Laramate

First, I wanna tell all of you that you are very special to me. It means so much to have friends that talk to God about me and encourage me and are so very giving to the work of God. I feel so priveledged to be used by God and I just want you to know that He is using you too, at home and through your prayers. I also want to start off with something they have taught me this week through the training. As they wanted to teach on the topic of missions, they brought up the Great Commision in Matthew. It says "Go and make diciples..." But what Rick Jenkins pointed out to us was that the original word for "go" (Greek or Hebrew I can't remember, sorry) really means "as you are going." So I want to encourage all of you that in order to tell people of the good news, you don't necesarily have to go anywhere. Just as you are going throughout your everyday lives, you share the gospel and diciple people and teach them. I'm so blessed to have you guys supporting me prayerfully, and I want you to know that I am supporting you also prayerfully to make diciples as you are going. Jesus says, "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." We are the workers. And there ought to be more of us. So I am also praying for all of you. I also want to tell all of you that today is our last day in Lima. Tomorrow, we go out to our villages. My team will meet Pastor Wilfredo in Ica and he will take us the rest of the way to Laramate. I am so excited to finally get to meet these people and build relationships with them. Please pray that they be accepting to us. We are different, in looks and beliefs, and sometimes they have difficulty accepting us. Also please pray for our safety. Pray that while we are there, their hearts will be open to what God is saying to them through us. Ask Him to equip us everyday with the words to say and understanding of their feelings. We can't do this without Him. I am so blessed to be on a team that gets along so well and that all of us speak spanish enough. This is a huge advantage for us, but it is not by this advantage that they will believe. It's by His works through our weaknesses and strength. Please ask God to humble us. None of this is for our glory or for us to boast in ourselves, but it's about Him and His love and mercy for us all. At this point I don't know when I will have access to internet again, but I will send updates as I can. Que Dios les bendiga!

Training

Sam, this is for you. Today was tiring. Since we are training, we are in sessions pretty much all day. We had breakfast at 8:30 and after that was session after session with breaks to eat. I met so many people! Mary Beth, she's my bunkmate and who I rode on the plane with is soo nice. It's been great getting to know her. I've also gotten to know my team! They are so great! I am so blessed to be on such a team. They are encouraging and enthusiastic and so willing to work as a team. We've had some great times of worship. One thing I've learned today is that I've been really selfish in the past in requiring God's love. He has loved me from the beginning, and He loves me even when I didn't love Him back. Praying for Uncle Graham and all of you!

Lima

HI EVERYONE!!! I'm here. Finally. This is the first time this has really felt real to me. It smells like fish. It smells awesome. Thank you for all your prayers! On my way down, when I got to Houston, I met about four people on my flight who are also going with the IMB to Peru. Everything went smoothly. I was confident, I had friends, I didn't have to get searched, and I didn't get lost. We rode from the airport to a hostel, which is where I am now. They drive crazy! It was an adventure for sure. You guys are so great! Thank you for all your support. I've really felt it so far! More news to come when I can!

Getting Ready

Bienvenidos! Es mi primera vez hacer un blog. Espero que todos puedan encontrarlo bien. This is the site where I will try to keep everyone updated. I can't promise everyday, even every week, seeing as I don't really know my schedule yet or my availability to internet access. 

Today is Saturday and I leave on Monday. This day has come so fast! I really appreciate everyone's support through all this. You all have encouraged me and lifted me up as I prepare and I thank God everyday for all of you. 

There is still a lot I have to do to prepare. I have everything I need, I just need to put it together in one place (meaning: I still haven't packed yet!). Hopefully I will be packed by tonight, but I am just more worried about getting my paperwork together and not getting lost in the airports on Monday. Here's how you can pray for me on Monday. Pray that God will calm my nerves. I tend to make silly mistakes when I'm nervous. When I land in Lima, there's a lot of things I have to pay attention to. Many of you may have done this in the past, but this is my first time. It's going to be crowded and there will be a lot of people trying to sell things to me (kind of like a kiosk in the mall). Please pray that God gives me the confidence when I'm in the airport. Ask Him to guide me where I need to go. I pray that nothing sets me off track in the airport, that I don't have to get searched or anything like that, but I know that any circumstance that comes in front of me is not mine to fix, but God's. Please pray that I remember that. 

Also, I would like to know if anything is going on in your lives while I am in Peru. Feel free to send me comments (they don't have to be about anything I said in the blog if you don't want). Also if you need me to pray for you in anyway, I would love to do that! Please let me know how I can pray for you. 

I love you all! I look forward to hearing from you all! And I am excited to let you all know what God is doing in Peru through my team and I. You will all be very missed!