Enabled with boldness:Cusco

"Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness"- Acts 4:20

After our main event on the 19th, I then traveled

to Cusco to spend a week doing impact with more than 80 other short-term volunteers! I was accompanied by two dear friends of mine from Ohio: Vicki Dunn and Steve Elam. I really enjoyed sharing my experience in Peru with someone from home so that they could relate to my love for the country!

This is a picture of a little girl from Mantay, a women's home that I had visited previously during my first trip to Cusco. I translated for half of the group as we went on a tour of the facility. We were all filled tears during the end of the tour as the guide showed us the nursery and explained the importance of nurturing and making sure these infants know that they are loved, unlike their mothers knew. Our time there included a puppet show which talked about the amazing love Jesus has for each one of us, balloons, nursery feedings, and a powerful testimony that brought many of the young women to accept Christ's open arm invitation.

Due to the largest festival that is celebrated in Cusco, we were limited to our modes of transportation for 80 people. Throughout the week we learned the art of flexibility and on Tuesday we went to the main plaza to pray with people. This was a difficult task because of the parades that were going on and the mentality from the Catholic church that they must pay for prayer. After explaining that it was free, my group and I prayed for jobs, health, the children of the world, and that the people of Peru would get closer to God with 7-10 different people. We then went around to the different plazas and prayed that God would fill the lives that were in that place with his light.

On Wednesday we returned to Oropesa where I went on my previous trip and had a medical clinic and a children's festival. There was a great turnout with over 50 children and 130 people who came to the clinic!

Thursday the 24th was Inti Raymi which is an Incan celebration of the summer solstace and has been intertwined with Catholicism. On this day they have several parades and tradiotions which include climbing up a mountain and sacrificing a llama. We were unable to do any ministry this day, so we were able to visit around the town and see the festivities. It is evident the hold that the enemy has on this city and that it is going to be the hardest of the 7 cities to plant churches because of the Incan roots, however God will be victorious and we were able to get a glimpse of that during our week there.

My favorite part of the week was on Friday when we went to visit the women's prision. This was another women only visit for our group. We had the opportunity to talk with the ladies and here their stories. Many of them are just like you and me with beautiful families and dreams, but had fallen on hard times and are now paying with their freedom. We gave them foot and hand massages and just loved on them with the love of Christ. Lonna Vopat shared her story once more with the women who could easily relate to her testimony. They were all moved by the work of God's redeeming love in her life and almost all of the women gave their lives over to the hands of their heavenly father!!! We then handed out gifts and Bibles to them with a promise that we would return and help them in there walk. One lady shared with me how several groups had come before, but our group was the first where she could feel the spirit of the Lord!

The rest of the week was filled with more children's festivals, another medical clinic, church service, and many trips to the plaza. I was able to help translate for the medical clinic on Saturday which was such a neat experience. Eventhough the majority were only getting prescribed vitamins, tylonol, and rolaids, many of them just desired to get attention, touched, and seen by an American.

Although we would have loved to have done more ministry and impact, it turned out to be a powerful week and many lives were transformed! My prayer was that all of us would return to the states with a fire that would spark the church in the states to share the same kind of love.

Amor Extremo

What an exciting time to be involved in the kingdom-expansion that is taking place in the southern part of Peru! I arrived on June 17th to my Peruvian home in Arequipa after several hours of travel and no sleep. The excitement and anticipation for Saturday's mega event was felt throughout the entire city. The Extreme staff and volunteers had been working on promotion and getting the last minute details ready in order to shake Arequipa for Christ, but what happened on Saturday was more than any of us could have imagined!

The event was held in a spacious fairground/event center that was perfect for all of the activities that we had planned. I helped both in the prayer room and with the woman's conference. Our special guests included Tammy Trent, an amazing Christian artist with a beautiful testimony, and Lonna Vopat, who shared her powerful and inspiring story that many of the Peruvian's were able to relate with. There were at least 1,000 women who attended the conference and more than 100 of them decided to accept the joy and hope that only Christ can offer them! I had the privileged to help with the consolidation process of with both the conference and after Nick's speech later that same evening. To be able to welcome new sisters into the family of God and get their information was such a huge honor.
The other activities of the day included a men's conference, childrens festival, medical clinic, and a guinea pig feast. The main attraction of the day was Nick Vujicic, an evangelist who was born without any arms or legs. He had the most powerful testimony I have heard before and shared of how he overcame major obstacles in his life to be exactly what God created him to be. Overall there were over 10,000 people who attended the event and over 1,000 decisions were made for Christ! It was definitely a victorious day for the church in Peru!

