Wow. It´s been a whirlwind of a week! So much has happened and I feel like there is so much I want to say but I don´t even know where to begin!! Before I left for Masuco, I was having a really hard time. I was having one of those days where I was just done. Ready to go home. Ready to be finished with it all and be in the comfort of my own home. But God showed up and met me where I was at. I gave the devotional for our group on Tuesday and the word that the Lord had given me was ¨My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.¨ God was so good. He gave me the refreshment and the power I needed. When I am weak, He is strong and He proved Himself to be faithful. I think a lot of the team were at that place of weakness but praise God, He is strong and has been helping us all along the way!
Well, we made it to Masuco just in time. The roads were pretty rough, and were dirt roads most of the way. It took about 4 1-2 to 5 hours to get there. It started to rain just as we were unloading so it was definitely good we made it when we did. Our hotel rooms were quite small and very interesting. I actually split myself up between two rooms. Originally, I was going to share a twin size bed with one of the team members but another girl on my team had an extra bed so I slept in her room. There were bugs everywhere of course. And it was somewhat funny taking showers at this place because the shower was like 2 inches away from the toilet. There was no toilet seat of course and the water was very cold. Haha. Plus the water didn´t always like to stay in the bathroom. Oh yeah, not to mention, I had some ants visit my bag the second night. I went to get my stuff out and found a couple hundred of them crawling around my bag! They found some crackers that had accidentally opened up and decided to go after them. It was a fun little experience for me! =) Oh did I also mention that at this hotel, they turn the electricity out on everyone at about 11:30 or 12 every night. And then at about 5:30AM, everyone that works at the hotel gets up and starts working and turns on the tv and makes a whole bunch of noise. Needless to say, the nights were short and I did not get a whole lot of sleep but praise God, He´s been giving us all the supernatural energy we need!
Well lets see, what are some highlights and some short stories for you in Masuco. For starters, it was much cooler than in Puerto Maldonado! And we also had some rain!! In Masuco, we had the dental clinics and the medical clinics set up. Then we attempted to do sewing classes. I helped as best as I could with that but there were two problems with me helping. 1. I don´t know how to sew. 2. I don´t know Spanish fluently. It was definitely a stretch and we only had a few people show up but God helped us with that! We had some trouble with the sewing machines too so that made it difficult as well. We VBS for the kids and the services at night with the church. It was great to be there and to encourage the church. It was the first time GO had ever been to this area! What a blessing to be a part of it! The team has been really great too and I have enjoyed getting to know some of the people on the team. They have been an encouragment to me. It´s been so wonderful to see how God has been working through each one of us and bringing all of our stories together and speaking through each person on the team. So I was supposed to give a devotional on Wednesday but didn´t feel ready and wanted a little break. So another guy on our team was asked to do it. He agreed and what he shared was something I definitely needed to hear. He talked about how we need to learn to be in tune with the Spirit. He said when we were in this one town, he had the thought to go ask this kid to kick the soccer ball to him and to play with him. But he was tired and didn´t really want to. He had turned around and just when he decided he would play with the boy, he saw that the ball had gone into the street and had hit someone on a motorcycle and the man on the motorcycle had gone down. No one was hurt and everything was ok but he realized that the Lord had given him an opportunity and he had missed it. And it could have turned out a lot worse.
So Ron just shared about how we need to be in tune with the Spirit and be asking the Lord where He is at and what He is doing and what He wants us to do. I really needed to hear that word because it was just the day before that I had been talking to the Lord about a word He had given me. Someone shared with me that God wanted to show me great things and to expect Him to do great things in my life. So I´ve been sitting here saying, ¨Okay Lord, I´m waiting! What are you going to do?¨And I´v been doing nothing. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Well He´s not gonna do anything cause I´m not actively involving myself. I´m just sitting on the sidelines. I need to be asking the Lord, okay, what do you want me to do! So that´s what I¨ve been doing the past two days and you know, it´s been neat to see Him already work and speak to me!
The other night, I was sitting in church, all nice and comfortable and ready for the events of the night. Then a thought came to my mind. Who´s sharing their testimonies. No one had really said. Then I got the feeling that I was supposed to share. And then I had a feeling that Larry was going to call me up to share. You see, Larry Cochran has this thing with me and my family. Whenever we are on a trip with him, he will ask us any time to get up and share a testimony. We always have to be ready. So I usually just wait for Larry to tell me that I´m going. And well, what do you know. I´m sitting there in the service and he gets up and says I´d now like Michelle Cravens to come up and share a word. Hah! Thanks Larry! It was good though. God was with me and gave me the Lord and it was so awesome to see how my testimony and the testimony of the other woman that shared from our team came together. God knew what He was up to. I´m excited to continue to see Him work in ways like this! =)
Well, I´m finishing up my time with this team. We had to Cusco tomorrow and I get to see Macchu Picchu on Saturday. Then I fly to Lima on Sunday and my parents leave Sunday night. I¨ll be in Lima another 12 days then head to Yurimaguas. I´m starting to get excited and a little nervous about that trip. Apparently we´ll spend two days in Yurimaguas then head up river to another town. It´ll take a day to get there by boat. And I´m thinking conditions are gonna be pretty primitive! I might even be eating some bugs! Haha! I´m excited about the adventure. As much as I hate being uncomfortable and in the hot weather and having to pop a squat over a small hole (maybe that was too much info!), I can honestly say there is a peace and a joy about it all. I love the adventure. And I love the fact that this is where I am supposed to be. That I am in the center of God´s will right now. That´s always the best place to be! =)
I need to get going but please keep me in your prayers as I travel over the next few days. Also pray for my left eye. I think I got an infection in it yesterday and it´s a little irritated. The vision is a little worse in it and the glasses don´t really help to correct it. I´ve got some meds in it but just pray that I won´t have any more problems.
