Peace and Joy in Abundance

Wow, I'm having a hard time believing that we've been in Peru for just over ten months! And here we are now just a week away from our big trip back to Canada. This week will be spent packing and getting ready for the trip. We really don't have a whole lot to pack, so that should be easy. It's the traveling with three kids part that scares me a bit, not sure how well our 4 month-old will handle traveling.  Praying that it will be as smooth going as the trip here was.  Saturday night we get on the bus to begin the long trip back, and if all goes well we should be landing in Toronto Monday night.  We are all SO excited!  Mateo has been asking every day, about ten times a day, if it's time to go in the big airplane yet...I guess to him it still feels like a long way off!  The kids have missed grandma and grandpa and all their cousins. They have two new cousins yet to meet, and our families have yet to meet our little Tahlia.  Seeing all our loved ones I'm sure will be the highlight of the visit. This has definitely been the hardest part for me these past 10 months; being so far away from family, especially during the time Tahlia was born.  Not having them there to be the first ones to meet her and hold her was tough.

But, as much as I have missed them so much,  Somehow this has also been the most peace and joy filled time of my life.

This amazed me over and over as I kept asking "How is it possible?  How can I miss them SO much yet at the same time be so content, so at peace, so filled with joy, Lord?"

And every time His answer was the same: "Because you chose ME".

Jesus said: "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37,38)

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19:29)

The answer is so clear - Jesus wants us to choose HIM over all.  To love HIM most.  To follow HIM at all costs.  It's all about HIM.  When we choose Him we choose peace and joy, and receive the promise that "we will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life."  Wow. ThankYOU Jesus!  His promises are so GOOD.  Maybe he has blessed me with a hundred times as much peace and joy as I would have had had we chose not to follow him here...what an amazing thought! And in times of doubt, this has been a constant confirmation for me that we are exactly where we are supposed to be . And there really is not better place to be than right where God leads you to be.  He can use us wherever we are when we follow his lead, when we go where He tells us to go, whether that is across the street, or half way across the world.  For us right now it just so happens to be in Pacasmayo, Peru.  We get the great privilege of showing the love of Christ to the precious kids at Casa de Paz.
We feel honored and blessed that God chose us to be here.  It really has been the greatest adventure!

Sometimes we still can't believe we are actually here, and how crazy it is how we got here. We came with no plan, no real idea of what exactly we would be "doing" here or for how long. We only knew that this was where God was calling us, and we wanted to serve in whatever ways needed.  So in faith we went, trusting that God would reveal His plan for us when we got here.  And He has been, one day at a time, one step at a time.  Every new day has been so different, each filled with it's own trials and victories.  It's been a time of learning.  Learning to trust more, to love deeper, learning to lean on our heavenly Father, to rely on Him for our every need.  One thing I have learned is that we can't do anything for God that doesn't also benefit ourselves.  When we bless others, we get blessed in return.  We came here to help and to bless others, but in doing so WE have been equally blessed if not more, and it has helped us in so many ways to grow in our faith.  God works through us and in us at the same time, it's perfect!

God is so good, and He's doing great things, and we get to be a small part of it.  How awesome!  We look forward to sharing more of what God is doing in Peru, and can't wait to see what He has in store for the next chapter...I have a feeling that this is only the beginning.. :)

And as we continue on this great journey the Lord is leading us on, our prayer is that in all things and always, God would be Glorified.

Well the time is coming up quickly now for us to head back to Canada for a visit. And it brings a whole mixture of feelings. Sad to be leaving everyone here, a little nervous because both us and Avis will be gone from here for a month, and even tho you line things up the best you can you still get scared that something might go wrong. Especially when there isn't enough money to carry them through the month. But when you put it in Gods hands then it 's his problem. Very excited to see our families and friends, show off our new baby Tahlia, share about life in Peru and catch up on all we have missed. But also a little nervous, I know it's the enemy but thoughts enter your mind like, what if I didn't live up to what everyone thought we should be doing, what if they will be disappointed in us, after all we are asking for support for the things we do here. And what if once we're in Canada where the grass is green and life is easy we won't want to come back here anymore. The mind is a roller coaster of thoughts, so many things we think that we never say to anyone. We chose the things we say in hopes to build ourselves up, we keep from saying things that make us vulnerable. I think maybe we aught to change that, stop protecting our reputation, and we might find our reputation to be honest and humble. All in all we can't wait to get there, I pray that it will be a God filled trip.

