There's a first time for everything.
Moving to another country is a fresh encounter with a whole new set of 'firsts'. And, looking back, it is encouraging to see all the challenges you've faced and it is deeply satisfying to realize "It's all good, God is truly with me. All the time". And it is so true. He is with us, always, in the big things and in the little things. So here's a look at God's provision in my recent past:
- First time to figure out which meals to make for my family when I don't have all the ingredients I need easily accessible or even available in the first place
- First time to ride on crazy combis (small, jam-packed buses) with a toddler, a couple of bags etc often jumping on with a running start and jumping off without a complete stop
- First time to feel small earthquakes that shake my home and send me scurrying outdoors with my kids and husband
- First time to haggle with taxi drivers, telling them "I know it doesn't cost that much to get me there"
- First time to watch complete strangers kiss my baby girl on the cheek and head even when she's in the frontside carrier (they try with Lorenzo but he pretends to shoot at them! ...)
- First time to be asked by a Peruvian pre-K teacher to come talk to her about my son's behavior at school! (It wasn't all bad :)
- First time to figure out how to pack, organize, deal with moving companies to get a container 3,700+ miles away, discovering how many truly amazing helpers it takes to get all that done
- First, and last, time to eat Peruvian Chinese food at a mall's food court
- First bout with foreign bacteria getting comfortable in my intestines
- First time to begin working on the foreign mission field with a part of my team while joining an existing team, simultaneously taking advantage of their extreme helpfulness and learning new team dynamics
- First times learning to tune out late night and early morning parties in our new neighborhood
- First time to experience first hand how helpful and loving complete strangers can be when it comes to helping you settle into your new home and neighborhood
- First time to experience the joy and familiarity that exists in a house church
- First time to completely, utterly, fully rely on God since, let's be honest, there is not much we are completely sure of here and even less that we can pretend we have control over
With this godly gift of hind-sight, let's look at our past and thank God for always being with us! My prayer is that this will help remind us to trust Him with our future with honest and happy hearts.