“Yay God” moments are something my team decided we wanted to do at the end of each day, so at dinner every night we go around to each person and say where we saw God in our day. What made it special was that we got to include the people we now get to call family. Mariella, Javier, Carmen, Yair and Don Juan have all joined in on this daily tradition. This has allowed us to get closer as a team and see what God is doing in each one of us. Yay God/Yay Dios!
I thought it would be sweet to show everyone some of mine and my teammates “Yay God” moments from this past month!
Kristen:
This month was filled with so much love and joy, thanks to God. After adjusting the first week, we started to build relationships with the people here. I think community would be something that was a “Yay God” moment many days. The kids and people here were so welcoming and I am so grateful for that! Here are a few more random Yay God moments throughout the month.
• One night Kayla, Javier and I kept talking after dinner and that led to sharing testimonies. We got to hear how Inca Thakhi (the ministry we worked with) has been a light to Javier. He grew up in the ministry and through sports and discipleship, He is now one of the leaders. You can see his heart for this ministry whenever you’re around him and the way he leads the kids is amazing to see.
• When we went to the beach one day, I really wanted a mango so Yair and Javier took me on the backstreets until we found a little market with fruit. Sitting on the beach eating the mango reminded me of back home. It was a sweet reminder that God is the same everywhere. He meets us where we are and shows us how constant, faithful, and loving He always is.
• Getting to know Mariella was amazing. One night she shared her testimony with us and we were all in tears or on the verge of crying. She is so amazing and this entire month she has been talking about what God is doing, how amazing he is and always points us to scripture.
• One of the couple worship nights our team had took place up on the roof. Between the cool breeze, the city lights and having the team and Mariella up there worshiping the Lord, it was a great moment. I get to see God moving in each one of these people and I can’t wait to see what else He has for us.
• We got to hike a mountain (all the way to the top) and watch the sunset behind the city and mountains. God knew I needed some time in nature and that I connect with Him the most then. The view was gorgeous and I got to sit and think about all the we have seen in Peru.
• At Elim, the first thing you see when you step out of the car is smiling faces running towards you. What’s crazy is that the kids and women meet in a building in the middle of the garbage dump. It’s not the most glamorous, but it doesn’t need to be because God shows up there just as much as anywhere else. Also, holding Ruth in my arms was another favorite moment.
Kayla:
We often had multiple God moments to share over the span of one day, so for the whole month there are so many that I could share.
• The first was watching Sergio care for his sister Fatima. Sergio, 6, and Fatima, 5, were a sibling pair that we saw often. We went to their house for women’s Bible study and they came to campus on Wednesday for the kid’s program. One week we were playing a game just Kaci, Sergio, Fatima and I. Fatima was upset the game wasn’t going her way and broke out in tears and ran to Sergio. He held his arms open wide and let her run to them. He wrapped her in a hug and patted her head and told her it would be fine. I clearly saw the love of the Father in Sergio that evening. Our father always welcomes us with open arms, even when maybe our tears aren’t really warranted.
• Several other of my favorite God moments can be lumped together. On different occasions we were able to hear the testimonies of some of the guys who came to the ministry as teenagers, found the Lord, and now serve in that same ministry. These same guys asked intentional conversations and often asked what I had learned that day and sometimes joined us at night to share their God moments. Hearing their hearts will remain one of my favorite memories.
• The last one I’ll leave you with was with women’s Bible study at Elim. Elim originated as the garbage dump ministry, and its building is, in fact, in the middle of a ton of garbage. The first Saturday that we went to Elim we were asked if someone would be willing to lead the women’s Bible study. Anna lead an awesome devotional while I translated. There were four women there that week and it was really fun to switch gears from kids ministry to women’s ministry and to be able to pour into and encourage these women. At the end we took prayer requests and prayed over them. By the end several were in tears and the presence and love of God was so evident in that tiny room in the middle of a garbage dump.
Our time in Peru was sweet and treasured and full of God moments. Now onto Bolivia where we will continue to see His goodness.
Jenny:
• Talked to a man that was crouched down in the street of a busy market and had cuts all over him. I squatted down next to him, chatted a bit and prayed with him. After he gave me a big hug and reminded me how God wraps His arms around us and how we crave human interaction-sometimes we just want to be noticed.
• A 3 year old girl at one of the kids ministries wanted to be held so I picked her up until the last second that we had to go. However, 2 weeks before, I looked at her and she cried. So this was big for us. It reminded me of how much we just want to be held and cared for by our Heavenly Father.
• While playing soccer at one of the kids ministries, a girl got hit in the face with a soccer ball. Even though I had just met her that day, she came running up to me and put her face into my stomach and cried. It immediately again drew me back to me crying to God and how he comforts me, and that one day my child is going to run to me and how I will comfort them.
• While walking through a crowded market, we stopped to talk to some vendors. Naturally, Jesus came up in the conversation and one of the guys said he had fallen away from his faith because of some things that happened and a teammate-Kayla (who speaks spanish fluently) talked with him more in depth. We were able to pray with him and I hope that was encouraging for him! Also we got to have one last meal with our cook Mariella at the bus station and share our God moments of the day. It was such a special time of the day for our team and a fun way to invite Mariella into our conversation.
Me:
God is always answering prayers in some super cool ways. Here is a few examples of how I’ve seen that this month:
• All the times He healed myself or one of my teammates of either a headache, stomachache or something else.