Lots of things going on around here, we had an offer from someone to take over the school, it was a good offer. Right know the teachers that run it give up to fifty of our kids free education for the use of our building. Our contract with them runs out this year so we are in prayer about which direction to go, do we stick the current teachers or do we hand it over to a new group. There is some detail around this that makes it a hard decision so please pray for God to guide our minds. 

There is a plot of land that Avis had purchased years ago, but someone had lost the paperwork on it so it seemed for a while that she had lost the land. (Peru works a little different than what we are used to, it's hard to understand how you could lose the land) but this last week it has resurfaced, there are other people that bought land there as well and they are fighting to get water brought in, Avis spent thousands of dollars digging a ditch to lead the water up to her land but as of yet there is no source. There is too much involved to explain it all in detail but I have high hopes for this, our new secretary knows a lot of people and is really good with this kinda stuff so I am thankful God has brought her in. God always has a good plan even when we think we are in a time of despair. 

Everyone has been feeling sick lately, I haven't gotten off my tush for days. I don't know if its a demonic attack but there is just no energy, I'm tired all the time and just wanna sleep, and my bones and muscle hurt, it's no fun. Avis and a couple other people are going through the same thing. Our kids threw up a couple nights. But it's all good, the enemy can't win. You know what's nice is when you already know ahead of time who the winner is, it gives you courage and strength to move on. Praise you Jesus, thank you all who pray for this ministry. Bless you in the name of The Lord. 

In the Beginning....

In the beginning God made man and woman, and he made them in his love, to be like him and to be his companion, to do work on the earth according to His will. To love each other and have compassion on one another, to be a servants one to another and to worship Him together.

Psa 33:1  Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Psa 33:2  Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Psa 33:3  Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
Psa 33:4  For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Psa 33:5  The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

I am seeing more and more that with God the beginning and the end are really the same thing, God is both, and in a human way of thinking I think there is only beginning. Everyday is a beginning, a start to worshipping Him. our time on this earth may have an end but we no longer live for this earth do we, we live for the glory of God in heaven, and that glory will never end. for an eternity we will worship, no end only beginning. There is no greater joy than to serve one another faithfully and in so doing we serve God himself. 

I have heard it said numerous times that there is a fresh start coming for Casa de Paz, a turning of the leaf, a new beginning. Well I hope for that to always be the case, not knowing what God will do tomorrow, only walking by faith in him and not by sight, lest we see ahead and make our own plans for tomorrow. 

For months we anticipated a team coming from the states, a team that would be at Casa de Paz for only an afternoon after being worn out from a long journey of going from place to place to serve God, worn out they arrived here to do one last service for the needy in Peru. It started off with a lost bag and an unsuccessful hunt for it. But God was not done yet with them, God started stirring hearts as Only God can. There is talk of an adoption happening for two of our teen girls, there is talk of a beautiful soft hearted talented woman coming for long term work, there is talk of a couple coming to visit for a week, and after that possibly long term. And thats only the things I know about, who knows what else is brewing. Time and again I heard it said how Casa de Paz was the highlight of the trip, I look up to God in awe, how do you do it Lord? I did not see it coming. Our God is an awesome God, He reigns in heaven and earth with wisdom power and love, our God is an awesome God. If there is one thing I can tell you about God stirring your heart, Don't ignore it or push it off, God nudges gently and guides with an unthreatening voice, the choice to either accept or not is all yours. Let me tell you its a lot easier to just suppress the feeling to do something "crazy" and just keep living your routine life. I think so many people miss out when they let the enemy convince them to wait and see if God confirms the calling. Don't get me wrong you need to wait on God, but when he speaks you gotta do your part, and if you understood him wrong, you can bet that he will honor your act of obedience the best that you knew how. and he will bless you for it.

