back to Our Walk of Faith
Sunday, February 10th
We went to mass this morning with Cémida...the choice of texts was pretty powerful...Genesis 3--the fall of man and Romans 5--death through Adam, Life through Christ. I'll be reflecting on those passages for a while!!
We worked on the internet for about 5 hours this afternoon! We are still weeks behind...God knows though...He'll provide more time when it's His right time.
On our way back to the hotel, someone grabbed on to my daypack. It scared me at first, but when I turned around, I realized that it was Dennis! She was back from taking care of her mom in Tanela and was visiting a friend in Turbo! What a surprise!! We chatted with her for a little bit before we went back to the hotel to pack up.
Cémida, Aunt Leo, Erika, and Francisco all gathered around, and we prayed for each of them. Then Francisco walked down the street to wait with us for the bus.
Monday, February 11th
We got to Medellin about 7 am. We prayed over David, and he pointed us in the direction that we needed to go. Off we went...we walked for about an hour until we found a park where we could sit and have our morning devotion. The people were so kind there. Everyone greeted us, and some people even stopped to talk. We walked on...most of the time we walked by the river today. We saw sights that would break your heart. Tons of homeless people live beside the river. We saw one lady trying to cook in a tin can. Another man was laying in a hole that was dug out in the river bank...he had a tarp covering the "doorway." Several guys were getting high. We offered the food that we had to the ones who spoke to us and encouraged them to seek God. Lots of them didn't want to talk.
We kept walking...pretty close to the edge of the city, Julio Cesar stopped to give us a ride for about a mile. On we walked...a little while later, there was a traffic jam. We were walking by when Rodrigo, Irina, and Lucas called out to us. They were going to Caldas today and wanted to know if we wanted a ride. Sounds good!! They were working, so none of them actually lived in Caldas. We walked into town and found a place to eat a late lunch. From there we went into town to see if we could find a hotel. We were told that it would be about $25 which we had in pesos (Colombian money). Well wrong...it was nearly $50 which we didn't have in pesos and they wouldn't take dollars. So we walked on. We sat in the park for awhile to read and pray. We decided that we would change some money and go from there. Ha! Well, in this town they don't change dollars to pesos in any of the banks! So God's got a plan. I wasn't sure what it was, but we were going to keep seeking Him.
We walked around some more. Still nothing...we found one other hotel, but it was for hourly rent, so we decided against that! We saw this older fellow who looked a little like Santa. We decided to ask him if he knew anywhere else we could stay. He didn't, but he took us to a store where the owner is a Christian. She didn't really know what to do with us...all of a sudden, school let out. We were surrounded by teenage boys asking a million questions. We enjoyed sharing testimony with them!! Oh, how we miss that age-group!!
While we were talking to them, an adult man, Elkin, started listening in and asking questions as well. After the kids left, Elkin stayed around. He wanted to hear some more...he also wanted us to come stay at his apartment, but his landlord wouldn't allow it. As it got a little later, his nephews--Robinson, Jhonathan, and Jarold came up. Elkin introduced them to us, and they went to ask their mom if we could stay with them. Not too long after that, their mom, Gladys came up. She was as sweet as she could be too! Then her sister, Mary, came over. All of us were just sitting out on the sidewalk in front of that lady's store. Gladys wanted to invite us to stay at her house, but she wasn't sure that it would be okay with her husband, Alfredo. He was the next person we met...he definitely did not want to talk to us and quickly walked away.
Before we realized it, we were completely alone again except for Mary. She shared that she was having some health problems. The reason that she was in Caldas was for a doctor's appointment. We prayed with her and talked with her a little more. Then we started saying our good-byes. We were exhausted from not having very much sleep, and it was really cold. We were going to see what else we could find. Just as we were about to leave, Alfredo and Gladys walked up. Alfredo invited us to stay the night at their house. We were shocked!!
We walked up to their house (Alfredo carried my pack for me.) and settled in to their living room. What a change. While Gladys and Mary were preparing supper, we had the opportunity to share a little with Alfredo. He's got some really mixed up beliefs...a lot of new age mumbo jumbo about opening up sensory levels in your brain and healing people with your good energy. Yikes! We were able to ask him where he found that information in the Bible and to encourage him to seek the answers that he was looking for in God's Word.
