Weekend Update

Saturday morning Anthony, Katie, and I went to Lunahuana for the weekend. As we sat in a restaurant eating our delicious Peruvian food (I’ll try to take more food pictures to give you an idea of what it’s like), we had some great conversation. A prominent topic of that conversation was how to share the Gospel with the people of Lunahuana. We shared the common fears of being rejected, saying the wrong thing, not approaching the subject in the correct way, etc.

It was comforting to know that my fellow missionaries have had some of the same thoughts and feelings I’ve had. We came to the conclusion that God will be with us, He’ll give us the words to say, etc., etc., etc. We paid for our meal, explored the surrounding area of Lunahuana, and then met with Pablo to further discuss the details of the English classes Katie will start teaching in October. After that, Anthony dropped us off at our house, and he went to his place to rest a little bit before the next item on our agenda.

When he came back to pick us up, he also found a Bible passage to share with us. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5: And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling. And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

How perfect! I got goosebumps as he read us this verse. What comfort to know that even the great apostle, Paul, feared and trembled as he shared the Gospel. And how did he do it? With a simple, but powerful message. Obviously, it’s still very important that we study the culture we’re working in, the language they speak, and good mission practices, but ultimately God’s Word and His saving grace will do the work.

Right after reading those verses, we went to visit Anthony’s friend, Jose Luis, and his family. It ended up that we got to celebrate his dad’s birthday with them. It was a very fun evening. The best part was that we were given a chance to share the Gospel message with the family. They are a Catholic family, but they said themselves that the person they most worship is the Virgin Fatima, one of their patron saints, I believe. Please pray that our relationship with them would continue to grow, and that they will fully understand the salvation they have through Christ alone.

Sunday we went to Lucumo, another town near Lunahuana. This town is much poorer. Many of the families do not have electricity or running water. We made about 5 or 6 house visits and gave the families Portals of Prayer after we visited with them. At one home, we discovered that the Jehovah Witnesses had already been there, and the woman of the house was going to Kingdom Hall to learn more. They’ve been preaching a lot throughout the area. This will be another interesting challenge - explaining why we’re different than they are and why what we say is the Truth. Prayers, por favor.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Katie and I can both tell a huge difference in our ability to understand Spanish. We love our classes, and they’ve helped us a lot. We just started our second week of them. The more we learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know. The Spanish in Peru has been significantly influenced by the Incan language, Quechua, so even simple words for vegetables and clothing are different here. Poco a poco. (Little by little.) I love learning something new almost every minute of every day.

Thanks for all your prayers. I’ll try to blog more often so that I don’t accumulate so much to tell about at one time. God’s blessings!

The Syllabus

I've been in Peru for two full days now (almost), and I feel like I'm back in college again except for the fact that there are vineyards and mountains around me instead of cornfields, and there aren't many English-speakers or Lutherans around.

Remember the first week of school when the professors gave you a syllabus and told you everything you were going to have to do that semester? It got a little overwhelming and you felt like you wouldn't see daylight for the next five months. I sometimes feel the same way right now. There is so much I have to learn: people's names and backgrounds, how short term trips are planned, the history of the country/region so I can share it with teams who come, Peruvian Spanish, how best to serve the people here, and how to drive a stick shift...in Lima...in a bus...with a lot of Americans who are going to flip out about how people drive here (and rightfully so).

I was starting to feel overwhelmed by everything this morning, and then I checked my email. I saw that several people had left encouraging comments on my facebook wall promising prayers and giving well-wishes, and I got an email from someone with more very encouraging words, and all of a sudden I felt fine. I was up for the challenge. I was reminded that I don't need to learn everything this week, or this month, maybe not even this year. God will work through me somehow - maybe with me and maybe in spite of me - but I'll do my best, and there will be lots of prayers, and God's Word will be preached!

There are so many good things happening already. I love my team. I love the house and the apartment. I love the landlady (she's already watching out for us). I love learning new Spanish words and phrases every hour. I love the support I've already gotten from everyone back home. I love my alpaca blanket and the view of the mountains in the back yard and the sheep "baaa-ing" somewhere close by. Gracias a Dios por todo.

Update on life and plans in Peru:

Katie and I arrived late on Tuesday, and Bruce and Anthony picked us up and took us to the apartment. We ran errands in the morning on Wednesday, including registering for language school. Katie and I will take classes Monday - Thursday for the next four weeks, and then we'll go with Anthony to Lunahuana on the weekends to get to know people there. After signing up for school, we went to Lunahuana (about 2 hours away), and started getting settled in the house there. We've been meeting people, taking stick shift driving lessons (first one today for me), trying new food, and just learning a lot. We talked to some Jehovah Witnesses (our first house visitors) this morning.

I guess that's about all for now. I'll try to post some pictures soon. Thanks for the continued prayers!

It's All About Perspective

Perspective 1 - August, 2001, freshmen year of college - Almost everyone I meet at Concordia University, Nebraska is complaining about how small Seward is and how there is nothing to do. I, on the other hand, am thrilled because I finally live in a town that has Wal-Mart and fast food places (like 3 of them)!

Perspective 2 - July 7, 2004, the day before I leave for Costa Rica for 5 months - I am basically scared to death. I'd rather not go to Costa Rica, I just feel like I have to in order to learn Spanish well, be a good teacher, and graduate in 4 years.

Perspective 3 - August, 2010, living at home in Tobias, Nebraska again for the first time since college - I feel like I'm experiencing culture shock, and I grew up here! All the things my new college friends were saying back in 2001 now make perfect sense to me. (It's still a wonderful place - just different than I remembered.)

Perspective 4 - September 6, 2010, the day before I leave for Peru - I CAN'T WAIT to go to Peru and live there for 11 months! I'm still not feeling anxious - far from scared to death.

I think perspective changes are usually a good thing. As I look at the paragraphs above, I can see that I've grown a lot over the years. Tobias hasn't changed that much in 5 years; I've changed much more through my experiences and living somewhere new. Living abroad hasn't changed much in 6 years, but now I know Spanish better, I've traveled to several countries (CR was the first time I left the US), and I'm used to living far from home. I'm thankful that God has molded and changed me over the years and has prepared me for new things.

Far greater than any of my perspective changes over the years, however, is God's perspective change through Christ's blood. That is truly a life-altering change for the better! Without Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we are dirty, horrible, sinful people; but with it, we are God's spotless children who will live with Him forever in heaven. Amazing!

And thank God that that perspective doesn't change as long as we have faith. We don't have to worry about God seeing us differently and deciding He doesn't love us anymore. He loves us with an everlasting love, and He is the same "yesterday, today, and forever" Hebrews 13:8.

So, while you and I go through struggles and triumphs and continue to change our perspectives, we know we have a faithful God who will stand by us through it all, giving us reassurance and the hope of a perfect perspective in heaven.

Perspective 5 - August 2011 - TBA