I don't think much about the negative things going on all around, every so often I hear of someone who got murdered, or a bus got held up and robbed, or the guy who took the suitcase, or the guy who jumped our wall to stake out the compound. And I just thought about why I don't think about it. Because Good Always wins, and believe you me there is plenty of good present, when you watch a movie you always think about the good guy, you cheer him on in your head and you hope he will save the day, and so it should be in life, Jesus is the good guy and we already know how it ends, so lets watch how battles are concurred, focus on the good guy, this guy is not a mere actor, hes the real thing so praise him worship him, cheer him on, his victory is your victory. 

Yesterday is history; so learn from what happened and move on, tomorrow is a mystery; it is not here yet so don't try to live in it. Today is the present; a gift from God in your life, if you deal with this gift like a good steward and don't let it go to waste, tomorrows gift might be just a bit bigger. Bless you dear brothers and sisters, I love you in the name of our lord Jesus Christ.

Sunday

It's been a rather quiet Sunday at Casa de Paz. The power went out early this morning and was out for most of the day and came back on late afternoon. Here in Pacasmayo this is just a normal part of life. It happens often, and the people are prepared for it; every house keeps a supply of emergency water, flashlights or candles, and the few people around here fortunate enough to own a stove have ones that run on propane. Light, heat, and water and we're set! ThankYou Lord!

 It was a much quieter church service this morning without the loud music playing during worship, instead only beautiful singing voices were heard. I almost prefer it that way :) A few of our girls were feeling extra beautiful today, wearing their brand new Sunday dresses that were brought down from Canada with John and Cyndy. The girls were so excited, two of them came knocking on our door 7 o'clock this morning (2 hrs before church starts) already with the dress on and hair done, wondering if Karlita might have an extra pair of shoes they could borrow to wear with the dress. I am thankful for kind donations like this. Little things like wearing a new dress on Sunday mean so much to these girls.


Right after church, Jake and Avis headed off to Trujillo airport to meet Marti Pieper, the writer of Avis' new book. We're excited to have Marti stay with us at Casa de Paz for a week while she and Avis will be working on the book. 

For me and the kids it was a fun afternoon of playing ball, racing, and hide and seek. Not as much volley ball these days with so much fewer older kids. So many have left and gone back with relatives. We are down to only 30 children now, mostly little ones. Really praying for the few older ones that are still here, and so happy that a few more have been declared abandoned just recently, meaning they are up for adoption!  With one adoption currently in the process, and one of our girls being sponsored, we are Praising God and praying for more!  My heart goes out to the older ones. Their chances of adoption are less, yet they are the ones who want it most.  One of the 15 yr old girls asked me if I could find adoptive parents for her when we go to Canada.  I can't promise her that - as much as I want that for her with all my heart - but I can pray. I don't know what God's plan is for this young lady, or for any of the other kids, but I do know it's a good plan.
His plans for our lives are so much better than our plans for our lives, and if we only let Him show us we will see. This is something I am learning more each day as God proves Himself faithful over and over, through every trial He brings us through. Let go and let God.  Let Him do what He does best, because He knows best. Everything is better when we learn to trust God and let Him be fully in control. He is faithful. He is good. And I am thankful!

Hard changes for the better

Seems like there's been a lot of changes lately. We are currently down to 34 kids, quite a few kids who

were here for a long time have gone back to their parents. We had three boys here (I can't use names for the privacy of the kids) one of them had been molested, the molester is in prison and has been of a number of years. About two weeks ago the two younger brothers went back home to the mother who just moved into a new home, from what I hear she has bettered her life a lot from a couple years ago. The oldest was left behind out of his own choice, but after visiting day the mother must have gotten the better of his emotions and he jumped the wall an hour later. Of course we knew the first place

to look and sure enough he was safe and sound with his mom. What makes them jump the wall when they could leave by just saying so, I'm not sure. Another boy who was here for two years went to live with his grandma, I have seen better houses, almost the entire place was outdoors, only one tiny little garden shack room for a bedroom. But the love in the grandmas eyes is worth more than concrete floors and a roof. The one I'm a little concerned about is a beautiful girl who was here only for a little while, she could not read or write when she came but with some help she started getting a handle on it. She is now back home. I pray that she gets the help she needs to get a decent education. These kids have seen a

