25 de Noviembre (Quieres surf?)

Let me preface this entry by explaining how the sewage system works here in Lima. You go to the bathroom, don’t flush your paper and then the waste is discarded directly into the Pacific. That’s right. It gets put into the ocean. . .

*liz, dawna and me about to put on our wetsuits!
So, Dawna convinced Liz and me that we should all go surfing. At first, I was VERY against this for the sole reason that I don’t really like swimming in “dirty” water. Ahem. Although I endured the torture of getting FIVE vaccinations before I came here, I couldn’t quite remember if I had gotten one called “human waste.” In the end, I decided to go for it. It turns out that the sewage wasn’t a problem for me so much as the freezing cold water and the rocky shore were. . . The beach in Miraflores doesn’t have sand like the beaches do back home; it is instead lined with smooth yet painful rocks. They are killer when you’re trying to get out of the water.


*me, dawna and liz and a surf board!We found our friend, Carlos, who we had met earlier in the week and told him that we wanted to surf! The first difficulty in surfing is to get on your wetsuit. That’s right, folks, putting on a USED plastic garment that is made to hug your entire body isn’t as easy or as fun as it looks. Anyway, after we got those monsters on, Carlos took us through some yoga-like stretches to get our muscles loosened up. After that, he told us to line up on the curb. When he first pushed me off the curb I was insulted and a bit miffed. He explained, though, that he was testing us to see which leg we would surf with. My left-handed tendencies came out, and I found out I surfed the opposite of “normal.” He had a word for this, but I can’t remember it now.

*(back to front) carlos, me, dawna Then, we went over to a sandy area and he drew a surf board on the ground. I was completely OK with his demonstration of how to properly surf while lying facedown in the dirt until he told us to draw our boards and get on them. Yuck. I figured, though, that if I were going to swim in those waters, a little bit of sand wouldn’t kill me. Down we went and practiced paddling and holding our boards when we hit waves. About 10 minutes later, he declared that we were all ready and off we went to the water!

*me on the left and dawna on the right

That first step in the water was killer! I felt like my feet were frozen and couldn’t believe that I was about to subject the rest of my body to such brutal torture. But, I did. As I paddled out to sea, a huge wave (ola) hit me in the face and took my breath away. Whew it was cold and salty to boot! I guess that first bit of salt water in the eyes and mouth is always a bit unpleasant regardless of the temperature of the water. A realization struck me almost as hard as that wave when I finally made it out far enough. It takes a LOT of upper body strength to surf! Once I finally got out there, I was too exhausted (and cold) to paddle hard enough to catch any waves. When the waves would roll in, I would hear, “Paddle! Paddle!” Easier said than done. This is where my “surf lesson” money came in handy; I was able to get a bit of a push from my instructor! Off I went in the wave. . . and Boom! I wiped out. I didn’t realize when getting into that water from a rocky shore that the bottom of the ocean would be rocky, too. (*Side note: I found a bruise on my ankle today and am now realizing that that’s where it came from. Good to know.) I smashed down all the way to the bottom and banged my foot. Yeah, that hurt!

*carlos and me in the foreground. he's coaching me a bit!

But, I didn’t let it deter me. I swam back out, got another push from my amigo and this time stood all the way up!! I was so excited! All in all I wiped out twice and stood up four times. It was an adventure that I’ll not soon forget. If it hadn’t been so cold and we hadn’t lacked so much arm strength, we would’ve stayed out there longer. After about an hour and a half, we were done. We headed back up to shore and then endured the torture of trying to walk on those rocks again. A nice guy walked down and not only helped me with my surf board but gave me his flip-flops, too. I was sooooo thankful.

*carlos getting ready to give me a push!

So, I mentioned how difficult it was to get that suit on. Well my friends, let me tell you that getting a WET wetsuit off while about 6 guys stand there and watch is even more of a challenge! Ugh, I thought I would be stuck in that thing forever. God had other plans, though, and all three of us managed to escape! We couldn’t help but laughing imagining the type of show we were putting on for our audience. Fun times.

*it's all over and i'm still alive and smiling! looking kind of rough, i might add, but don't judge me. . . haha.

All in all, I was SOOOO glad that I had the chance to surf! I would CERTAINLY do it again in the future if I ever had the chance. It was amazing to stand on a board while riding on top of a wave. . . Incredible, I tell you.

*carlos, dawna, liz and me. surf's up, dude!

Skydiving: check!

Mototaxi: check!

Surfing: check!

Next on my list. . . hot air ballooning. . . Anyone want to go?

*disclaimer: I did NOT go skydiving while here in Peru. Nonetheless, I felt it was necessary to include it on my list of “extreme” adventures! :)

*liz, me and dawna posing with our surfboards for one last picture.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”-James 1:5-6

24 de Noviembre (Faro y Fiesta)

Saturday was Dawna’s last day here with us in Lima! How sad! We spent the earlier part of the evening doing our Bible study over 1 Timothy. I was so excited when our Bible study members showed up and about 7 of them had memorized their verses for the week! Liz and I took turns saying our in Spanish, and I think our friends were quite impressed!

*me, dawna and liz with an angelic statue

After class was over, we headed over to Parque Kennedy in Miraflores. We were unaware before we went over there that they were having a special event! There were about 5 people standing around the park dressed up as live statues! This was quite a treat, and we took turns putting money in their boxes so we could see them move. Perhaps the funniest statue was that of a chef. When I went up there to greet him, he suck out his hand for me to shake then bent over so I could kiss him on the cheek as is the custom here. As I leaned in towards his cheek, he quickly turned his face so that his lips were nearly touching mine! This got a big laugh from the crowd and a big red flood of embarrassment on my face! He later requested that we email him the pictures that we had taken with him that night. . . I’ll bet!

*it was pretty hilarious. . .

