Along with the new Peru adventure comes many questions: "When are you leaving...How long are you staying...Where will you live?," etc., etc. Going through the same round of questions repeatedly reminds of when I graduated from high school and everyone wanted to know what I was doing with the rest of my life (or at least with my next year anyway). Back then (9 years ago), I hadn't even thought of studying Spanish in college, let alone living for an extended period in a Spanish-speaking country. It amazes me how God slowly guides us where he wants us to go. What a blessing!
Please know that I'm not offended or annoyed by people asking me these questions. I love sharing this information, and I feel blessed that others are wanting to know. So, for those of you who haven't received answers to these questions (or maybe forgot them), here's a timeline for you:
August 1 - Installation at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Collinsville, IL, 8:00 & 10:30 services. All are welcome!
August 3 - Moving back to "The Good Life" in Nebraska to be unemployed for a month and live in my parents basement. :)
1st or 2nd week of September - Move to Lima, Peru to go to language school (it never hurts to brush up and learn the local dialect)
Late September/early October - Move to Lunahuana, Peru where I will be living until at least August of 2011
August 2011 - move back to the U.S. or stay in Peru...we'll see what God has in mind. :)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
God at Work
Throughout the summer we usually see more "men at work" signs than the rest of the year because of all the road construction. Frequently these signs cause us to groan or complain as the traffic slows and plans are changed or delayed. It's agonizing to sit in standstill traffic with our destination out of sight.
I think that's sometimes how we feel when God is at work as well. We have our own schedules or plans laid out with a certain timeline that we think is best, and then God goes to work. Our plans change. Sometimes the work is so slow there is no visible progress. We wonder if we will get to our destination with all the detours along the way. We see no end in sight and wonder if He is even at work.
Then things start happening. New lanes open up; more people are let in. New routes are available; possibilities increase. The ride becomes smoother, the journey easier.
God brings people into our lives to help and guide us. He gives us new ways of thinking or new options to pursue. Because of these changes we have renewed hope. With that hope also comes peace and trust in Him to make our journey easier.
I think it's important to remind ourselves that the "God at Work" sign is permanently posted, even when we don't see it. And rather than grown or complain when we come to slow spots or detours, we should rejoice because we know we've got a master worker designing the course for us and leading us where we need to go.
That's how I feel about Peru. I can see now that God has been working on me for years, preparing me for the awesome opportunity to serve there, and I'm so excited to be at this crossroads in my life! Sometimes the journey here was painful. I had to feel disappointment and discontentment to turn me in this direction. Sometimes I felt stuck or lost.
Other parts of my journey here were fun. I spent an amazing six months in Costa Rica that made me fall in love with the Spanish language and Latin American culture; and I enjoyed five years of teaching, which helped me learn Spanish better and gave me the opportunity to go on several mission trips.
God used each of these experiences (and more) to lead me to a new road. A road that is unknown and exciting. A road that will have detours. A road that will have many ups and downs. A road that will thankfully always have God at Work.
I think that's sometimes how we feel when God is at work as well. We have our own schedules or plans laid out with a certain timeline that we think is best, and then God goes to work. Our plans change. Sometimes the work is so slow there is no visible progress. We wonder if we will get to our destination with all the detours along the way. We see no end in sight and wonder if He is even at work.
Then things start happening. New lanes open up; more people are let in. New routes are available; possibilities increase. The ride becomes smoother, the journey easier.
God brings people into our lives to help and guide us. He gives us new ways of thinking or new options to pursue. Because of these changes we have renewed hope. With that hope also comes peace and trust in Him to make our journey easier.
I think it's important to remind ourselves that the "God at Work" sign is permanently posted, even when we don't see it. And rather than grown or complain when we come to slow spots or detours, we should rejoice because we know we've got a master worker designing the course for us and leading us where we need to go.
That's how I feel about Peru. I can see now that God has been working on me for years, preparing me for the awesome opportunity to serve there, and I'm so excited to be at this crossroads in my life! Sometimes the journey here was painful. I had to feel disappointment and discontentment to turn me in this direction. Sometimes I felt stuck or lost.
Other parts of my journey here were fun. I spent an amazing six months in Costa Rica that made me fall in love with the Spanish language and Latin American culture; and I enjoyed five years of teaching, which helped me learn Spanish better and gave me the opportunity to go on several mission trips.
God used each of these experiences (and more) to lead me to a new road. A road that is unknown and exciting. A road that will have detours. A road that will have many ups and downs. A road that will thankfully always have God at Work.
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