Pictures!

River Baptism in Chiclayo

Rebecca and I at the orphanage in Chiclayo with her paper-mache mask

Dick, Myself, and Rosa (both are kids attending the school) at the deaf school in Iquitos

Allison and I with most of the children at the deaf school in Iquitos

I was finally able to add some pictures today, so I hope you enjoy viewing them. This past week has flown by with amazing speed!
Monday morning I was able to go one a boat ride on one of the rivers around Iquitos. The trip was amazing and I loved going down the river and seeing some of God's awesome creation! At one point on the trip, we got out of our boat and walked a bit to another area. As we were walking, I had the opportunity to hand out some Spanish Gospel booklets. Please pray that the people I gave these to will read them and that God will give understanding of His awesome love.
Everyday since Tuesday, Allison (one of the daughters of the missionary family I'm staying with) and I have been able to help out at the deaf school. I absolutely love spending my mornings there and building relationships with the kids. Never did I think I'd enjoy doing relay races and playing charades as much as I do with these children. On Wednesday during art class we made Nativity scenes of Jesus' birth. As it continues to get closer to Christmas, pray for more and more opportunities to share the Gospel and story of Jesus' love in a clear way with my friends at this school. Already we've been doing this, but pray that God will give understanding beyond our words. Pray that they will come to personally love God and have life in Him.

Several other things have happened this week that have made it go by quickly, but I'll finish this up for now. In my last post I mentioned that I was going to start helping with a Sunday school class last Sunday. However, things don't always go as planned and I think God ometimes gives us unexpected turns just to teach us obedience and trust in every situation and circumstance. The church decided to have an open health clinic for the community in place of their Sunday school (we knew nothing about it), so I'll start helping out this week instead. I look forward to it very much!
That's all for now,
Chow! (Goodbye!)
Shirley Anne

"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us."
1 John 4:9-12

 

Hot, Humid, and Loving It

As I'm writing this, it is 80 degrees outside with about 85% humidity. That's right - I am officially in Peru's jungle. We arrived in Iquitos on Monday afternoon, and I'm having a hard time believing that I'll have to leave in just over three weeks.
The wedding last weekend went very well. Have you ever been to a wedding which had a dancing guinea pig (Peruvians call it a cuyi) in attendance? I hadn't either until this one. :) Anyway, the wedding was very nice and everything went smoothly. I really enjoyed it and the Gospel was shared right in the middle of the service.

My week here in Iquitos has already gone by very quickly. I've met some of the other missionaries living here and I'll have the opportunity to work with a few of them. There is a Christian deaf school a few minutes from where I'm staying, so I'm volunteering there 3-5 times a week. On Thursday we (myself and one of the missionaries children) sat in on their Bible lesson and played volleyball with the kids. Yesterday we went again and helped with the math lesson, played volleyball, and played soccer. There are 12-16 kids attending this school ranging in age from 7-19. All of them are very nice and I absolutely love working with them and building friendships. Even though the school is run by a Christian family, not all of the kids are Believers. Please pray that we will be able to speak - or rather sign - with them about the Gospel and God's love for each individual.
Tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to help lead a children's Sunday school class. I am looking forward very, very much to doing this. Pray that my Spanish will be clear and that what God wants to teach will be clearer still.
That will be all for now,
Shirley Anne

Lima!

As of right now, I am typing this blog post from 16 stories above the ground in an apartment building in Lima, Peru. We are staying in an area just blocks from the ocean and the view is amazing!
"Come let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land."
Psalm 95:1-5
Just think about that! God made the seas/oceans. I can look out as far as I can see, and still there is ocean and more ocean. God made all that. He made all the mountains, and He made all the land; He made all the water, and He made each of us! Wow! God is so great and beyond our comprehension or grasp, yet He humbled Himself and came to earth to die for the things we've done wrong so that we have the opportunity to have a relationship with Him. WOW!!

On Tuesday evening we had the opportunity to go to a worship service with a pastor friend. The message was about whether Christ is prominent or preeminent in your life. There is a difference. Many things can be prominent (or important) to us - family, friends, etc. But only one thing can be preeminent (or above all else). The church answer, and the one most of us would probably spout out, is that Christ is over everything else in our life. Yet, is He really? I was just reading a few days ago in John 14 where Jesus says that our love for Him is shown by our obedience - not only in things which are easy to obey in, but all the time. It was really a good reminder and chance to examine my own relationship with Christ. It's easy to say words, but a whole lot harder to back up the words with actions. So, the question today is: Is Christ really preeminent in your life or is He just a prominent figure? As God who created the world, He alone deserves the preeminent position. The good news is, God is forgiving and loving. Ask Him for help to put Him first in all things; He will answer.

As I'm finishing up this post, I'm noticing that I'm missing something in each of these: pictures. I don't know that I'll be able to hook up my camera to download pictures (first I have to find the cord) while I'm here in Peru, but I'll for sure get some pictures up when I am home. I apologize for my wordiness and lack of "interesting photos or stories" :)
Thank you for all your prayers. The flight yesterday went without problem and our time here in Lima is going very well. Pray for the couple who is getting married. Pray for our flight to Iquitos on Monday morning. Pray for daily growth in the Lord.
Have a great weekend!
Shirley Anne 

Last Days in Chiclayo

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.”