Oh, also while we were there, a random man wearing only some SUPER short shorts came running through the park being really loud. This older lady sitting on a bench chastised him in some way and he began to yell at her! There’s only one word I understood in English and it’s not one I want to repeat on here. It was quite amusing as the cops chased him through the park. . .

*liz, me, dawna and erick (not the crazy man who ran through the park) :)

When we were done there, Eswin and Ashleigh offered up their apartment as the next hot spot! So, all SIXTEEN of us walked over to their apartment and then ordered some food from Norky’s! Only in Peru can you get a whole chicken, french fries, salad and inca cola for s/.35! Good stuff.

*eating my chicken! don't tell my dad. . . ;)

We proceeded to have one of the most enjoyable nights I’ve ever had in Peru! We listened to music, learned about the culture and just spent time with our wonderful friends here. I, once again, emphasize how blessed I’ve been to have this experience so far, to have met so many wonderful people and to share God’s love with them. I pray for salvation in their hearts and conviction of the Holy Spirit in their lives. I pray that my time here in Peru will be all that God has called for it to be.

*some of the group!
Katrina

“Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

Praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.”-Psalm 150

23 de Noviembre (Fun around Lima)

Friday was our last day of class for this month! Yay! Liz and I both passed our classes with flying colors and will advance to our next levels starting on Wednesday.

Gina and Quentin Roberts asked Liz and I if we would be available to help them with a bit of testing for their English class. After our Spanish classes were over, we went to downtown Lima to test these students. It was so fun to be able to help out in other areas of ministry here, and I had a great time meeting some new faces. The students did exceptionally well, and I left there very impressed!

*dawna, me, liz, gina, quentin

Following the testing, the Roberts invited Liz, Dawna and me out for lunch. They were so sweet and said that they’d meant to invite us out when we first got here but had gotten busy. We wanted to go to China Town (Barrio Chino), so they took us to a delicious restaurant down there. The food was tasty and the time we got to spend together was nice. It’s always encouraging to be around the Roberts and see just how kind and sincere they are about serving the Lord. God has blessed me with the opportunity to get to know such wonderful examples of how to live your life to serve Him. We spoke of my future plans, or lack thereof, and I found great encouragement in the things they had to say.

*the weird fortune cookies from the restaurant!

After we got done eating, we walked around China Town and checked out a few of the shops. There’s also a big market downtown where they sell raw meat! It smelled terrible, but Liz and I managed to hold our breath long enough to snap a quick picture! Dawna couldn’t handle it. Haha.

*yucky.

Lima has one free museum, and we also went there! The museum displays the torture that the Spanish inflicted upon those who were unwilling to convert to Catholicism several hundred years ago. Unfortunately, there was no English tour guide available, so Gina just took us around and told us what she remembered of the museum. We also stopped and translated some signs for some other people that were in our group. It was really sad to see the things that they would do to these people including normal things like hanging. A more extreme method of torture involved tying horses to a person’s legs and arms and getting the horses to run. Yikes. It’s unbelievable to think that people could’ve actually committed such indecencies against their fellow man.

*liz, me and dawna with the judges for the inquisition
Since it was getting late in the afternoon, we headed back over to Surco to meet up with our friends for small group. This week we ended up bringing Deivis, Aulo, Junior, Eswin and Ashleigh. Once there, Dawna volunteered her services as worship leader and played the guitar for us. We had such a wonderful time worshipping through song together. I think we must’ve sang for at least an hour! “One more song,” we kept saying. :) I know Bill really enjoyed having Dawna there.

We studied sin and the way God views it. It’s amazing to me that in spite of all that I’ve done wrong in my life, Jesus still died for me; God still loves me. I am forgiven. There are times where Satan takes control of my emotions and tricks me into thinking that there’s no way God could forgive someone like me. The awesome thing about God’s love is that it doesn’t seem my sin anymore. When God looks at my heart, all He sees is the blood of Christ covering up my mistakes, my sins. It’s often something that I find myself in awe of. God loves me. He died for me. And He died for you.

Katrina

“. . . that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”-Romans 10:9

“. . .que si confiesas con tu boca que Jesús es el Señor, y crees en tu corazón que Dios lo levantó de entre los muertos, serás salvo.”-Romanos 10:9

22 de Noviembre (¡El Día de Acción de Gracias!)

Thanksgiving was a bit different this year compared with those I’ve experienced in years past. For starters, I’ve never in my LIFE gone to school on Thanksgiving. However, since we’re taking Spanish classes here at ICPNA, we not only had SCHOOL on Thanksgiving, we had to take a final exam as well! ¡Que terrible! The good news is that Liz and I both passed our exams! :)

*eva, me and josephus

Thanksgiving was a bit different this year compared with those I’ve experienced in years past. For starters, I’ve never in my LIFE gone to school on Thanksgiving. However, since we’re taking Spanish classes here at ICPNA, we not only had SCHOOL on Thanksgiving, we had to take a final exam as well! ¡Que terrible! The good news is that Liz and I both passed our exams! :)

*eva, me, josephus and marlu passing out the paneton and "hot chocolate"

*eva and me with our exams! yay!! :)

So, after class was over, Liz and I headed home so that we could get ready for lunch! We were supposed to bring desserts, and Liz made brownies! For my dessert, I decided to make a pie! I’ve always loved pie and enjoyed making them, but I was a bit apprehensive about using our stove since it has no temperature regulator. Another concern of mine stemmed from the fact that shortening is hard to come by here. There’s one store in central Lima that sells it, or so I’ve heard, but they don’t have it at the grocery stores. Trying to think of a way around this, I emailed my grandma, Ma, and my friend, Gayle. They were kind enough to send me recipes, and I ended up making the crust from cooking oil instead of shortening. I even felt that it was a bit easier to make this way, although I think the crust turns out to be more flaky with the shortening. After I made the crust and put the pie in to cook, I watched it carefully. It was quite beautiful. :)

*my proof that it was home-made :)

*all done!!!

