15 de Septiembre (Lighthouse)

Saturday was a great day of relaxation. After sleeping in until about 11:30, I finally got up and took a shower. When we were ready for the day, we cleaned up the Lighthouse and got ready for Bible study!

Discussion over the lesson was excellent, and I was excited about the depth of the discussion. It was interesting that someone who had attended the same church service as we did last week brought up that the pastor had talked about the parable of the talent which I had just been thinking about the day before! God really used that parable to speak to me this week!

Our lesson was actually about the woman who the people brought before Jesus because of her adulterous behaviors and asked if she should be stoned. Of course, we all know that Jesus said that whoever was without sin should throw the first stone. It was interesting to me, too, to think about how humiliated she was over what she had done. I obviously agree that what she did was wrong, but how often do we, too, jump at the chance to point out the sins of others without first examining our own lives? We are so quick to place blame on others so that we can hide our sins behind their. Another thing I thought about was how, if we do see someone we love sinning, we should tell them gently. I truly believe in holding others accountable and in this being God’s way of us helping each other stay out of sin. When a situation like this does arise, we must be mindful of how we approach the other person doing so always in love. This is a great lesson I’ve learned over the past few weeks. Approaching someone with a selfish intent only to prove that you are right and they are wrong, stirs up anger and hurt feelings. Sometimes these feelings are irreversible and cause permanent damage in a relationship that had potential to be strong.

Something to think about . . . :)

Also, since I’ve been ending these with a serious note, I thought I’d end this one differently. So, Liz and I went to McDonald’s for dinner . . . and they put ice in my Inca Cola!! How exciting is that?!? Either my American-ness was just so overwhelming that they decided to just accommodate me, or we’ve found Peruvians who like cold drinks! As a side note, they only put about 5 cubes. . . It’s a start! :)

*Like the Peruvian security device? It’s a chain that you hook onto your purse or bag. Jaja*Jesus said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." John 8:7

Katrina