God designed relationship with a great purpose in mind. He wants to be in relationship with us, and we are to spread his kingdom by forming relationships with others. That is what my life is about no matter what part of the world I am in. I have had many frustrating times here in Peru because of my inadequacy with the language and learning to juggle my duties of mother and evangelist. I am an extrovert by nature, and I decided this past month that I would dive in to this Peruvian relationship thing full force. I feel like God heard my prayers and blessed my availability. I wrote with great detail about these relationships on our family site. If you like detail see my article on gregandmeg.net. But here, I will briefly share about those that God has placed in my life. I ask that you please pray for my friends and what the future holds.
The “Moms”--I take Ana for a play date once a month with a group of 3 moms and their daughters (Ana’s classmates). Greg and I attended a fundraising event for Ana’s school, and it was there that I met them. Please pray for Celia, Elizabeth, Jazmin and their families.
Doctora Losada--I love my doctor that delivered Maggie. At my 2-week checkup, she initiated a conversation with me about religion. She ended the conversation by telling me that she is interested to see what we have to offer. So at my 6 week appointment, I invited her to come have dessert with me sometime. We have plans to meet in December.
Adelita--I have used the same vegetable lady ever since we moved here. She has a daughter, Adela, that is wanting to get a job in the states at a hotel chain. I invited Adela to meet with me so she could practice English. We have met on two different occasions and I am praying for her future and for her mother.
Stephanie--I have prayed and prayed for someone in my neighborhood to be a good friend. Every block has a small convenience store and I have made a point to buy things from Liliana (our closest bodega owner) when I can. Her daughter, Stephanie, works the store sometimes. One day I just decided to take the plunge and asked her if she enjoyed walking. To make a long story short, Stephanie and I are running together three mornings a week, talking and planning the library kids’ events on Thursdays, and she is helping me at the library. She came with her mother and two sisters to our Thanksgiving celebration.
The niñas--I taught school for three years before becoming a mother. I earned a master in curriculum and instruction while teaching. I love to teach and work with children. The library kids event has been my passion ignited here in Peru. It is hard to see those kids on a regular basis because I live quite a distance from this particular library, but there is a group of girls that I have come to love. I pray that I may influence these girls for the greater good because of the time I spend with them.
Manuela--She is so special to our team. I have had various conversations with Manuela about what we are doing here. She has expressed time and time again how much respect she feels toward our families. 2 weeks ago we were discussing religion and the Bible and I felt prompted to ask her to study with us. This Thursday, Manuela is staying after work to study with Greg. She voiced that she has read the Bible but wants help understanding it. She decided that Thursday afternoons would be the best time for her to study. She is someone we have prayed about for over a year now. Please keep her in your prayers as
well as her family.
I wish I could sit down and tell you all about these people. God is building these relationships, and it is my prayer that trust will surface and I can share my faith more deeply and intimately with them. It will have to be God at work since my Spanish seems so poor at times.
I cannot deny that God placed these people in my path here. It is my prayer that I not lose sight of something he has given to me. All he desires is our availability. I appreciate your prayers for all our forming relationships here. I encourage you, at home, to stop and think about who God has placed in your path that you could use your availability for. He desires to form relationships among his people, and he will be the one to transform them. All praise and glory to his name.