Tuesday, February 12th
We slept soooo good last night...we were exhausted! At breakfast, Alfredo asked if we wanted to stay another day! I honestly needed another day of rest, so we agreed to stay a little longer. We showed the boys the map and were able show them coins from other countries. They were intrigued. Then we played a game similar to Sorry! with them. Finally, Jhonathan and Robinson took us on a walking tour of their town. Its beautiful.
After the tour, we met up with Gladys and Elkin. They wanted us to meet their dad. So we walked over to his house...he sells bananas, mangos, and oranges to make his living. His little room was full of fruit!! Of course, he wanted us to sample some of it!! We prayed for him and his business, and we headed back to Alfredo and Gladys's house.
Wednesday, February 13th
We got an early start this morning. We understood that the majority of our walk would be uphill today. After walking about 2 hours, we ran into a family of 4--Rafael, Dellanira, Maria Estrella, and Jose. They were walking too...the story that they told us initially was that they were walking for the peace of Colombia. We walked with them for several hours. As we asked more questions their story changed. They told us that they were making a pilgrimage to a cathedral in Buga. Then they told us that they were going to visit family in Cali then in Pasto. We could really never get a good read about what they were doing or what they were after. We felt sad for Maria Estrella and Jose because they are children...their parents are responsible for the choices that they are making, but to drag their kids into it?? Plus the school year has begun and they aren't in school!
We ended up separating because their pace was a lot slower than ours. So many things didn't add up...I struggled to understand and put it all together. I prayed the entire time that we were walking. We stopped for lunch, and we kept praying for discernment for that family. We decided that if we saw them that we would get them lunch, but they never showed up.
We kept walking...about 1 mile from the next town, it started pouring down rain! Aaah! We were soaking wet, and it was freezing cold by the time that we made our way up to Altos de Mina. There was an open-air restuarant that we sat down in to wait out the rain. We ended up talking to Reynaldo (one of the guys who worked at the restaurant) for a while. At first, he didn't believe that we had walked there from the US. We kept talking to him and sharing a little more testimony, and eventually God convinced him that we were telling the truth. We changed clothes because the rain was not stopping! The manager, Alvaro, came over and started talking to us. He gave us supper, and we were just finishing up when he said, "Here comes a family that has been displaced by the guerrillas." We turned around and saw the family that we had been walking with except there was one other boy with them. We couldn't believe it. We explained that we had met them earlier today...but that the oldest boy hadn't been with them.
As the family came closer, the kids ran up to us, but the parents didn't speak to us at all. Apparently, the boy (about 13 years old) ran away from the home he was living in. He'd been walking with them a few hours. The family ended up getting a ride in a tractor trailor on down the road to the next town. The boy...well, we aren't exactly sure where he went. Chris gave him his gloves and I gave him the food that I had, but he didn't hang around.
Alvaro asked us if we wanted to stay the night in Caldas at a hotel...we would only be there just a few hours before we'd come back to the restaurant...Chris and I asked if we could just stay somewhere in Altos de Mina. He offered the floor of the restaurant. We told him that it would be fine...we had our sleeping bags, and we were pretty tired. That's when Alvaro started introducing us to the soldiers. This town has a military check point right on the road. About 40 soldiers live and work here to keep the guerillas under control. They would be patrolling the area all night (just like they do every night), but 2 of them would sleep at the restuarant with us. Another group patrols up above in the mountains and the last group sleeps so that they will be ready to take over tomorrow. Wow!! How exciting!! God has sent literal soldiers to encamp around us and protect us tonight!! We learned that the guerilla has planted mines everywhere up in the mountains around Medellin. They warned us to stay on the highway for our safety. Please be praying for Batallon Pedro Nel Ospina Compania Detonador. Here's the crew that was patrolling tonight. The other picture is of Soldier Escobar...he was one of the guys who slept in the restaurant to guard us.
Before Alvaro left, he put more coals in the stove to keep us warm all night. Reynaldo brought a mattress down for us to sleep on. We are going to be super warm tonight!
Thursday, February 14th--HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
This morning, the soldiers told us that they were going to help us get down the road. They were going to stop someone at the checkpoint and keep asking until someone was willing to take us down the road a ways. And that's just what they did after Alvaro fixed us a tasty breakfast!
The first guy that they stopped was on his way to Pereira, and he said that he'd be willing to carry us. As it turns out, Arbey hauls tomatoes from a town near Pereira to Medellin several days a week. Last night, he got very little sleep and was really tired!! So it worked out perfectly for him to have some company on the trip. He took us about 5 hours...it would have taken us 15 days to go that distance on foot. Amazing! Thanks for the Valentine's gift, God!