Times of refreshing

These past few weeks have been filled with many tears, prayers, healing, and loved ones. My first week home was one of the hardest times I have experienced in my life. I was filled with grief and confusion, not sure what the future held. However, through the chaos, I learned to lean even heavier upon the hands that hold my future and was determined that his plans for my life were far better than anything I could come up with.

Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart", is one of my favorite Psalms which I have read several times before and have often quoted in reference to something that my heart desired. What was I desiring? God's will? Just to be in Peru with my group? To see the kingdom expanded? God revealed to me that what I need to delight myself in is him, allowing him to satisfy all the longings of my heart and in doing this I will desire him, his plans.

So that is what I did during this time and what I experienced was more than just physical healing, but a spiritual refreshing of his presence. God was faithful and good and restored my health and I am now feeling the best I have felt in three months! I have also been encouraged and refreshed by the many lovely visitors I have had during my short time home.

I am planning on returning to Peru on Wednesday and serving as a short-term volunteer for Love Extreme in Arequipa and Cusco. I am homesick for Peru and it took returning to the states for me to realize that I truly love Peru and have made that my home. I can't wait to be reunited with my family down there and serve alongside them with this new strength that I have received. Although I am uncertain of whether I will be with my cohort or placed in the next group, I am confident that everything will workout exactly as it was suppose to. I will keep you all posted on the work that is taking place during Love Extreme. If you are interested in getting more info, you can visit: http://www.extremenazarene.org/ShortTermDetail.aspx?ID=10

Inspiration in song

I know that there is a reason for all of this pain and he will reveal it in his time. I know it wasn't a mistake for me to go to Peru and that my work isn't finished yet. Through this trial I have found counsel and encouragement from many songs and my devotional, "Streams in the desert". Today's reading was about Abraham who had faith that God would fulfill his promises against all hope.

Great faith must first endure great trials.
God's greatest gifts come through great pain.

Though I am more confused and uncertain of what the future holds, I have found complete comfort in the hands of my father. A few of my dear friends sent me songs that explain EXACTLY what I am feeling and I wanted to share them here. Also wanted to share this verse from Isaiah 41:10:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed , for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"

Home again

What a whirlwind of emotions and events I have experienced since my last post! However, in the midst of all this, there is a calming peace and sense that everything is going to be the way it is suppose to be.

After a week of resting to see if there was any improvements, I decided that it would be best for me to go home and figure out the source of the pain. It was a difficult decision because I just want to serve in Peru and I have formed a beautiful family in Peru and couldn't imagine leaving, but I needed to think of what was the best for my health and what condition I needed to be in to do the most good in Peru. I spent all last week with my brothers and sisters and prepared for my journey back home.

Thursday night we went to the roof underneath the stars and sang worship songs and ended in prayer. This is my favorite activity to do with the group and was so blessed to have one last opportunity to share this with them. I was also serenaded by several of my teammates and received a flower and many encouraging letters. On Friday, we had an ice cream farewell and then I was accompanied with 27 people to the airport! I was overwhelmed with the display of love that I received from my family in Peru. Many tears were shed and it was probably one of the most difficult good-byes I have experienced. I arrived in Lima, spent the night in the district off, and went early in the morning to receive my residency card. I am now an official resident of Peru and can call it home. I left late on Saturday and after 14 hours of travel, I arrived in sunny, humid Ohio. The flight wasn't as excruciating as expected which I know is an answer to prayer!
It was so surreal to be back in the states and I have definitely experienced reverse culture shock, but I enjoyed seeing loved ones again. I was even able to surprise my entire family who had no idea that I was coming home. Their reactions were priceless!

Rachel Kuhn, who is amazing and I love very much, was able to find me a doctor from our church in Westerville who was willing to see me for free. I went yesterday to Dr. Stock who was so wonderful and thorough and finally gave me a diagnosis after three months of searching. She told me that I have soft muscle and tissue damage from a combination of my accidents. This is something that just takes time to heal, but with medicine and rest, I can hopefully heal a little sooner. We aren't really sure what the time frame is or if I will be well enough to come back in a few weeks.

Prayer requests for this time:
Speedy healing
That Extreme finds a Peruvian partner for me
My team back in Peru
That God would reveal what he wants me to learn during this time

Thank you all so much for your encouragement and prayers! I will be heading to Westerville church this weekend and to my home church in London the following weekend and am looking forward to seeing many of you! I also have the same phone number if you would like to call me while I am stateside.

