2009 was the first year my church, Lizella Baptist, went to Peru. I did not go on that trip, but my younger brother did. He fell in love with a set of twins and, once he returned, had me ready for a trip to Peru! He and I both went in June of 2010. After a plan ride, a really bad layover in Miami, a airbus ride (where I sat in the exact center of the plane), and a few panic attacks later, we were finally on the ground in Peru. I'm not sure if it was because this was my first mission trip after my grandfather passed away (he held on long enough for my brother and me to return from a mission trip to North Carolina in '08) or if I was running from God, but that first trip was really rough. The best place for me was at the children's home. I, too, fell in love with the twins (they were adopted in Dec 2010) just like Greg had. They were contagious! From their eyes to their smiles to their laugh, they grabbed your heart strings and you couldn't help but love them! I was pretty glad to be back on US soil at the end of that trip. And, that has nothing to do with the ministry I was with or my church. I never planned to return to Peru. But, God had other plans! Applications for the next year's trip came out in September and were due on the 26th of that month. On the day they were due, I knew God was telling me that I wasn't done there yet. So, I filled out an application and awaited the phone call I knew would come. I got it about a month later and met with 2 of the people over the 2011 trip. They had both seen the way I struggled the year before and had some questions. All I could tell them was that God was telling me to go back and I couldn't tell Him "no." They eventually agreed and Peru 2011 was in motion. In March of 2011, I met with a friend who was a missionary in Taiwan (She is about to leave for Mali this year!). The very first thing she said to me, after not seeing each other for 3 years, was "So, when are you moving to Peru?" I thought she had lost her mind! But, by the end of our 3 hour long conversation, I was contemplating the idea. By the time I got to Peru in June, I was ready to give my whole heart to that mission field. I spent the week being amazed by how God had moved in my life and changed me in just a year. God is so amazing! He allowed me to pass out blankets to the homeless, pass out Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes to children, perform dramas on a military base and sing outside of a navy base. He let me love on the children at the home and other orphans not so lucky. He gave me a passion for this country and the people in it. By the time I left, I was ready to stay forever! So began the planning! I returned in June of 2012 with a different church because my church wasn't going. I was beyond excited to go with people who had never been before! I never thought that plane was going to land, but as soon as we came out of the clouds and I could see the city lights of Lima, I knew I was "home." I was super excited when we got into so many schools. We got into a school that had never allowed groups in. One teacher, 2 weeks earlier, had rejected the Gospel and didn't want her students to hear it either. But, on that day, the harvest was ready. God saved her soul and she invited us into her classroom to talk to her students! For me, that trip was also about ministering to the ladies who work at the children's home. I got to spend time with a special needs child who has totally stolen my heart! That time allowed his caregiver to spend time with other ladies and that meant so much to her. As much as I wanted to be a blessing, I got blessed by that sweet little boy. I'm so grateful for Mike and Chelene Kennedy and New Life Children's Home. God is doing so much through them and that ministry. I'm so glad that God is letting me be apart of it. Go to www.perumissions.com to see more about their ministry. I fully support them in what they stand for and who they are.
I can't promise that any of my posts will follow a complete train of thought or that any of them will sound eloquent. What I can promise is that God will get all the glory for anything and everything that happens in my life. I will do my very best to be who I am and not put ideas of who I am into my writing. My heart is in Peru (well, it's actually in heaven with my Savior). I am blessed beyond measure and way beyond what I deserve. I will do my best to keep this as detailed as possible so that you can all be as involved in this trip as much as possible. Thanks for reading my blog and thanks for the prayers on my behalf. Blessings! To God be the glory!
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