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.    

Beep! Beep!

Beep, beep! Honk, honk! Cock-a-doodle-doo! These are just a few of the sounds that are constant companions here in Chiclayo, and I love every minute of it. More than the place, though, I love the people. There are people everywhere – in the city, on the beach, along the roads. God has showed me just how much He loves everyone and how He desires for them to become part of His family. . .

This last week one of the churches in the area was hosting a three-night youth conference for any youth in Chiclayo. We went on Thursday night, and I still can’t get over my excitement every time I look around and see my brothers and sisters praising God with me in another language! God is a God beyond any barriers or borders. Anyway, the sermon was about worshipping God and how we are His temple. It was challenging and gave me plenty to think about the rest of the night. On Friday, I had a cold and was not able to attend the meeting, but I heard that it was another great night. Saturday was the big finale and we were all going to go as group; I was really excited. However, at the last minute plans changed, and we didn’t have a ride available. I was disappointed, but then I remembered and thanked God for how He is bigger than my disappointments. One way I’ve heard it put is that our disappointments are often God’s divine appointments. Did He use the 8 chairs we would have sat in to bring another 8 youth who needed to hear the Gospel? Was His purpose for Saturday night to be a time where I was later able to talk and pray about some things that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do had we gone? Was He simply using this as a teaching lesson on how I should praise Him regardless of whether or not things go my way? I may never know the answers to these questions, but I am content just to know that God is in control. His wisdom is far wiser than my wisdom and His ways are far higher and better than my ways.

Sunday morning brought an opportunity for us to visit the church service at the deaf school next door. They had a service for hearing people, so we attended it. Again, I loved looking through the window to the next building where the deaf people were praising Christ through their worship! In the evening we had Bible study at the house. It was another great night of worship, teaching, and fellowship. Our worship of God goes far beyond songs we sing – we worship something/someone with every part of our life, whether or not we worship God is our choice.

Every day here is not necessarily packed full with tons of stuff to do or places to go, but God is still at work. He is teaching me, allowing me to teach/disciple others, and showing me once again how everything I do is an opportunity for my life to show His Son. The opportunity is there for you too. Stand in awe of Him!

Prayer requests:

*For the Gospel to be spread like a wildfire in Chiclayo

*For everyone who attended the youth meetings – that we would take seriously what we heard and that others everywhere would see Christ

*More opportunities to use my Spanish and speak the Gospel

*Unity among God’s family – that we would stand strong in Him and be His light around the world

In Christ,

Shirley Anne

Hello from Peru!

Hello everyone!

Where do I begin? Well, I guess I’ll start with a quick recap of my trip. I arrived in Lima early Thursday morning. There were no problems at all in my travel. Thank God for His continuous provision!

During the day on Thursday we (the family I am staying with and I) visited two Christian schools in Lima. I was really glad to have these opportunities, because I am praying about whether God is going to use teaching as a platform for me in sharing the Gospel in the future.

On Friday morning we boarded a plane bound for Chiclayo. We will be staying in Chiclayo for a month while we fill in for some other missionaries who are on furlough in the U.S. The missionaries we are filling in for have a ministry to the upper-class of Chiclayo. On Wed. nights we will have a Bible study for women only and on Sun. nights we have a Bible study for everyone. 

I have been exposed to so much Spanish and so many opportunities to learn it. One of the families who lives in the same area as us have a daughter my age. She is learning English, so I help her with English and she helps me with Spanish. On Saturday night we went to her youth group and yesterday we went to church and Sunday school with her family. This morning we visited a Christian deaf school and had the opportunity to interact a bit with the children. It was awesome!

God is showing and teaching me right now that mission work is not always out there doing formal ministry. There is a lot of preparation and learning that takes place day to day. Chiclayo seems to me to be a place where God is teaching me a lot and preparing me.  I am spending a lot of time learning my Spanish and studying the Bible. God has really been using this time to reinforce to me the importance of serving Him wholly in every aspect of my life. As Christians we are His Body and witnesses to Him in everything we do – whether it is cleaning a table after lunch, encouraging someone in their walk with Christ, or sharing the Gospel.