God bless and thanks so much for all your prayers!!
-Michelle
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
In my weakness, He is strong...
Hey friends! I feel like it´s been quite a while since I last wrote. So much has happened over the past few days that I feel like I can´t even remember what day it is! The team from my church arrived on Thursday night and Rebeca and I met them at the airport Friday morning. It was so wonderful seeing my parents! Kinda weird being on a team with them though...it´s been about 3 or 4 years since we´ve been on a team together! Haha!
Anyway, our team left and flew to Puerto Maldonado, which is an hour and a half away from Lima by plane (probably two days journey by car). I immediately was overwhelmed by the heat and humidity walking out of the plane. This place is so hot! We had a bus pick us up from the airport and we drove to the hotel we´re staying in. On the drive to the hotel, I noticed there weren´t very many cars...hardly any at all actually. Most people in this town drive around on motorcycles. Sometimes you´ll see two, three, even four people riding on a motorcyle together. Parents will even put their babies on them or small children. Definitely wouldn´t see that back home! Anyway, our first day went well. We rested up some then had dinner and a church service. I had the chance to sing in Spanish with 4 of my friends which was pretty cool! I sang with SarahÃ, who is from Mexico, Rebeca, Miriam, and Eunice, who are from Peru and we sang Tu eres Todopoderoso. It was fun! We had a nice long service with a couple different pastors from the area.
Yesterday started our time of ministry. We have a dental clinic, a medical clinic, and reading glasses we have been giving to people. We have also been doing VBS with the children in the afternoon as well as a pastor´s training today. We were at two different churches today and yesterday. I helped out with the clinics and eye glasses. I was a runner and helped to translate wherever it was needed. For the most part, though, I have been helping with the eyeglasses. I can´t tell you what a joy it is to be able to help someone find a pair of glasses. Many of them are elderly people who can´t see well to read their Bibles. It is amazing to see the change in their faces when they put on the glasses and the words are actually clear to them. One woman even brought in her Bible to see if she could read it with the glasses she was trying on. And what´s even more amazing is when they tell you they have been praying for glasses or for some way to be able to read their Bible and we are that answer to prayer with the glasses! Praise God! It brings me so much joy to know that we are able to help people grow closer into a personal relationship with him.
In all the joy, there has been some difficulty too but praise God because He is my strength. Today, the dentist needed latex gloves but someone bought the wrong kind. So the pastor of the church had to leave to get the right ones. I took his job. His job was signing people in...writing down their names, sending them to the right area (medical, dental, or glasses) and trying to keep things under control. Well let me just tell you, there are some days where I feel like my mind is completely open and I understand so much Spanish. That was yesterday for me. Then this afternoon hit. I took the pastor´s job and it´s like I hit a brick wall. I couldn´t understand the people. They were beginning to crowd. I didn´t know what they wanted. And then I had to pronounce names that I had no idea how to pronounce! I was feeling overwhelmed and alone and just wanted to cry. I told the Lord I couldn´t do this. I couldn´t do it. There was no way. Definitley not on my own. Then it happened. A man who was waiting to try on glasses, got up and began to help me. He helped me pronounce the names. Then he wrote down names for me. And then he pretty much just took over the entire thing. I helped send people to the right place and tell him when I was ready but he took over what I could not do. It was so stressful but God stepped in at just the right time and helped me through this man. After he got his glasses, he actually stayed and helped me to the end. Praise God for Him! And praise God for answering my prayer! His power is made perfect in our weakness...when I am weak, He is strong!
Please continue to pray for our team. We have a few people sick. We are also traveling to another town tomorrow which is four hours away called Masuca. They say it is much more primitive than where we are now! So who knows what living conditions will be like! We´ve got a great team who works so hard and has been really positive. Keep praying for them if you would! And pray for the people we´ll be seeing over the next few days! We´ll return back to Puerto Maldonado on Thursday and then leave for Cusco on Friday!
Thanks again for everything. I´ll try to keep you updated when I can! God bless!
-Michelle
Anyway, our team left and flew to Puerto Maldonado, which is an hour and a half away from Lima by plane (probably two days journey by car). I immediately was overwhelmed by the heat and humidity walking out of the plane. This place is so hot! We had a bus pick us up from the airport and we drove to the hotel we´re staying in. On the drive to the hotel, I noticed there weren´t very many cars...hardly any at all actually. Most people in this town drive around on motorcycles. Sometimes you´ll see two, three, even four people riding on a motorcyle together. Parents will even put their babies on them or small children. Definitely wouldn´t see that back home! Anyway, our first day went well. We rested up some then had dinner and a church service. I had the chance to sing in Spanish with 4 of my friends which was pretty cool! I sang with SarahÃ, who is from Mexico, Rebeca, Miriam, and Eunice, who are from Peru and we sang Tu eres Todopoderoso. It was fun! We had a nice long service with a couple different pastors from the area.
Yesterday started our time of ministry. We have a dental clinic, a medical clinic, and reading glasses we have been giving to people. We have also been doing VBS with the children in the afternoon as well as a pastor´s training today. We were at two different churches today and yesterday. I helped out with the clinics and eye glasses. I was a runner and helped to translate wherever it was needed. For the most part, though, I have been helping with the eyeglasses. I can´t tell you what a joy it is to be able to help someone find a pair of glasses. Many of them are elderly people who can´t see well to read their Bibles. It is amazing to see the change in their faces when they put on the glasses and the words are actually clear to them. One woman even brought in her Bible to see if she could read it with the glasses she was trying on. And what´s even more amazing is when they tell you they have been praying for glasses or for some way to be able to read their Bible and we are that answer to prayer with the glasses! Praise God! It brings me so much joy to know that we are able to help people grow closer into a personal relationship with him.
