There's a peace I've come to know...

I know that most of you who will read this know this quote from John Piper well…”God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” I have been thinking a lot about this over the past week and after hearing this same quote since 1999, I finally know exactly what this means in my life. It is mostly because of what Pavel and I have gone through over the past 2 months. I don’t write this to get any sympathy, honestly I don’t really care talking about it too much. But every time this thought crossed my mind, God reminded me of what he has done. Everything that happened had nothing to do with Pavel or me, it had everything to do with Him and Him being glorified and in that I am completely satisfied. So, here the story goes…

For those of you who didn’t know back in May before I went to Peru we had found out that we were pregnant and about 5 1/2 weeks along. We went on the mission trip to the mts. with the BSU and then Pavel left Peru again and I started my Spanish classes. It was going really well and I was really learning even after 5 days, but that is when everything changed. Without going into too many details, I started bleeding one night and a couple of days later went to the doctor in Peru and confirmed that we had lost the baby. At this time Pavel was still in the States, but within 3 or 4 days of all this he decided to come to Peru to be with me and help with the decisions that I was having to make. I went to a different doctor to see the progress and he suggested that I have a D&C so after some prayer, we decided to go ahead and do it. Everything went really well during and after the procedure and I'm pretty much back to the old Leah again.

How was he glorified in this situation, you might ask? First, I have never felt more peace in my life than I have during this time. I can't explain it, and I don't ever want to forget it. Secondly, is that the day I found out that I lost the baby was when my uncle (by marriage) heard about the strength that only God can give and God was glorified. It was when my sister-in-law noticed that we were handling this situation in a completely different way. If for no other reason this happened was for our family to hear and see how God works in believer’s hearts this alone would all be worth it…and it has been.

The truth is, Pavel and I still have a strong desire to be parents whether that is through adoption or having our own. So please don’t be sad for us, but please join us in prayer as we seek God in and through our family and rejoice in the fact that God was and is glorified in and through our lives when we are most satisfied in Him.

Last Days In Peru

Just to catch you up a bit. The first service at Orlando and Brigida's went really well. We arrived early to meet them and pray with them. There ended up being about 4 families represented that day. About 6 adults, 4 elementary/middle school age, and 1 youth....and about 7 dogs at the door..haha!
That Tuesday we met with Brigida and little Orlando (the son) to go over the Bible lesson for the next Sunday (the one we wouldn't be there for). After a good day with them, we left to meet the team from Calvary Baptist in Hattiesburg that we would be going to the mountains with for the next week.
We left last Wednesday morning at 6am on an 8+hr drive to Jimbe (the place we went to when the BSU came). We went back to this area to continue the work that was started about 5 years ago with the Lamar Baptist Association and so this was also a continuation of what we had done back in May with the BSU group. Instead of the people from the mountains coming to us, we went to them this time. There were 3 groups and we went to 3 different villages (Rayan, Anguy, and another one that starts with a C) Pavel and I went with the group to Rayan about 2 hrs from Jimbe at 13000ft...WoooWeeee that was high and pretty cold. The scenery made up for the cold weather and the bumpy ride. We got to work with a family we met back in May and it was such a blessing to see them and get to minister with them again. They are young and young believers. They held the study in their home for all of the 4 nights we were there...AMAZING!! You could just see the eagarness of these young believers and those you heard and received the gospel for the first time. They soaked up everything that was said. The 4 lessons were Assurance of Salvation, Baptism, How to study the Bible, and Prayer. Pavel shared the gospel the first night (Genesis to Jesus) and at least 4 received Christ. Then the next few days were discpleship for them. So good.
After we got back on Monday I rushed back to Pavel's home and got my bags ready to come back to the States. He dropped me off at the airport around 9 and my plane left at midnight. I got home around 3 on Tuesday and left for Atlanta on Wednesday for a conference.
I'm in Atlanta now, and just talked to Pavel about his day. I will update more about my time here and his time back in Lima.

I will have a post about all the interesting things I got to eat in Peru...it HAS to be a post all of its own!