The Chatman’s, some fellow missionaries, picked us up from the Lighthouse to take us over to the Weaver’s for lunch. When we got there, we learned that there were 48 of us total! Wow! We had so much fun getting to know the other missionaries including some of our own age!! That’s right, we had a whole table filled with “young adult” missionaries. It’s such a blessing when we encounter other American people our own age here. We had good conversation about the things that each of us are doing here and stuffed ourselves full! The food was delicious, the company was great and Thanksgiving was another blessed day.

*the "young adult" missionary table. :) liz, dawna, me, lorne, brad, sandi, kristen and lane
Being that it was the first time I’ve ever been away from my family on a major holiday, there was a sense of sadness in my heart. But, God provided me a wonderful replacement for this year in giving me a family of believers with whom I could fellowship. In reflecting on what I was thankful for, I discovered just how blessed I have been this year and, in particular, these past few months. God is truly good all the time.

*sorry, folks. i was so hungry that i forgot to take a picture of my food BEFORE i ate! :)

Katrina

“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”- 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

21 de Noviembre (La Casa de Deivis Soltero)

*this is me in front of a mototaxi!

Well, Liz’s friend Dawna has been with us all week. So, we decided to make plans to go see a less polluted beach with Deivis! He lives about 2 hours away from Lima, by bus, and invited us to his house for lunch and a beach visit! Unfortunately, Dawna got sick and has been stuck in bed. She didn’t eat anything that Liz and I hadn’t eaten, so we’re thinking it might be the water. She’s staying in an apartment with a lady that boils the water that they drink whereas Liz and I buy bottles of water to drink. We’re thinking that maybe the lady doesn’t boil the water long enough or something and maybe she got sick from that. It’s been quite sad that Dawna has been debilitated now for two days. :)

But, we decided to be great friends to Dawna and go to Ancon without her! :) Deivis, being the gentleman that he is, came all the way to the Lighthouse to pick us up, even though it’s TWO hours away from his house. We left the Lighthouse around 1:15 and started our adventure. We had to take a taxi from Surco to Central de Lima and then catch the bus to Ancon. On our way there, we saw an accident in which a truck transporting oranges had crashed into a fence! Crazy! After two hours of traveling and asking Deivis numerous times, “Are we there yet?,” we finally made it! He actually lives in Santa Rosa which is near Ancon but is less known. Santa Rosa was a cute little town made up of seemingly just a neighborhood of homes and mototaxis. I certainly see why someone would want to raise a family there.

After we got off the bus, we walked to Deivis’ house where his mom had lunch ready for us. Let me tell you, I have never in my life eaten lunch at nearly 4:00! It was crazy. Apparently their family usually eats at 3:00! I wouldn’t survive. Haha. His parents laughed when I told them that I ate lunch at 10:30 when I was in high school. His mom had kindly prepared us some delicious Peruvian foods including causa and sheep. The causa was made from papas amarillas (yellow potatoes), pollo (chicken), arvejas (peas), zanahoria (carrots), piemento Amarillo (yellow pepper) y perejil (parsley). The sheep was made from. . . a sheep? At first Deivis thought it was cabrito which is baby goat, but his mom said it was actually sheep. I don’t know if this means lamb or what, but I ate it and like it. :) For dessert we had lúcuma which is a common fruit of Peru. It’s a small fruit that’s green on the outside and orange on the inside. The texture reminded me of camote (sweet potato). I must mention also, that Deivis’ parents don’t speak English. So, we talked to him some in Spanish and Deivis translated what we couldn’t understand. He’s a great translator, and I’m sure his parents enjoyed seeing him in action!

When we were done here, we ventured over to Ancon! This was the hightlight of my day. . . we rode in a mototaxi! These are little taxis that are basically a motorcycle with a buggy on the back. Quite fun! In Ancon, we had to change modes of transportation, and we got in an “Anconeta.” This word comes from Anocon, which is the town, and the word camioneta which means little truck. An Anconeta is like a mototaxi but run with a bicycle! You have to have some pretty strong leg muscles for this job. . .

The Anconeta took us along the beach which was beautiful! There were boats near the shore, people relaxing on the beach, fishermen and vendors. . . Walking around on the beach, I took of my shoes and enjoyed the feeling of the fine sand between my toes. Deivis said that I was going to ruin my pedicure, but I explained to him that the sand was good for exfoliation. :) We took turns writing in the sand and taking pictures with our creations. Being there at sunset was relaxing and wonderful. While we were there, we heard something that sounded like thunder. As we asked Deivis about it, he informed us that it was actually the nearby military based testing bombs. BOMBS! Ha. That was a bit frightening. . . His dad later told us that they do bomb tests almost every day. Freaky. Back in the town square, we heard bells ringing from the Catholic church. The sound was mesmerizing, and we took a peek inside. They said that mass wouldn’t start for another 30 minutes and that we could take pictures if we wanted to.

Since it was dark, we headed back to Santa Rosa in the same way we had come. Once there, his mom served us what they call “lonche,” which is basically a snack. We had hot chocolate and crackers. It was yummy! Oh, we also found out that Peru had lost the soccer game to Brasil 5 to 1! It wasn’t a surprise that they lost, but I was a bit shocked that they’d gotten creamed. Poor Peru. Deivis then showed us some pictures from his childhood which we enjoyed immensely!

Around 8:00, we headed back to Lima. Unfortunately Liz and I had to study for our exams and also had to prepare desserts for Thanksgiving the following day! Once again, Deivis was kind enough to take us all the way back to the Lighthouse!

He was so sweet to take us around all day and give us lessons in culture and the like. He told us that when he began to study English, he never imagined that he’d have two “gringas” in his home. Deivis told us that he would never forget this day. I never imagined when I began to study Spanish that I’d be in Peru and much less in his home! :) I don’t think I’ll quickly forget the day either. God has blessed my life so much in particular with experiences that I never could’ve scripted in my simple mind. It seems like our time here is going by so quickly; I only wish I could slow it down. . .