In all the joy, there has been some difficulty too but praise God because He is my strength. Today, the dentist needed latex gloves but someone bought the wrong kind. So the pastor of the church had to leave to get the right ones. I took his job. His job was signing people in...writing down their names, sending them to the right area (medical, dental, or glasses) and trying to keep things under control. Well let me just tell you, there are some days where I feel like my mind is completely open and I understand so much Spanish. That was yesterday for me. Then this afternoon hit. I took the pastor´s job and it´s like I hit a brick wall. I couldn´t understand the people. They were beginning to crowd. I didn´t know what they wanted. And then I had to pronounce names that I had no idea how to pronounce! I was feeling overwhelmed and alone and just wanted to cry. I told the Lord I couldn´t do this. I couldn´t do it. There was no way. Definitley not on my own. Then it happened. A man who was waiting to try on glasses, got up and began to help me. He helped me pronounce the names. Then he wrote down names for me. And then he pretty much just took over the entire thing. I helped send people to the right place and tell him when I was ready but he took over what I could not do. It was so stressful but God stepped in at just the right time and helped me through this man. After he got his glasses, he actually stayed and helped me to the end. Praise God for Him! And praise God for answering my prayer! His power is made perfect in our weakness...when I am weak, He is strong!
Please continue to pray for our team. We have a few people sick. We are also traveling to another town tomorrow which is four hours away called Masuca. They say it is much more primitive than where we are now! So who knows what living conditions will be like! We´ve got a great team who works so hard and has been really positive. Keep praying for them if you would! And pray for the people we´ll be seeing over the next few days! We´ll return back to Puerto Maldonado on Thursday and then leave for Cusco on Friday!
Thanks again for everything. I´ll try to keep you updated when I can! God bless!
-Michelle
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Que Chevere!
So it´s been a week since my last update. I figured it´s time to write again! Ha!! It´s been great this past week. I absolutely LOVE living with Wilma and her family! They are so much fun! I think Wilma and I are a lot a like. We get along so well and are goofy all the time! I try to teach her English and she teaches me Spanish. I´ve been working with her on the song Open the Eyes of My Heart. She is so funny, just listening to her sing the song! She´s really good at it now, compared to the first time she sang it! Ha! She also likes to randomly say English words...like it´s ok...you go, we go, they go, gringo! Haha! I´m telling you, we laugh so much in this house! =)
Well let´s see what have I been up to? I went to the beach on Saturday! AMAZING! Definitely got a sunburn! Sorry to everyone who is stuck in the cold right now...=) The beach was great though. There were five of us that went. We ate ceviche, which is a Peruvian dish. It´s fish with some spices in it. Then we ate some chicharrones...I think it was like squid or something. Not really for sure. It was good though! =) We played in the water and just had a nice and relaxing day! =)
I´m sure you´re wondering what else I´m doing while I´m here. =) I don´t go to the beach all the time, no worries. =) For the most part, I just help Wilma wherever she needs it. We worked on that children´s booklet I think I told you about for like a week. We finally finished it like yesterday...no...wait...two days ago. Ha! Now we´re working on sorting out other materials for children´s books and organizing and all that jazz. It´s been good. I stay fairly busy. But I also spend a lot of time with people, just hanging out, going to the movies, having water fights in the house =), going out for food...oh gosh, Norky´s is my favorite place ever to eat! Haha! This place has GREAT chicken and this other stuff called anticucho, which is cow heart! It is probably my favorite food in Peru, no joke! So good! But seriously, I feel like I´m just going on and on about random stuff now. lol. I´m really so thankful for my time here with Wilma and I wish I had more time here with her. The first team comes tomorrow and we leave Friday for Puerto Maldonado. I´m excited to do the work there but I also wish I could stay longer with Wilma and her family. I feel like I´m finally starting to get connected to people. I think that´s the one thing I dislike about doing all this short term stuff...just when I start to feel like I´m connecting and really settling in, it´s time for me to leave. I´m thankful I get to come back here after my time in Puerto Maldonado but it´s only for about a week. Who knows, maybe God will open up the doors to come back here again...
So many things to pray about. One of my biggest prayers while being here has been about direction. I´m still trying to figure out where God wants me and the specific gifts He has given me. I feel like He´s been showing me more here and there, but I´m still very unsure what the next step is in my life. But is God faithful through it all...even when it seems like He´s not there or He´s not really giving me direction, I know He´s preparing me for what´s next.
I feel like there´s so much I want to say and so much that has gone on that´s it´s just too hard to put in the words. It´s probably because I´m still processing everything. But all that to say, I´m loving my time here in Peru and I´m doing great! Fantastic really. If you could just keep praying for my language learning, that would be much appreciated. =) It´s still a big struggle. But God is good and helping me through!
Anyway, thanks for all your prayers. Please pray as myself and the team from GO InterNational travels by plane to Puerto Maldonado on Friday! Pray that the truth would be proclaimed and that hearts would be open to receiving the truth!! Thanks! God bless!
