So, I thought I came to Cusco to get my resident visa renewed. Apparently, God has other plans. Where do I even begin? I guess the beginning would help.
I got in to Cusco on Sunday and had a great time hanging out with Carrie and at the Meeting Place church. I also realized that Carrie's apartment is next door to another friend, D's apartment. I had lost my contacts and their numbers along with my cell phone in my purse when it got robbed. And I had no other way of contacting D except through her cell phone, so I thought that this time around and probably for ever, I will never see D again. And whaddaya know? God plunks me right next door to her. I wasn't even sure if she lived there still, if she had moved to another location or out of Peru all together. But heck, if I don't try, I will never know, so on Monday night, I walked to her apartment and stood outside calling out her name. There is no doorbell for her apartment. I saw a dog inside and I was like, she has cats, what is a dog doing there? Does she still live here? Then I saw her fridge and it was in the same position as before. I kept calling her name. As I was about to give up and walk back to Carrie's, D opened her window. All I will say is that night, D shared stuff with me that was way out of this world. I have known her for 3 or more years when we both taught English at Excel here in Cusco. And that night, she was different, and scared. What she shared with me blew me away and scared me for her sake. I shared God with her. I had tried so many times before but she would never want to listen. This time, she did. She even let me pray for her before I left her house. And she said she felt a lot calmer after we prayed. I left her apartment truly fearful for her and prayed for her that night. We set an appointment to meet up on Wednesday for lunch.
This morning, I felt to send her a text message to see how she was doing even though I knew I would meet her tomorrow. She called me to say she felt a lot better after we prayed and to thank me for thinking of her. I asked if I could drop by her house on my way back to Carrie's this evening. She said I could come by and walk the dog with her. I did and we walked to the park. She shared her heart like she never did before and God gave me wisdom to share Him with her. The Lord then asked me to ask her if she wanted to accept Him into her life and when I did, she said yes. This evening, March 22, 2011, D received the Lord into her heart and because I know her, you have no idea what a miracle this is. I am so amazed at how God works. Because you see, that was not the only miracle today.
I went out for lunch with another long time Cusco friend. He too, had never wanted to receive the Lord as he was never ready to give up things in his life. And for the past 3 years he has been seeing this girl and throughout the time I've been in Lima, he's been asking advice about his relationship with her amidst other conversation topics. So at lunch, it was normal to just ask how things were going for them. He shared and then I shared what God's design for marriage and relationships are. And then I told him about John and Stasi Eldredge's books on understanding the hearts of men and women and that maybe they both should read them to understand each other a little more. He was ready to run to the Christian bookstore to get the books right then and there. So we did and he bought 3 books including a Joyce Meyer book on how to control what words we release from our mouths and then asked me to recommend more books for later. In all of those books, the perspective is biblical and there are biblical references and verses and we all know that the Word of God never returns void. So all I could do was just watch how my God worked through the love this guy has for his girl to reach his heart and share His love for both of them. My friend said this to me later, "My mom told me that God had another purpose for you to meet me other than to just have lunch. She was right,". His mom is a Christian.
I have known these two friends for at least 4 years. It seemed that they would never yield to God. They were so into their own lives and were convinced they did not need God in their lives. It took this long for them to come to a point of readiness to receive Him and His word. I never thought I would see this day. I hoped it would happen but never thought I would see the fruit with my eyes. God can change a nation in one day, He can also work miracles in the hearts of people in a day. Never give up on the people who seem hardened against Him. Keep loving them, keep sharing the Word in love and in actions because you never know if today is the day you will see the miracle you have been praying for.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Just Another Day in Paradise.....NOT
So we decided to go to Ciudad for street ministry twice weekly now instead of once a week. I went today with Milagros and met up with Luis Enrique and his friends. I would like for you all to pray for him hard. He knows he needs to stop being a thief, needs to change his life around but the easy money traps him. And that is definitely no excuse for him not to change. He knew Jesus once and I know that Jesus is still pursuing him and I don't want him to go to prison. He almost went two times this past week. To one of the worst prisons in Peru, in San Juan de Lurigancho. I was like, "will you please quit what you're doing cos I don't want to come here and find out that you're in jail?" He gave me that look that said, "yeah, yeah, yeah".
I wanted him to know what it feels like to be a victim of robbery so I told him about my purse being stolen and how it felt after that. He was like, " I didn't do that, it wasn't me cos I don't still whole purses, just cell phones. Purses bog you down and are too hard on the elbows." I replied, "It wasn't you but I did think of you then and if it had been you, I would have... but I was in Rimac" to which he said,"What were you doing there? You shouldn't have been there anyways. It's dangerous!!" I had to try not to laugh at the irony of it.
