7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
But first, I want to tell you about something really amazing that God has done and how He has answered my asks in a very big way. Some have heard part of this story when I spoke in Oct/Nov, but I want to share this with everyone because God is really incredible.
In Feb 2015, I had just arrived back to Peru from my first trip back to the US since I moved there. I had felt really unsure about if after my initial 2 year commitment ended what I would do (stay longer or return back to the US). A friend of mine suggested that I write down the things I would want in order to stay in Peru. So, I did. I prayerfully made of list of 5 things in my journal that I didn't yet have. They were:
1. A room or space to do therapy.
2. A way to help kids with special needs and their parents be cared for in the church.
3. Deeper friendships
4. An apartment next to a park with a private outside area that I could have plants.
5. A car.
I honestly forgot about them UNTIL...
God began to answer them one at a time, in consecutive order.
1. In March, I received a message from the leader of my area asking if I would be interested in having a room for therapy inside the church's new community center. Of course I said YES! We saw our first patient on Saturday April 30th with hopes to see many many more. This is a team effort with me as lead and coordinator and currently 2 volunteers that are Speech/Language and Physical therapists respectively.
2. Around the same time, I was introduced to a woman who also is on staff at Camino de Vida with her husband. They have 2 children, one who is 6 years old with special needs. I started asking how she felt about how the children's Sunday school program was for him and if they met his needs. The answer was that they did the best they could but that basically for his safety they needed to keep him in the nursery, even though he was 5, because there was no one who could be one on one with him during the entire kids service. That need, became the catalyst for what is now an area inside the children's service serving kids and their families at 3/5 locations with aspirations to grow.
3. As my language continued to improve, and I became more integrated into the church, my friendships and ability to go deep have also grown tremendously.
4. In July of 2015, I found out that my roommate was moving out. This meant that I needed to either find someone to live with me or move into a more affordable apartment that I could rent on my own. I searched for a roommate with no success, so I had to move. Finding an apartment in Lima is very interesting. Basically there are some advertisements in the paper but many options are just advertised in the window of the building an you just need to call it and hope it is not yet rented. Before I went through all that, I asked friends if they knew of anything in my budget. A dear friend of mine told me about one, but it was REALLY far away from my current place and a bit tricky to get to and leave from during rush hour. So, I prayed before going that if God really wanted me to have this place He would make it really clear. And once again he did. The apartment is on the top floor. Next to a park, in a gated area (so there is no through traffic), with a second floor to my apartment that is an entire enclosed terrace JUST FOR ME! This one really blew me away. Because our God pays attention to the details and He wants to give us the desires of our heart. So, in Sept, 2015 I moved in.
5. So, that leads me to the final item on the list, a car. I do not YET have a car. But I KNOW that God is faithful and He is already preparing the hearts of others to help in this. I have been in Lima now for almost 3 years. I never thought the day would come that I would want to drive there because the traffic is crazy, but honestly, it has become a necessity at this point. First, with all the growth in the areas that I am serving in, I am in many different places in one day and throughout the week. Cost of taxis adds up. Second, as I mentioned that during rush hour which is 6:30am-9am in the morning and 5-8:30 pm at night it is VERY difficult to find a taxi that will sit through traffic in my area because there are just 2 ways to exit my part of town and cross a mountain to enter the rest of Lima. That means that if I need to be somewhere at 8 or 9 am, I need to leave my house at 6am in order to find a taxi.
So, in case you haven't guessed it, my big ask is raising support to purchase a car. I have been pricing out cars (new and used) and found that while there are used cars available, it is a bit risky to buy one without knowing the previous history of the car. It has been advised to me to raise funds for new car, but with the intention that if a used one comes available with a trusted owner, I would purchase that instead. Therefore, I have looked at a few models. One is a Suzuki Swift Sedan 15,000$ or a Toyota Yaris 16,150$. This price includes all taxes and fees necessary. It is my understanding that the insurance for the first year will cost 1000$ and then consecutive years being 500$.
That being said, I am trying to raise 16,000$ to cover the car and first year of insurance. Would you please prayerfully consider if you could help towards this goal? I have already received 4 pledges of donations totaling $3000, so only 13,000 more to go!!! I am not sure if you know but I am not able to take out any loans in Peru since I am not a citizen, and so I will need to pay in cash.
If you decide to give, you can do this by giving in all the ways that are highlighted on the WAYS TO GIVE section of this blog. Please note, Alfonsi Support on all donations, but DO NOT write car on any documents. Instead my agency asks that you contact me directly to let me know if you will be making a special donation and what the amount is, so that I can communicate with them to separate it into a special fund specifically for the car. Please contact me if you have personal questions regarding this ask.
Thank you so much for your continued support financially and in prayers. I would not be where I am today without your help. Thank you for your faithfulness to help impact the lives of others.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Hebrews 6:10 NIV