-Michelle
Well let´s see what have I been up to? I went to the beach on Saturday! AMAZING! Definitely got a sunburn! Sorry to everyone who is stuck in the cold right now...=) The beach was great though. There were five of us that went. We ate ceviche, which is a Peruvian dish. It´s fish with some spices in it. Then we ate some chicharrones...I think it was like squid or something. Not really for sure. It was good though! =) We played in the water and just had a nice and relaxing day! =)
I´m sure you´re wondering what else I´m doing while I´m here. =) I don´t go to the beach all the time, no worries. =) For the most part, I just help Wilma wherever she needs it. We worked on that children´s booklet I think I told you about for like a week. We finally finished it like yesterday...no...wait...two days ago. Ha! Now we´re working on sorting out other materials for children´s books and organizing and all that jazz. It´s been good. I stay fairly busy. But I also spend a lot of time with people, just hanging out, going to the movies, having water fights in the house =), going out for food...oh gosh, Norky´s is my favorite place ever to eat! Haha! This place has GREAT chicken and this other stuff called anticucho, which is cow heart! It is probably my favorite food in Peru, no joke! So good! But seriously, I feel like I´m just going on and on about random stuff now. lol. I´m really so thankful for my time here with Wilma and I wish I had more time here with her. The first team comes tomorrow and we leave Friday for Puerto Maldonado. I´m excited to do the work there but I also wish I could stay longer with Wilma and her family. I feel like I´m finally starting to get connected to people. I think that´s the one thing I dislike about doing all this short term stuff...just when I start to feel like I´m connecting and really settling in, it´s time for me to leave. I´m thankful I get to come back here after my time in Puerto Maldonado but it´s only for about a week. Who knows, maybe God will open up the doors to come back here again...
So many things to pray about. One of my biggest prayers while being here has been about direction. I´m still trying to figure out where God wants me and the specific gifts He has given me. I feel like He´s been showing me more here and there, but I´m still very unsure what the next step is in my life. But is God faithful through it all...even when it seems like He´s not there or He´s not really giving me direction, I know He´s preparing me for what´s next.
I feel like there´s so much I want to say and so much that has gone on that´s it´s just too hard to put in the words. It´s probably because I´m still processing everything. But all that to say, I´m loving my time here in Peru and I´m doing great! Fantastic really. If you could just keep praying for my language learning, that would be much appreciated. =) It´s still a big struggle. But God is good and helping me through!
Anyway, thanks for all your prayers. Please pray as myself and the team from GO InterNational travels by plane to Puerto Maldonado on Friday! Pray that the truth would be proclaimed and that hearts would be open to receiving the truth!! Thanks! God bless!
-Michelle
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Muy Delicious
So maybe you´re wondering from my last blog what the title meant...Michelle La Chiquita Mariposita. Or maybe you´re not but I´m going to tell you anyway. That is Wilma´s name for me. It´s means the little butterfly. =) I was working with her on Monday and she randomly started calling me Chiquita Mariposita. And now, that´s my name. =) I enjoy working with Wilma. She is an incredible woman. Such a hard worker. Has the most beautiful heart. She is kind, loving, giving, humble, patient, a servant. I´m learning more about the person I want to be by just being around her. Her home is always open to anyone and everyone. People say she is the Mother Theresa of Peru. Yep, they´re right! =)
Anyway, things have been good. I have been so busy though. Monday was a little discouraging mainly because of my lack of Spanish knowledge. It´s hard not being able to understand everything that´s going on. But oh well, I guess you just go on and continue praying for more understanding. I´m thankful for my time with Wilma yesterday though. We spent the whole day together and was actually able to understand more and have really good conversation with her! God knew exactly what I needed yesterday. He is so good. =) We went all over the place...up the mountain where her feeding program is (we don´t feed the kids during the week though...just on Saturdays). Then we came back to find we were locked out of her house! Haha, we had a good laugh then decided to head on to Mira Flores, which is in the southern part of Lima, to meet up with the group from Alaska. On our way home, I sat next to this guy who was about 20 years old and had his Bible open to Psalms. I proceeded to tell him I liked the Psalms as well and then we started talking about God and that we were both Christians and sharing our favorite Bible verses and so on. Haha, it was good and also encouraging!
This morning was super busy. We went in to the central part of Lima to buy materials. There are a group of mothers up in the mountains that are learning to make bags. So we had to get materials for them so they could continue making their bags. Their plan is to sell the bags they make and earn some money from it! It´s really incredible and they are so gifted! After we took the materials too the woman (by the way, these trips to the center of Lima and too the mountains take quite a while...it´s a least 20 minutes or more from Wilma´s house to both places so you can imagine we spend a lot of time in taxis and buses)!
Then we came home and fixed lunch together...fish and yuka and tomatoes and rice and fresh orange juice! So good!! Or muy delicious...that´s what Wilma likes to say. I think it´s her favorite word. =) I´m definitely thankful for my time here and enjoying just living the life of a Peruvian. =) Anyway, I need to go. I´m going to help Wilma again with that picture booklet. Lots to get done and definitely not enough hours in the day! Thanks again for all of your prayers. I´ll continue to keep you updated when I can! Love you all!!!
-Michelle, la Chiquita Mariposita =)
Anyway, things have been good. I have been so busy though. Monday was a little discouraging mainly because of my lack of Spanish knowledge. It´s hard not being able to understand everything that´s going on. But oh well, I guess you just go on and continue praying for more understanding. I´m thankful for my time with Wilma yesterday though. We spent the whole day together and was actually able to understand more and have really good conversation with her! God knew exactly what I needed yesterday. He is so good. =) We went all over the place...up the mountain where her feeding program is (we don´t feed the kids during the week though...just on Saturdays). Then we came back to find we were locked out of her house! Haha, we had a good laugh then decided to head on to Mira Flores, which is in the southern part of Lima, to meet up with the group from Alaska. On our way home, I sat next to this guy who was about 20 years old and had his Bible open to Psalms. I proceeded to tell him I liked the Psalms as well and then we started talking about God and that we were both Christians and sharing our favorite Bible verses and so on. Haha, it was good and also encouraging!