When Arbey dropped us out, we went into a gas station. We planned to go to the bathroom and change clothes. It was time for a date night, so we were going to see if we could spend a little time together. The last time we've had date night was at the beginning of October...the whole time we were in Turbo we just worked and minstered to Cémida and her family...no time for date night. But it's long over due!
Well, God had other plans...at the gas station, the guard, Jorge, came up to us. Chris explained to him what we were doing while I was in the bathroom. By the time I got back, Jorge was looking in the phone book for the number of a church. He was concerned about the route that we had chosen...apparently we have to pass through 2 cities that they guerillas are fighting for control of. He wanted us to meet this pastor and talk with him. We thanked Jorge for his concern and wrote down the church. We told him that if God opened the door we'd stop by there. We planned to walk on. Well, Jorge was adement that we needed to go to this church. Some of his buddies from the police department came by to get gas, and he introduced us to them. One of the guys was from El Chocó. He saw my t-shirt and asked me about it. We explained what we were doing, then he wanted to help us to. Before we knew what was going on, this guy and Jorge had flagged down a taxi and paid him to take us to this church.
The taxi driver has really been struggling with his faith, so Chris and I tried to encourage him. We told him that it's never too late to turn to God...as long as we are living, He's standing there with open arms. We got to the church and got out, and it looked like they were possibly having service tonight. We thought we were coming to office hours. As we explained the situation, we could tell that this wasn't going very well. They invited us inside, but no one wanted to talk to us. There was a small coffee shop, but we went to sit down outside which was the back of the church. An older lady was sitting there, so I started talking to her. She told me about the pain that she was having in her knee...arthritis. I started talking to her about the healing power that God has.
Then this older guy came up to us and asked us some questions. When we explained what we were doing, he wanted us to meet the pastor's sister. When we walked us to her, she met us with the coldest look that I've ever seen a human give to another person. She barely offered her hand and mumbled a greeting. We walked away as quickly as possible. I was tired, but I initially thought we were supposed to be at this church. Her attitude shocked me. I started crying. I understand that what we are doing isn't "normal," but I never expected to be treated like that in a church. I just thought it was spiritual warfare...that God wanted to do something big tonight in this service, but the devil wanted us to miss it. After I prayed a bit, God got me under control. The older lady was still sitting next to me. I started talking to her again. It appears that her daughter brought her here because this pastor does healings...the lady is at her wits end and she doesn't know what else to do. I felt such a burden for this woman. She's here looking for a man, but the only one she needs is Jesus.
Finally, one of the ushers came up to us to talk with us some more. When he learned that we were staying, he asked if he could put our bags away for us. Wow...a nice gesture. When we said, "Sure." He said, "l'll need to search your bags." We felt like criminals.
We went to church...it was completely off. The pastor did, however, open the Bible and read a passage about God being in the whisper. God's Word impacted my heart. The pastor went on some tirade after that about what he does isn't a show and that as he walked back and forth across the stage that Jehovah walked back and forth across the stage...but I had tuned him out by that point...I was just thanking God that He is always with us...we just have to listen to that still, small voice. He is there. It made me realize that when someone comes out of a church service where the Word of God has been read, and they say, "I didn't get anything out of the message today." The problem is really with them...I went into that service tonight seeking God, and His Word spoke to my heart...even though the man standing on stage was full of hot air. The pastor continued to put on a show of healing people, but you could clearly see the "invisible" ear piece in his ear and hear the way that they were distorting his voice.
I was glad that the service was over. When we were walking out, who did we see again, but the little old lady with her daughter and granddaughter. She was still in immense pain. I know now that we were probably at that church just to talk to her...maybe to pray for her, but I was too worried about the ushers going crazy on us for trying to pray for some one to even attempt to pray for her. I did tell her several passages of scripture to go home to read...and assured her that God did want to heal her. He just doesn't share His glory with anyone.
We had to wait for quite some time for someone to open the room where our bags were...then we made a bee-line out of there. We didn't know where to go, but we started wallking. I guess what I learned from tonight is that if someone comes to my church in the future...I hope I make them feel welcome. I understand that a lot of people try to take advantage of churches...my dad's a preacher...we heard all kinds of sob stories that may or may not have been true while I was growing up. The thing is, we weren't asking for anything. We were sent there, realized there was a service, and thought it would be an opportunity to worship the Lord.