Well, hopefully La Familia Soltero enjoyed our visit because we plan on going back before we leave!

Katrina

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”-Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

19 de Noviembre (La Playa)

After class, Liz and I met up with Dawna at a restaurant that claimed to have tacos! We haven’t had Mexican food besides that which we have cooked in three months! Although the name of the restaurant advertised that they had tacos, there was only one “Mexican” menu. And by ONE menu I mean one for the ENTIRE restaurant. . . Kinda crazy. . . Anyway, so we each ordered a taco (mine was the only beef haha), ceviche and causa. The taco was a little different than normal tacos, but it was good nonetheless! Ceviche is a typical Peruvian dish that is made of raw fish marinated in lima and cilantro. MMMm. And the causa was something that our friend from conversation club, Betsy, told us about. It’s basically a layer of mashed yellow potatoes with tuna on top and then another layer of mashed potatoes. There is a bit of mayonnaise and a little lime in there somewhere, too, and a boiled egg on top. It sounds weird, but it was actually quite good.

*this guy was on the beach. . . :)

So, after that we headed down to the beach! Since we’ve been here, we’ve gone to see the beach but have never gone down on the water. The beach here is rocky not sandy and is said to be pretty polluted. Apparently they dump raw waste straight into the water. . . I don’t think I got quite enough shots to keep me from getting sick. Eeek. While we were down there, we met three surf teachers all from different parts of South American. Carlos is from Peru, Andres is from Colombia and “Che” is from, duh, Argentina. “Che” is a common expression used in Argentina much like we would say “dude.” I had heard of this but was so excited to meet a real-life “Che!” It was the highlight of my day.

We had a good time talking to them in SPANISH! I must say that we communicated quite well, and I even did a little translating for Dawna who doesn’t speak any Spanish. I must mention, too, that I got a little salsa dancing lesson. Yes, that’s right. Carlos, the Peruvian who is a good three inches shorter than me, gave me a mini lesson. It was quite fun, but I’m pretty sure he had ulterior motives. I was also a bit conflicted as to which part I should be doing (the boy’s or girl’s) since he was shorter than me. I rarely encounter guys that are shorter than I am and I have certainly never danced with one. It was quite fun, though!

Watching the sunset on the beach was a great experience. To have the opportunity to be in this place at this time in my life still amazes me. And to top it all off, God reminded me of His awesome design by letting me view His creation.

Katrina

"I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in Him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

16-18 de Noviembre (Fin de Semana)

So we’ve had some adventurous days this weekend. . . We started it off by hanging out with some good friends on Friday. Liz’s friend, Dawna, is here for the week, so we met her for lunch at Café Zeta. This time I actually did NOT take a picture of my food. Sorry to disappoint you, friends. :) After that, we ran some errands and then met up with Aulo, Junior, Deivis and Aulo’s friend, Enzo, for supper before we went to the Marshall’s for small group. It was so nice to dine with our friends and then bring some new faces with us to study God’s word. One thing that we spoke about that really impacted me, was going before God with a pure heart and pure motives. I find myself so easily asking God for certain blessings without taking the time to clear my heart, to confess my sins to Him. It’s also very easy for me to ask Him to bless my life with things before considering if those things are in accordance with His will. I have been battling lately with being content with what is His will and understanding His calling for my life versus asking for what I want. My desire is that God will purify my heart so that I may seek only after His heart.

Saturday we had our Bible study at the Lighthouse. We were blessed to see many of our friends! Liz and I have decided to have a Bible scripture memory contest over the next three weeks. Those who wish to participate will be required to memorize three verses from scripture and recite them to us. This week, the memory verse is Psalm 119:11 and says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” We felt that this verse was important to emphasize the importance of memorizing scripture. Anyway, those who are able to recite the three verses will be invited to a special party to be held December 8^th. Liz and I will cook for them some good old American food which will probably turn out to be Tex-Mex. :) Yum! We have decided to participate in this contest by memorizing the verse en español! :) It should be quite a challenge. Our verse for the week is from Salmos 119:11 and says, “En mi corazón atesoro tus dichos para no pecar contra ti.”

*hernan, deivis, martin, me, liz, dawna, aulo; yes, we're IN the fountain! :)

After the Bible study, we went to Parque de la Reserva where they have about 15 fountains! At night, they light up the fountains with colored lights and play different types of music. We had a great time watching the different shows that each fountain put on. Then, since we were all muriendo de hambre, we went to Norky’s to get some Peruvian comida! Moises ordered chicken gizzards which I had never eaten before, and he was kind enough to share with me. It wasn’t terrible, but I don’t think I’ll ever take the opportunity to order that. :)

*martin, aulo, dawna, me, hernan, moises, liz, deivis

Sunday morning, we enjoyed Pastor Troy’s message and then took off for the sights of downtown Lima. Aulo skipped out on us because of the Peru vs. Brazil soccer match. I guess I can’t blame him. . . He is Peruvian after all. Haha. So, Liz, Dawna, Junior, Deivis, Moises and I ate at T’anta and then took a bus tour up to San Cristobal. There is a cross that overlooks the city and you can take a bus up a REALLY steep mountain and see it. When we got on the bus, Deivis and I had the opportunity to sit in the FRONT seat of the bus! How exciting and scary! We could see every dangerous turn, but I got to take some good pictures. :) On our way up there, we encountered a procession of San Martin Adán. This was really a treat because we had not seen any processions in the whole time that we’ve been here! Basically some people held a statue of San Martin Adán and others walked behind, some playing instruments. It was quite interesting.