This morning was super busy. We went in to the central part of Lima to buy materials. There are a group of mothers up in the mountains that are learning to make bags. So we had to get materials for them so they could continue making their bags. Their plan is to sell the bags they make and earn some money from it! It´s really incredible and they are so gifted! After we took the materials too the woman (by the way, these trips to the center of Lima and too the mountains take quite a while...it´s a least 20 minutes or more from Wilma´s house to both places so you can imagine we spend a lot of time in taxis and buses)!
Then we came home and fixed lunch together...fish and yuka and tomatoes and rice and fresh orange juice! So good!! Or muy delicious...that´s what Wilma likes to say. I think it´s her favorite word. =) I´m definitely thankful for my time here and enjoying just living the life of a Peruvian. =) Anyway, I need to go. I´m going to help Wilma again with that picture booklet. Lots to get done and definitely not enough hours in the day! Thanks again for all of your prayers. I´ll continue to keep you updated when I can! Love you all!!!
-Michelle, la Chiquita Mariposita =)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Michelle la Chiquita Mariposita
Hola mis amigos! Saludos y bendiciones en el nombre de Cristo Jesus! =) We´ll I made it to Peru safe and sound. I got in late Saturday night and didn´t have any problems with my flight or customs or anything. Wilma and her son Gerson were there to pick me up. I was immediately overwhelmed with questions about my family, people at GO and all sorts of stuff! I tried to understand as best as I could and fumbled around for answers to their questions. We made it back to Wilma´s house and I was taken to the third floor where I have an entire room to myself. I talked to Wilma for another 10 minutes or so then we said our goodnights and I began to unpack a little. I think being in my room that night and actually being in Peru is when it hit me that I´m here for six weeks. It´s a little overwhelming but I guess you get used to it. Oh funny story....so I go in to the bathroom to get ready before bed and what do you know I have three friends to join me. Yes, las cucarachas decided to hang out in the bathroom at the same time! Haha, darn things! Scared me half to death! Needless to say, I did a quick potty, teeth brushing and face washing and I was out of there! Fortunately, they haven´t been back since but I always look for them when I go in there! =)
Sunday went well. Got up and went to church. There was a team from Alaska there so I actually was not completely immersed in Spanish. Lots of English being spoken. Anyway, after church we ate lunch then I went back with Wilma´s three children. Rebekah is 28, Gerson is 25, and Emily is 23. They are awesome. We came back to the house and just hung out and went for ice cream and attempted conversation. Haha. Fortunately Emily speaks really good English so if I´m stuck, she can help me out! =)
Anyway, last night Rebekah wanted to take me to downtown Lima to Las Aguas. It is this huge park with lots of beautiful fountains. You can actually play in some of them. And at 7:30pm, they have this light show with the fountains and music and everything. It was incredible! So fun! Definitely a great first day in Peru!
Today, went pretty well too. I spent a lot of time with Emily. She is getting ready for a camp so I went with her to the market to get some stuff. Then two of her friends needed to get a bunch of food from the market so we went two more times after that. It was fun just hanging out with them and getting to know them a little better. Once we finished at the market, I ate lunch and started helping Wilma with a huge picture booklet for the children she works with. I´ve been working on that all afternoon and now I´m taking a break. I really don´t know what the rest of the week holds (except for the fact that we´re going to the beach on Thursday and I´m super excited about that! Don´t be too jealous). =) Oh did I mention my arms are a little burned from the sun today and I´m wearing shorts? =) Haha!
Anyway, thanks for all your prayers friends. Please continue to pray for me as I learn the language. I am getting a little frustrated. I feel like I know nothing and I really hate fumbling around for words all the time. But it´s just the first two days. I´m hoping it´ll get better by the time I leave! You know, this woman came up to me in church yesterday and said God wanted to do mighty things in my life and that I need to expect Him to do big things. So I´m trusting and expecting that He will do big things in and through me and I pray that I don´t limit Him to anything. So maybe one of these big things I can expect from God is that He´ll give me complete understanding of the Spanish language. You never know...nothing is impossible for Him. Guess we´ll have to wait and see what happens! I´ll try to update this when I can. I hope all of you are well and I pray blessings on each one of you! Dios te bendiga! =)
-Michelle
Sunday went well. Got up and went to church. There was a team from Alaska there so I actually was not completely immersed in Spanish. Lots of English being spoken. Anyway, after church we ate lunch then I went back with Wilma´s three children. Rebekah is 28, Gerson is 25, and Emily is 23. They are awesome. We came back to the house and just hung out and went for ice cream and attempted conversation. Haha. Fortunately Emily speaks really good English so if I´m stuck, she can help me out! =)
Anyway, last night Rebekah wanted to take me to downtown Lima to Las Aguas. It is this huge park with lots of beautiful fountains. You can actually play in some of them. And at 7:30pm, they have this light show with the fountains and music and everything. It was incredible! So fun! Definitely a great first day in Peru!
Today, went pretty well too. I spent a lot of time with Emily. She is getting ready for a camp so I went with her to the market to get some stuff. Then two of her friends needed to get a bunch of food from the market so we went two more times after that. It was fun just hanging out with them and getting to know them a little better. Once we finished at the market, I ate lunch and started helping Wilma with a huge picture booklet for the children she works with. I´ve been working on that all afternoon and now I´m taking a break. I really don´t know what the rest of the week holds (except for the fact that we´re going to the beach on Thursday and I´m super excited about that! Don´t be too jealous). =) Oh did I mention my arms are a little burned from the sun today and I´m wearing shorts? =) Haha!