They see as on equal footing as nuns and other volunteer workers, in that we're there to help them and to want better things for them. So they respect us and refer to us as "hermanitas" or "little sisters". Well, if they are lucid, that is. When they are high, it doesn't matter, you're just a blob standing in front of them. I learned today that it costs only 1 sole (about 30 cents) for 1 square (1 queso) of pasta which is cocaine sludge. There was a white guy buying weed (marijuana) out there today and he got super ripped off cos he didn't know the actual price. I was scared for him because he stood out, every one knew he's a foreigner and he was sweating profusely cos he was probably high already and he was putting himself in so much danger buying drugs out in the open and being high.
Met 2 new guys today. Luis and Jerson. Luis smokes pasta and Jerson is a thief who already spent 6 years in the jail in Lurigancho. He has a 11 year old daughter and Luis who is 21, has a 1.5 year old daughter. Jerson works with Luis Enrique and doesn't do drugs. Both said they want to change but then we'll see if they're serious or not. We asked about Roberth, Carla's husband, the 16 year old who was shot twice in the abdomen. He is fine and out of the hospital. Thank you Jesus. I made an appointment to start working with Luis and Jerson for counselling and teaching the Word for Saturday when we go out there next. Let's see if they are serious about changing their lives around.
So while we were talking to them, another robbery took place around the corner from us. I want to take pictures of them, of what goes around there but I can't. It would be just asking for it if I tried to take photos. Our guys might not steal from me, but there are others who do not know us and we would be fair game. Oscar and 2 other younger ones showed up for a short while, looking really bad, smelling of terokal fumes and just plain high. I saw Oscar last Friday when I was waiting for a bus and he was fine and normal, that was because he was not high at that time. I hate what these drugs do to them.
They think they're in control of the drugs and can quit any time they want to. I told Luis straight up that he is not in control of the drugs but that he is being controlled by them and if he was in control, then just walk away and leave it and see if he can do it for one day. He looked at me and the truth hit him. At the end of our time there he said we had brainwashed him and made him think. We told him it was the drugs that brainwash him, not us. We're just presenting the truth and that the only person who can really transform lives and ways of thinking is Jesus. I prayed for him at the end and he was like, "man,that was heavy".
Generally, they don't like me praying for them. I tell it like it is and ask God to make the drugs taste absolutely disgusting to them so that they can't even get anywhere near it. Please if you read this, pray for them, pray that they will encounter God supernaturally and get to know Him as Saviour and Lord and be set free from the addictions. And please pray that we will get more labourers and funding.
I wanted him to know what it feels like to be a victim of robbery so I told him about my purse being stolen and how it felt after that. He was like, " I didn't do that, it wasn't me cos I don't still whole purses, just cell phones. Purses bog you down and are too hard on the elbows." I replied, "It wasn't you but I did think of you then and if it had been you, I would have... but I was in Rimac" to which he said,"What were you doing there? You shouldn't have been there anyways. It's dangerous!!" I had to try not to laugh at the irony of it.
They see as on equal footing as nuns and other volunteer workers, in that we're there to help them and to want better things for them. So they respect us and refer to us as "hermanitas" or "little sisters". Well, if they are lucid, that is. When they are high, it doesn't matter, you're just a blob standing in front of them. I learned today that it costs only 1 sole (about 30 cents) for 1 square (1 queso) of pasta which is cocaine sludge. There was a white guy buying weed (marijuana) out there today and he got super ripped off cos he didn't know the actual price. I was scared for him because he stood out, every one knew he's a foreigner and he was sweating profusely cos he was probably high already and he was putting himself in so much danger buying drugs out in the open and being high.
Met 2 new guys today. Luis and Jerson. Luis smokes pasta and Jerson is a thief who already spent 6 years in the jail in Lurigancho. He has a 11 year old daughter and Luis who is 21, has a 1.5 year old daughter. Jerson works with Luis Enrique and doesn't do drugs. Both said they want to change but then we'll see if they're serious or not. We asked about Roberth, Carla's husband, the 16 year old who was shot twice in the abdomen. He is fine and out of the hospital. Thank you Jesus. I made an appointment to start working with Luis and Jerson for counselling and teaching the Word for Saturday when we go out there next. Let's see if they are serious about changing their lives around.