While we were sitting in a bakery, my parents called. They wished us a happy Valentine's day and prayed for us. From there, a man pointed us to a hotel. It was pretty sketchy, but at that hour of night, we weren't sure what other option we had. After we had paid for the room and were getting ready for bed, we realized that this wasn't a place people came to sleep. I was upset, and Chris was frustrated. What else could we do? I was exhausted and cried myself to sleep. Before I drifted off, Chris said, "We're getting on a plane and flying home tomorrow." I really didn't care at that point.
Friday, February 15th
We prayed for a long time this morning. We realized that we've made some pretty poor choices in the last little bit. We had started making decisions based on how much money Chris had in his wallet instead of based on knowing that God will provide for us. We also have taken very little time for us as a couple. Chris is my best friend...we do everything together, but the focus is never on us...it's always on how we can serve others. That's really important to serve others and to work together side by side, but we have to serve each other as well...at least sometimes. We prayed some more and asked God to forgive us for doubting His ability to provide and for neglecting the first ministry He'd given us...our marriage.
We made some decisions today. We would do the things we'd normally do...buy a phone card, check e-mail, eat 3 meals a day, and when we had to stay in a hotel, only stay in ones that didn't have to worry about getting a disease while we were there. When the resources run out, we'll go home. If God wants us to make it to Peru, He'll provide. If he wants us to go home before that, the money will run out. Either way, we are in His will, and that's where we want to be. It's not our reputation that's on the line, it's His and we want Him to received ALL of the glory. Second decision, it was time for date day. We are going to eat lunch and supper together, play cards, and make each other laugh...enjoy being together without thinking about anything else. We walked until we found a hotel that had hot water...the first hot shower since October!! The lady even let us borrow the washer and dryer so that we could wash our clothes! What a great day! We were just together...us and the Holy Spirit.
Now we are ready for whatever God has for us tomorrow...we just needed to readjust our grip on Him! I know He'll provide. We're going to make it to Peru...I'm not sure how, but He's big enough to do anything!! Bet you're excited to hear the rest of the story!! We'll be in touch again soon! God bless you and keep you! We love you! Keep walking for Jesus!
We went to mass this morning with Cémida...the choice of texts was pretty powerful...Genesis 3--the fall of man and Romans 5--death through Adam, Life through Christ. I'll be reflecting on those passages for a while!!
We worked on the internet for about 5 hours this afternoon! We are still weeks behind...God knows though...He'll provide more time when it's His right time.
On our way back to the hotel, someone grabbed on to my daypack. It scared me at first, but when I turned around, I realized that it was Dennis! She was back from taking care of her mom in Tanela and was visiting a friend in Turbo! What a surprise!! We chatted with her for a little bit before we went back to the hotel to pack up.
Cémida, Aunt Leo, Erika, and Francisco all gathered around, and we prayed for each of them. Then Francisco walked down the street to wait with us for the bus.
Monday, February 11th
We got to Medellin about 7 am. We prayed over David, and he pointed us in the direction that we needed to go. Off we went...we walked for about an hour until we found a park where we could sit and have our morning devotion. The people were so kind there. Everyone greeted us, and some people even stopped to talk. We walked on...most of the time we walked by the river today. We saw sights that would break your heart. Tons of homeless people live beside the river. We saw one lady trying to cook in a tin can. Another man was laying in a hole that was dug out in the river bank...he had a tarp covering the "doorway." Several guys were getting high. We offered the food that we had to the ones who spoke to us and encouraged them to seek God. Lots of them didn't want to talk.
We kept walking...pretty close to the edge of the city, Julio Cesar stopped to give us a ride for about a mile. On we walked...a little while later, there was a traffic jam. We were walking by when Rodrigo, Irina, and Lucas called out to us. They were going to Caldas today and wanted to know if we wanted a ride. Sounds good!! They were working, so none of them actually lived in Caldas. We walked into town and found a place to eat a late lunch. From there we went into town to see if we could find a hotel. We were told that it would be about $25 which we had in pesos (Colombian money). Well wrong...it was nearly $50 which we didn't have in pesos and they wouldn't take dollars. So we walked on. We sat in the park for awhile to read and pray. We decided that we would change some money and go from there. Ha! Well, in this town they don't change dollars to pesos in any of the banks! So God's got a plan. I wasn't sure what it was, but we were going to keep seeking Him.