*deivis and me in the front seat!! what what! :)*at the cross*the procession for san martin adan

After the tour was over, we tried to figure out what we were going to do next. I said that I was down for anything if it included getting ice cream first. :) We all got ice cream cones and ate them in Parque Central de Lima. A cone that would’ve easily cost $3 or $4 in the USA only costs 3 soles here. (That’s barely ONE dollar!) Now that I’d had my chocolate fix, we decided to take Dawna to the Catacombs. This time our group was too big and disorganized for me to be able to take any pictures. :( How sad! Oh, well. I guess it was nice to see those old bones again. Haha. When we were done here, we headed back over to the Lighthouse. Moises took us on a bus that we’d never been on before. It was so crowded that I was afraid Junior was going to get pushed out the door. We decided that it would be kind of funny if he fell out as long as he didn’t get hurt. Deciding not to risk it, I didn’t push him. There’s always next time, though. . .

On the bus, God reminded me of how great He truly is. Moises asked me what made me decide to come to Peru. I mean, it’s certainly a question that I’ve asked myself from time to time before coming here and even after. When telling him of the process, God reminded me that His hand is in everything. I first considered going on a mission trip of some sort this past January. At first, I thought that I would go to Mexico, and I even explored an opportunity there. But, I continued on with my search and found two opportunities here in Peru. For some reason, this one seemed like the right one. I prayed over this and began raising support to come. Some of the support came easily, but there were times where I doubted that I would be able to come up with the funds. It was difficult and made me question if I would really be able to be used by God. He only strengthened my faith in Him and His ability to use other believers for His purpose. What a team he has made us in calling us to support our brothers and sisters! Anyway, the support was raised, the passport obtained, and here I am. Here I am blessed beyond measure and learning far more than I’d ever imagined. It’s amazing to think that God chose to use me for His eternal glory. Wow.

Katrina

“My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.”-Psalm 27:8

14 de Noviembre (Beryl Boswell)

*i'm in the front seat of the bus! don't lie. . . you KNOW that's cool. :)

Yesterday Carol Chatman was kind enough to invite Liz and I to a meeting at the mission office where Beryl Boswell, a former missionary, spoke to us. He was a church planter here in Peru, and began within the first 20 years of the International Mission Board’s coming to South America. He was among the first to pave the way for those of us who are here now. It was so encouraging to here his story of faith and frustration. He spoke to us in a real way, never denying his humanity nor the way he was often discouraged by circumstances or people. His love for the Lord and his desire to reach the lost was also transparent in the manner and words that he spoke to us. These days I’ve been so conflicted about my future and future plans. When telling our prayer requests, I mentioned that I was considering missions as part of my future. He said, “Don’t think about it. Do it! Matthew 28!” Perhaps he is right. My prayer is that God will send me answers and wisdom and discernment and confirmation of the things that I believe He is telling me and in the way He is leading me.

Anyway, Mr. Boswell also spoke over the properties of prayer. I’ve come to realize just how important prayer is in everything that we do. It seems so simple, but is something that I’ve always struggled with consistency in. He broke this down into 10 parts of which the Laws of God’s Will, Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Pure Motive and Correct Diagnosis were of particular interest to me. Obviously I have been praying for God’s will here and in the future, but something I’ve battled against is keeping my motives pure. I have certain desires, but I shouldn’t push those as being God’s will for me. This leads me onto the Law of Correct Diagnosis which poses the questions, “What is this request good for? God’s glory?” My prayer in assessing this is that the Holy Spirit will bring about conviction and change in my heart so that my prayers will become pure and pleasing to God. When I pray, I want to pray with confidence that God is listening to me and hearing the prayers of a righteous woman. My prayer is that God will mold me into that woman who seeks nothing more than His will and His heart.

On a side note, there was food! (Baptist people + “meeting” of any sort = food!) Liz practically had to roll me home after I ate 4 pieces of pizza, a chocolate chip cookie, a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and a chocolate covered doughnut. Too bad the pizza wasn’t chocolate covered, too. . . Yeah. I think I’ll be eating celery and carrots for the next week to make up for my behavior. I must mention that we are used to eating lunch around 11:00 and we didn’t get to eat until almost 1:00. Soooooo not my fault. ¡Estaba muriendo de hambre!

Katrina

“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."-Matthew 28:18-20

13 de Noviembre (Disappointing Results)

A good friend of mine sent me this devotional today. I am a firm believer that God works through others, so I appreciate her obedience in using this tool to minister to me.

“DISAPPOINTING RESULTS
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Acts 14:1-20

A sentence in the diary of James Gilmore, pioneer missionary to Mongolia, has stayed with me since the day I first read it. After years of laboring long and hard for the cause of Christ in that desperate land, he wrote, “In the shape of converts I have seen no result. I have not, as far as I am aware, seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian.”

Let me add some further reality to that statement by taking you back to an entry in Gilmore’s journal made in the early days of his ministry. It expressed his dreams and burdens for the people of Mongolia. Handwritten in his journal are these dreams: “Several huts in sight. When shall I be able to speak to the people? O Lord, suggest by the Spirit how l should come among them, and in preparing myself to teach the life and love of Christ Jesus.”

That was his hope. He longed to reach the lost of Mongolia with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How different from his entry many years later, “I have not, as far as I am aware, seen anyone who even wanted to be a Christian.”

What happened in between? He encountered the jagged edge of an authentic ministry. When I write about succeeding in the work of the Lord, I’m not promising success as we define it in human terms. I’m not saying because you are faithful to proclaim the Word of God your church will be packed. Some of God’s most faithful servants are preaching their hearts out in places where the church is not growing. A great temptation for those in that difficult setting is to turn to some of the other stuff that holds out the promise of more visible results. Don’t go there. Stay at it. God is at work.

Thinking of preparing for a life of ministry? Does the thought of standing before crowds of people and delivering the Word of God with passion and conviction appeal to your sense of adventure? I need to ask you one more time: Is there anything else in this world that would bring you greater enjoyment? If so, go there. Don’t even hesitate.