So while we were talking to them, another robbery took place around the corner from us. I want to take pictures of them, of what goes around there but I can't. It would be just asking for it if I tried to take photos. Our guys might not steal from me, but there are others who do not know us and we would be fair game. Oscar and 2 other younger ones showed up for a short while, looking really bad, smelling of terokal fumes and just plain high. I saw Oscar last Friday when I was waiting for a bus and he was fine and normal, that was because he was not high at that time. I hate what these drugs do to them.
They think they're in control of the drugs and can quit any time they want to. I told Luis straight up that he is not in control of the drugs but that he is being controlled by them and if he was in control, then just walk away and leave it and see if he can do it for one day. He looked at me and the truth hit him. At the end of our time there he said we had brainwashed him and made him think. We told him it was the drugs that brainwash him, not us. We're just presenting the truth and that the only person who can really transform lives and ways of thinking is Jesus. I prayed for him at the end and he was like, "man,that was heavy".
Generally, they don't like me praying for them. I tell it like it is and ask God to make the drugs taste absolutely disgusting to them so that they can't even get anywhere near it. Please if you read this, pray for them, pray that they will encounter God supernaturally and get to know Him as Saviour and Lord and be set free from the addictions. And please pray that we will get more labourers and funding.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Running Towards Danger
March 11, 2011. The earthquake of Sendai, Japan, the horror of everything as I watched on CNN, watched the water from the tsunami waves sweep everything in its path into the city. It looked so innocuous, like covering a piece of meat on your plate with a sauce but when one realizes that it was an entire city being covered completely by water and that the highways posed no barrier for the water to flow, it made me realize the immensity of the power of nature. It was hard to fathom, hard to imagine what people were going through there. Here in Peru, as I sat glued all morning to CNN English it was to find out selfishly, how the earthquake that killed so many across the Pacific would affect us here.
There were warnings of tsunamis, we were told not to go to the beach until further notice. CNN spoke of evacuations in Hawaii, California. My girl friends and I sat watching, each in her own home wanting to know what decision to make. You see, we had booked a bungalow two months ago on the grounds of the Scripture Union property at the beach. It was going to be a fun, relaxing time to get away from the busyness of our daily lives. And it was the exact weekend of the earthquake in Japan, and we were being warned to stay away from the beach. CNN had footage of the waves hitting Hawaii and they were 1and a half meters high and later, in California, about 1 meter or half a meter high. We made the decision to go as planned as we figured that by the time the waves hit the Peruvian coastline, it would be about 15 cm. We were the only crazy people going to the beach and when we got to the property, the guard at the gate asked if we knew about the warnings. Everyone had left, and others had cancelled their reservations. We, on the other hand were there, live and in person, waiting to enjoy ourselves at the pool and on the beach. In a nutshell, they thought we were absolutely nuts.
But then, they don't know us, people who fear only the One who can kill both our bodies and souls. We all felt a peace about being there and we were not letting anything stop us from being there. That first day, we hit the empty beach and took pictures. The beaches south of Lima during the summer are normally packed full of people, and here we were, the first 3 of 6 all by ourselves along with the birds on the beach. Later we had a time of worship in the bungalow and as we finished sharing about what God was and is doing in our lives, the lights went off. It was about the time the tsunami was to hit. The guards came and told us that the blackout was to get people out of their homes and close to the highway in case the tsunami hit and we needed to leave the bungalow. So, grabbing our essentials; Stella her laptop and flashlight, Carolina her cell phone and camera, me my huge purse and its entire contents we sauntered out to the gate. The greatest danger we faced that night was that one of the guards asked if we wanted to spend the night at his house in case the blackout went on all night long. We politely declined and said that we would be fine with out cell phones and the flashlight for light. We took pictures and laughed. Stella got eaten alive by mosquitos. The guards listened to the football game and Carolina put on her tunes from her cell phone to counteract the noise from the game, my mom called and laughed when she realized I was at the beach. That's when I realized that my mom loves my nephews more than I because she has stopped worrying about me. But then, I guess she knows me too well by now. If there ever is danger, there I will be, smack in the middle of it. And so we hung out waiting for the elusive tsunami until 9:30pm when Stella decided she had fed the mosquitos an entire meal of her blood and she was not going to put up with it anymore. Back at the bungalow we watched Mamma Mia on Stella's laptop. Then went to bed by cellphone light. Soooo romantic. LOL.