We walked around some more. Still nothing...we found one other hotel, but it was for hourly rent, so we decided against that! We saw this older fellow who looked a little like Santa. We decided to ask him if he knew anywhere else we could stay. He didn't, but he took us to a store where the owner is a Christian. She didn't really know what to do with us...all of a sudden, school let out. We were surrounded by teenage boys asking a million questions. We enjoyed sharing testimony with them!! Oh, how we miss that age-group!!
While we were talking to them, an adult man, Elkin, started listening in and asking questions as well. After the kids left, Elkin stayed around. He wanted to hear some more...he also wanted us to come stay at his apartment, but his landlord wouldn't allow it. As it got a little later, his nephews--Robinson, Jhonathan, and Jarold came up. Elkin introduced them to us, and they went to ask their mom if we could stay with them. Not too long after that, their mom, Gladys came up. She was as sweet as she could be too! Then her sister, Mary, came over. All of us were just sitting out on the sidewalk in front of that lady's store. Gladys wanted to invite us to stay at her house, but she wasn't sure that it would be okay with her husband, Alfredo. He was the next person we met...he definitely did not want to talk to us and quickly walked away.
Before we realized it, we were completely alone again except for Mary. She shared that she was having some health problems. The reason that she was in Caldas was for a doctor's appointment. We prayed with her and talked with her a little more. Then we started saying our good-byes. We were exhausted from not having very much sleep, and it was really cold. We were going to see what else we could find. Just as we were about to leave, Alfredo and Gladys walked up. Alfredo invited us to stay the night at their house. We were shocked!!
We walked up to their house (Alfredo carried my pack for me.) and settled in to their living room. What a change. While Gladys and Mary were preparing supper, we had the opportunity to share a little with Alfredo. He's got some really mixed up beliefs...a lot of new age mumbo jumbo about opening up sensory levels in your brain and healing people with your good energy. Yikes! We were able to ask him where he found that information in the Bible and to encourage him to seek the answers that he was looking for in God's Word.
Tuesday, February 12th
We slept soooo good last night...we were exhausted! At breakfast, Alfredo asked if we wanted to stay another day! I honestly needed another day of rest, so we agreed to stay a little longer. We showed the boys the map and were able show them coins from other countries. They were intrigued. Then we played a game similar to Sorry! with them. Finally, Jhonathan and Robinson took us on a walking tour of their town. Its beautiful.
After the tour, we met up with Gladys and Elkin. They wanted us to meet their dad. So we walked over to his house...he sells bananas, mangos, and oranges to make his living. His little room was full of fruit!! Of course, he wanted us to sample some of it!! We prayed for him and his business, and we headed back to Alfredo and Gladys's house.
Wednesday, February 13th
We got an early start this morning. We understood that the majority of our walk would be uphill today. After walking about 2 hours, we ran into a family of 4--Rafael, Dellanira, Maria Estrella, and Jose. They were walking too...the story that they told us initially was that they were walking for the peace of Colombia. We walked with them for several hours. As we asked more questions their story changed. They told us that they were making a pilgrimage to a cathedral in Buga. Then they told us that they were going to visit family in Cali then in Pasto. We could really never get a good read about what they were doing or what they were after. We felt sad for Maria Estrella and Jose because they are children...their parents are responsible for the choices that they are making, but to drag their kids into it?? Plus the school year has begun and they aren't in school!
We ended up separating because their pace was a lot slower than ours. So many things didn't add up...I struggled to understand and put it all together. I prayed the entire time that we were walking. We stopped for lunch, and we kept praying for discernment for that family. We decided that if we saw them that we would get them lunch, but they never showed up.
We kept walking...about 1 mile from the next town, it started pouring down rain! Aaah! We were soaking wet, and it was freezing cold by the time that we made our way up to Altos de Mina. There was an open-air restuarant that we sat down in to wait out the rain. We ended up talking to Reynaldo (one of the guys who worked at the restaurant) for a while. At first, he didn't believe that we had walked there from the US. We kept talking to him and sharing a little more testimony, and eventually God convinced him that we were telling the truth. We changed clothes because the rain was not stopping! The manager, Alvaro, came over and started talking to us. He gave us supper, and we were just finishing up when he said, "Here comes a family that has been displaced by the guerrillas." We turned around and saw the family that we had been walking with except there was one other boy with them. We couldn't believe it. We explained that we had met them earlier today...but that the oldest boy hadn't been with them.