• While riding in a public bus, the seat I was sitting on was not fully screwed to the ground so it was extra bumpy. This was not only giving me a headache, but also making me quite nauseous. I was silently asking God for the bus ride to end soon or for the nausea and headache to go away. Just a couple seconds after that the bus broke down and we all had to get off and the team proceeded to take a smaller van that was not as crowded and I felt so much better!
• Another night, after a very long day and a 3 year old’s birthday party, I was again not feeling super great (probably the amount of sugar I had consumed at said party). We were on our way back to “home” so we could finally get some sleep before waking up early for church service the next morning. I was thinking about how the service is all in Spanish and I am usually fighting sleep. I asked God for rest and to help me feel better. When we got home we were told that church would be optional the next morning. So, I got to get some rest, sleep in the next morning, and tune into my church’s service via the facebook livestream.
• Every time I told God I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, He provided me with opportunities to sit in His presence and find rest. Like the time we hiked the mountain to watch the sunset and we all sang worship music at the top. Or when I was given permission to stay back from ministry for an afternoon to spend time with God.
All these moments remind me of Psalm 139:1-6 “You have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”
God heard all my thoughts before they even turned into prayers. He always knows exactly what we need and it’s evident that His hand was covering me this month. He is always taking care of me, I’m sure in more ways than I am even aware of. He is such a good Father!
Anna:
Yay God!
The Lord has given me a deep compassion for those around me this month. Whether that be the people I pass by on the street or those involved in our ministry, I felt a burning desire for each person to understand how deeply loved they are by our Creator. These moments happened on the bus often. I would look outside at everything going on and start to pray. I felt the desire to just chat with different people about their life. I obviously couldn’t jump out of the car or even speak the language well enough to carry out an entire conversation. But how many times did I have the opportunity to share the good news of gospel back at home and didn’t take advantage of it? Too many. I felt trapped in a bus, I would see the needs but not react to them. Sharing the love of Jesus doesn’t always look like long conversation though. Allow me to share a few ways I’ve seen it in action:
• I developed a bond with a little girl I did ministry with once a week. Although I only saw her once a week, she ran and jumped into my arms as soon as she saw me each time. She would say things to me I couldn’t understand but it didn’t matter, she would end up showing me which game she wanted to play next. I pray she grows up knowing how much the Father cares for her. (Matthew 19: 13-15)
• I helped our cook Mariella in the kitchen a few times when no one was there to translate. I felt so loved and comfortable in a setting that would normally make me uncomfortable. The love of Jesus is shown through smiles and acting out sentences. I pray her heart and story will continue to touch the lives of those she encounters. (Colossions 3:12)
• My teammates are a safe place to laugh and cry with. We have a lot of fun together but also share our hardships. They quickly became my family and encourage me to grow in my faith. I can see the Holy Spirit at work in them in different ways. I pray the Lord continues to comfort and grow them throughout the months to come. (1 Corinthians 12: 12-31)
My yay God is growing a desire to tell everyone about His goodness and sharing such tender moments with incredible people.
Kaitlynn:
Un Guante (A Glove)
One of the ways my team and I have been able to serve this month is through clearing a field. This field will be used for Inca Link’s sports ministry. Completing hands-on projects like this is easier for me than relational forms of ministry. As such, when I had the option to continue working in the field or to play games with the kids, I opted to help pull weeds; however, some time into the project, several young boys trundled over. The waist high shovel was up to their heads and the weeds were bigger than they were, but they wanted to be part of the action. “Un guante?” (a glove) one asked. “Un guante?” asked another. Two boys promptly adopted one of my work gloves apiece which swallowed up their hands and went well up their fore-arms. After helping them switch their gloves to the proper hand, they seemed to enjoy finding the largest and thorniest weeds and tackling them with gusto. Sometimes I took over the shovel and loosened up a patch of soil for them to work on or congratulated them with a “Bien hecho!” (well done) when they pulled up an exceptionally large weed. It was encouraging to see that though working with plants, dishes, and paint may be more comfortable for me than hanging with kids, the Lord can use me to bless them as well (and sometimes, to do both at the same time).
Say Yes
Earlier this week, I was mopping and listening to a worship song about giving everything to the Lord. And in that moment, it struck me. Here I am, willing to go all the way around the world; but I’m not always willing to say “Yes” to the Lord on a day to day basis while I am here. I like to pick and choose when I will follow his leading. I like to say “Yes Lord, I’ll pray for that person this morning; but I won’t pray for her. That would be too awkward.” OR “Sure I’ll do the dishes, but I don’t want to help serve the food.” As I was listening to the music, I realized how silly that sounds. Why would I give up 11 months of my life to volunteer and build relationships for the glory of God, and then say no to the little things he asks me to do once I’m abroad? I’m thankful that the Lord met me in the mopping and helped me to see more clearly. I’m thankful for the big-picture perspective and the challenge to say “Yes” to him in the small things as well as in the large ones.
How sweet it was to get to do “Yay God” moments everyday with such amazing people.
That’s great that each of your teammates shared this on their blog. Such wonderful God moments.. & it’s only been a month!
Great sharing from all the teammates! Was thankful I got to read each one of them! Yay for God moments!! ??
I loved hearing about the God moments you and your teammates had and the insights gained from experiences! Inspiring!