Please pray for the people here – especially for the young people. At each of the schools we have visited, we’ve been told that there is a lot of Spiritual hardness. Pray that God would break through the hardness and that we would be obedient to be His light. Pray that I continue to grow and do not become complacent in my time here in Chiclayo. Pray that whether I’m out doing ministry or just staying at the house that my eyes would be focused on Christ. Praise Him for His guidance in going through the airports when I arrived and for His providence in guiding me to people who can help me with Spanish.

I don’t know when I’ll be updating this again, but my mom has been doing a great job. Keep following Christ and allowing Him to use you wherever you are at. Serve Him joyfully. We serve the most powerful and awesome Father!

Shirley Anne

Never did a telephone call at 6:30 a.m. sound as good as the one we received this morning letting us know that Shirley Anne had made it through customs/immigration without a hitch, and that she was safely at the guest house in Lima with her host family. All praise and glory to God! More later as I receive updates from Shirley Anne

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well, today is the day! Shirley Anne is on her way to Peru even as I type this for her.

I have to say that I am continually amazed/humbled to see God at work in my daughter's life. Just the other night I was "airing" my concerns about her going through customs/immigration by herself when she arrived "in country," and she firmly (but respectfully) put me in my place by quoting Philippians 4:6-7 to me and telling me that I needed to stop worrying and just bring it to God in prayer because that was what she was doing :)  Oh, how I need those reminders!

Along those lines, please pray for SA as she arrives "in country" tomorrow early a.m. Pray that she will have understanding/clarity/peace as she goes through the whole process before her.  And please keep her family in prayer as we wait to hear from her - pray that we will trust in the Lord with all of our hearts . .

I will try to keep this updated as I hear from Shirley Anne. Thank you so much for partnering with her/us in her journey. To God be all the glory/honor/praise through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Three Days!

Today marks three days left before I leave for Peru! The preparation and waiting processes have gone by so fast! At the beginning of the summer, this trip seemed so far away, and now it is here. Just this morning I saw another glimpse of how God is providing. We were at chapel and it was mentioned as a prayer request that I was going to Peru. I play guitar in the praise band, and when the time came to start worship, the other guitar player just asked me if I had a phone card. I said no and he gave me a full one that he had. It seems like a small thing, but God knows what we need just when we need it.
One prayer request I have right now is going through customs and immigration. I am a little bit nervous about flying internationally by myself. Pray that God will give me peace.

"Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

Another request is that I will recognize the opportunites God is opening for me to tell others the Gospel. Pray that I will have the boldness and eyes to see the people God places around me - whether they be sitting next to me in an airplane or walking down a street in Lima, Peru.

I am excited and ready!
Shirley Anne

A Lesson in Shoe Shopping

Two nights ago on shopping trip I learned a simple, yet very important lesson. It all began with worn-out shoes. My tennis shoes have been in the process of "wearing out" for awhile now, and a couple days ago they finally reached the point of no-repair. I needed new shoes, so I headed to the store. If you know me well, you probably know that shopping does not rank very high at all on my list of favorite things to do. I am not a shopper!  Out of the different types of shopping, shoe shopping is one of my least favorite types of all. Anyway, there was no point in objecting, so off to the mall it was.
Once I arrived at the shoe department store (which was about the size of a super-Walmart), I began to look around for a good-quality pair of shoes which would last me through this trip and beyond. I wanted shoes that were good for walking, had good traction, and didn't cost an arm-and-a-leg. First I went to the clearance racks and couldn't find any. In fact, the only shoes that I could find which fit my idea of what I wanted were out of my price range. I started to kind of fret about it (I didn't want to have to go to another shoe store) and wondered if my shoes would ever be found. While I was doing this, a thought hit me.
 God had provided every other thing I needed in preparation for this trip and, even beyond that, He had been faithful to provide every single thing I'd ever needed just when I needed it. This may seem like a pretty bold statement, but think about it. God has provided, maybe not according to what I thought I needed, but always according to what He knew I needed. When I began to think about this, I realized just how silly I was being. God was not going to abandon me even in the smallest details. It didn't mean that I'd get the exact shoes I was thinking of or that they would fall out of the sky for free, but simply that God knew my needs and He would supply. Sometimes it's easy for me to see and thank God for providing the "big things of life", but I totally forget that He provides the little things too. He is faithful. . . even in supplying shoes when you need them.
-Shirley Anne