A Day in Peru

Yesterday morning at 3:30am my trip to Peru officially closed as I climbed into my own bed again for a short rest. Today marks two weeks since I left, yet the trip went by so quickly that I am still processing the right words to convey my experience.

In many ways this trip was similar to my two month trip to Peru in 2011, but this time God allowed me to focus much of my time on specifically being with the Deaf. As I continue to follow the Lord's leading in this ministry, I am both excited and grateful for opportunities like this. Perhaps more than anything else, this trip revealed how much I still have to learn - both in sign language and in how to minister and share the Gospel with the Deaf. Though sometimes the process is discouraging and difficult, my prayer is to continually see beyond this to the reward of knowing Christ more and seeing Him made known in the world.

Almost everyday of this trip was spent with the Deaf in some capacity or another. On Sundays I went to the local Deaf church and was able to see several youth who were at the Deaf school I volunteered at in 2011. Though some of the students only vaguely remembered me, I was so thankful for the opportunity to reconnect. Sundays consisted of a church service, lunch prepared by the church women, a Bible lesson, and finally a sign language class for hearing people learning sign. The first Sunday I observed, but last Sunday I taught a short lesson on Hebrews 12:1-2 during the service. Though these are some of my favorite verses, that is not the only reason I chose them as the topic. As I was praying about what to prepare for my last lesson, these verses came as a poignant reminder to follow Jesus completely - not just based on location or situation, but as a reminder in any place and all situations.

Tuesday and Thursday of each week were visitation days.  Visitations were usually informal conversations, catching up and encouraging people to come to church again. Again, some of the people we visited were students from the school in 2011, and it was always neat to see them again.  Of the 5 families we visited the first week, it was encouraging to see 2 come to church last Sunday. On my last day of visitation, we visited one house near the beginning of the afternoon only to find that both Deaf people were gone and would be back later. Because we still had other visits left, we decided to pray and hopefully see them again another day. Later, as we prepared to finish for the night, we left another house only to waved down by some Deaf people. We chatted for just a minute and were about to continue on when across the street we saw the family for which we'd prayed earlier in the afternoon! We had a short conversation and invited them to church again. God answers prayers in very tangible ways! Please join me in praying that this family will go to church this coming week and will come to follow Christ personally. 

Wednesday and Friday were Bible classes and recreation at the school, followed by individual discipleship courses at students' homes. Wednesday I shared my testimony. Friday I shared a short lesson on Jesus as the Lamb of God, tracing the significance of sheep as sacrifices throughout the Bible. Though I am still learning how to best share the Gospel and teach the Deaf, I am thankful for the opportunity to step into this type of ministry and begin learning.

More thoughts will definitely make it to a blog post sometime soon, but to sum up my thoughts for now, this trip encouraged and challenged me to see God's faithfulness in all the little opportunities all around me. As the Author of life, He puts countless lessons and opportunities into each of our lives that we may see and know Him more fully in their midst.


Whether teaching a Bible lesson, playing a game of volleyball, or just spending time with someone, God was continually orchestrating opportunities for me to know and grow in Him. It's not just for me; look around and begin to see God's faithfulness - in joy and in hardship, in the exciting and in the mundane - thank Him and keep fixing your eyes on Him as you run.

Thoughts from the Jungle

The end of my first week in Peru has come to a close, and in only a few days I will return once again to the United States. I will give a more complete update then, but as of now, so much has happened in the last week that it's difficult to put words to thoughts and experiences.

Each day has been filled with its own unique opportunities and learning experiences. God has provided an amazing opportunity to shadow a missionary to the Deaf, and I have learned a great deal by observing and participating.  Each day, I'm coming to understand and care more and more. Almost every day we either teach Bible lessons or go visit Deaf who have not been connected with the church very recently. Twice I have had the opportunity to teach Bible lessons in sign language, realizing each time how much more I have to learn. Translating what I intend to say into Spanish and then Peruvian sign language is difficult, but God has given so much grace in this process.

Yesterday we travelled down the Amazon River to two smaller river towns, visiting and teaching the Deaf who live there. Two Deaf showed up to our meeting, accompanied by several hearing people. The lesson was a comparison between the life of Joseph and the life of Jesus Christ. It is difficult to know how much is truly being understood, especially as there is a wide range in proficiency of sign language. Join me in praying that God will give understanding of His Word to the Deaf. Pray against discouragement and that the truth of the Gospel will daily compel us.

A more complete update will come later this week, but as it's late and I'm tired, I'll wrap this up for now. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. As you go through whatever this day holds, remember the Truth and Hope of the Gospel - for all who believe.

"Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna.
Porque no envoi Dios a su Hijo al mundo para condenar al mundo, sino para que el mundo sea salvo por él. El que en él cree, no es condenado; pero el que no cree, ya ha sido condenado, porque no ha creído en el nombre del unigénito Hijo de Dios."
-Juan 3:16-18 (John 3:16-18)

On Barrier and Blessing

Well, it's surreal almost - I sit here ready to board a plane back to Peru in just a few hours.

