I can finally write about our missions trip to Peru! Will try to post pictures, but may come at the bottom of the page! lol...forgot how to do even that!All I imagined and so much more! Wow, ok, where to start ?? The trip itself brought over 6,000,000 people to Christ! Yes, that was the correct amount of zeros, over 6 thousand!!!!!!! We truly were the hands and feet of Christ while there. It was surreal-dream like...in the greatest way. Like for those weeks (18 days)I was living in a "more real" world with God. Kinda like if you have fasted for awhile, and it feels as if some of the physical/fleshly parts of you are peeled off, and the spiritual part is exposed in a way that makes it very sensitive to Gods spirit; He whispers, but it seems so loud and undeniable....Like that, only the whole time, and your not fasting at all! I can't explain it, but it is something I will never forget. This trip, That was for the Peruvian people, (I bet God used soo many of the 6,000,000 plus people who accepted His Son after the Earthquake there to reach so many others) Changed my life so very much and forever too.
Having never left my little ones for even a night (Chas & Van had been to camp,but only for 5 days;Sevan cried those 4 nights :( ) It hit me when the plane started ascending. I was leaving my babies. I started to get teary eyed and before it could go any farther I started saying
Philippians 4:13 - I can do ALL things through CHRIST which strengtheneth me !
Ijust kept repeating it for a lil while, and by the time the plane was flying level I was already being wrapped in God's arms,being shielded from any emotions that would distract me from Him and His work. It was soo cool how God did this. I was even told on the phone while there that Luke-e had woke up crying and wanted someone else to go tell Peru about Jesus. Crazy, but , although it makes me sad now, then,It didn't , I just prayed for him and knew he would be great. Larry also told me, over the phone, that he was making plans to go to Iraq for a year when I returned. First I had ever heard of it! Funny, you would've thought he was telling me he was ordering a pizza! It didn't phase me either;I turned it over to God and moved on. Don't get me wrong, I Loved my family every second, prayed for and missed them too. It was just by the power of God. I can tell you How strong his hold was, because as we were descending into Louisville after the trip, I started getting teary-eyed again, like I had done only once before, in the very beginning. Only this time God was unwrapping His arms, there was no need to hold back my emotions, It was time to be back with my babies and hubby....the family He had given me. I could not stop the tears from coming..and we hadn't landed yet! When I did get to them, I screamed and just bawled....shaking like a leaf! Scared poor Luke !lol What a strong God we serve.
Peru...lots of dust and not much grass.Except where we stayed.It had "fake" grass. Like turf I guess. We stayed at a 5 star hotel/conference center. It was extravagant. Although, you still could not put toilet paper in the toilet, had cold showers and colder rooms (heat would come and go)(It was winter there)At first I was upset that it was so beautiful and fancy. We had such yummy food and even someone to open our sodas for us. After 1 day of ministering , I didn't feel guilty anymore. It was such a blessing to come back and be refreshed. I felt like I was getting a taste of what the people we were ministering to felt like, when having their hair washed for the first time, or tasting hot chocolate for the first time, and having people serve them.It is such a blessing.
We had around 600 people on this trip. We started in Florida, where the teens learned and practiced the drama we used to help us minister to the people in Peru.We also divided into teams of about 32 kids. Then broke down to an even smaller group. 4 teens and a leader. You get really close to your group really fast:) You do everything as a group , devotion, worship, etc. You break into your Prayer Pod,(4teens&leader) for just that,personal prayer. A day was like this
Wake up, go have breakfast, meet your group at your "devotion spot" Work in the special book, made just for this trip.( Which would include a devotion and prayer ) Go get your backpacks. Head out to your team bus.(your translators would be waiting for you there) We would do all kinds of different things. Drama days would be spent doing the drama at different places. We would play American praise music..all kinds, think modern, really loud, to get attention. English definitely gets their attention!We would go house to house inviting people too. Once we had a big crowd we would start. The drama was being explained in spanish over the big speakers used to play our music.It was so exhausting to do the dramas ! 1 day we did ours 3 times!( a record ) Usually it was once or twice. Our "Kids" would just keep going and going:) We would ask everyone if they understood the drama, one of our teens would give their testimony and we would ask if anyone wanted to receive Christ. We would serve Hot Chocolate ,play with the kids, help moms with work they had to do, clean schools, fix a house, paint, pour concrete, pass out toys, bibles, etc. When we would return back to where we were staying, we would get clean, change, go eat. We would then have free time until night worship.(the time you had free depended on how long you were out) It was a "heavy duty" growing in and praising the Lord time. After ministering all day, it was time to be ministered to! We had Jaime Jamgochian as our worship leader. Guest speakers too. All 600 would worship together, although we would sit together in our team group.Then sometimes a lil free time , off to bed and same thing the next day.