This is definitely what I was reminded of on Saturday morning as we went to watch a multi-church river baptism. Around twenty-five new believers were baptized! We had a time of singing praises to God, a message about our life in Christ, and the actual baptism. I’ve been to a river baptism before, but I was still excited to be part of the baptism of my new brothers and sisters in Christ! Praise God for the way He is working!

 Today we went to the orphanage for the third and last time to help with their arts and crafts class. On Wednesday I met one little girl and spent the entire time with her. Throughout our conversation, I was able to share with her that I was a Christian, but I did not go much beyond that. I really struggle with how to share my faith; it should be more than just quoting the Gospel in one sitting and pushing for a response, but at the same time, there is a place for words as well as actions. I feel in this specific opportunity, I failed. I should have said more when I didn’t. I have been praying for this little girl; please pray with me. I am reminded of the passage in the Bible which basically says “They will know we are Christians by our love for one another.” As Christians, we should be known by our love, because it isn’t love that we produced by ourselves – it is Christ flowing out of us. Our actions and our words should match and should point to one thing – Christ. We are no longer our own person; we belong to God and represent Him to the world. I believe when we come to a situation with the mind set of “I will share the Gospel here point blank”, we are wrong. We’re missing the point – Christ should so consume our lives that everything we say and do just overflows with Him and His love. I am not saying that we should not share the Gospel – no, we are commanded to. I am saying that we should share it with our entire lives (words, actions, love, etc.) and not just as an agenda – we should simply be living in obedience to Christ and daily, every moment, submitting ourselves to Him.  When we do this, people will see Him and hear about Him through us. Anyway, I hope what I just said makes sense. If I am wrong, then pray that God will make clear to me what I am missing so that I can serve Him and know Him more.

On Thursday we leave Chiclayo to head to Lima. We will spend the weekend there and participate in a wedding before leaving on Monday for Iquitos. Please be praying for our last couple of days here. Pray also for our travelling time, that we will use the opportunities God gives us. Pray that God will give me the understanding of how He desires for me to obey Him and that He will give me His strength to share clearly and boldly who He is. My time here in Peru has already gone by so quickly! On Thursday, I will have been here a month.  Pray that I will continue to learn and serve wholeheartedly the last half of my trip.

On a side note, my family leaves for my grandma’s memorial service tomorrow. I would appreciate your prayers for them. Pray that they will be a witness to the rest of our friends and relatives who are there.

Thank you for coming along with me on this trip through your prayers and encouragement.

Keep serving the King!

Shirley Anne

Still, I will praise You

A lot has taken place since I updated last Tuesday. On Thursday afternoon my parents called and told me that my grandma passed away that morning. She was supposed to be living with us until Christmas, so she was at our house when everything took place. She’d been having some health issues but was supposed to have surgery this week to help with some of the problems. Some of you remember that last summer while I was in Peru, my grandpa died. I don’t understand why God allowed this to happen twice in the same way; I won’t be there to help comfort my family or go to the memorial service. But, I choose to trust God. His plans and timing are way above what I can understand. I choose to still praise Him, thank Him, and trust Him for all the things He has done and is continuing to do. It doesn’t have to make sense in order for me to trust Him; I know He is in control and He is God.

Yes, right now I am hurting and I do want to be with my family, but God has me here in Peru for a reason and I want to continue to follow Him where He has me right now. It may sound like I’m being fake and like I’m just putting on a front, but I’m being honest. I believe He is preparing me and showing me what it means to “count the costs” when following Him. I don’t know for sure whether or not my grandma was a Christian. She says that she accepted Christ a long time ago, and she certainly heard and saw what it means to follow Him. It’s not our place to figure out peoples’ hearts – God knows and I’ll trust Him in that too.

On another note, yesterday we were able to go to an orphanage near where we’re staying and help out with their craft time. I absolutely enjoyed helping out and we’ll be going back today to help with basketball. Pray that we’ll have the words to say to share the Gospel and God’s love with the children and other workers. Pray also that our actions and how we love them will reflect God’s love. I am so excited for this opportunity!

Please pray for my family. Pray for comfort and peace. Pray also that they’ll be able to share God’s love with our other relatives while they’re at the memorial service and such. Pray that my focus will be on God alone and that I will rely on His strength. Thank Him for His comfort and the way that He has been holding and guiding.

Shirley Anne

We have had opportunity to speak with Shirley Anne a couple of times by phone. The last phone call was one that we wished we had not had to make, as we had to deliver the news of the death of her grandmother.  It was only a little over a year ago that she received the news of the passing of her grandfather while also in Peru.  God is gracious and good always and provided comfort through the family she is staying with - they had already been praying with/for her regarding her grandmother.
Could this be part of the cost of following Christ - being absent when a loved one passes away? Pray that Shirley Anne's faith will remain strong in Jesus and that she will continue to seek and follow His Will.