Faith. What does faith or having faith mean to you?
Faith is the reason I am here sitting on the rooftop in Peru. The noise of chickens clucking, dogs barking, guinea pigs doing what they do and even a turkey on a rooftop gobbling. Strange I know, but I promise it is real. Mountains surround the city of Cajamarca. I’ve never seen something so beautiful. This is the first time I have been on a mission trip, the first time I have been out of the United States and the first time I have been on an airplane. One day God placed this on my heart. I was at work one morning and the overwhelming emotion of me going on a mission trip flooded me. I remember asking the Lord if He really wanted me to do this. For those of you who know me know I am one to not venture far from home and especially for a long period of time. I remember battling with Him and saying no. This is not at all me. But the idea wouldn’t go away. So I asked the Lord, if He really wanted me to persue this, that He give me signs. Just anything. That night driving home from class I heared a song on the radio called Oh My Soul. In the song is a verse that says “there is a place where fear has to face the God you know.” A couple days went by and then on Facebook a time hop appeared that said “isn’t life about taking risks.” So after that I knew this was a God thing. Things like this happen for a reason. I started telling my family and friends about it. I was excited to do this because its something I have never done before but then reality set in that I was going to have to leave home. But I still had my faith and trust in the Lord that He was bringing me here for a reason. When we arrived I didn’t know what to think. It was just so different. You can research all you want and look at pictures but until you actually see it and live it, you have no idea. Several weeks go by, several rough weeks of homesickness, and we do house visits in La Laguna. We came across this woman who wasn’t in the best of shape. She couldn’t see very well, she couldn’t stand up straight, her head constantly hurt. So we were there to invite her to church and share the gospel with her. Her story shook me up emotionally. She is a believer but she cannot go to church because of the long walk. We sang Good Good Father to her in Spanish, prayed with her and read the bible with her. Her faith in the Lord was so strong, it made me question my own faith. With everything going on health wise in her life, she has never given up on the Lord. She knows she has a place in heaven waiting on her. While we were singing I kneeled down, tears running down my face, grabbed her hand and prayed for her. We all had to prepare a sermon to preach while we are here. I did mine on faith.
As our journey here comes to an end, I have mixed emotions. I am excited to go home and share my experience with everyone and give hugs to family and friends but I also feel as though this place is my home now. Walking the dirt roads and seeing kids play and even the dogs barking at 6am EVERY morning, is what I’m going to miss. The people here were very welcoming to us and never were we in any danger. I am still in search of why God led me on this trip but it could be as simple as He wanted me to learn to fully trust in Him and know He is our almighty God. There is nothing to fear when He is on our side.