But if you know the Lord has called you into His work, and you would not be fulfilled doing anything else, then go there and never look back, even if the results often seem disappointing.”

Perseverance in ministry, perseverance in Christ, perseverance in the pursuit of dying to myself so that Christ may be known in this lost world. . . I pray that God will grant me this perseverance.

*here's a picture of why God has sent me here:

Katrina

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”-Galatians 2:20

11 de Noviembre (Downtown)

So, we got up and went to church. . . which was really great! A bunch of our friends from the Lighthouse were there, and we went to eat at Pasquale’s afterwards! One of our friends from Starbucks, Jay, met us after church so that he could hang out with us, too. When Jay got to the Cineplanet where we have church, I went downstairs to meet him and told Deivis to meet us down there. Well, I guess I got so caught up in meeting with Jay that I FORGOT about Deivis. When we were about halfway done eating our food, I got a text from Deivis saying that he was outside the theater and he couldn’t find us. Whoops!

Anyway, after Deivis met us and forgave me for my memory slip-up, Liz and I headed downtown with Jay, Deivis, Javier, Junior and Aulo. Since it’s dangerous there, it’s best that we have our bodyguards with us. :) We had a good time and even ate ice cream since it was sunny outside! As we were walking, a little girl walked up to us and tried to hand us some little cards that she had. The rule of thumb is not to accept anything from anyone because they’re probably just trying to get money out of you. Well, Jay, being the smart guy that he is, took one! Aye. So this little 6 year-old proceeds to follow us waiting for her money. Jay told her, “No tengo sencillo,” which means I don’t have any change and she just wouldn’t relent! I kept telling him to just put it on the ground, and he kept trying to hand it back to her. She like REFUSED to take it back and then grabbed onto his arm. It was totally freaking me out, so finally I just took it out of his hand and set it on the ground and we walked on. Geez. It was insane. And HE was supposed to be MY bodyguard? Haha. As we continued to walk, a man selling hand puppets grabbed my hair with the duck that was on his hand. Soooo not cool. And then this other man was walking down the street and totally grabbed my arm for no reason. Geesh, I just wanted to get out of that crazy place, and I did not want to be touched. Funnn times. :)

Overall, we had a great day with our great friends! I’m going to miss these Peruvians that I am becoming so fond of. We’ve only got a little over 5 weeks left here. . . bittersweet thought.

Katrina

“You did it: you changed wild lament
into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
and decked me with wildflowers.
I'm about to burst with song;
I can't keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
I can't thank you enough.”

-Psalm 30:11-12

SOME NEW PICS!

Beautiful Feet

Beautiful Feet

This morning I looked at the bleeding feet of a missionary, saw his wife tending them, saw the blood and pus running from them and thought to myself, "What a nauseating sight that is!" But, as I walked from the room, the Lord kept saying to me, "Oh, but to Me they are beautiful feet!"

Then I remembered--"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings"--good tidings to men and women like those in New Guinea who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Someday it will all be over. Someday the tired, bleeding feet of the missionaries will for the last time cross those broken-bottle limestone mountains. Someday for the last time they will go down into one of those newly discovered valleys. Someday for the last time they will speak the message of redemption through Jesus Christ our Lord. Someday that last one will turn to Jesus. Then the clouds will part and asunder and our Savior will be there.

-missionary to New Guinea, 1939

Oh, to have such feet! I wonder, when God looks at my feet does He see perfectly rested, pedicured feet or are my feet worn down even in the slightest bit from walking down this road in which He has called me? My goal is to wear them out, to use them in whatever way He has called me and is calling me, and, thus, my desire is to have feet of the utmost beauty. I pray for the strength, for the perseverance and for the blessing of being called to obtain something so heavenly.

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" -Romans 10:13-15

Katrina

9-10 de Noviembre (Más Choko Soda!)

Fridays are the best days! :) Once school was over, we went to the mission office to check and see if we had any mail! It was wonderful because, well, we did!! Getting mail is such a spirit booster and also the one thing that makes me homesick.

Anyway, I received letters from the USA and some packages!! Soooo, thank you Jehee and Aunt Sherri and Mommy for the packages! They made it all the way without anything being stolen from them. . . at least, I think everything was there. :) And thank you Ma, Jenna-Wade, Aunt Dawn, Aunt Sherri, Kalley and Karley for you letters! I enjoyed reading them on the bus ride home from Miraflores. :) Oh, and I especially enjoyed the Halloween ones. Haha.

Later, we went to the Marshall’s for our small group meeting. Even though Bill was sick in Ecuador all week, he still managed to prepare discussion for us! What a trooper. :) He even let us sing some “clap songs” which meant that we got to, well, clap! I was excited! :) Some of those songs took me back to my old AWANA days. “Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning, burning, burning. . .” and “The Lord Liveth! and blessed be the rock (clap clap!) and let the God of my salvation be exalted. . .” It was so great. :)

Saturday we took a trip to the grocery store to replenish our food supply. Estaba muriendo de hambre by the time we got back home at 3:00 because I hadn’t eaten yet! I thought we were out of bread, so I wasn’t able to eat anything until after we’d shopped. But, when we got home, I found like three slices of bread in the cabinet and realized that I’d nearly starved to death for nothing! Ha. Speaking of being without food, I don’t think Aulo will let Liz or me starve because he seems to be keeping us stocked up with Choko Soda!! When he came to the Bible study today, he rang the speaker system and announced that he was there. My response was, “Did you bring Choko Soda,” to which he confirmed that he did. Well, I was TOTALLY joking, but he really had brought some! Awwww. He’s so nice. :) I guess he knows how to get on my good side! (Anyone else out there wishing to do so may take notes from Aulo’s example. . . I love chocolate. Comprendes?) :)

Yeah, so Bible study was awesome and we had more new faces tonight! In particular, one of our newest conversation club members came with her boyfriend. She said that she plans on coming back next week, too, so we’ll see! I enjoyed the comments that we had regarding our study on 1 Timothy. Tonight’s topic was a bit interesting considering that we talked about roles of men and women as defined in chapter 2. Hopefully our explanation of the things that were confusing to our Bible study members was sufficient.

