Several days prior to our departure, I was a little worried about the plane ride to Peru. It was going to be a 6 hour flight. Now I’m usually not a very good passenger. I am usually terrified of flying with panic attacks and feeling sick. I usually have to sit next to the window so that I don’t feel closed in, concentrate on my breathing, get a lot of cool air blowing on me, and do a whole lot of praying. I can say without a doubt that I felt the presence of God during the entire trip because this time I had no doubts or fears what-so-ever going to Peru or coming back. I never did get to sit next to the window. I had the middle seat both ways. There were no panic moments, just a feeling of great peace even during the turbulence that we ran into on our way to Peru while flying over the ocean.
Mira Flores was a beautiful place to be, nestled up against the ocean. The homes and apartment buildings were nice and clean with beautiful flowers and trees surrounding them. You could walk to almost any where you wanted to go and the weather was absolutely wonderful.
As we left Mira Flores going towards the orphanage, the view took a drastic change. The trees disappeared as well as the beautiful flowers. The closer we got to the orphanage, the less you saw until suddenly they were no more. All that was visible were the sandy hills and run down homes and businesses. There were rows and rows of small tiny homes with hardly a roof covering it lining the sides of the sandy hills. It was a sad sight, and made me very thankful for all that God has given me and my family.
In the middle of a small run down village sits the Comunidad de ninos Sagrada familia (Community of the children). When entering the gates of the orphanage on Sunday, I felt a greater presence of God. Miguel shared with us his story on how the orphanage began with the death of one of his children and one small act of kindness towards a child on the street in need. We toured the orphanage seeing the bakery, wood working shop, sewing room, kitchen, music room, and their homes or casas. I was just speechless. These children are learning a trade and family values in order to help them become responsible and prepared adults. During lunch I sat on a bench and sat at the feet of God in prayer. I was reminded of a verse: Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
The kids who are in the orphanage are there for many different reasons, some have escaped abusive situations, some were abandoned by their families yet, some were sent just to get an education. No matter what the reason, they are in a safe and secure environment where they are free to be happy and are cared for, and are loved. The doors are open to all children who need a place to stay. They are not turned away.
God is our strong tower and our refuge. The orphanage painted a beautiful picture of God wrapping His arms around us, protecting us from the enemy and the troubles that we may face in our lives. This past week, I felt God’s love, protection, peace, and comfort, and I wanted to just soak it all up.
I was asked to share the legend of the candy cane to the children. It was suppose to have happened on Friday. I was going to quickly tell the story and then give them all a candy cane of their own. However, on Tuesday, I was asked if I would tell the story starting on Wednesday and then again on Thursday. Sure, I said, no problem. I, one other person, and a translator went to the different casas on those two days telling of the legend of the candy cane. It was not a rushed time like it would have been on Friday, but rather a relaxed time. We even had time for questions. Now, I was prepared to answer questions about salvation, but I never imagined that I would be asked the questions that were asked during those two days. It seemed that each group of children had very similar questions. Here are some of the questions they asked:
What will happen at the end of time?
Who is the anti-Christ?
Where did the devil come from? Why did God not kill him?
Why, when God promised not to flood the earth, we still have floods?
How do we know if evolution or creation is true?
What is faith?
Who are God’s parents? Where did he come from?
Does God punish us or test us?
Now, in my studies over the years, I have gained knowledge on many of these subjects (glad I was paying attention). On any other day, I may have bulked at the questions, and said something like, “I will get back with you on that”, then go and read up on what I thought I knew. That did not happen this time. Everything that I have studied and learned came flooding back to me, and the Holy Spirit empowered me to answer the questions without hesitation. He also made sure that He had the right person with me at the right casa to help provide additional information for the questions asked. It was truly amazing. The children are searching for the truth. They are eager to know what the truth about God is.
As I sat on the bus going to and from the orphanage during the week, I noticed many people standing along side the road waiting. As I wondered what they were waiting for, I began to peer into their faces and into their eyes. What I saw saddened me deeply because a saw emptiness and hopelessness. I wondered if they were looking for the truth just as the children in the orphanage were; waiting for someone to tell them that God loves them and that He will provide them the hope that they are looking for. Suddenly, the faces of those waiting turned into very familiar faces. I saw this same look in the faces of people who I serve lunch to at the soup kitchen every Wednesday. The same look on the faces of some of the students that I worked with at school; and the same look on the faces of some of the people that I have passed by at a store or walking down a street. Those are the people that need to be shown the truth, to show them where they can find their hope. To tell them that God loves them and accepts them right where they are in life no matter what their circumstances are.
God tells us to “go” into all the earth and share the Gospel, the truth about Jesus. God has shown me that I do not have to go to Peru or other far away places to find people looking for hope that only God can give. When I step outside my front door, I step into “all the earth.” I have been reminded that the Spirit of God will empower me just as He did that week at the orphanage and that I must “follow Jesus” wherever he leads me.
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