On January 18th, we landed in Lima, Peru. Taking the first step out of the airplane, I remembered having the exact same feeling when I stepped out of the plane and into the same airport three years ago… The feeling that my life would never be the same and that my heart was here in this foreign place.
Our Peruvian Pastor, Fredy, picked us up from the airport and took us to the Church where we would be spending the night. (The church that we will be working with for the next year is called New Life and Pastor Fredy is the pastor.) He gave us a room upstairs on the third floor of the church, where we would be living until God provided an apartment for us!
God is so faithful!! He provided an apartment for us one week after we arrived in Peru. We did, however get our first taste of the “missionary life” while living at the church with 20 other people and all sharing one bathroom and one shower! (With only FREEEEEEZING cold water!!!) God is so amazing though because He made a way for us to have the apartment that He had planned for us! The parents of one of the students who is currently in the missions school own an apartment here in central Lima. They were looking to rent it out to someone who they could trust because they will need to come and spend a night or two in the apartment every 3-4 months for business. They are Christians and friends of the Pastor and so they all worked it out so that we could see the apartment and also rent it at a cheaper price! We absolutely loved it, of course!! It is 2 bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, a laundry room, kitchen, and living room. It is small but perfect for our little family! It even has a little balcony (Jesus knows my heart.) AND it is walking distance from the church and the area where we will be doing mission work. God is so awesome!!!:) I am so amazed at His provision and so excited to finally be settled here after so much planning!!
We have been in our apartment for a week now! We are learning a lot about Peruvian life, and that started when we moved into the apartment and it did not have one single appliance in it or any hot water (or even any way for us to get hot water)!! The Peruvians only use gas stoves and so we had to buy one of those (and try to talk about appliances in Spanish, which sometimes may result in the Americans thinking that they are talking about the installation process and the Peruvians thinking that you said something about cabbage) and hook up gas and learn how to use it! We are still without hot water but we have discovered an incredible contraption called an electric shower that you can just buy for about 20$ and install instead of your shower head. It heats the water as it comes out and gives you a warm shower! I have shamelessly learned how to wait the maximum number of days between showers. I laugh at myself thinking about how I used to take a shower every single day and spend about 30 minutes in there!! Now, 3 minutes in the shower every 4 days is good enough for me! Haha! But on a serious note, we are learning to be more thankful every day for even having running water because many people here do not! And honestly, after the first 60 seconds of shock, cold showers really aren’t that bad!!:)
The past two weeks have been so incredible.
The Peruvians are so welcoming and loving. They treat us just like family and invite us into their homes to eat and spend time together. We don’t always know what we are eating because their food is so different than ours, but it is always delicious, and we ask no questions! 😉 The only thing I haven’t been able to do so far was eat the chicken foot and chicken heart that was in my soup… I kindly passed it to one of the students who graciously received it and ate it for me, not understanding why I would give up the “best part” of the soup!!! We already feel like a part of the family here and we are so thankful for that. Also, if I have learned one thing so far, it is that pastors put in so much more work and so many more hours than I imagined! Working alongside Pastor Fredy and Liliana has given me a new respect for pastors. We spend about 14 hours daily working with them/with the church/missions! Who ever thought pastors just had a 9-5 job?! So, my point is, appreciate your pastor! 🙂 Tell him thanks for everything! I know that I surely won’t ever take a pastor for granted again after being a witness to the daily life and inner workings of the church! 🙂
Today, all of the student missionaries are leaving for their 3 week long mission trips! There is one group that will be left here in Lima to do mission work, and Chris and I will be working with that group for the next three weeks. We will be meeting with them each morning for prayer and Bible study and then going out to do evangelism in the afternoons. Next week, Pastor Fredy is going to Camana to visit one of New Life’s daughter churches for one week. It is a 12 hour bus ride to get there!! Chris and I will be filling in for him and helping his wife, Liliana run the church for that week, just serving where ever we are needed. We are also excitedly expecting the arrival of the Canouse family! They will be coming the second week in February and we will be spending a day or two with the while they are in Peru doing mission work! We met them a few years ago on a mission trip with CrossPoint and are super excited to see them again!:)
Overall, these two weeks of living here have been so different than any of our other trips. Living in a third world country is definitely an adventure and a constant reminder to depend on the Lord for every single thing, even knowing how to turn on the stove! (Haha, seriously) We have been so blessed and he has provided so completely for us since we got here. Every single meal has been provided for us, our clothes have been washed for us, an apartment has been provided, a dining room set given to us, the gas and hookup for our stove given to us and the labor to install it, and so many more things! We came here to serve but we have been served so much already by the body of Christ. God has taught us such an amazing lesson in his provision and in trusting in Him throughout this whole process!
We are so thankful to be here and so thankful for each one of you!
I want to share the verse that the Lord has been speaking into my heart lately. You, also, have this promise from our King. Receive it today and treasure it! What an incredible promise from the Lord!! 🙂
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9
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I am so very proud of Ellyn & what she is doing for the Lord. I miss her, but when I feel that little pain in my heart, I also feel her love going out to all of the children that need her & that need God, and the pain turns to a calm peace knowing that she is in His hands. I feel honored to call her mine.