The Rest of our Week

Wednesday:
It started again at 10am after riding the bus everyday for an hour and 2o minutes. When we arrived at the mission office at 10 we met John and Orlando, Brigida's husband, was going to meet us there. It had to be a rushed meeting so we met in the car. Orlando is a taxi driver so it was perfect. Orlando is a new believer of 2 years, but because of his background in philosophy, he has read and searched the Bible for the Truth. Thank the Lord, he finally surrendered his life to Him. He is very eager to know and learn as much as he can about God. Pavel spent some time talking to him about what his work will look like while he is here until July, but Orlando was sad it had to end in July. After our short, but good, visit with him we left to go to his home to meet again with Brigida.

Our ride takes about 45min to an hour. We arrived about 12:00pm and visited a bit before her daughter went off to school. After that we got down to business. At first she didn't know that we were planning to meet at there home this Sunday to start the Bible Study, and you should have seen her face...It was beaming with joy and contentment...words can't completely describe her reaction, but she was so excited! We talked more about what the plan would be and what Pavel would teach while we are here. So our first church service/Bible Study will be this Sunday!

After a good visit about Sunday, it was about time for lunch...I was dreading this time since we got there that morning...Pavel was teasing me about what she was serving for lunch..rice, and a mixture of potatoes, peppers, AND fried chicken blood. He was laughing at me so hard, so I was praying about what I should do and how I should eat it. It was definitely an act of God that I ate even the smallest pieces. My favorite part of the meal was the cantaloupe for dessert and the limeade to drink! Pavel on the other hand, wasn't as careful as me, not sure about what it was, but he got sick...that's what he gets for laughing at me!

Anyway, after lunch John came back and got us and we headed back home.

Thursday:
Pavel was in bed and in the bathroom all day. I got some work done for when I go back home. Not much to report.

Friday (today):
Pavel feeling much better, so we went downtown Lima to do some last minute shopping before I head back to the States.
I love just walking on the streets and looking at all the people. We actually showed up just in time to see a band come out playing from the President's house "The White House" as I like to call it.
After our shopping we planned to go to the art museum, but it was closed for renovations...better luck next time! Instead, there is a very lovely park right next to it and we walked around and ate lunch there. After that we headed back home. Pavel is still feeling a little sick but he is so much better than yesterday.

Monday and Tuesday of this week...Incredible!

Well, we have had a really good couple of days....I hope that you are able to hang in there through the whole post...haha! Sorry it's gonna be a long one again!

I first want to thank you for your prayers and we definitely covet them everyday. After these two days, I am reminded of the passage in Isaiah 55 that says... my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts....it goes on to talk about my words will not return void..I will accomplish what I desire...you will go out with joy and be led with peace....the whole chapter describes exactly what is happening everyday we go to this area.

Monday was the first day that we met with the missionary here...his name is John Pham, he is married and has 4 children and 1 on the way. They have been here for 8 months working in the slum area in south Lima. We visited the area where we/Pavel will be working this summer just to get a feel for the area, it didn't go exactly as planned, but did get to meet some people in the area. As we met people in this area, the last person we met as we climbed the stairs (about 150!), was a lady who we introduced ourselves and told her who we were and what we would like to do there as missionaries. She shared with us, that for her, one of the biggest needs that this area faces were the youth. She said that boys are dropping out of school and joining gangs and being theives, and some girls are becoming prostitutes at a very young age. She also shared with us about many single mothers who have trouble raising their children and finding work at the same time. Pavel shared with me later that he felt that God wanted to show us something with this divine appointment, after only knowing this lady for a few minutes, she shared with us so much. There was so much to take in and that was just in the first 15 minutes we were there.

John explained to us that the houses/people are split up in to different communities that kinda have their own government and an general secretary who is in charge of what goes on in their area. (One area/group of houses could be as many as 500+ or as few as 50.) I tell you this because it is very important that we meet this person to get permission to do anything in that area. So, Tuesday we were to find that out.

John talked with Pavel about the family who he will be working with and talking about different strategies of how to introduce ourselves to the community and help start a Bible Study with the some believers there. We were also to talk with the family about this (Their names are Orlando and Brigida). We left that area after about 45 minutes and went to a nearby community that John already has established work and relationships. We were there for the next 2 hours trying to visit people and John is helping them build a daycare so he was planning and buying supplies. Although we didn't get to meet with too many people, it was very productive just to be there. There is so much to do in this area it is hard to focus on one thing, so Pavel and I knew that we needed to pray about what the Lord may lead him to do here. That brings me to Tuesday...