When I left Peru in 2011, I did not know when I would return. Immediately, in my own planning, I knew that I desired to go back, and so I started, mentally if nothing else, planning for the return. For me, it was not a question of "if" I would return but simply "when" that moment would arrive.

Now, I sit in the lounge awaiting the ride to the airport. I guess that moment has come after all. However, the journey has not been so simple as I first imagined. I had to first lay it down before God ever allowed me to take it up again.

You see, somewhere in between the time when I came back from Peru the second time and right now, returning to Peru had subconsciously become like an idol to me. Now, I never would have called it that, but pretty soon Peru became the thing about which I was passionate. Yeah, the ministry and sharing the Gospel there was what got me going, but my friends began to see that I had a passion for Peru. The passion for the Gospel that came along with that, though not forsaken, was somewhat of peripheral focus for me. I knew that when I returned to Peru, I would definitely share the Gospel, but getting back to the country came first.

For awhile, I tried. I tried again and again to return. My heart longed to go back to the place where God had so captured my heart and changed my life. Again and again as I tried, plans fell through; I prayed that God would, in His timing, lead me back but mostly I just waited. Then, one day last fall, a chapel speaker shared about what he called "geographic idolatry." Geographic idolatry, as he called it, was what happens when we long to follow God and He leads us somewhere that captures our heart in a way we haven't before experienced. This call and leading is good, but geographic idolatry happens when slowly, subtly we begin to long for the specific location as much as, if not more than, God Himself. We convince ourselves that once we return "there" we will be able to fully follow the plan which God has set for us.

This chapel was the beginning of the process of God breaking my heart again - not for a people or place, but for Himself. As much as it would make a good story to say I left chapel that day running to the front of the auditorium laying my idolatry aside, the actual story tool much longer. I left that morning feeling convicted and began praying that God would break my heart. Day after day, when I sought Peru, I had to repent and again seek my Father - the One who had brought me to Peru in the first place.

I did not immediately quit desiring to return to Peru. But, God did bring me to a place where I could honestly say before Him that I would be willing and obedient wherever He leads - even if that means never returning to the place for which I so desperately longed. I continued praying for Peru and was open if God should lead me back, but God began to show me the necessity of full obedience in the moment - right here, right now. Living for the moment I would return to Peru, only treating now as a "waiting grounds" for then, led to justification that half-hearted obedience now was okay, because someday soon I would be there.

While I could keep describing more of the details and process through which God has brought me, I will instead bring this post to a close with reflecting on God's faithfulness. The title of this entry is "On Barrier and Blessing." We often do not look at barriers in our plans as blessings from God, but sometimes that may be what they are. God brought many barriers into my plans of returning to Peru so that He could finally break and teach me the blessing of "living right here, right now - seeking full obedience in the moment." In just a few hours, I will return to Peru again. But, that's not how I see or measure God's faithfulness. He could never have brought me back and He would remain just as faithful. Rather, I see His faithfulness in bringing me to a point of continual surrender, drawing me closer to His heart in every step. I have no way of knowing how many more steps He has for me; it will be a refining process until the final day. Continually, God will call me to again lay down the creeping idols in my life, call me closer to Himself.

He's doing the same for you. It may take a different form than it has for me, but God is drawing and calling you to Himself. Lay aside "every hindrance" and fix your eyes on Jesus - He is faithful.

Lessons

On Sunday I had the opportunity to share my testimony of my time in Peru with our chapel service. On Sat. night my dad and I went through everything I was going to share and picked pictures to go along with each of my points. However, God had different plans. Once we arrived at the service and started preparing, my dad realized that we'd put the pictures in a wrong format, so I'd have to go without them.
I was already nervous, but I prayed about it and went ahead, just sharing some of the things God had shown me during my trip and some of the opportunities He'd given me. In the end, several people came to talk to me and one woman said that what I'd said helped her to realize how she should be daily living for God. Another man said that he thought it was better we didn't have the pictures anyway, because that way he was focusing on the words instead of being distracted. Either way, I know it was nothing I did or said. In myself, I am not a public speaker and I have trouble putting my thoughts to words. If anyone learned anything, I know it was God alone who did the teaching and Him alone who gave me the words. None of it came about by myself.

As I'm sitting here adjusting to being back in the states again, I'm reminiscing on some of the main things God taught and showed me while I was in Peru.
1. God answers prayer - from the prayer for Christian company at the airport to little things along the way, God has emphasized to me again that He always answers prayer (even if it's not the answer we want). He cares about us each beyond what we can comprehend and He always takes care of us.
2. God puts me in each specific situation so that I can honor and glorify Him - whether I am in a country miles and miles away from my family or living under the same roof as them, wherever I am, God wants me to learn, live for Him, and love Him fully.
3. God is a God of comfort - During my grandmother's death and other times when I was feeling lonely, God always comforted me and put people around me to encourage me in Him. We only need to ask, and He will always sustain us with His comfort and strength.
4. God loves each and every person SO MUCH - As Christian's we're Christ's ambassadors to spread His love and His Gospel with everyone regardless of what they look like or where they are.

