Just a Note

...When are you coming back home? What are you going to do? You have any ideas of where you will go next?...

For the longest time, I was answering questions like these with simply saying ,”I really don’t know.” But there comes a time when everyone must answer these life questions. I’ve always liked to have a plan, but more and more I’m beginning to realize that sometimes I plan to take the place of my lack of trust in the Lord.

My inability to make plans is because I have become content in my life here. The moment when Jhonatan (for instance) walks in my room with nothing on his bottom holding his pants in the air proudly proclaiming that he had peed in his pants, are moments when I smile and say, ”what would I do with out these little kids running around me?” My contentment grows as I am able to communicate and make more relationships.

I pray more and more for God’s heart and more wisdom, discernment, and patience when the children throw fits.

Back to the questions, I can finally answer a few. I will arrive states side June thirteenth for at least two months. In all truth, I want to return to Peru after that time, but I am not yet clear on all that. For now I just trust that God will reveal to me what he wants me to do in his time.

While I’m in the states I want to focus on visiting friends, family, and churches. But other than that I’ll probably look into colleges and see what options I have, but to be honest, my heart is not in the college scene yet and I know that when June roles around I will find it hard to part with these little ones who have found their ways in my life. 

Plans seem like writing in the sand, because one wave of doubt can wipe it away. I try not to be the undecided type, but I want to do what God wants me to do. In His time he will make it clearer, but I know I will never receive that five year plan that everyone tends to mention.

          Your sister in Christ,

           

              Melissa Lawrence

Dance Class

Elizabeth and I decked out to dance

“Let’s go see how much it is.” Elizabeth encouraged. We had been walking in the center and she had been talking about taking dance class. We saw a sign for the Marinera studio and had stood there talking about how cool it would be if we began learning this traditional dance of Peru. So we asked and it only cost five soles per class. That is about equal to two and a half dollars.

  

Reasons of why we joined the class were that we needed a hobby to get out of the house, we would meet new people, and we would integrate more into the culture of Peru. Great reasons, Right? What ever the reasons, we jumped in on it. At first I was unsure, because I had never done anything like it before, but after a month of lesions, I really did enjoy it. March second we had our first dance recital. We hoped we wouldn’t falter in front of all those Peruvians and what a disaster it would have been if we would have had to stop in the middle to put our hands up in the air as if to say, ”I don’t know what I’m suppose to do next”.

My recital dance partner

We stood in our dresses waiting for our turn. Our nerves were on edge and to top it off, with an unusual clap of thunder and heavy rain (well unusual and heavy for Tacna, Peru) our hair was frizzy and everything else wet. A little girl had slipped on the court in the middle of her recital, which really made us all the more nervous. The rain stopped and a rainbow revealed itself in the sky above the court (another miracle for Tacna, Peru). The court had just enough time to dry as we began our recitals.
 Different things ran through my head as I danced: smile, hips, legs, dress, etc.(There is a lot to remember) but we finished, both proud of what we had accomplished.

I debated for the longest time if I should continue, and I have decided that this hobby is needed and something I really enjoy. I just bought a skirt this week and in two more months of classes I could begin to get good at it.

Our Mariner Dance Fan club

So I have continues the dance classes. I would like to think I have gotten much better at it. Once my dance instructor was teaching me how to walk in the first part of the song. Well its not a walk. It is a strut, that thing that girls to to get a mans attention while walking down the street. She starts moving her hips, shoulders, and  head a seductive way while walking. So my dance instructor notice how "stiff" I was and started to teach my how. Apparently they don't run into many people here in Latin America who don't know how to use their hips, because she asked me,"Do people in the United States really not know how to strut?" Our answer was that it depends on how we were raised. Elizabeth had many laughs watching me learn how to strut. 

I didn't realize how physically demanding the Marinera was either. The professionals do it so elegantly with smiles on their faces. My face tend to exhibit many different expressions: The real smile when I have just recovered from a disgraceful fall, The fake smile when I remember I am suppose to smile, The awkward grin when I had just messed up, the purse your lips focus face, and the ever attractive open mouth focus face. And to add on top of it all our instructor yells the three same things over and over again," Hips!", "lean, lean lean!", "Don't look at the floor!" 

All in all I really enjoy dancing and now that it is getting cold here we are well warmed up after our class to feel it.

Blessings From The God Who Loves Me

In tears I sat on my bed with doubts and frustrations. This "mission trip" was more than I expected. I was homesick for the hugs and kisses of my parents and was "overwhelmed" by the constant work and demand. I went through this rough patch in mid October.