Tuesday...was super exciting! We had no idea what we were going to do today we thought that we were meeting with Orlando and Brigida, but we found out that he was working today and he wouldn't be there. We arrived at noon and we were going to be there until 3:30pm. John had a Bible Study at 1:30 so he dropped us off at Brigida's house. Before John left he told us again to ask her to introduce us to the general secretary of that area...first thing! That was in English, and then he asked her if she could introduce us to the general secretary..she looked at him and then at us and said...I am that person! It was so awesome to know that the one who wanted to start this new church IS the general secretary. We were so happy! This of course was just the beginning of what God had to show us today...

After we were in Brigida's home for a bit getting to know her better, Pavel talked about the day before when we met the last person who shared with us about the youth and single mothers. Brigida affirmed what the lady said and told us that it used to be much worse. She then told us about a lady who has had a huge impact on the youth in the next neighborhood over. She then told us that she would like for us to meet her. We then walked a couple of blocks to her home near a school both primary and secondary ages. We went into her home and she had a large table with benches like it was a restaurant, We were then told that she ran a comedor (which is a soup kitchen). She serves anyone, but mostly focuses on the elderly and youth. She get a lot of food from the government, but buys very little so she only charges 2 soles per meal(which is like $.60). She is also considered the president of the comedor in that area. She basically told us her life story and I could go on and on about this lady, but to get to the main thing is that she know SO many people in that area and all the surrounding areas. Her name is Luz and she has a heart for the youth there and has made a huge difference there where there is less crime, but she is somewhat alone in this effort. We were unsure of her salvation at the beginning of our meeting with her, but then found out that she is Catholic, but hasn't been to church in a long time because she is living with a guy that isn't her husband (she said it as it was, she is living in sin). When we were leaving and saying goodbye, Brigida said that when she comes to the Bible study at her home she will find the real God. She probably shouldn't have said that, but it was true...peruvians are brutally honest!

We then left Luz's home after praying for her and her family and went back to talk about strategy and to eat lunch. We didn't get to finish the conversation with Brigida today, but will continue it tomorrow with her husband in the morning and then meeting with her again tomorrow afternoon. We didn't finish today because Luz came to the house to take us to a place where some people from that area who didn't get to go to university could learn a trade to find work. The government offers this class for anyone who wants to take it, so when we got to the classroom it was full of all ages from 15 years old to 60 year olds. We were there just to see, but the teacher let Pavel introduce himself and he told them that we were there to meet them and to see how we could help that area, he mentioned English classes and everyone started cheering and clapping. He then said that he also wanted to start some Bible studies and we got a few "Amen"s from the crowd which was very funny and unexpected...haha! After we left the training, we met back with John and started home again.

In the end, we definitely didn't expect to have this kind of day, but the Lord knew exactly what was going to happen.

A Restful Week

Well, we have had a pretty slow week here. The missionaries that we are working with had planned to take this past week off, so that meant that we had the week off too.

We did get to go to the church last week to meet the family that Pavel will be working with for the next month or so.

It was good to be off because I was sick for a couple of days, and now I am feeling much better.
Pavel was able to get his ID card and driver's license renewed while I rested. There was also a team from Alabama that came to work with his home church and he went with them one day into the schools to do dramas and hand out a little booklet called The Book of Life.

We have also been able to spend some good times with his family, and his sister's little girl, Dayana. She is almost 4, spoiled and of course adorable! Sunday we will go to church near his home and then start working on Monday with the missionaries, their names are John and Jessica Pham.

A few names that you can specifically pray for:
Orlando and Brigita - the family that Pavel will disciple and help plant a church in their area.
July (Julie) - we take our clothes to her to be washed...we have been able to pray for her, pray for future conversations with her about the Lord
Pavel's family - Mom, Dad, Mirko (youngest brother), Ivetta (sister), her husband Fernando and little girl Dayana (Diana).
Our prayer is that we will also have more intentional converstaions with his family. Thanks again for your prayers.

