“Always
be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all
circumstances for this is God’s will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus”. 1 Thessalonians 5:
16-17
“…that
I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O
Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!”
Psalm 30: 12
Brian
and I have had the opportunity to live in two
different countries as newlyweds. The first two
years in the States- in Cape Girardeau, MO, and
currently, in Huancayo, Peru. To say that our
current lives are totally different from the first
two years would be an understatement.
We
have almost been here for three weeks now, and
every day is an adventure. One thing we have
learned quickly is how much we took for granted in
our first two years of marriage. The everyday
tasks that didn’t take two seconds to think about
are now our everyday tasks that are complicated,
time-oriented, and sometimes frustrating. I wanted
to take some time to write about the everyday
tasks that, as North Americans, we should be
completing with thankful hearts and praising God.
As
North Americans, we should be thankful for the
clean water we have access to from our sink at all
times of the day. We don’t have to purchase clean
water to boil with. We don’t have to soak our
plates in Clorax to get rid of any unwanted
friends. We can drink water anytime of the day,
from the sink, without getting sick. You don’t
have to worry (on a daily basis) of your water
running out, sometimes as early as noon. Next time
you take a drink of that clean water, give thanks
to God.
As
North Americans, we should be thankful that we can
get produce from the store/farmers market, and not
worry about Parasites. Here, we soak all of our
produce in Clorax before cooking or you could get
very sick. Next time you pick up an orange to eat,
give thanks to God.
As
North American dog lovers (like us!), we should be
thankful that our dogs are safe in a home and are
healthy. We probably see 50-100 dogs a day on the
streets searching for food and shelter.
Ninety-nine percent of dogs are not fixed here so
the dog population continues to grow. If you are a
vet and feel like Missions might be your calling,
there is a home for you here in Peru! Next time
you are around your dog, squeeze them tightly, and
give thanks to God that they are safe.
For
most North Americans reading this, we should be
thankful that we can rely on having electricity 90
percent of the time. Our electricity is not turned
off for spontaneous “maintenance” repairs.
(Usually on Sundays). We have the access to heat,
air-conditioning, stoves, refrigerators, lights,
and much more. Next time you turn up your air
conditioning, give thanks to God.
Lastly,
for many of my North American friends reading
this, you should be thankful that you do not
experience prejudice. This is the second time in
our marriage; we have been the minority (Haiti and
here). It isn’t something that bothers us much,
but it is something we experience on a daily
basis. We do get stared at most places we go.
There isn’t a day that goes by that someone
doesn’t ask us for money or a Taxi doesn’t try to
up the price because they assume we have money to
spend. Many people that don’t know us personally
call us Gringos- sometimes in a loving way, and
other times in a not so loving way. Yesterday a
man was asking for money on the streets. We don’t
usually give money away because 1: that just plays
into our stereotype even more 2: our 2 soles are
not going to solve the problem and 3: we don’t
want the Peruvian people to rely on Americans for
a living. So as we walked by the man, he took his
hat and hit Brian in the leg, while calling us
Gringos. We don’t really know if the man was just
trying to get our attention even more, if he was
angry we didn’t give him money, or what his
intention was, but it did make us uncomfortable.
So the next time you comfortably walk into a store
or down the street, give thanks to God.
“Always
be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all
circumstances for this is God’s will for you who
belong to Christ Jesus”. 1 Thessalonians 5:
16-17
The
scriptures remind us to ALWAYS be joyful; to be
thankful in ALL circumstances. Despite all of
these things that are uncomfortable to Brian and
I, we are thankful that our God is bigger than
dirty water, parasites, electricity, and
prejudice. He is at work in BIG ways here, despite
these things. We are thankful that we can see
Jesus in the eyes of a Peruvian woman that has
discovered God’s call on her life for the very
first time. We are thankful that we can see Jesus
working in the children that attend Kid’s Clubs.
We are thankful that despite our language barrier,
we can make connections with children through
soccer ( I knew I played for all those years for a
reason!) We are thankful for the men and woman
that come to disciple groups who have been
“Christians” for years, but are just now meeting
Jesus in a real way. We are thankful that we have
the ability to purchase enough water for
cooking/drinking/cleaning. We are thankful for the
ability to purchase food. We are thankful for YOU
that continue to pray for us. And we are thankful
to know that if the boys, girls, men and woman
that beg us for money every day will surrender
their lives to Christ, than one day they will be
welcomed into Jesus’ arms and will no longer be
hungry or begging, but praising our Heavenly
Father. Now that’s good news.
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