Spanish

My time here in Arequipa is passing very rapidly. After I finish this next week I will have been in Peru for one month. Learning a new language is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It seems that I have a lot of ups and downs each week. Some days I feel like my Spanish is great and others I can't understand a lick of it. I believe that learning this language has taught me quite a bit, mainly patience. For me it's learning to remain under the frustration of miscommunication and at times no communication. Please pray that God will continue to give me patience and endurance for the race set before me.

Update 9/12/09

I've been very busy for the past two weeks. My schedule is full of Spanish school and lots of meals with my family. I believe I'm picking up on the language but at times it gets frustrating. Hearing Spanish all the time and not being able to communicate thoroughly and effectively is definitely a chance to learn patience.

Not much new has really been going on here in Peru. I've been making a few friends in the community here and there. It's a good chance for me to practice my Spanish by speaking with them. I've also signed up at a local gym and go there every once in a while to workout. Each week church has the same format and things don't change too much, same songs, same routine, but I enjoy it.

One thing I really like about Peru so far is the fact that everything is so cheap. I bought a nice sock hat last night for $2.33.

Again not much new but I will try and stay updated on the important things going here.

Travels to Peru

Right now I'm sitting in the Lima, Peru airport waiting to fly to Arequipa. It's been a long day! We flew out from LA yesterday at 1:50pm. We had an 8 hour flight from LA to Lima and are about to leave for Arequipa at 4:30 am.

The past few days have been interesting. Here are a few things that I've been up to. On the 27th we had a Wednesday night youth service at the Nazarene church in LA. I led worship for my first time at this 7 pm service. Also, on the 28th, as an ending note in LA we got a chance to go to Huntington Beach for a few hours. We were able to go swimming and play volleyball with some strangers there. It has been an interesting trip so far and I feel very close to my team, even though I've only known them for about five days now.
Please pray for continual unity and bonding amongst our 40/40 team members.

Fellowship

Today was a good day! We had class from 9am-12pm then broke for lunch. We then resumed class at about 1:15pm-4pm. Today we focused on communication, travel tips, spiritual gifts, and various other topics. After class we all hung out, played cards, and talked. Then at 6pm we had dinner. My highlight of the day was our devotion at 8pm where Pastor Kevin spent time sharing about his life and also speaking from Genesis 12. After this we spent time praying and sharing together. This really got me excited about the time I will spend with the other 40/40 missionaries. I'm really looking forward to having great fellowship with the other missionaries to Peru.

CCO in LA

I flew into LA, California yesterday. I'm here for four days at a Cross-Cultural Orientation with the other 40/40 missionaries. It is a basically a crash course for us before we leave for Peru (a few things we should and shouldn't do while we are there). Last night all I did was situate my items and introduce myself to the others that are here. Today, we had class from 10am-12pm. Then we broke for lunch and resumed class from 1pm-5pm. We talked a lot about life in a different culture. We have three more days here until we will ship out to Peru. God is good!

Preach the Gospel

Once again God has been faithful to reveal things that I need to work on. God calls us all to proclaim the Gospel (life, death, and resurrection of Jesus), however, this isn't always easy. Many times it can be awkward, it can contradict feelings, even bring persecution. No matter what it may bring God calls us to be faithful to preach and to stand firm in our message.

When we present the Gospel we are to be firm in what we believe, unwavering in our commitment to follow Him. We must be clear to those we minister to. We must leave no room for misunderstanding. First it's important to build a bridge in the conversation, a bridge from the physical to the spiritual. Once the bridge is built we must make it clear that people need to repent and get their hearts right with God. They must know that Jesus is the only God, the Only One who can save sinners, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6). They must make Jesus the Lord of all their life. Once people come to know the Lord we must provide follow through for them. They need a place to be plugged in so that they can grow in the Lord and not fall away from the faith.

I thank God for showing me the urgency in sharing the Gospel. I know I don't do it enough but I will push on to the high calling God has placed upon us all.

Be Filled

Lately God has been teaching me the importance of being filled with His Holy Spirit. John 15:4-5 tells us that the one who abides in Jesus Christ bears much fruit but apart from Him we can do nothing. Also in Philippians 3:3 we see Paul telling those at Philippi that "we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and put no confidence in the flesh." Also in Ephesians 5:18-19 we are commanded to be filled or dominated with the Spirit.

I know for me it's easy to go through the week in my own strength. Living simply the physical life and going through the motions spiritually. Half-heartedly praying or reading my Bible not really thinking about what it means. However, this past week I have really been asking and seeking the Lord for His Holy Spirit. I've been finding out that as I diligently seek God and ask He obliges me. The results are astounding for we see in Galatians 5:22-23 that all good things come from the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

If you're reading this and you feel like your spiritual life has been dry lately I urge you to diligently ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. He says in Luke 11:9-13 that He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Seek God about this and I know you will start to see a difference in your life.