I had been reading a book about how God desires for us to pray specific prayers. I was in the mood to test that idea. I had no doubt that God loved me and wanted to give me more of him. So, I sat there on that bed and said,"Ok God, I know you desire for us to pray prayers that are specific. Prayers that only you could answer and would not happen by chance. So, you know I have a very special desire. More than anything you know that I would love to have my parents come and visit me. Even if it is right before I leave, would you send them here to see my ministry. So, In faith I pray that you will send my parents here to visit me before I leave. I don't know how or when, but I will wait for them to come."

We Will Go 2012 Peru team in Jackson Airport

Little did I know that that prayer would set in motion a change in my ministry. A week later I traveled with Kim Bridges to Arica, Chile for a day. On our way, Mrs. Kim told me that We Will Go ministries, in Jackson, MS was really trying to encourage my parents to come and visit with their team. She said that on the phone my mom began to cry and said," I want to come. Even if Tim doesn't go with me, I want to go." My mom began the passport process and with the encouragement of Amy Lancaster at We Will Go in Jackson, didn't give up when it seemed that the odds where against the entire thing. My dad struggled the most with stepping out on faith. He said,"I want to go, but I don't have my passport... We don't have the money... I have to find someone and pay them to fill in for me in the pulpit on that Sunday" But God had that all taken care of too.  In less than two months God provided every penny for both of my parents to go, and the Sims Family, who had just returned from missions school(Iris Ministries) in Mozambique, volunteered to speak the Sunday my Dad would be away without pay.

Giving the best Hug to my Dad

December fourteenth I stood at the Tacna Airport pointing out the figures of my parents inside the baggage claim twenty yards away. My excitement was so great. Two nights before I had a dream about them and how when they came they were sleeping, but awoke as I gave each of them a hug.  Jesus was going to wake them up from something while they were here. when I saw momma I ran and gave her the longest hug ever. I knew I would cry. Both my parent wept when we hugged. I couldn't stay off of them because I missed their loving touch so much the past six months.

Blessing from The God who loves me

That week was so full activities and my parents struggled with the constant movement.  To say the least they both had different ideas and struggled with  different things. Their week here was not just about coming to visit me, God was working in their hearts. I may be the first missionary in my family but I was not the first called to be a missionary. My mom was called to be a missionary at sixteen, but didn't ever get to it. That was her dream and God was bringing her back to that seemingly lost dream through me. I learned a lot about my parents and God worked in all of us.

That same week I was beginning to worry about the month ahead. Elizabeth Froeberg was leaving to spend a month with her family in the States. I was going to be the only intern and was struggling about how much harder I would have to work (My flesh was  discouraging me). I tell you the truth, I prayed so much this month through just about everything that came. This was the best month of ministry I  have had. I don't know how to explain it, but God has changed something inside of me. My Joy is greater and My Love is wider for these Kids. I can't explain it but that God was working in me. Before I was sort of waiting to go back, but now I can't imagine leaving these kids. I can truly say that when one of these seven little ones has to leave, my heart will break.

I would like to finish this post with the story of one of our boys. Piero is six years old (almost seven). When he arrived with his little sister, we had to be on guard every moment. Piero had witnessed his dad stabbing his mom with knife and had little help to cope with that. To say the least he was bothered by everyone and everything and we had to keep a close eye on him because of how violent he was. More than once he threatened to kill himself. At one point I was angry about what all he had been through that brought him to this point. I was angry that Satan thought that he could attack this boy so much that he would consider killing himself at six years old. We have been in constant prayer for the past three months and knew that Jesus was going to do something great in this little boy. With discipline, prayer, and love Jesus was going to change his heart. Today he is completely different. We don't have worry about him killing himself or hurting one of the other kids. And he simply loves the Kid's Bibles. One night as I was praying for he and his little sister before they went to sleep, he said quite randomly," Tia, I want to be a prophet." and I said," You know with Jesus all of us can prophecy, but Jesus said that if we don't have love it is nothing." A few minutes later as I was kissing them goodnight He said," Tia, I want to be a pastor of sheep." A few weeks later Sister Paula was talking with him and he said," Tia, I want to wear new cloths" Based on what they were talking about before, that stemmed from something spiritual. He is a little pastor and helper. I just pray that When he goes back to live with his mom, that God will continue the work in his heart.  And that all of the progress that he has made will not be lost.

The Bridges Family, Sister Flora (one of our moms), Our precious seven little ones, and I

"And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and every. Amen" Ephesians 3:19-21