The next day we hung out at the beach until the other 3 girls showed up and then we stayed on at the beach and the pool. 1 private pool, 1 lap pool and an entire beach all to ourselves. How good can it get? It was fun. The waves were strong and high but who needed to go in the water when there were pools to go swimming in? We went into the town of Mala for lunch later and got some groceries for the dinner that night and breakfast and lunch the next day. There was going to be a wedding at the chapel on the grounds that night and we wanted to go and peep in on it and somewhere in the early evening we realized that the bridal party had rented the bungalow next to ours to get ready in. About 45 minutes before the wedding started, a key guest, one of the bride's attendants, was found standing in the middle of our living room asking if she could use our shower as their shower was occupied. We said yes and then later on, ended up helping her with her makeup and hair as well. That earned us invites to the wedding. So all 6 of us later on traipsed into the wedding, watched the vows, got to throw rice at the bride and groom. They invited us for the reception as well but we decided to decline and instead decided to have a bonfire and worship on the beach.
God spoke to all of us that night on the beach. Touching us, speaking to our hearts. It was a good time. Somewhere during those three days we made friends with a goat we named Edward as well. I fell off every piece of equipment at the Jungle Gym playground for kids. Swam laps after who knows how many years. It was a great time. It felt like a gift that God gave us, just us. Cleared out the place and gave us the time with each other, our own selves and Him.
I guess I do tend to run toward danger. I guess that is my life and more so now with the ministry I do as well. And only because my God is with me, He has gone before me and all I do is follow. I know if I had not felt a peace about it, I would not have gone. Safety is being in the center of His will for me, not in a place deemed as safe.
There were warnings of tsunamis, we were told not to go to the beach until further notice. CNN spoke of evacuations in Hawaii, California. My girl friends and I sat watching, each in her own home wanting to know what decision to make. You see, we had booked a bungalow two months ago on the grounds of the Scripture Union property at the beach. It was going to be a fun, relaxing time to get away from the busyness of our daily lives. And it was the exact weekend of the earthquake in Japan, and we were being warned to stay away from the beach. CNN had footage of the waves hitting Hawaii and they were 1and a half meters high and later, in California, about 1 meter or half a meter high. We made the decision to go as planned as we figured that by the time the waves hit the Peruvian coastline, it would be about 15 cm. We were the only crazy people going to the beach and when we got to the property, the guard at the gate asked if we knew about the warnings. Everyone had left, and others had cancelled their reservations. We, on the other hand were there, live and in person, waiting to enjoy ourselves at the pool and on the beach. In a nutshell, they thought we were absolutely nuts.
But then, they don't know us, people who fear only the One who can kill both our bodies and souls. We all felt a peace about being there and we were not letting anything stop us from being there. That first day, we hit the empty beach and took pictures. The beaches south of Lima during the summer are normally packed full of people, and here we were, the first 3 of 6 all by ourselves along with the birds on the beach. Later we had a time of worship in the bungalow and as we finished sharing about what God was and is doing in our lives, the lights went off. It was about the time the tsunami was to hit. The guards came and told us that the blackout was to get people out of their homes and close to the highway in case the tsunami hit and we needed to leave the bungalow. So, grabbing our essentials; Stella her laptop and flashlight, Carolina her cell phone and camera, me my huge purse and its entire contents we sauntered out to the gate. The greatest danger we faced that night was that one of the guards asked if we wanted to spend the night at his house in case the blackout went on all night long. We politely declined and said that we would be fine with out cell phones and the flashlight for light. We took pictures and laughed. Stella got eaten alive by mosquitos. The guards listened to the football game and Carolina put on her tunes from her cell phone to counteract the noise from the game, my mom called and laughed when she realized I was at the beach. That's when I realized that my mom loves my nephews more than I because she has stopped worrying about me. But then, I guess she knows me too well by now. If there ever is danger, there I will be, smack in the middle of it. And so we hung out waiting for the elusive tsunami until 9:30pm when Stella decided she had fed the mosquitos an entire meal of her blood and she was not going to put up with it anymore. Back at the bungalow we watched Mamma Mia on Stella's laptop. Then went to bed by cellphone light. Soooo romantic. LOL.
