and do the impossible.” (Matthew 28:18-20). Perhaps one reaction could have been, “Please Lord! Not me! I couldn’t possibly do that! Look at my failures. I wouldn’t know where to start!” On the other hand maybe they said “Ya! I can’t wait to get started!” However, Jesus also said “WAIT.” But wait for what? Acts 1:8 says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me... to the end of the earth.” So, literally Jesus told His followers that what he was sending them to do they couldn’t do within their own power; They could only do it as His power moved through them. Jesus commissioned every one of his followers – from the original disciples down to you and me – to do for others what we cannot do alone.
About 3 weeks ago (in Canada), I attended a networking conference where one of the speakers said this:
“God doesn’t always call the equipped, but he always equips the called.”
Before I left Canada for Peru about two weeks ago, some of you may have heard my fears and worries about coming to a not only a different country, but one where I wouldn’t know the language (I only know the basics of Spanish), where I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d be doing and one that does not function as Canada does. In addition, the one comfort that I THOUGHT I would have was an English-speaking missionary couple, Jim and Sue, had a planned furlough trip for the summer months and left 5 days before I arrived. However, like I just previously wrote, because God called me to Peru Ineeded and continue to need to have confidence and faith that he will equip me with whatever I need when the time comes. And He has! I have made friends with two missionaries, Jennifer, and her friend, Ana, who were in Panama for 3 years and know the language well. They have helped tremendously with translating so the girls already know my story and why I’m here, which I am happy about. I am learning Spanish really quickly (I think... hahah) – thank you for the prayers! The best way God has equipped me so far are my fast and aggressive driving skills. They have come in handy driving here everyday (my mom will most likely laugh at that!) ! Hahahah And the list goes on.
Now for those of you wondering... the experience of living in Puerto Maldonado (15 minutes outside of the city)....
1. In P.M. I am constantly wet, sticky and dirty (hahaha)... I can never REALLY get clean in the shower, and even when I exit the shower, it’s so hot outside that it’s like insta-sweat! And there is dust constantly in the air that it sticks to the insta-sweat! It’s a horrible cycle that is impossible to escape!
2. BUGS! There are bugs everywhere! Last week I witnessed Nidia massacre this massive spider that I found above my bed with a rock after she had taken it captive with a broom and transported it outside. After smooshing it she said... “Oh... huevos!” which translated, “Oh... good thing we killed it cause it was going to lay eggs!” hahaha (So not just a massive spider... a PREGNANT massive spider!) And just yesterday a couple of the girls and me went on a cockroach raid of the kitchen. And of course ants, bees, mosquitos, no-see-ems, black fly things and the like ALL adore my new flesh and blood. Thankfully my chicken pox arms and legs are beginning to de-redden back to normal!
3. The food is a wee bit different here... rice accompanies every meal (like 3 cups of it!), pancakes at least once a day (I have never had so many pancakes in a two week period!), and freshly squeezed orange juice everyday (that the girls spend many minutes a day squeezing by hand). They do make these really sweet and delicious milks from quinoa and another from oatmeal. I like them a lot! However, due to my Canadian stomach I can’t eat or drink most of the foods they prepare for the next week or so... as some of you reading this may understand. I do love the fresh fruit everyday... papayas form the farm next door, mangos, oranges, apples, kiwi, starfruit, passionfriut etc. So so great!
That’s all for now folks!
Hasta Luega!
(as for pictures... I need to make them a smaller size cause they ae taking FOREVER to uload... lo siento!)
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