Chasity was there, of course, but because I wanted this to be between her and God, I never got her room number or checked on her. I left that to her leaders. I was blessed to see her a few minutes almost everyday, and I would hug and kiss her when I did and go on. It was sweet, one night I was with a group of girls walking down to the building where we had our nighttime worship, we passed Chas standing with a group, and she tells everyone "That's MY mom!" Aw, sweet sound !
I have ta tell one of Chasity's "God moments". Her group was out washing hair. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but so many of the people (older children and teens included) we met had never had their hair washed before! Parents would pass their babies and small children up to the front to have a chance to experience something we take for granted every day. There was no running water in the villages we visited, so water is a luxury.( we couldn't take candy, cause they don't "brush " their teeth with toothpaste..no water) We had to take water in with us. We would fill up buckets with water, and the person whose hair was being washed would bend their head over the bucket. Well, in the group Chasity was in, they were running really short on water. Their was no groups close to them to borrow from. They got down to about 1 1/2 -- 2 inches of water left in one bucket. There was still a couple people who wanted their hair washed. Chasies leader told them that if God could multiply bread and fish he could certainly multiply water, and so they prayed; Not only did they have enough water to wash and rinse the hair of those in line, but had about a 1/4 inch left! HURRAY FOR GOD!!!
Ok,Because I could go on FOREVER about things that happened in Peru, I will focus on my personal "highs" or those moments I will never forget...we were calling them "Frozen God- moments".Here are some of my God-moments :)
I was looking over the notes for my Purity Seminar on the plane to Florida. The Guy sitting beside me started asking me about it.I pretty much gave him the seminar :0 He was going on vacation with his girlfriend, who he was living with. His heart was so tender to all I had to say, even when it was saying he was doing the wrong thing if he loved this girl and wanted a future with her. He thanked me for talking to him about God and purity. He then told me his grandma was a christian. I cant help but think that I was an answer to his grandmas prayers, someone else to help him see the truth. ( I may have made his vacation a little less fun, but prayerfully touched his life)
On my teams last drama day our speaker was messing up. What was normally loud, could hardly be heard now. We needed it soo badly! As I said earlier, it was used to interpret the drama. At first it was like "ohh, no!" We , like what the other team did with the water, Gave it to God. Not only did he answer our prayer, but it was even louder than ever! So cool!
I was "given" a little girl, named Nicole. ( They said her name Neecole:) ) The dad told me he wanted me to keep her; She was a gift for me to keep forever. He loved her but knew she would have a better life in America. I was able to get him a bible ( The need for bibles was so great, that it was a blessing that we had one to give him...we always had more people who wanted them then we had to give :( ) He was already a christian. I believe he will find comfort and security for his Nicole in God's word. I believe this because as I told him I could not keep her, crying, I knew God would keep her and although it was sad, I was crying for joy , because it is true..She is in God's hands and God loves and cares even more about her future than her earthly daddy does, and now her dad could read all about what God has for them now, not just after death. The peace and joy God gave to me when this was happening I know was being given to him too. It was unexplainable. Thank you God!!!!!! I Love You !!
My prayer pod (me and my 4 teens :) ) went through ALOT together. So much "stuff" being thrown at them while they were on this trip. Christy had a friend die in a car crash and Andrew had a friend go into a coma and have to have a life saving operation. Lots of prayer and tears, but the missions don't stop. One morning I kept feeling a need to take my Bible on our bus. I didn't understand why, because we have bible right before we leave and the bus trip is time to put on the drama make-up, listen to worship music, fellowship, etc. I took it anyways. Once we started out I thought I better open it if I was suppose to take it. Not having a clue where I should go, I just opened it ( Soo not me!) And what do I come to, but the story about Jesus starting "out " in his ministry and finding out about John the Baptist being beheaded. Jesus had the same thing happen to him! He didn't stop or go home, and this was his cousin, the man who baptised him, who knew the truth. That human part of our God, had to hurt, had to be sad at what he suffered. Yet, he kept focused on what he needed to do. What an awesome story/truth to share with my 2 teens!It made a difference, it seems crazy now, because words, when your hurting, are just words, that you may not even want to hear at the time....even if you know they are true. Again, just that supernatural power of God coming through his word, not just his words, but HIM!