Anyway, thanks for all your prayers friends. Please continue to pray for me as I learn the language. I am getting a little frustrated. I feel like I know nothing and I really hate fumbling around for words all the time. But it´s just the first two days. I´m hoping it´ll get better by the time I leave! You know, this woman came up to me in church yesterday and said God wanted to do mighty things in my life and that I need to expect Him to do big things. So I´m trusting and expecting that He will do big things in and through me and I pray that I don´t limit Him to anything. So maybe one of these big things I can expect from God is that He´ll give me complete understanding of the Spanish language. You never know...nothing is impossible for Him. Guess we´ll have to wait and see what happens! I´ll try to update this when I can. I hope all of you are well and I pray blessings on each one of you! Dios te bendiga! =)
-Michelle
Friday, January 9, 2009
Next Stop, Peru!
It has been quite a while since I have written on this blog. I guess it's time to start again. I'm going to do my best to use this blog as a way to keep people informed with my trip to Peru. Yes, if you hadn't already heard, tomorrow on January the 10th of 2009 at noon, I will be leaving for Lima, Peru for six weeks! I can't believe it's finally here! What will I be doing, you might ask?! I will be traveling down by myself and staying with one of GO InterNational's partners for the first two weeks. She has a feeding program for street children in Lima so I will be helping her out with her ministry. I will also be working on my Spanish speaking skills. My goal is to become even more fluent in the language, so that is why I am doing this total immersion in the culture! =)
After the first two weeks are over, a short term team from my church will be coming. I will help co-lead this team and we will be going to Puerto Maldonado, which is one of the least reached regions with the Gospel in Peru. We'll be doing VBS, passing out eyeglasses, construction, sewing classes and so on. We're definitely going stay busy! I'm super excited about this part of the trip because at the end of my time with this team, we will be going to Macchu Picchu!! This will be my 4th time to Peru and I still have never been. So I'm excited to experience this for the first time!
Once I finish with the team from my church, I will be heading back to Lima for about a week and a half to be with the same lady I was with when I first arrived to Peru. Then, a second team will come and I will help out with them. We will be heading to Yurimaguas, which is in the Amazon region of Peru. We'll be doing a lot of the same things that I did with the previous team. Then, on February 21, I will fly home to KY!
I'm really excited about this opportunity that God has given me to go. I believe it's going to stretch me in more ways than one. For those of you who know me, you probably can imagine that I haven't even started packing yet. That's what today is for. =) Haha. So on that note, I probably need to go. But here are a few things you can be praying for:
-Safety (I'll be traveling by myself so just pray that I have no problems with security or other people and that I also have a safe flight)
-My language skills (I know enough Spanish to get around but I still have lots to learn-please pray that God would open my mind and my mouth and enable me to really understand and speak the language)
-My relationship with Jesus (I just want full dependence on God during this entire trip-just need renewal in my life and want an even deeper relationship with Him)
That's all for now. Thanks so much for your prayers! I will keep you updated when I can!
Dios te bendiga (God bless you)! =)
-Michelle
After the first two weeks are over, a short term team from my church will be coming. I will help co-lead this team and we will be going to Puerto Maldonado, which is one of the least reached regions with the Gospel in Peru. We'll be doing VBS, passing out eyeglasses, construction, sewing classes and so on. We're definitely going stay busy! I'm super excited about this part of the trip because at the end of my time with this team, we will be going to Macchu Picchu!! This will be my 4th time to Peru and I still have never been. So I'm excited to experience this for the first time!
Once I finish with the team from my church, I will be heading back to Lima for about a week and a half to be with the same lady I was with when I first arrived to Peru. Then, a second team will come and I will help out with them. We will be heading to Yurimaguas, which is in the Amazon region of Peru. We'll be doing a lot of the same things that I did with the previous team. Then, on February 21, I will fly home to KY!
I'm really excited about this opportunity that God has given me to go. I believe it's going to stretch me in more ways than one. For those of you who know me, you probably can imagine that I haven't even started packing yet. That's what today is for. =) Haha. So on that note, I probably need to go. But here are a few things you can be praying for:
-Safety (I'll be traveling by myself so just pray that I have no problems with security or other people and that I also have a safe flight)
-My language skills (I know enough Spanish to get around but I still have lots to learn-please pray that God would open my mind and my mouth and enable me to really understand and speak the language)
-My relationship with Jesus (I just want full dependence on God during this entire trip-just need renewal in my life and want an even deeper relationship with Him)
That's all for now. Thanks so much for your prayers! I will keep you updated when I can!
Dios te bendiga (God bless you)! =)
-Michelle
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It's Time for an Update I'd Say....=)
It's been ages since I've written and I feel like it's time for an update. The last time I had written, I had just seen the musical Wicked. Wanna know something funny? I just saw Wicked last night! Ha!! Crazy how things happen!!
Anyway, I guess a quick summary of my last month in Ireland. Everything went really well. Lots of challenges came my way but God was faithful. I loved getting to know the kids better and working in the cafe. I got to attend a production put on by the kids from the Jez, which was so fun! I got close to a bunch of girls before I left and they were so cute! They'd come in during the lunch hour and look for me and just were so sweet! I was happy to have them come in! They were a bright spot in my day! Oooh, and I can't forget Felipe!! Felipe was this boy who started coming in who made all of us smile! He hadn't heard about the cafe until about a month or so before I left the country. Well, once he found out about he, he absolutely loved it and was in there everyday. Before I left, I got into a conversation with him about God and he said that he believed in God more since he had been coming to the cafe!! Praise God! What an encouragement! That was so fun and he is one of the kids I miss a lot!