different life, especially for the ones who were here a long time it will take some adjusting to go back to living more poorly, and where they may have to work a little harder. But these changes are good, the best place in the world is safe with your own blood family, even if it means a bit of hardship. Sometimes I wonder if the kids get spoiled here, they get really well looked after. That is thanks to all you who so generously donate to this cause. I know life isn't always easy, theres always bills waiting to be paid. But we know the reward being stored up is much greater than the reward we could by with the money we donate to kids who would otherwise not have a future. Thank you, I pray for God's favour  on you. The love of God is ever pouring out on his beloved. Bless you in the name of our lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful God

He is like a rock; what he does is perfect, and he is always fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong, who is right and fair.  Deuteronomy 32:4

Have you ever fallen for a scam, or a lie, a rumor you believed to be true. Did what you believe make true what you believed. No not really, I can believe all I want that I can bench press three hundred pounds, but believing it will never make it true. Vice versa then is also true, you can deny all you want, but the truth will stand nonetheless. As a Christian how often do you see a clear sign that God is real, I bet pretty often. But to a non believer it is either coincidence or science can explain it. Their minds have already been made up before they see the evidence. So our goal should be to make people want to be christians without any proof. Is being a christian exciting, you bet it is, so lets show the world how much fun it is.

For those that don't know, we don't have drinking water at the orphanage, so we haul it from a nearby town with a trailer that back in Canada would long have been deemed unfit. Full of water the tank weighs well over a ton. On our way to get water today, about a mile from the town our tire popped. The tire was completely wore down its no wonder it popped, but why did it pop on empty when just a week before it carry well over a tun of weight. Probably just coincidence huh. The tires are an odd size for Peru, Just a year ago a volunteer here looked for tires in all the surrounding tires and found non. Today we pulled up to the tire place, which is outside on the sidewalk in a little corner, thinking the trailer would sit there for at least a few days.Well it just so happened the guy had a used tire sitting in his house that was just the right size. He Summoned a moto taxi to go pick it up. And we were on our way again in exactly one hour. O and do you remember inner tubes, well in Peru they are still in style, but he had one of those in our size as well. I love God. Sometimes I think, wow what a scary world it would be without God, I mean all alone in this great universe, what a comfort to know there is a mighty God who can do limitless things and he's full of love for us his children. I lay my life in his hands. To God be all glory amen. Bless you.

Fathers Day

Not only is he an amazing Daddy to our three children, but he has also become a loving Papa to the kids at Casa de Paz.  For some the only father they have ever known, lack of a  father being the reason many of them are here in the first place. With the father out of the picture and the single mother not able to support the children on her own they end up here. And for others - ones that come from abusive homes where all they know is to fear their father - Jake is their first picture of of what a loving father really looks like.

I love watching Jake with the kids. Whether he's holding baby Tahlia, or playing cards with the boys, there is no doubt about how much he loves his kids. Sometimes after a long day of fixing broken pumps and pipes or gates, and sorting through problems with people, and all the other little things he deals with everyday, I know he would rather just sit down at the end of the day and relax, but instead he goes out and spends time with the boys. Jake and I both know what it means to grow up not having a dad around to spend time with, he put food on the table but other than that we knew to just stay out of the way; not that it was really their fault, it was simply the culture they were raised in. ( today they are different people) So to see kids coming in here looking very timid and afraid, our hearts go out to them. Jake has a way of approaching them where they soon turn that timid face into a smile when hes around. He often comes in with his shirt all stretched out of shape and I know he's been wrestled down by a whole bunch of little (and some not so little) boys wanting to be tossed up in the air, sometimes his throat is sore from them hanging on his back with their little hands wrapped around his neck.

Fathers Day gift from the boys

Today for Fathers day Jake got three gifts from three of the kids, something they had worked on as a school project. One of them came to our house bright and early cause they just couldn't wait! I thank God that this year a few more kids had someone to give their fathers day gifts to.