There are so many other things God has been teaching me as well, but so many of them are hard to explain or describe how God taught me them personally. I am so thankful that we serve a Father who loves us with an everlasting love!
Shirley Anne

Pictures and Thoughts

I have now officially been back from Peru for one week. I am very much thankful to be spending time with my family and friends and sharing the things God has done in Peru, but I do miss being there. Just the other day I was sharing with someone about my trip and I started by saying something like "God worked in so many ways and taught me alot." Right away this lady said to me, "He's always working." She didn't say it in a rude way at all, but it was the exact reminder I needed. It's so easy to come back from a great experience - such as a mission trip or camp - and focus all on how God worked there while forgetting that He is still God and is still working here.
For me it's easy to adjust my focus either to the past or to the future instead of dwelling in the present and learning and living how God wants me to obey Him today. As a Christian, my focus should always be on Christ and not on anything else - even if that 'anything else' is a way He worked. Right now I'm back in the States and, yes, God did work in amazing ways in Peru and I will share that with others, but I will also see how He is working today and praise Him for that.
Give thanks to God for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do!
Shirley Anne

P.S. I hope you enjoy these pictures. :)

A typical village house



Our boat (on the right)

A man sifting through the rice

Me separating the chaff from the rice

A village boy with soda

One of the little girls from a village

Typical "rush hour" in Iquitos

Overhead view of the Andes Mountain Range

Fishing boats outside of Lima

God Answers Prayer

I am officially back in the United States. I arrived home early Wednesday afternoon after travelling for many, many hours. Anyway, the trip itself went by very smoothly, and I have one story I'd like to share with you.
On Tuesday morning after flying from Iquitos to Lima, Miss Carol (the wife in my host family) asked if we could pray before she had to leave back to Iquitos and I to the States. After she left, I had another 8.5 hours layover before my flight. With this in mind, we prayed and she specifically prayed that God would bring a Christian or group of Christians I could spend my time with.
God answered this prayer more completely than anyone ever expected. As I was in line to check my bags Tuesday evening, I started talking with the people behind me. It turns out that they were just returning from a mission trip as well. As we talked more, one of the women just said to me, "If you'd like you can tag along with our group until we arrive in Miami in the morning." Our flight was the same, so I took them up on this offer. As we continued to talk and pass time, one of the ladies said after awhile, "I'm so thankful you came along with our group. If it were my daughter I'd want her to be with someone as well." At that point I shared with her that their group was actually an answer to our prayers. She told this to the whole group and we all praised God for how good He is all the time.
One more thing, God already had answered our prayer completely, but He is a God who works beyond what we can plan and expect. We were sitting waiting to board our plane and I started talking with one of the team members whom hadn't really met yet. I was telling her about my trip and about all God had done when she asked me if I knew what mission organization my host family was with. I told her and she told me that it was the same organization her daughter was with as a missionary in Ecuador. Through talking some more we realized that we knew some of the same people.
I spent over 14 hours with these people whom God provided. We were able to have some really great conversations about how God works and it was great to spend my time with some Godly brothers and sisters. I stand in awe of how God provides and answers prayer!

I'll upload some pictures and more updates soon, but for now please take some time and thank God for always being God. He takes care of us in more ways than we even know. He never abandons or leaves us. Thank and praise Him for His wisdom and grace.
Shirley Anne

River Trip

I just arrived home from a day on the river. It was awesome, so I thought I'd share some highlights. This morning we got on board a boat and headed out to visit two river villages. We went to both of the villlages with the purpose of seeing if there are any Believers living there and to offer encouragement to those who are Believers.
In the first village we met a young man who was a Christian but did not own his own Bible. We gave him a New Testament and were able to talk with him during our entire time at this village. It's hard to imagine not owning your own Bible in the U.S. - most Christians probably own more than one, but in other areas of the world, this isn't the case.  Anyway, every time I see something like this, it reminds me just how precious the Word of God is and how we should be daily living by His Word alone.
In the second village we visited, there was a man right outside the village harvesting some rice crop. He explained the process to us and let us sift through the shaft and the real kernels. It reminded all of us how Jesus talks about separating the kernel from the shaft; it was neat to see. Once we arrived in the village, some children immediately came up to us and we were able to give them some Gospel books and chalk. We spent more time at this village and got to play volleyball with some of the children for awhile.

This probably will actually be my last update before arriving in the states early next week. I just had to share how God is working - even in little village towns out in the middle of Peru's jungle. The host family I'm staying with wants to restart a river ministry among the villages to encourage Believers and strengthen churches. I am glad that I was able to go along on this primary trip. Be praying that God will continue to open opportunities along the river and that Christians there will continue to grow. There is a lot of discouragement among Christians in this area because they feel left all alone and have no one to encourage them.Thank you for your prayers regarding this.
I can't wait to share with you some more of my experiences in person soon! We serve an awesome Father!
Shirley Anne