It's so hard investing so much in a place then having to say goodbye. I realized the time I spent there wasn't enough to really invest like I wanted to. But I just have to pray that God will take what little bit I did invest and really speak to the kids and change their hearts! I pray each one of them comes to an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ!!
Before I left, I got the chance to take a week holiday in Italy! My friend Taylor lives in Arezzo, which is in Tuscany, and teaches English. It was so fun getting to stay with him for my visit! My old roommate Kira met up with me too! We traveled to places like Cortona (where they filmed the movie Under the Tuscan Sun), Siena, Modena (where Balsamic Vinegar originated), and Rome! I loved it! A week is definitely not enough time to spend in that place! Too many amazing places to see!! I loved the food and the wine was pretty amazing too! Seriously, having great food and wine were probably some of the best memories I had on that trip!! And Taylor taught me to cook a meal called Polenta!! Yes folks, I am actually cooking now!! Who would have thought!! So yeah, Italy was great and words honestly can't describe how incredible it was!
Well, as you can probably figure it out, I am back in the states (back at Taylor in fact). I came back in mid-December and was home for about two weeks before coming back to good 'ole Indiana. It was good to be home and see family and friends again. It was definitely hard though because I have had a lot to process since being home. Once I got home, I was dealing with some culture shock and really missing my friends, not to mention thoughts of certain people who were in my life came back to me as well. I guess the realization of life back home hit me again. I was kind of able to run from it while in Ireland, but now I had to deal with it.
I left to move in to my apartment on Wednesday the 2nd of January. God is so good, I must say. A friend of mine that I did not treat very well last year called me up on my way to Indiana. It was really cold that night and I was going to be in late. (By the way, this girl and I had made a mends and were friends again but I had no idea she was going to call me). Anyway, she told me that whenever I got there that I should call her because she wanted to help me move in. I was shocked that she even offered this to me. I got there, called her, she arrived, we hugged, and it was as if nothing had happened to us in our friendship. We got all my stuff in then I took her to get some coffee. I started talking and began to apologize again for all the things I had done and she told me not to even bring it up, that it wasn't necessary. She said she had already forgiven me and forgotten it. WOW! What an amazing example of Jesus right there....and unconditional love and forgiveness. God has been so good...He has been restoring that friendship and I am so thankful. I am so thankful God has put people like her in my life. If you want to know what true friendship is, this is it. Thank you God for blessing me with a friend like Erin!!!! =)
Like I said before, God is so good and so faithful. He is a God that brings restoration and healing to peoples lives. He also gives us a second chance (and a third, and fourth, and so on..)! I praise God for that. I know I didn't invest in my friends lives last year. I invested in other places and now am reaping the benefits of that. I basically have to start all over but praise God that I still have that opportunity. It's hard though. I am trying to pick up the pieces of the life that I had here and put it back together, without James in it. Being back here has been incredibley hard but I know it's where God wants me. I need to face my problems and struggles head on. I have a lot to work through and still need lots of healing in my life. But praise God, He is patient and faithul and leading me one step at a time. And being back here has made me realize how much I really don't have myself together. I have realized I have a lot of insecurities in my life. Fears of failure and rejection, my own weight issues, caring what other people think about me, etc. I keep asking myself why I am this way. It's bondage and I want freedom. How do I get out of it though? The only way I know is to embrace this junk head on and turn to Jesus. Honestly, I just got this picture in my head of having all these things in my arms (basically junk) just weighing me down. And then I turn to God and he takes them from me. But how does he take them from me? He takes them by me being intentional and spending time with him. By spending time with Him, I get to know His heart and the person that he created (me) and how He delights in me. To be honest, I have realized that my identity is not in Christ. I want it to be but I know it's not. That's what I'm striving for, is knowing and believing that my identity is found in Christ and no one else. The only way I know to do that is to immerse myself in Christ and in His Word. From there, God will completely cover me with who He is and the person I am will be found in Christ. I'm not at that point yet but am striving to be there. Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Praise God! I know God has started this work in me and it will be finished one day. Whether it takes a few months or the rest of my life, God has promised to complete the work He started in me!! I am so thankful that I have that hope. That means I need to continue to persevere and press into Jesus. By pressing into Jesus, that freedom will come!
Something else that has been encouraging to me is the whole idea of the hard times in life. I have realized that we all need them and they are a season in our lives. BUT, if we persevere in them, God will carry us through and help us. We will grow from our circumstances and know that God has allowed whatever has happened to teach and grow me in my relationship with Him. So the encouraging thing is that God allows these things to make me more like Christ! Woohoo!! How exciting!! It's that whole idea of hope again that even though this circumstance really stinks, I know God is faithful and is making me more like Christ through it. And those hard times just make us cling to God even more! So I just praise God because even though life is hard and is not always great, I can still praise Him because I know He is good and faithful! I just can't stop saying it! God is so good and so faithful!! =)
Well, I think that is all for now. I will try to keep this updated a little bit more often. As the weeks go on, the school will probably get a lot harder for me. But I am excited to say that August of this year, I will be graduating from college!!! Yay!! I decided to go ahead and finish a whole year early! I am very excited and looking forward to what's to come after college!! Okay, well God bless and have a great day!!