The first village we went to I met some young boys (8yrs old or so) who wanted to practice their english with me..Hi, my name is, how are you, that kind of thing. I could ask them, in my comparable knowledge of spanish,:) "how do you say".....It was so fun learning all these new words from these so sweet children. We played and hugged and hugged some more! When we left,my lilguy, kept yelling for me :) Teressa, bye teressa, over and over. Running beside our bus as fast as he could.He accepted Christ!Wooo-Hooo! I cannot tell you how forward I look to seeing him and all of them again in heaven!
We had finished giving a drama, when I noticed a few young men standing on the outskirts of our " crowd". I asked Chris, one of our interpreters to invite them over. He told me no, because they looked like they could be trouble.I said ok, and went on. I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to go to them. Soooo, I told Chris I needed to talk to them and would he please translate for me. He said ok,but I would have to leave when he said. Once close to them it all became clear. God had words for them, and he was going to use us to deliver them. I can't even remember all I said, but just remember knowing that this one guy knew God, and had walked away.God wanted his attention and Him. He was a spiritual leader and his family needed him. All I know is, I fell to me knees crying with my hands in the air telling him this and how much God loves him and how God had me leave my family who I love very much to come to Peru for him to know how much God loves him!!! Crazy, but true! Come to find out,this young man was a christian, and had walked away from God. He rededicated his life and not just the group of young men around him, but a whole line of men I didn't even see( until it was over) all accepted Christ!!!! God's love is so powerful!! I feel so unbelievably blessed that God would use me in this way.Thank you My God. Thank you God that I (we) only have to be willing to be your vessel and you will use me ( us )in spite of my (us) being so flawed!!!! XXXXXOOOOOO
Giving the drama at an orphanage...a Christian Orphanage. It was a blessing to encourage those lil kids in the Lord. To show them the love of the God they already knew. One lil girl , as their director was talking about how good God was, would hold her lil hand in the air and say "AMEN!". Most of these children were born from prostitutes, who leave them at the orphanage. Have never felt a mom or dads arms around them.........but have a very real sense of the God who has given them life, saved them,and has his arms around them. How great it was to be those physical arms and kissing lips~!!! I feel like God has expanded my heart!
Giving the purity seminar was soo fun ! I was really nervous, but once it started I could've done it forever! Even when one of the "visuals" I used didn't go as planned, we all just laughed about it! A young lady I met, before the trip began, who is very much into purity also, prayed with me before it started. She also stayed in there with me while I gave it for support! Helped with the glitter and stuff too:) I was so thankful God put her there for me. It boosted my confidence up for sure! I knew I could do it, if he opened the door, but it was sooo nice to have Janell there. I've said it before, but what a personal God we serve!!! Not only was the seminar fun to give, but it was powerful too. Sooo exciting to know you are making a difference!Not only did it get a great response,they were taking notes like crazy,great questions and stayed after to talk ; It taught me sooooo much as well. Like, putting Christ and his kingdom first, and all else will come into place. I wondered what the reaction of the teens in my group would be towards me after the seminar. They thought I was so cool, would that change? I decided, thank you God, that I could not "water down" or change anything, I would keep it modern, fun , upbeat, but not skimp on God's Truths. It was so cute, "my teens" were letting everyone know that I was THEIR leader...kinda like Chas letting her "crowd" and the girls with me, know that I was HER mom...they were proud of me! I felt so ashamed , to think that I had been worried about what people would think of me. I know who I am here to please.Just when I thought I wasn't affected by "peer" pressure!
All the late night talks with my teens in their rooms. As leaders we would do our tuck - ins and then go back to our rooms. I shared a room with 2 others leaders ( 3-One of my room-mates found out she was pregnant while in Peru! :) ) The tuck ins were such a wonderful time for us all. A time to really connect with the girls about the amazing day of ministering and about their personal walk with the Lord. I always got back to my room soooooooo late! That was the funny part, I felt like a lil kid, staying out so late, but how can you leave when God is moving so powerfully?!!!!!????
