Another day...

It is Friday night here in Lima. The air temperature is just right when the wind blows. I am sitting on the roof of a friend's house so I can soak it all in...the air temperature, the sounds of the city, the full moon that is resting in the sky above me. After wringing out the water from several articles of clothing I just hand washed and then hanging them up to air dry, I found myself appreciative of the view the roof offered...the life here in Lima....the way of life, that is. The people here are not too different than me, but then again they are...I appreciate that and continue to wonder how my life will fit into theirs, especially as I am about to make the 'big move' to the village I will be in for the next month. It is crazy to think, though, that I have been in Lima for two and a half weeks already. What will life in the village be like?

I haven't posted in a little while. In the time passing from the last post I made and now, a lot has kind of shifted for me. Let me share. I found out who my team mates will be and where we were going...which has changed two more times from my original idea of what was going to happen. It was emotional for me the day we determined the teams and announced it. Anxiety and apprehension and fear started to overwhelm me for some reason...fearful of what the negative outcome of what it will be like being the lone female on my team for a month...but then I am reminded of what a super neat opportunity this is to CLING to my Father and draw intimately close with Him. Oh- the latter is the cry of my heart. So- I am headed with Arturo (a very good teacher and translator) and Vinnie B to a village that apparently has a lot of green olives! I am most interested in seeing how the Lord uses this team in the village we're going to...and how He changes us through this next month.

I was able to meet with a woman today- one of the J-girls. We talked for a few hours over our meal at Crepes and Waffles. The Lord is good. I most certainly needed the time of open conversation with a woman of God who would be real with me...who would hear me out...who would offer words of encouragement...who understood my heart because she has been or is in the same place. We both know the Lord is aware of where we are and who we are...we both declare the Lord is good. ..we both desire to see what the Lord is going to continue to do in each of our lives. (Those statements sound so generic, but the reality is those statements came alive in the conversation I had with her today and It was sweet to my spirit.)

Sickness has occurred...I have some head congestion and nasal yuck..A few days ago I woke up with an unusually sore throat. I sucked it up and did not say anything...figured it was from the air. Another day passed and my throat was sore...and then I lost my voice for two days. Not fun. And now I am at a place where I feel like crud...woke up this morning with a headache, congestion and just plain tired. My stomach has held up fine. I am now dealing with a cold or something that I did not quite expect. Go figure! Speaking of sickness. I had to make a hospital run with one of my girls. Everything is fine...it made for an interesting adventure at midnight, in Lima, with a stomach issue... We have laughed about it now.

Today I caught a taxi on my own. I worked through a tinge of fear of trying to travel alone in a foreign country with some level of a language barrier. My thoughts were: hope I can convey the correct place I want to go without him asking too many questions because I cannot quite understand the language when it is spoken unless it is slower (which doesn't happen!)-thankfully he did have an idea of where to take me; hope he doesn't try to rip me off because I am not spending more than 3 soles for this ride... (of course he asked for 4 and I told him I would give him 3, which he did accept)..I was successful at conquering those fears. I held my own, stayed calm, and had a pleasant ride. I even sparked up conversation with the man while he was driving- practicing the Spanish I do know.

Proverbs 3- read that yesterday and I really like it. I reread it today out loud to Solomon...I need to read it again. I also had an encouraging conversation with Blue about being chosen...and I was able to leave a handful of messages on people's answering machines today because people did not answer their phones today. I did talk with Maw and Natalie...that was good. I have a few other people to call...Skype is a great thing.

Prayer requests:

My heart is burdened for issues and people back home...I want to be diligent in praying for people back home, but I also don't want it to be a distraction. I think it is fine now...and I am not homesick or anything, but I don't necessarily know how it all is going to play out when I am more isolated in a matter of days.

Language learning to help communicate with the people of the village. I desire to be a good student of the language- studying, putting myself out there to practice, asking questions.

The Lord will draw me to Himself and I will follow Him...that the enemy's attempts to distract, deter, discourage me will all be thwarted...

Team morale as well all go four separate ways...being away from each other for a month and then regrouping for a few days at the beginning of March...and our boss/supervisor/fearless leader possibly coming out to see us.

We have a group of Fusion folks in Haiti..and that means the group in Europe is split up...