As the family came closer, the kids ran up to us, but the parents didn't speak to us at all. Apparently, the boy (about 13 years old) ran away from the home he was living in. He'd been walking with them a few hours. The family ended up getting a ride in a tractor trailor on down the road to the next town. The boy...well, we aren't exactly sure where he went. Chris gave him his gloves and I gave him the food that I had, but he didn't hang around.
Alvaro asked us if we wanted to stay the night in Caldas at a hotel...we would only be there just a few hours before we'd come back to the restaurant...Chris and I asked if we could just stay somewhere in Altos de Mina. He offered the floor of the restaurant. We told him that it would be fine...we had our sleeping bags, and we were pretty tired. That's when Alvaro started introducing us to the soldiers. This town has a military check point right on the road. About 40 soldiers live and work here to keep the guerillas under control. They would be patrolling the area all night (just like they do every night), but 2 of them would sleep at the restuarant with us. Another group patrols up above in the mountains and the last group sleeps so that they will be ready to take over tomorrow. Wow!! How exciting!! God has sent literal soldiers to encamp around us and protect us tonight!! We learned that the guerilla has planted mines everywhere up in the mountains around Medellin. They warned us to stay on the highway for our safety. Please be praying for Batallon Pedro Nel Ospina Compania Detonador. Here's the crew that was patrolling tonight. The other picture is of Soldier Escobar...he was one of the guys who slept in the restaurant to guard us.
Before Alvaro left, he put more coals in the stove to keep us warm all night. Reynaldo brought a mattress down for us to sleep on. We are going to be super warm tonight!
Thursday, February 14th--HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
This morning, the soldiers told us that they were going to help us get down the road. They were going to stop someone at the checkpoint and keep asking until someone was willing to take us down the road a ways. And that's just what they did after Alvaro fixed us a tasty breakfast!
The first guy that they stopped was on his way to Pereira, and he said that he'd be willing to carry us. As it turns out, Arbey hauls tomatoes from a town near Pereira to Medellin several days a week. Last night, he got very little sleep and was really tired!! So it worked out perfectly for him to have some company on the trip. He took us about 5 hours...it would have taken us 15 days to go that distance on foot. Amazing! Thanks for the Valentine's gift, God!
When Arbey dropped us out, we went into a gas station. We planned to go to the bathroom and change clothes. It was time for a date night, so we were going to see if we could spend a little time together. The last time we've had date night was at the beginning of October...the whole time we were in Turbo we just worked and minstered to Cémida and her family...no time for date night. But it's long over due!
Well, God had other plans...at the gas station, the guard, Jorge, came up to us. Chris explained to him what we were doing while I was in the bathroom. By the time I got back, Jorge was looking in the phone book for the number of a church. He was concerned about the route that we had chosen...apparently we have to pass through 2 cities that they guerillas are fighting for control of. He wanted us to meet this pastor and talk with him. We thanked Jorge for his concern and wrote down the church. We told him that if God opened the door we'd stop by there. We planned to walk on. Well, Jorge was adement that we needed to go to this church. Some of his buddies from the police department came by to get gas, and he introduced us to them. One of the guys was from El Chocó. He saw my t-shirt and asked me about it. We explained what we were doing, then he wanted to help us to. Before we knew what was going on, this guy and Jorge had flagged down a taxi and paid him to take us to this church.
The taxi driver has really been struggling with his faith, so Chris and I tried to encourage him. We told him that it's never too late to turn to God...as long as we are living, He's standing there with open arms. We got to the church and got out, and it looked like they were possibly having service tonight. We thought we were coming to office hours. As we explained the situation, we could tell that this wasn't going very well. They invited us inside, but no one wanted to talk to us. There was a small coffee shop, but we went to sit down outside which was the back of the church. An older lady was sitting there, so I started talking to her. She told me about the pain that she was having in her knee...arthritis. I started talking to her about the healing power that God has.
Then this older guy came up to us and asked us some questions. When we explained what we were doing, he wanted us to meet the pastor's sister. When we walked us to her, she met us with the coldest look that I've ever seen a human give to another person. She barely offered her hand and mumbled a greeting. We walked away as quickly as possible. I was tired, but I initially thought we were supposed to be at this church. Her attitude shocked me. I started crying. I understand that what we are doing isn't "normal," but I never expected to be treated like that in a church. I just thought it was spiritual warfare...that God wanted to do something big tonight in this service, but the devil wanted us to miss it. After I prayed a bit, God got me under control. The older lady was still sitting next to me. I started talking to her again. It appears that her daughter brought her here because this pastor does healings...the lady is at her wits end and she doesn't know what else to do. I felt such a burden for this woman. She's here looking for a man, but the only one she needs is Jesus.
