Finish Strong

This is my last week in Peru. In five days I'll be boarding a plane back to the United States; it's so hard for me to believe that two months have passed already.
In saying this, let me give you at least one more update before I leave Peru. Tuesday was my last day to work at the deaf school, so we had a delicious fish lunch and played games of volleyball and hide & seek. It was a bittersweet day - I absolutely loved spending more time with the kids, but I also knew I had to say "goodbye" at the end. Right before everyone had to go home, I had the opportunity to give out Bibles I had for everyone. Let me share a quick story of how God worked  through this.
On Tuesday morning right before I left to go to Efata, I grabbed the bag of Bibles I had for everyone and realized I had one extra. I stuck the extra Bible in my bag and headed out the door. Near the end of the day, the sister of one of the littlest girls came by to pick her up. She'd come on a field trip with her sister before so I knew her a little bit. Immediately, I knew that I could give the extra Bible to this girl, so I gave the Bible to her and a Bible storybook to her little sister. Both of them were very grateful and kept saying "thank you" over and over. I know God provided the Bible exactly for that reason. I am so amazed at how God works and how He provides exactly what we need - even at times when we don't realize what that is. Please be praying for all of the children who received a Bible. Pray for God to give understanding.
Tomorrow we'll be going on a river trip for the morning. Plans did not work out for a longer, over-night trip, but I am thankful that I'll at least be able to do this. As we visit a couple villages, pray that we'll be witnesses of Christ in everything we say and do.
My two months here in Peru have been incredible; God has given me awesome opportunities, taught me things that I really needed to be  taught, and stretched my obedience and love for Him. This last week will go by very quickly, so please pray that I will finish strong. Pray that my focus will be on Christ alone and that my every word and action will be in obedience to my Father. Pray that I will see the opportunities He gives me to make His love known and that I will be bold in obeying Him. I'll update you when I'm back in the states (if not before).
Finish this week by growing in the love and grace of God!
Shirley Anne