The next day we hung out at the beach until the other 3 girls showed up and then we stayed on at the beach and the pool. 1 private pool, 1 lap pool and an entire beach all to ourselves. How good can it get? It was fun. The waves were strong and high but who needed to go in the water when there were pools to go swimming in? We went into the town of Mala for lunch later and got some groceries for the dinner that night and breakfast and lunch the next day. There was going to be a wedding at the chapel on the grounds that night and we wanted to go and peep in on it and somewhere in the early evening we realized that the bridal party had rented the bungalow next to ours to get ready in. About 45 minutes before the wedding started, a key guest, one of the bride's attendants, was found standing in the middle of our living room asking if she could use our shower as their shower was occupied. We said yes and then later on, ended up helping her with her makeup and hair as well. That earned us invites to the wedding. So all 6 of us later on traipsed into the wedding, watched the vows, got to throw rice at the bride and groom. They invited us for the reception as well but we decided to decline and instead decided to have a bonfire and worship on the beach.
God spoke to all of us that night on the beach. Touching us, speaking to our hearts. It was a good time. Somewhere during those three days we made friends with a goat we named Edward as well. I fell off every piece of equipment at the Jungle Gym playground for kids. Swam laps after who knows how many years. It was a great time. It felt like a gift that God gave us, just us. Cleared out the place and gave us the time with each other, our own selves and Him.
I guess I do tend to run toward danger. I guess that is my life and more so now with the ministry I do as well. And only because my God is with me, He has gone before me and all I do is follow. I know if I had not felt a peace about it, I would not have gone. Safety is being in the center of His will for me, not in a place deemed as safe.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
It Finally Happened! And I am still Praising my God!!!!!
So, it finally happened. I got robbed big time today, on International Women's Day, in Rimac. I fought with the thief (he was around 16 -17 years old) for half a block and the most disgusting thing was that all the shop owners came out of their stores to watch and none of them helped me at all and I only lost to the thief when I fell cos my flip flops slid. A cop car came by I hopped into it and they took me around and tried to find the guy but he was long gone.
At the police station, it all hit me and I started shaking while filling out my information and the super sensitive cop looked at me and said, "what's the matter with you, can't you write properly?" I was like, "I am traumatized by what just happened to me and if you were even a little bit empathetic, you would understand or at least even get me some water!" "Oh water," he said and I yelled after him, "bottled water!" and he went and got me bottled water. He was nice after that and then he wanted to know what zodiac sign I was yada yada yada and why I was not married yet and so I told him I don't believ in zodiac signs and if he wants to he can pray for me to get married. We actually had a fun time talking after that. Anyways he got me to look at the mug shots in the system and that's a lot of use to me, the person who can't even recognize people who go to my church's faces! But what hit me most was that each face I saw on the screen cried out that they did not know Jesus. They were all lost and hopeless and futureles and I realized that I may have lost my stuff today and my bible which my mom gave me so long ago but I have eternal life and I have a future and a hope.
Then another smart cop came in and tried to take me to the tourist police station. By this time I was waiting for my friend to come and get me as his was the only number I was able to call since he had an office line and I could look that up through information. My contact list went with my cell phone too. So I told the smart cop that I was not going anywhere until my friend got there and I told him I am not a tourist, I am a resident with a Carnet de Extranjeria (which also went with my purse) and he was like, but the bottom line is you're a Canadian and we only deal with Peruvians. I was like, ok, then call me a foreigner and not a tourist because I am not a tourist and as I understand it, the tourist cop shop is specifically for tourists. Mr smart cop didn't like me too much. I was not going to just bow down and deal with his ignorance. He also had trouble listening. I had told him about 6 times because he kept asking, how long I have lived in Peru. Eevry time I said five, he said, three. Finally I spoke real slow in Spanish and said, "cinco. (held up my hand and counted, uno dos tres cuatro cinco). He said, "I understand the language". Well it didn't seem like it to me.
When my friend came they took us in a cop car (twice in a day I was in a cop car! whoo hoo what a treat!) to the other cop station. Sure enough, as soon as I said I have a Carnet de Extranjeria, the police officer over there said, "You're not a tourist!" I was like, "Bingo, tell that to Mr. Smart Cop" The police officer just shook his head. However he gave me an interim Carnet so I have Peruvian ID and all I need is to go and get that done at immigration.
That was my day. This all happened in Rimac where I had just left one of the rehab centres I was helping. Isn't it ironic? I realized how much I had changed as a person when I hurt for the thief and when I started singing praise songs and praying in tongues in front of the first cop in the police station and telling him that all of this has a purpose. Nothing happens by chance and how sad it is that those guys in the mug shots don't know Jesus. And there was this calm and peace that filled me and I wasn't upset at all by all the things I had lost in my purse: my Carnet de Extranjeria, my English bible with all my study notes and revelation and cross reference notes that I had written inside, my cell phone that I had got from Canada, my mp4, my entire makeup bag, my day planner and some bills and receipts, my house keys, some small souvenirs from a friend. All gone. But honestly, God allowed the enemy to do this on a day when I actually had someone in my house who had a set of keys to my house so she was able to copy a set for me and wait for me to get home and open the door for me. Everything worked out. I will ask my mom to send me a similar bible like the one I had lost.