Finally, one of the ushers came up to us to talk with us some more. When he learned that we were staying, he asked if he could put our bags away for us. Wow...a nice gesture. When we said, "Sure." He said, "l'll need to search your bags." We felt like criminals.
We went to church...it was completely off. The pastor did, however, open the Bible and read a passage about God being in the whisper. God's Word impacted my heart. The pastor went on some tirade after that about what he does isn't a show and that as he walked back and forth across the stage that Jehovah walked back and forth across the stage...but I had tuned him out by that point...I was just thanking God that He is always with us...we just have to listen to that still, small voice. He is there. It made me realize that when someone comes out of a church service where the Word of God has been read, and they say, "I didn't get anything out of the message today." The problem is really with them...I went into that service tonight seeking God, and His Word spoke to my heart...even though the man standing on stage was full of hot air. The pastor continued to put on a show of healing people, but you could clearly see the "invisible" ear piece in his ear and hear the way that they were distorting his voice.
I was glad that the service was over. When we were walking out, who did we see again, but the little old lady with her daughter and granddaughter. She was still in immense pain. I know now that we were probably at that church just to talk to her...maybe to pray for her, but I was too worried about the ushers going crazy on us for trying to pray for some one to even attempt to pray for her. I did tell her several passages of scripture to go home to read...and assured her that God did want to heal her. He just doesn't share His glory with anyone.
We had to wait for quite some time for someone to open the room where our bags were...then we made a bee-line out of there. We didn't know where to go, but we started wallking. I guess what I learned from tonight is that if someone comes to my church in the future...I hope I make them feel welcome. I understand that a lot of people try to take advantage of churches...my dad's a preacher...we heard all kinds of sob stories that may or may not have been true while I was growing up. The thing is, we weren't asking for anything. We were sent there, realized there was a service, and thought it would be an opportunity to worship the Lord.
While we were sitting in a bakery, my parents called. They wished us a happy Valentine's day and prayed for us. From there, a man pointed us to a hotel. It was pretty sketchy, but at that hour of night, we weren't sure what other option we had. After we had paid for the room and were getting ready for bed, we realized that this wasn't a place people came to sleep. I was upset, and Chris was frustrated. What else could we do? I was exhausted and cried myself to sleep. Before I drifted off, Chris said, "We're getting on a plane and flying home tomorrow." I really didn't care at that point.
Friday, February 15th
We prayed for a long time this morning. We realized that we've made some pretty poor choices in the last little bit. We had started making decisions based on how much money Chris had in his wallet instead of based on knowing that God will provide for us. We also have taken very little time for us as a couple. Chris is my best friend...we do everything together, but the focus is never on us...it's always on how we can serve others. That's really important to serve others and to work together side by side, but we have to serve each other as well...at least sometimes. We prayed some more and asked God to forgive us for doubting His ability to provide and for neglecting the first ministry He'd given us...our marriage.
We made some decisions today. We would do the things we'd normally do...buy a phone card, check e-mail, eat 3 meals a day, and when we had to stay in a hotel, only stay in ones that didn't have to worry about getting a disease while we were there. When the resources run out, we'll go home. If God wants us to make it to Peru, He'll provide. If he wants us to go home before that, the money will run out. Either way, we are in His will, and that's where we want to be. It's not our reputation that's on the line, it's His and we want Him to received ALL of the glory. Second decision, it was time for date day. We are going to eat lunch and supper together, play cards, and make each other laugh...enjoy being together without thinking about anything else. We walked until we found a hotel that had hot water...the first hot shower since October!! The lady even let us borrow the washer and dryer so that we could wash our clothes! What a great day! We were just together...us and the Holy Spirit.
Now we are ready for whatever God has for us tomorrow...we just needed to readjust our grip on Him! I know He'll provide. We're going to make it to Peru...I'm not sure how, but He's big enough to do anything!! Bet you're excited to hear the rest of the story!! We'll be in touch again soon! God bless you and keep you! We love you! Keep walking for Jesus!
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