- Did you know that the honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by man?
- Did you know that honey is the ONLY food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life including enzymes, vitamins, minerals and water?
- Did you know that all the worker bees are FEMALE?!!!
- Did you know that the average life span of a female worker bee in the summer is just about 6 weeks?
- Did you know that the female bees can number between 40-60,000 in a strong hive?
- Did you know that a hive of bees will fly 90,000 miles, the equivalent of three orbits around the earth to collect 1 kg of honey?
- Did you know that a honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip?
- Did you know that the average honeybee produces about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in their life time?!!!
*FACTS from http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-bee-facts.html
WOW!!!! Can you imagine doing THAT MUCH WORK for such little results??? In the world of instant gratification that we live in, it is hard to even imagine that something would work so hard to yield such little results....It made me think about if there are people who do this, and I believe there are. This was both humbling and then encouraging to me. When I left Peru for that week, I had been in the thick of new and exciting stuff flying at me. I felt overwhelmed, excited, and exhausted at how many doors God seemed to open ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Coordinating the therapists who will be coming in July to teach a week long class at the orphanage, moving forward on the therapy room stuff, AND developing a training program and starting a ministry for all the volunteers of the KIDS program at Camino de Vida to help them learn how to better receive kids with disabilities into the kids program when they come. I felt like I was running all over....Kinda like those bees who visit so many flowers just to get one collection of pollen.
I had been questioning God why all of a sudden all this stuff happened at the same time and how I was going to manage it without being completely exhausted... All of it is REALLY GOOD STUFF, but all of it a little overwhelming for one person to handle. Here is what God told me about all this stuff, through my experience of learning about the honey bees. God made us to glorify Him and to RUN for HIM. In Hebrews chapter 12:1-3 It says this: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
WOW!!! God has given me this INCREDIBLE privilege to live here in Peru and serve Him alongside others who are buzzing around like those bees EVEN MORE THAN ME! He has provided incredible examples of people both here in Peru (in the church) and back home including my dear cousins who have a heart for adopting and loving children with disabilities (remember they are currently a family of 12)! And not only did He put people in my life as examples, but like the bee hives that work together as a TEAM, He has begun to give me that here as well so that I am not doing this alone. People from the church, who have the same heart to serve God by loving and working with children with disabilities and hopefully bringing them and their families to a place where they know the sweetness that only comes from knowing Jesus.
So, as I sit here and type this, I am filled with an immense sense of gratitude for the people who have come alongside me to buzz like bees for Jesus, and with incredible encouragement that the end result WILL end in the sweetness that ONLY JESUS can bring. Below are some pictures from what is going on here in Peru. (mouse over the pics for a description).
1. Continue to Pray for me. Pray that I can find more people with the same heart that will "buzz" alongside our team.
2. Pray for health, and balance, and ENERGY!!!
3. Pray about continuing to support me financially or start supporting me, so that I can continue to do what I am doing here.
4. Pray for a new roommate. My friend/room mate will be moving out in August to live in the church run Intern house. While that is great news for her, it leaves me without a roommate who helps supplement half the rent. I REALLY LOVE living where I live. I would LOVE to stay. Pray for a room mate or for the difference of her part of the rent to be increased in my support pool.
5. Pray about how you can join a race of your own, where you are running or "buzzing" alongside others who are doing something to glorify God.
As always! Thank you for following me on this amazing journey that God has put me on. Thank you for your continued prayers, words of encouragement, and financial support. I am blessed beyond measure serving God here in Peru. Thank you for giving me that opportunity.