Anyway, we’ve got about 5 and a half weeks left here in Peru, and I’m really praying that Liz and I are able to be used to the fullest of God’s intention for us. I’ve done my best to eliminate distractions from my life so that I may focus completely on why I’m really here, on why God has placed me here for this short time. If you have time in your day or when you’re done reading this, please pray that God will be able to use our time of service here to further His kingdom is ways beyond what we could’ve planned or imagined. Pray that because of our obedience in being here, we will see more faces in heaven, that more souls will be saved. Pray that God be pleased in the way that we’ve spent our time here and that He will be glorified in all that we do. Pray that His love will be shown through our actions and encounters with those who are lost and searching.

Katrina

“He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth."—1 Timothy 2:4-7

8 de Noviembre (May I be covered in the dust of His sandals)

Thursdays this month are going to be quite interesting, it seems! We started our day with school which went as expected. When class was over, my friend, Eva, introduced Elizabeth and me to some people that she had met. They wanted to practice their English with her, but she figured since she’s not a native speaker and we are, that we might be better suited for the job. The students were very nice, and we learned that one of them used to attend our meetings but can’t anymore because he lives too far away. Another is a guy from Israel who lived for 7 years in “Jersey” and now lives in Peru. I don’t really know what he’s doing here, but hopefully we’ll find out. So, next week we’re supposed to meet up with Joana and her two friends to practice English.

After that, we went home and prepared for conversation club. It was so nice today because we had several new students that we’d never seen before! One girl that came is a babysitter for a British family, so that was kind of interesting. Conversation was great and we’re hoping to see those new faces next week!

Later, after we ate dinner at “Kentucky” or KFC as we know it in America, we came home for Nooma Night. I really enjoyed tonight’s video which was called “Dust.” We focused on the story in the Bible where Jesus and Peter walk on water. Rob Bell offered an interesting perspective of this event. Of course we know that Jesus was walking on water and Peter began to imitate this. Peter stepped out of the boat that he was in and began walking on water towards his teacher, Jesus. After taking a few steps, Peter began to sink, and Jesus questioned why Peter had so little faith. Rob Bell pointed out that he had always read the story to mean that Jesus was questioning why Peter had so little faith in Him, Jesus. But, after taking another look at it, he came to the conclusion that Peter was actually doubting himself, doubting that he was worthy to act in the same manner of his rabbi, his teacher, Jesus. The point is, God called each of us as believers to imitate Him, to follow Him, to be His disciples. God had enough confidence in us to give us the great task of telling the world about Him and His great love. If God has enough confidence in us, why is it that we have such a tendency to doubt? Why do I doubt God when He says that I should do things for Him, that I should go here or there? Why do I doubt that I am worthy to do what He has called me to do? The quest of becoming more like Christ is not one that ends in perfection. No one should be so misled by thinking that the goal they are striving for is to become Christ. The goal of our lives is to become more LIKE Christ so that when others look at us, they will be captivated by the love of God that is shown through us. Wow. That’s something that I never really thought about before. Confidence. We should have it, not in our own abilities, but in Christ’s ability to work through us and in His purpose for us. I know that I am so afraid to fail in life and so afraid that things aren’t going to turn out as I’d hoped they would, that I have a tendency to take the easy road. I’m guessing that I’m not alone in this as demonstrated by Peter and his doubt. Sometimes it seems so much easier to stay in that boat, but we can’t. It’s all about taking the next step. We don’t have to necessarily see the whole picture as long as our focus remains on Jesus. Even with the wind and storm all around, just like Peter, I need to simply take that step out of the boat, eyes focused on my Lord, my teacher and . . . walk. Just walk.

Katrina

When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

6 de Noviembre (Rescue Me)

If I wade into these waters and they get too deep,
Can you rescue me? Can you rescue me?
And if I get up on this mountain and it gets to steep,
Oh, rescue me. Can you rescue me?
And if this road gets long and my load heavy,
Oh, rescue me. Can you rescue me?
And if this wind starts blowing and it gets stormy,
Oh, rescue me.

You never said that it would be easy,
But I never thought it’d get so hard.
I may stumble and I just may fall,
But we can fight this battle.

If I wade into these waters and they get too deep,
Can you rescue me? Can you rescue me?
And if I get up on this mountain and it gets to steep,
Oh, rescue me. Can you rescue me?
And if this road gets long and my load heavy,
Oh, rescue me. Can you rescue me?
And if this wind starts blowing and it gets stormy,
Oh, rescue me.

Sometimes I just need a friend to hold my hand,
Someone who’s gonna be there for me ‘til the end,
And whatever you do I’m gonna be there for you,
Oh, but Father, I just gotta know. . .

If I give away my love and it runs out on me,
Can you rescue me? Rescue me.
And if my heart gets broken and I just can’t breathe,
Oh, rescue me. Can you rescue me?
If I turn back ‘cause I’m too weary,
Oh, get to me. Get to me.
And if my soul gets lost but I start searching,
Oh, rescue me.
Can you rescue me?

-as sung by Jessica Sonner with some minor edits to suit my purpose.

"But me he caught—reached all the way
from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!"-Psalm 18:16-18

5 de Noviembre (Hilarious!)

Ok. So this blog may lack its usual spiritual luster, but the FUNNIEST thing happened today. Let me preface this story by saying that you, my audience, may not find this to be as funny as I did, but I’ll do my best to do this story justice.