Our First weeks in Peru May 13-29

The first week we were here we got ready for the team coming from William Carey, getting supplies, etc. Pavel was able to preach on the first Sunday we were here in his home church. It was good to see these people again and fellowship with them.

The next week we were off on the mission trip with the BSU from Carey. First, I just wanted to tell you that we covet your prayers while we were away. There is so much that Satan doesn't want to happen on these trips so he will do anything to stop the Lord's work. From the airport with the team, Pavel and I and two of the girls were in one truck and the rest of the team were on a bus and in another truck. As we were leaving the airport, we got a bit turned around and a guy came and smashed the back passenger window behind Pavel. Thankfully, he didn't break it completely, so he left without taking anything, but it was definitely a wake up call for us to be cautious wherever we are...AND that was just the beginning! We then traded out the two girls for two guys and we were off on our 7 hour journey to Jimbe...which turned into about 10..haha.

Once we got there we had a great time. Most of the team went in to the school...shared about sex education, did ESL one day and then taught the kids how to play flag football, basketball and played a lot of futbol (soccer). The adults on the trip trained pastors and leaders from the surrounding areas of Jimbe...about 5 or 6 different villages (I think).

We also travelled up the mountain to have a baptism service...it was beautiful. There was one baptized in the river and a celebration afterwards. We sang and then ate up the mountain where we had lamb, rice, yuca. It was good, but I was glad I had Pavel there to eat the rest of my lamb. : )
I do just want to say that the Lord did some extraordinary miracles during that time... everything from bringing souls to repentance to multiplying food for 200+ people...He was so faithful in the big things but so good to see his faithfulness in the little things as well. We left Jimbe after being there 5 days and headed back to Lima.

Once back in Lima we got ready for our trip to Machu Piccu...another adventure for sure!!We flew to Cusco (about 13,000 feet about sea level) this past Tuesday morning and did some sight seeing in town one of a temple/church that had not only the Inca influence, but when the Spaniards came, brought the Catholic influence...it was all very interesting, but also really sad to see that they were still worshipping idols and not the one true God. After some sight seeing in Cusco we went to see an Inca ruins near that city…huffing and puffing we made it to the top..haha!! I was surprised to see some of our team fall behind me going up the stairs…didn’t make me feel so old…as all of you know that I am!

After an amazing time at these ruins, it was time for the next leg of our trip to Machu Picchu. We boarded a train to go to a place called Aguas Caliente (Hot Springs). The train ride was amazing…mountains all around you and a river right out your window…it was breathtaking…even without the altitude. It reminds me of the verse in Romans 1:19-20 that talks about how that people can know God because of Creation…I know that it is true and continue to pray that they will come to God and seek Him out.

When we arrived at out next destination, we were told that there was to be a strike the next day and there would be no transportation to Machu Picchu so we would have to walk 2.5 hours up to the park. It also meant that the train that we were supposed to ride back to Cusco would not be running and we would have to walk to where some buses would pick us up and drive to Cusco. Well the only thing that was false was that we did have a ride up and a ride down, but the rest of it was true…we spent about 5 hours on Machu Picchu…which was totally worth it!! It was amazing, and pictures just don’t do justice. We left there to go to lunch and head out on our trek to Cusco…

They said that it would only take about 2 hours to get to our ride, but in Peruvian terms we knew it would be at least 5 hours..although they were close…we walked 12 km (about 7 miles) on the railroad tracks for about 3.5 hours. It was great, except for the part where I sprained my ankle…but that was just the last 5km (2 miles) of the journey. I actually loved it! I love to hike so I not only got to see an amazing place, I got to hike it also.

After we finished our walk we started our 5 hour bus ride to Cusco down the mountain. Of course that meant 7 hours…It was the scariest ride of my life…not for me (after we told our driver to slow down) but because I was responsible for 12 of the students on the van in front of me and their driver was driving like he was practicing for a Nascar race! During this journey my prayer life increased. After a very nervous 7 hours we made to our hotel and had a good night’s rest for our flight back to Lima to send the team off back to the States…

Like I said, it was an amazing trip, but we definitely coveted your prayers and know that you will continue as we continue working in Lima. I will definitely get to update more often now that we are back in Lima.