Chaos, confusion, peace

This past week has probably been one of the toughest, but most beautiful weeks that I have experienced here in Peru. We have been living in the 40/40 training center for over a week now and began classes on Monday. The community here is very unique and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many who desire to waste their lives for Christ.

Chaos: As I have been sharing through these post, I been experiencing a great amount of pain in my neck and back which has worsened over the past two months. I met with the leadership here on Monday to discuss my pain and what needed to be done in order for me to feel relief. They care about me and want what is best for me; even if that means going home. We decided that I would miss out on our first week of class, rest and just go to physical therapy. If there was not any improvement by the following Monday (tomorrow), I would go back to Ohio to receive treatment. I had to share with my team that night the decision that was made and I was so blessed by all the prayers and words of encouragement that I received which continued throughout the entire week from both those here and at home. Another setback this week was when my Peruvian partner, Julissa, who I met on Sunday went home on Thursday without any warning. She had such a beautiful spirit and we were instant friends, but she had things at home that she had to deal with.

Confusion: As I went through all of the possibilities and dealt with all that was being thrown at me this week, I experienced more confusion of what to do than I have ever before. I am not the greatest at making decisions and generally appreciate others (especially God) just making them for me and telling me what to do. Along with many others, I have cried out to God for an answer of what it was he was telling me to do and what his ultimate will is for all of this. I know he is more than capable of healing me and allowing me to remain here to serve him, but for some reason he has been fairly silent. Through services, others, and personal devotions, I have heard so many conflicting answers which have only left me in more confusion!

Peace: However, through my times of forced rest, pain, and difficulties, my eyes and heart have been opened and sensitive to understand what it is God is wanting me to learn from all of this. Each trial we go through is there to help purify and refine us, but I hadn't completely grasped what it was that I needed to learn until all that I had taken for granted was being threatened to change. Am I willing like Abraham was with Issac to sacrifice his promise to me that I would bring light into the darkness of Peru in order to show him how much I truly love him and above all desire to be obedient to him? Am I willing to give up my new family here and accept that he might have different plans for me? Whatever happens, my love will be with me and will use me, so why worry? I am now at peace that whether I am healed and able to stay here or if I need to go home and get treatment, I will not be alone and it will all be work out in his perfect timing.

There has been little progress in the past week with my pain. The numbing in my arm is gone and I was able to sit for over two hours yesterday! However, I am in still a considerable amount of pain and am not sure if I will be able to withstand the long hours that are required of me. Tomorrow is decision day and I will let everyone know the next step for my adventure here! Thank you again for all your prayers and words of encouragement, keep them coming!!!
Encouraging passages that I want to share from this week:
Isaiah 41:9-13; Psalm 46,77,86; Phil. 1:16, and Joshua 1:6-9

If You Want Me To

So tomorrow is a huge day for our cohort because we will transition from our lives with our host families to moving to the Larry and Addy Garman training center with our twelve new Peruvian partners and beginning our missionary training. I have been praying for my Peruvian partner for over a year now and am very anxious to finally meet her and begin our ministry together. This transition would be much smoother for me if it weren't for my current health condition. I have many reservations about moving during this time because I am in constant pain and am just not as focused to begin this work.

However God has shown me his faithfulness and has revealed many lies that the enemy has brought to my mind. A few times this week I had my mind set on going home. Since I wasn't able to fulfill what I thought was my purpose here in Peru, I had decided that I was no use here and that I would be less of a burden at home.

How unfaithful was I to my betrothed! A few months back I had shared about the relation with the Jewish marriage customs and Jesus and how we are his bride, betrothed. In a marriage ceremony, the couple promise to be with each other during sickness or in health. When God called me to Peru, he didn't say it would all be easy or that I would be in good health the entire time, but he did say he would be with me. He has not given up on me or released me from this call, but as soon as things were difficult, I was quick to give up on him.

After many tears, prayers, and encouragement from my brothers and sisters in Christ, I finally saw my unfaithfulness and realized that God was allowing me to go through this time in order to be purified, disciplined, and grow in my faith in him. Yesterday Jarred shared in our prayer meeting from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I really love the words in the Amplified version:

⁷And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. [Job. 2:6.]

⁸Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;

⁹But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!

¹⁰So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).

I feel that this may be a "thorn in my flesh", but God can use it to glorify him further if I allow him to. A reoccurring lesson in my walk with God has been to rely on his strength and not my own.

A song that a dear friend of mine sang to me a few years ago when I was going through some difficult times has become my theme song and is really my prayer during this time in my life. I am confident that God is healing me and great things will come from all of this and I am so excited to share it with all of you when it happens!