Picture this: Liz and I are leaving Starbucks. As we are walking, there’s this random kid standing on the sidewalk. So I’m thinking, he must want some money because that’s usually the case. I say to Liz, “Look at that kid.” And she does . . . and as we both look at him, I hear a horrible thud. I turn around really fast and Liz is no where to be seen! But, I look down in my hand and there’s this wad of hair! As I look further down, I notice Liz on the ground with her backpack over her head! I’m a little confused as to what happened until I remember seeing the kid’s backpack on the ground . . . right under where Liz is now crouched down. Then I look back at the hair in my hand, and I say, “Whoa. I’ve got your hair in my hand! Did that hurt?” To which she stumbles up and says, “Uh, yeah.” As we’re trying to get her up and I’m still a bit bewildered as to how that hair got in my hand, the kid keeps saying over and over, “Señorita, cuidado!” I look over at him and say, “No der, kid.” And then I look at that big ol’ wad of hair in my hand again; Liz is still at this point trying to get up and gather herself when I say, “This kid is kind of freaking me out.” Liz again tries to get herself situated as she finishes eating gravel and limps a few steps forward. At this point all I can think is, “I’m really not giving you any money now, boy. You were about two seconds too late with that whole ‘be careful’ thing.” Yeah. So we ended up laughing about it all the way home and as I sit here in my bed typing this . . . well, we haven’t hyperventilated yet. . .

*the aftermath. . . i think the curb won, but you be the judge. . .

Don’t think I’m heartless. Liz is laughing, too. :)

Katrina

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.”-Job 8:21

3 de Noviembre (Choko Soda!)

Today we began our newest Bible study over the book of 1 Timothy. This study is going to be seemingly more intense than the last one. . .

So far, we’ve had people ask a variety of interesting questions ranging from, “When is the world going to end?” to “What happens to babies when they die?” Goodness, people. Seems like we’re going to be challenged quite a bit.

One of the highlights of the message we read today was when Paul was giving his testimony. How amazing it is that God often shows His power and mercy to those who are “the worst” of sinners! It makes you stop and think that if God has such power to transform the life of someone who was admittedly sinful to the core, then He can use even me in my most sinful nature to bring glory to His name. I pray that God will use my life to show His great power, that He will use me to bring glory and honor to His name.

Another highlight of my night occurred when Aulo, a guy that attends our Bible study group, heard me talking about how much I love Choko Soda. When our study was over, everyone left including Aulo. About 10 minutes later we got a knock on our door and it was Aulo saying that he’d forgotten something. We were confused because we didn’t notice anything around that someone could’ve left behind, but we buzzed him up anyway. When Liz answered the door, he handed her a package of Choko Sodas that he’d bought from the grocery store across the street! I came to the door and expressed how excited I was about it and he said, “Well, if you’re happy then I’m happy.” Awwww. I guess Peruvian women know how to raise their sons. :) It made my night. :) I looooove Choko Soda and random acts of kindness!!!

Katrina

“Here's a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I'm proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.” 1 Timothy 1:15-16

1-2 de Noviembre (El Día de los Muertos y Small Group)

So, today was ANOTHER Peruvian holiday! I sure could get used to all of these unexpected days off! :) Jeff and Judy invited Liz and I over for one last meal together before they leave for the states on Friday. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here for two months and that it’s already time for them to leave. Before we know it, we’ll be on our way back, too. That’s a very bittersweet thought for me. I’m really going to be sad to leave behind all of my new Peruvian friends and the life that this mission field has brought.

Anyway, tonight was NOOMA night! The episode we watched was titled, “Luggage,” and centered around forgiveness and emotional baggage. Sometimes it can be so hard to forgive those that have wronged us. I know that I have some deep emotional hurts that have taken time to heal and some that are still healing. The cool thing about learning to forgive others is that we have the best example possible of how to do this. God didn’t require us to earn His forgiveness; He freely gave it to us through Jesus’ death on the cross. How amazing is it that He loves us enough to give His forgiveness if we only ask it of Him. The hard part in forgiving others is in learning how to be merciful and show them grace in the same manner that God does. Even when we feel like we should take “revenge” on someone else or that they don’t “deserve” our forgiveness, God still calls us to forgive them.

*our small group at the Marshall's house!

Friday night, God really gave me an example of someone that has learned to forgive the way God forgives. As we met in our small group at the Marshall’s home, we were privileged to have time to fellowship with other believers while eating delicious foods from around the world! Jennifer, who is from Thailand, and Grace, who is from Korea, prepared us some delicious foods for us to try! Liz and I brought our Texas roots with us as we made a Tex-Mex favorite, chicken enchiladas! In addition, we had some Peruvian desserts and, of course, Inca Cola! After we’d stuffed ourselves to the max, we gathered around and worshipped God through music for a bit. I hope it’s true that God loves a joyful noise and doesn’t always expect a beautiful one because we aren’t exactly the most musically inclined group. BUT, one thing that can be said about being in our small group is that I am so blessed to be in the midst of such genuine, faith-filled believers. They are an encouragement to me every time we gather. So, this week our friend, Grace, told her testimony. Grace grew up in Korea in a fairly wealthy family. She got saved when she was a young adult in college. Since her family was all Buddhist, they rejected her new found faith and, in turn, rejected her. She was kicked out of her house with literally only the clothes on her back. It was so amazing to hear her story and the way her faith in God never wavered, but instead grew stronger. Eventually her mother and sisters got saved as well, and Grace is still praying for the salvation of her father. Hearing her story was so encouraging; knowing that it is possible to have such great faith gave me hope that someday mine might be big as well. She also has forgiven her family for abandoning her, and it is evident that she holds nothing against them. It’s so hard to completely forgive someone who has wronged us. I thank God for Grace’s testimony and for the examples He gives to us in fellow believers.

*yummy!

*Grace sharing her testimony with us

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring your prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

Katrina