God Works In Small Ways

To those with tender hearts i.e. Mom, there is some sad stuff in this blog and you might tear up a little. Just a warning.

Yesterday we biked out to Moquegache again for our third attempt at getting anything done on a Saturday. The whole Bible study thing is just not happening. We did talk to three ladies who showed up for the Mothers´ club meeting, and told them about the Jesus film that we are going to be showing when the people from Lithia Springs come. On the road back to Lampa, we kept passing this kid on his bike. Well, actually he kept passing me because, for some reason, I just couldn´t stay on my bike. I kept falling or running into one of the other guys. I really think that Señor Mendez secretly pumped up my tires more than necessary because my bike was very bouncy all day, and refused to grip the road like normal. Anyway, Dave finally stopped on the road and got the kid´s attention when he went by. For some reason, Dave very strongly wanted to invite the kid, whose name is Leonardo, to lunch, and so we did. He had a few things to do before he ate with us, so we all agreed to meet in the plaza at 12:00.

We got to the plaza a few minutes before noon and saw that the local 7th Day Adventist church had set up a small tent and were praying all in a clump. ¨Hee, hee,¨ we thought, and decided to bust it up a little. We started handing out tracts to people who were hanging around on the benches near the tent but weren´t involved in the prayer. Just as expected, the passing out of anything free always attracts a begging crowd, and so here they came in droves. We actually attracted the Adventist preacher´s congregation away from him, and so Wade took this opportunity to start preaching. He stated loud and clear that the only way to Jesus and heaven was by faith, and not works, as apparently the Adventists believe. I guess the Adventists that we attracted aren´t very strong in their beliefs, because after Wade´s "Amen, hermanos?" they all answered with a hearty "Amen!" The preacher eventually came over, smiling and grabbing our hands. He invited us to come pray with him. At this point, I think Wade went a little overboard, telling him that we wouldn´t pray with him because he worships a different God than us. I understand Wade not wanting to be associated with the Adventists, but pissing off the preacher wasn´t the best idea, in my humble opinion. And plus, I think that although the Adventists have a lot of wrong ideas, they still worship the same God as us. The preacher left in a huff, taking a lot of his people back with him. We continued passing out tracts to both Adventists and also to some of the Catholics who were coming from Mass. Wade went over to apologize to the preacher after awhile, and then we went to look for Leonardo, the little boy who was meeting us for lunch.

We found him after a few minutes. He had taken off his distinctive orange sweater, and so it was a little hard to distinguish him from all the other little Peruvian boys, but we eventually did. We took him to eat at Señora Delia´s restaurant, a little begrudgingly because we have been boycotting Delia´s as of late. She has recently had the habit of quoting us a price before we eat, and then, after the food is gone, she raises the price 50 centimos or so. It is really very shady, and we don´t want to give her any more of our business than absolutely necessary. She was the only restaurant open Saturday, and so we had to visit her. The food was good, and Leonardo had immaculate table manners. He ate everything that was put before him, and after we were all finished eating, he asked very politely if we could come visit his sick mother. We thought, why not? So we got our bikes from the hostel and followed him to his house, a little past the colonial point bridge. On the way there, he told us his mother had been sick for 9 years. I can´t imagine that. When we got to the house, we waited outside until he beckoned us in, and then we entered. His mother was laying in bed, and I could tell how much this kid loved her because he sat down beside her and brushed her hair off of her sweaty forehead. It was heartbreaking. We three gringos gathered around her bed and prayed for God to heal her, me in Spanish, Dave in English, and Wade in both. While we were praying, her husband and another daughter came in. We recognized the daughter from the Moquegache school. Turns out, the woman didn´t understand Spanish, and Wade just so happened to have a Quechua Bible in his backpack, so we gave it to the family. Leonardo placed it on his mom´s stomach in bed, and her hands were so weak, she could barely move it to where she could read the words. I hope they use that Bible to read together. Please, please, pray for this family and for the mother to be healed. Her name is Maria, her husband is Santiago, and the daughter is Matilde. We told them before we left that we are going to visit in two weeks with other the other gringos that are coming. Maybe we can bring them a food package or something. I don´t know what kind of sickness she has, but if it is God´s will, I know He can heal her. Just please pray.

Looking back, it is strange to think of all the small things, that when strung together, led us to praying over a sick woman we had never met before. God does indeed work in small ways.
On a happier note, I am excited about the Lithia Springs team that will arrive in a week. I know that the rest of my time in Peru will fly by with them here. Also, I am excited about the opportunities that showing the Jesus film will bring. It has been awhile since I myself have seen it, and the prospect of seeing any movie soon is thrilling. Well, on second thought, there is an advertisement on the wall next to this computer for a movie called "Lucifer" that is supposedly coming soon to Lampa. I am going to make it a point to miss that one, and actually, if I can get away with it, that poster might not be there much longer.

I learned how to say "I can´t speak Quechua" in Quechua today. Mana ateneechu quechua parlaita. That´s probably not spelled right, but it really makes the little Quechua ladies in the market laugh when spoken loudly.

Thanks for all your prayers, and please keep the sick woman and her family in them. We don´t have much time left here in Lampa, and we are really trying to make what we have left count for as much as possible. God is good, though, and I am confident that He will continue to bless our efforts, in whatever small ways He chooses. Chau!