Love,
Michelle
Anyway, I guess a quick summary of my last month in Ireland. Everything went really well. Lots of challenges came my way but God was faithful. I loved getting to know the kids better and working in the cafe. I got to attend a production put on by the kids from the Jez, which was so fun! I got close to a bunch of girls before I left and they were so cute! They'd come in during the lunch hour and look for me and just were so sweet! I was happy to have them come in! They were a bright spot in my day! Oooh, and I can't forget Felipe!! Felipe was this boy who started coming in who made all of us smile! He hadn't heard about the cafe until about a month or so before I left the country. Well, once he found out about he, he absolutely loved it and was in there everyday. Before I left, I got into a conversation with him about God and he said that he believed in God more since he had been coming to the cafe!! Praise God! What an encouragement! That was so fun and he is one of the kids I miss a lot!
It's so hard investing so much in a place then having to say goodbye. I realized the time I spent there wasn't enough to really invest like I wanted to. But I just have to pray that God will take what little bit I did invest and really speak to the kids and change their hearts! I pray each one of them comes to an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ!!
Before I left, I got the chance to take a week holiday in Italy! My friend Taylor lives in Arezzo, which is in Tuscany, and teaches English. It was so fun getting to stay with him for my visit! My old roommate Kira met up with me too! We traveled to places like Cortona (where they filmed the movie Under the Tuscan Sun), Siena, Modena (where Balsamic Vinegar originated), and Rome! I loved it! A week is definitely not enough time to spend in that place! Too many amazing places to see!! I loved the food and the wine was pretty amazing too! Seriously, having great food and wine were probably some of the best memories I had on that trip!! And Taylor taught me to cook a meal called Polenta!! Yes folks, I am actually cooking now!! Who would have thought!! So yeah, Italy was great and words honestly can't describe how incredible it was!
Well, as you can probably figure it out, I am back in the states (back at Taylor in fact). I came back in mid-December and was home for about two weeks before coming back to good 'ole Indiana. It was good to be home and see family and friends again. It was definitely hard though because I have had a lot to process since being home. Once I got home, I was dealing with some culture shock and really missing my friends, not to mention thoughts of certain people who were in my life came back to me as well. I guess the realization of life back home hit me again. I was kind of able to run from it while in Ireland, but now I had to deal with it.
I left to move in to my apartment on Wednesday the 2nd of January. God is so good, I must say. A friend of mine that I did not treat very well last year called me up on my way to Indiana. It was really cold that night and I was going to be in late. (By the way, this girl and I had made a mends and were friends again but I had no idea she was going to call me). Anyway, she told me that whenever I got there that I should call her because she wanted to help me move in. I was shocked that she even offered this to me. I got there, called her, she arrived, we hugged, and it was as if nothing had happened to us in our friendship. We got all my stuff in then I took her to get some coffee. I started talking and began to apologize again for all the things I had done and she told me not to even bring it up, that it wasn't necessary. She said she had already forgiven me and forgotten it. WOW! What an amazing example of Jesus right there....and unconditional love and forgiveness. God has been so good...He has been restoring that friendship and I am so thankful. I am so thankful God has put people like her in my life. If you want to know what true friendship is, this is it. Thank you God for blessing me with a friend like Erin!!!! =)
Like I said before, God is so good and so faithful. He is a God that brings restoration and healing to peoples lives. He also gives us a second chance (and a third, and fourth, and so on..)! I praise God for that. I know I didn't invest in my friends lives last year. I invested in other places and now am reaping the benefits of that. I basically have to start all over but praise God that I still have that opportunity. It's hard though. I am trying to pick up the pieces of the life that I had here and put it back together, without James in it. Being back here has been incredibley hard but I know it's where God wants me. I need to face my problems and struggles head on. I have a lot to work through and still need lots of healing in my life. But praise God, He is patient and faithul and leading me one step at a time. And being back here has made me realize how much I really don't have myself together. I have realized I have a lot of insecurities in my life. Fears of failure and rejection, my own weight issues, caring what other people think about me, etc. I keep asking myself why I am this way. It's bondage and I want freedom. How do I get out of it though? The only way I know is to embrace this junk head on and turn to Jesus. Honestly, I just got this picture in my head of having all these things in my arms (basically junk) just weighing me down. And then I turn to God and he takes them from me. But how does he take them from me? He takes them by me being intentional and spending time with him. By spending time with Him, I get to know His heart and the person that he created (me) and how He delights in me. To be honest, I have realized that my identity is not in Christ. I want it to be but I know it's not. That's what I'm striving for, is knowing and believing that my identity is found in Christ and no one else. The only way I know to do that is to immerse myself in Christ and in His Word. From there, God will completely cover me with who He is and the person I am will be found in Christ. I'm not at that point yet but am striving to be there. Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Praise God! I know God has started this work in me and it will be finished one day. Whether it takes a few months or the rest of my life, God has promised to complete the work He started in me!! I am so thankful that I have that hope. That means I need to continue to persevere and press into Jesus. By pressing into Jesus, that freedom will come!
Something else that has been encouraging to me is the whole idea of the hard times in life. I have realized that we all need them and they are a season in our lives. BUT, if we persevere in them, God will carry us through and help us. We will grow from our circumstances and know that God has allowed whatever has happened to teach and grow me in my relationship with Him. So the encouraging thing is that God allows these things to make me more like Christ! Woohoo!! How exciting!! It's that whole idea of hope again that even though this circumstance really stinks, I know God is faithful and is making me more like Christ through it. And those hard times just make us cling to God even more! So I just praise God because even though life is hard and is not always great, I can still praise Him because I know He is good and faithful! I just can't stop saying it! God is so good and so faithful!! =)
Well, I think that is all for now. I will try to keep this updated a little bit more often. As the weeks go on, the school will probably get a lot harder for me. But I am excited to say that August of this year, I will be graduating from college!!! Yay!! I decided to go ahead and finish a whole year early! I am very excited and looking forward to what's to come after college!! Okay, well God bless and have a great day!!
Love,
Michelle
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