The Point of No Return: September 2013

Note: I use the term “mission field” to refer to a foreign country, specifically a Latin American country, where I can serve God. This is not the correct use of the term “mission field” as a mission field is any place you are currently (foreign country or not) where you can serve God and fulfill Jesus’ call of The Great Commission. I just use this term in this manner for convenience.

Psalm 37:4-5: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

It’s amazing to think that in a short time (just two days) I’ll be on my way again to serve God out of the country – this time to the Andes Mountains in Arequipa, Peru; and I’m very excited! I may be able to call it a “short” time now, but trust me, sometimes it seemed anything but short….

If asked what my life verse is, I would probably have to answer Psalm 37:4. Since I was twelve – if not younger – I had a desire for missions, particularly working with kids who were orphaned or abandoned. I couldn’t wait to be done with school and be on the mission field in some Latin American country working with kids in an orphanage and/or on the streets. In the past, God has blessed me and allowed me to serve him and work with orphans and other kids in need. I went to Mexico for a summer a few years back and also to El Salvador for about six months. But ever since returning from El Salvador in October of last year, I couldn’t wait to be back on the mission field serving God and working with kids in a Latin American country once again.

I had hoped God would call me back on the mission field soon – even as early as January 2013 – although I didn’t know where I would go. But besides that, I had a bigger problem. I had been called to appear for jury duty on January 4^th and I didn’t know if I would be selected or not. If I was selected, it was grand jury which meant that I would have to serve once a week for three months (kind of hard to serve God in another country and come back to the States each week for grand jury duty). But that’s okay, because I knew God was in control and He could easily make it so that I wasn’t chosen. Well, the day came, and at the end of it, I was the third juror picked out of twenty-three. Although I knew God was in control and it must have been His will, it was safe to say I was extremely disappointed.

So knowing that I would definitely be in the States for at least three more months, I knew it was time to look for a job. I got an after school tutoring job as a second grade teacher which went until the end of April or middle of May. So I knew that I would be staying in the States longer than three months. And if I was to stay until April or May, I figured I’d just stay for the summer and earn some money since I knew of a job that I had done previous years as a summer camp counselor and had very much enjoyed doing it in the past.

So that would bring me to August until I would be freed up to travel out of the country again. But the original problem still remained – I didn’t know where I would go. Throughout my time back in the States, especially in the summer as August was drawing closer, I would look online at different Christian ministries that worked with orphans and/or street kids in Latin America. From my experience in El Salvador (which seemed to be almost always hot and humid), I knew that I preferred somewhere with less heat and humidity. So that narrowed down my search to pretty much somewhere in the Andes Mountains since the high elevation makes the climate cooler despite being near the equator. Eventually, in June or July, I came across a certain website of a Christian children’s home in Arequipa, Peru called New Hope. After contacting them and praying and seeking God’s will, God seemed to be opening the door. At first, I was so used to waiting and looking for where God wanted me to go, that it seemed so surreal when all that was left was for me to say that I would go and reserve a plane flight. But I took that step of faith, made flight plans, and here it is a month later and it’s actually just a couple days before I go.

Waiting’s hard – there’s no doubt about that. And even knowing that it’s God’s timing and it’s His will that you wait, sometimes still doesn’t seem to make it any easier. But the trials that I went through during my year of waiting to return back to the mission field were especially scary. But God is faithful, and He worked good even while I was going through the waiting process and some painful trials.

But here I am, now a year later since I returned from El Salvador, getting ready to embark on another adventure serving God. I know it won’t always be easy and I’m not completely sure what to expect. However, God’s thoughts and plans for our future are always good (Jer. 29:11), and I’m so honored and excited to be used by God in the lives of the kids in the children’s home in Peru.

Please pray for traveling safety as I leave for Peru on Friday, that I would always keep my focus on God first and foremost, and that my Spanish would easily come back to me. Also, please pray that God continues to work in and through me and that I would always be willing to let Him use me to bless the kids and the people of Peru and to be a light of His love and kindness.

Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

PS: Here is the link to New Hope’s webpage and their facebook link:

Website: http://www.peruhope.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewHopePeru

The Point of No Return

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Arequipa Pictures

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Off Again Serving God On A New Adventure