I actually felt liberated today of all the things I had. My friend brought me water and a chocolate bar in a plastic bag and for the rest of the night, all I carried around was a plastic bag with water and my brush and hair cream (these two objects fell out of my purse). It felt liberating without a ginormous purse to carry around. And all this has done is given me a greater passion and desire to reach the street youth so that they will be transformed by God's love for them and they too will have eternal life and a future and a hope.
What the enemy intended for evil, God turned around for good!!!!! My God is good and He reigns!!!!!!!!!
At the police station, it all hit me and I started shaking while filling out my information and the super sensitive cop looked at me and said, "what's the matter with you, can't you write properly?" I was like, "I am traumatized by what just happened to me and if you were even a little bit empathetic, you would understand or at least even get me some water!" "Oh water," he said and I yelled after him, "bottled water!" and he went and got me bottled water. He was nice after that and then he wanted to know what zodiac sign I was yada yada yada and why I was not married yet and so I told him I don't believ in zodiac signs and if he wants to he can pray for me to get married. We actually had a fun time talking after that. Anyways he got me to look at the mug shots in the system and that's a lot of use to me, the person who can't even recognize people who go to my church's faces! But what hit me most was that each face I saw on the screen cried out that they did not know Jesus. They were all lost and hopeless and futureles and I realized that I may have lost my stuff today and my bible which my mom gave me so long ago but I have eternal life and I have a future and a hope.
Then another smart cop came in and tried to take me to the tourist police station. By this time I was waiting for my friend to come and get me as his was the only number I was able to call since he had an office line and I could look that up through information. My contact list went with my cell phone too. So I told the smart cop that I was not going anywhere until my friend got there and I told him I am not a tourist, I am a resident with a Carnet de Extranjeria (which also went with my purse) and he was like, but the bottom line is you're a Canadian and we only deal with Peruvians. I was like, ok, then call me a foreigner and not a tourist because I am not a tourist and as I understand it, the tourist cop shop is specifically for tourists. Mr smart cop didn't like me too much. I was not going to just bow down and deal with his ignorance. He also had trouble listening. I had told him about 6 times because he kept asking, how long I have lived in Peru. Eevry time I said five, he said, three. Finally I spoke real slow in Spanish and said, "cinco. (held up my hand and counted, uno dos tres cuatro cinco). He said, "I understand the language". Well it didn't seem like it to me.
When my friend came they took us in a cop car (twice in a day I was in a cop car! whoo hoo what a treat!) to the other cop station. Sure enough, as soon as I said I have a Carnet de Extranjeria, the police officer over there said, "You're not a tourist!" I was like, "Bingo, tell that to Mr. Smart Cop" The police officer just shook his head. However he gave me an interim Carnet so I have Peruvian ID and all I need is to go and get that done at immigration.
That was my day. This all happened in Rimac where I had just left one of the rehab centres I was helping. Isn't it ironic? I realized how much I had changed as a person when I hurt for the thief and when I started singing praise songs and praying in tongues in front of the first cop in the police station and telling him that all of this has a purpose. Nothing happens by chance and how sad it is that those guys in the mug shots don't know Jesus. And there was this calm and peace that filled me and I wasn't upset at all by all the things I had lost in my purse: my Carnet de Extranjeria, my English bible with all my study notes and revelation and cross reference notes that I had written inside, my cell phone that I had got from Canada, my mp4, my entire makeup bag, my day planner and some bills and receipts, my house keys, some small souvenirs from a friend. All gone. But honestly, God allowed the enemy to do this on a day when I actually had someone in my house who had a set of keys to my house so she was able to copy a set for me and wait for me to get home and open the door for me. Everything worked out. I will ask my mom to send me a similar bible like the one I had lost.
I actually felt liberated today of all the things I had. My friend brought me water and a chocolate bar in a plastic bag and for the rest of the night, all I carried around was a plastic bag with water and my brush and hair cream (these two objects fell out of my purse). It felt liberating without a ginormous purse to carry around. And all this has done is given me a greater passion and desire to reach the street youth so that they will be transformed by God's love for them and they too will have eternal life and a future and a hope.
What the enemy intended for evil, God turned around for good!!!!! My God is good and He reigns!!!!!!!!!
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