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"And we rejoice in the hope of
the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because
God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he
has given us......He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you
will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber
nor sleep.......My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be
shaken....." Romans 5:2b-5, Psalm 121:3-4, Psalm 62:1-2March 5, 2003 The Word of the Lord... ..Those
who believe in him will never be shaken...
At times I feel very shaken.... But I
also know that the promise of this Scripture is true, in the most
profound sense. Its not that I won't "feel" shaken, or have hard times;
the very fact that God is a rock and a fortress points to the need of the
Psalmist, as does the verse that talks about perseverance. We WILL feel
shaken, that is a fact of life here on this earth. But God will prevail,
and there is nothing that can take us out of his hand!! I have been
renewed in the hope of his glory this past month. What I mean by that, is
that God has been SO very gracious to me, and has given me a clearer and
stronger picture of his work here, the need here, and his purpose in
placing me in the middle of it all. Not that I always understand exactly
WHY I'm here, but that I know HE has put me here and is working
through me and in spite of me, as well an in
me. I have been convinced more strongly that ever in these last several weeks of the enemy's desire to thwart God's plan and to tear God's people apart. But I also know that God will prevail, he will have the last word, and the war has already been won. For that reason I am able to labor here in Peru with hope in my heart and a smile on my face. There is an occasional tear, but it always draws me back to God, to his grace and his mercy. ..Exciting things are happening !!!!...
I will repeat again that this has been one of the hardest years of my life, but also one of the most richly rewarding! Exciting things are happening here in Peru and especially here in Cusco! Our women's bible study is flourishing. They are hungry to learn God's word and many have brought their friends. The material we are teaching is meaty...we are taking is slowly and making sure they have a good grasp on who God is as he reveals himself in the Bible. Our adolescent study is going well. We have 4 kids who come and are learning about the gospel. Their answers on a little quiz about man's sinful state, Christ's work and atonement revealed at the beginning that had no idea what the gospel really was. Now they are able to articulate their faith well, which shows us that they are beginning to really understand what it means to say "Christ died on the cross for me...." We see these 4 kids as four future leaders in the church! I have started teaching an English class on Monday nights. There are approximately 12 students that come regularly to the class (from beginner to advanced). It has been such a joy to be able to tell them each week: "I have two goals for you. One is phonetics. Anyone can memorize words, but I'm a gringa, and I know how to pronounce the words! The second is the gospel. Each week we will have a section of the gospel story both in English and in Spanish, and will have vocabulary for that story." They have been very responsive to the class and we are having a GOOD time! You should see us all singing "Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes...." It is such a joy to have the freedom to share the gospel no matter what the setting. Personal relationships...
I know this sounds crazy, but many of us were actually told by a leader in one of our churches in Lima that it was not good for us to have friendships in the church. I believe that goes against what the Bible teaches about the PROFOUND relationships we should have as Christian brothers and sisters. I am seeing many personal relationships that are starting to bear much fruit! The woman who works in my house has accepted Christ, and so has her husband. They are planning to begin a "couples" class taught by Peter Beck. They have been coming to our church, and so have their children. We often stop work to have long discussions about what the Scriptures really say, especially in light of many of the empty traditions of some churches. There is a very heavy Catholic influence here in Cusco, and "Catholic" in Latin American is very different from "Catholic" in the United States. It is incredibly rewarding to see the light go on in her head as she understands a new concept, or the grace of God as opposed to a "punishing" God. I now have two roommates living with me that are also national workers, Lucy and Yasmin. We are helping each other with English and Spanish, and have been praying together for each other once a week. They have been such a joy and encouragement to me! Please pray for our growing relationships. The woman who has stayed in my apartment with her 3 kids when I travel (to take care of the apartment and the cat) is attending our Women's Bible study. (She also works for the Riedel family). Her kids come to Sunday school, and her two oldest, Jonathan and Miguel, attend our adolescent study. They also want to learn how to play the guitar, so I have purchased a small guitar (mine is TOO BIG for them!) and we are planning to start guitar lessons, which will be interesting as I have no idea how to teach guitar. We have made friends with the workers at the La Cannasta "supermercado" (roughly the size of my apartment) where we shop for groceries, and 3-4 of them are attending the English class on Monday nights. Along with learning English, they are hearing the gospel story. Now when I enter the store to buy something, they shout out "Hello! How are you?" in English. These are a few of the examples of how important relationships are in the body of Christ, both internally and for sharing the gospel! Please pray for all of us here as we are growing in these relationships and as the gospel is being shared and taught/learned on a daily basis. Relationships renewed...
A national worker from Lima has come to Cusco to join our team here. He is very gifted in music and leading of Worship. It has been a joy to all of us to be reunited with him and to work with him in these areas. He is teaching me much about music and I am learning all sorts of new Spanish songs. He is also in musical and personal discipling relationships here. It has been such a joy to renew our friendship and to see him maturing and flourishing under the care of people here in Cusco. Please pray for Jorge as he both ministers and learns. He has such a heart for the young people and we see in him great potential, both now and in the future, to be a leader in the church in Peru.The Shoes...
Just a quick update on the story of the shoes... I was riding in a taxi about 3-4 weeks ago, and we passed the man who had the broken sandals, the one for whom I had bought the new sandals. I eagerly turned around and looked out the back window to see if he was wearing his new sandals. He was not. He had on the one old, dirty sandal and one bare foot. I don't know if he sold them for money, or gave them to someone in his family who needed them more.... My guess is that he sold them for the 4 soles (approximately $1.10). It also crossed my mind that when begging, the more dirty and pitiful one looks, the greater the response. After all, who is going to give money to someone who has brand new shoes? Or, maybe he just needed the money more than he needed the shoes. I don't mean to be cynical or unfair with any of these thoughts, these are just my thoughts as I try to figure out this crazy world. I would still do the same thing over again, buy him the shoes. I have no regrets about responding to an observed need, but I also know that the work is God's and not mine.Photos!!!
Its photo time again!! I don't have too many "action" shots of ministry right now, as we usually don't stand around taking pictures during these times unless there are groups here, but I do have some pictures of faces and groups that I think you will enjoy! One other small amusing story.... I have been cutting my own hair (true "missionary" hair), and it has gone through many stages. The first was a shoulder length cut; the second was a shorter wedge type cut. Two days ago, I was trying to layer it a bit to allow for the curl, and somehow the sides ended up really short (although the goal is to let it grow!).... When I would walk in a room, several people, both national and teammates, would say "Oh, you cut your hair." Not, oh it looks nice, or oh it looks horrible, just that "oh, you cut your hair" observation that kind of leaves you hanging. But the most precious moment was today when Marcia, who works in my house, arrived and said "Oh, you cut your hair. I liked it better the other way." So I said "What did you like about it?" and she responded, "Well, this way makes your face look really thin. " How hilarious.... Two cultures meeting in the middle... she likes it better when my face doesn't look so thin, but of course that is the dream of every American woman, to look thin! This culture really likes plumpness! I guess it's a good thing I'm down here. Click here to see the PHOTOS:
Date - March 6, 2003http://www.mtwla.org/people/ldeadwyler-pl/03feb/ God Bless!!! Laura Deadwyler Casilla 985 Cuzco, Peru 011-51-84-25-36-58 EMAIL: ldeadwyler@mtwla.org WEBSITE: http://www.mtwla.org/people/ldeadwyler.htm
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