Greetings from Peru. Right now is the first time to check emails since I´ve arrived. It has been so great so far. I am staying with a wonderful family who speaks as much english as I do spanish! They are so patient with me and we are learning together. Their children, Matias is 7 and Anaflavia is 3 are so dear. They are so open to me even though I don´t understand most of what they say! I am learning a lot. They are so great! The one thing I can´t seem to adjust to is the cold showers! There is no hot water here at this house. Needless to say, my showers are very fast and effecient! Rebeca (she works for the church and has been my guide and friend the past few days) has been so wonderful. We are teaching each other our languages too! So fun!
I met a man on the plane on the way here who was born in Peru but moved to the states when he was 13 with his family. We were talking about why I was coming down, he was asking questions about church and was surprised when I had a bilingual bible. I was sharing about how the Lord is the center of my life. How I talk to him everyday and read his word to stay close to Him. He said he was going to church but that it is boring and he doesn´t like the rules, so he doesn´t go. His family is Catholic. It doesn´t sound like he has a personal relationship with Jesus. I invited him to experience Camino de Vida, so he came to church today and had lunch with Rebeca and I. I pray that I was able to plant a seed in him to seek out the Lord in a more personal way.
So, yesterday we had a full day at the orphanage painting the outside of the home. It is a lot of work and we didn´t finish, but I guess there are more groups coming in this week to complete the project. The home has many needs, their washing machine is broken, they have no bus that can transport all the kids places, and they need bathrooms that work properly. They also have older computers but the kids can not use them because there is no antivirus software. Despite all of that, the kids and workers there are happy, and were glad to have us all there helping. I know that I need to keep myself healthy, which praise God, I have been so far, but will admit that I felt weak when I had to go buy food outside the orphanage while everyone else ate the meal provided by the orphanage.
Last night, I went with Rebeca to the Hovenes service (young adult) at the church, and then this morning at the regular service. I LOVE the energy, joy, and intense worship that they have at Camino de Vida. I love their pure passion and fire for the Lord. It is just amazing! I also got to observe the Love Me program the church has where they have sunday school for children and adults of all ages with disabilities. I LOVED THIS! I am excited to talk with the coordinator more to learn about this program. It is so great that they are offering this so that the parents or caregivers can go and attend the service.
So I am finally caught up on sleep, (First night only had about 4 hours of sleep). I am learning and understanding more spanish every day, and I am just loving this time to ¨´just be´´ and hear God´s word. Tomorrow I will be going to a few houses of recipients of the wheelchairs, and then a tour of a rehabiliation center. Please continue to pray for good health, continued communication, and clarity for my future. I know they are working....