A girl in my prayer pod confided to me that she was in a homosexual relationship. She loved the Lord with all her heart, and said He told her to find me and tell me. She said that if she could read it in the bible where it was wrong,(thought it was just "Old" testament) she would get out of it, but thought that God didn't care, because she does love him , was happy, and a light to her partner. We went into a lil building/room all by ourselves. I showed her scriptures and we cried and prayed. It was so sad yet rewarding too.She later confessed to our whole team what she had repented of and asked for their prayers too. :) I believe God led her to me because there are people I am very close to who live this lifestyle. He knew I wouldn't "slam" her or think she was gross. It is a sin, period. He loves her/hates the sin period. I could still wrap my arms around her and show her love while showing her it was wrong. It was a very personal, hard time for her, and she needed support and love, not weird feelings and walls put up. I am thankful God could use me with her in this way. wow , is all I ca say. God takes all our experiences, environments, everything and has a purpose for it, with someone else. God is AMAZING!
Everyday was just a huge blessing and experience of a lifetime. Tons of little things mixed in with huge ones. I am sooooooooooooooo very very thankful that I was able to go on this trip, and excitedly await the next one.
It has changed my life in many ways. When it has been a really exhausting day, and it seems I don't have the energy to give the lil ones their bath, I think of how blessed - I - am to be able to be given that luxury of washing my babies with warm soapy water, and play with crazy shampoo hairstyles, and rinse them all off with clean water....how thankful I am that - THEY - have that, when there are so many who don't. It takes you from being tired to thankful very quickly. Major energizer!
The seminar really showed me how in need we are , still, in talking about purity. It is so not just a "No sex before marriage" "thing". They need to know what it is, how can they live it, and how saving sex until marriage will come with it. Also how they are able to have a do-over, when it comes to sex. I know that I never would be teaching abstinence at Jeff High if I hadn't given the purity seminar in Peru. What a blessing to teach God's truths ( without his name) in a public school. The response is greater than I ever would have believed. God's timing is now! That is so evident when I am there. Also the purity seminars I am starting to do. All coming from from what came out of Peru.
The Spiritual Role of the Mom-seminar came about from Peru too. After talking to hundreds of girls/guys and hearing, "I wish you could talk to my mom" ( I thought it would be "I hope she never talks to my mom" lol ) and seeing faces light up and hearing " I never thought about it that way" " my mom never told me" " I wish my mom would have..." and hearing moms tell me "that makes sense" " I wish I would have known" all kinds of things like that. It truly is not me or things I think or say..it is all Bible. I just apply it to everyday life. It doesn't have to be done like I do it, but it has to be done, cause it is God's ways. I am soooooooooo thankful for all those wonderful teens who in wanting me to talk to their moms made me realize we have to have moms/dads/kids on the same page...thinking I would be someone to help in this was not my idea. God kinda has to hit me over the head and give me a BIG push, or I just sit. I was talking to the womens ministry leader, Christy, at Northside, about giving my mother/daughter purity seminar and we started talking about other things..she said, I want all my moms to hear you, can you do a mothers breakfast...I was so excited, to hear someone say that...instead of thinking I was crazy, weird, etc, I said yes right away. The breakfast was in 3 weeks, and I had never done one on being a mom ! It came about soooo quickly , BASED ON THE BIBLE as a whole and focusing on 3 of my favorite scriptures concerning the spiritual role of the mom, hearing what all the teens had to say (in Peru, at Jeff, and in a coffee shop, lol ), and my own experiences as a mom. I say quickly, but after studing what the Bible had to stay about purity ( I thought for me and my girls alone ) I learned alot about what God wanted from me for them. Again,it was an amazing experience, that I felt so unworthy to give, but God used me. I am so happy and amazed at what doors God has opened up upon returning from Peru.
One more thing........I am amazed at the miracles that occur when Gods believers come together with no inhibitions. When we arn't afraid to step out and say I Believe. When we don't care what we look like, or what someone will think of us. When we arn't afraid to live our faith out loud in front of unbelievers, when we see someone who looks "hurt" and we go and ask if we can pray with them/for them, knowing the worst thing that can happen is they say No.....a miracle could happen if they say Yes...Maybe they will discover God that day, because of you, or me, being faithful to our Lord.; Caring more about Him and His kingdom than us or our comfort zone. On this years trip to Peru a leader prayed for a deaf man, He could hear immediatly! Is this just for Peru----No--- of course not. We worship a supernatural, powerful,loving, merciful, healing God who has so much to give-do for us if we would just say Yes , untie his hands, and allow him to do what he desires to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Help me Lord, to do just that. I thank, praise and worship you alone! XXXXXXXXOOOOOO
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
