Can you see me?

What do people really want in life? Do they want money, status, good looks... I think the reason that most people want any of this is to be seen. REALLY seen...
In Ecuador, I don´t really look guys in the eye. I know it sounds strange, but if I do, I usually get a comment... ¨Hola Guapa¨or something along those lines. But since Janna has been here, she has challenged me to truly see people once more.
Today I got the opportunity to see someone and I believe she blessed me more than I blessed her. When Janna and I were at the supermaket today, we saw a woman begging and decided that we would buy a loaf of bread and bring it out to her. As we bent down to grace this woman with our small gift, her eyes welled up with tears as she began to speak to me through a toothless grin. The most I could gather was that she lived far away and had a relative in the hospital. As I struggled to understand what she said, I begged with the Lord to give me understanding, but all of the sudden I realized that this woman didn´t necessarily need to be understood, she just needed to be seen. I reached out my hand to touch and bless her, but I feel like I was the one who truly received the blessing.

WHAT?!

I’ve always had this problem… trying to say ONE thing in Spanish and in reality saying something completely different. My friend Kate says I have to share this story… it’s her favorite mishap.
My friend Leydi and I were sitting in El Sendero talking about our day. I was explaining to her how I went to see my other friend who had had surgery the day before. All you had to do was look at Leydi’s face to realize that I had said something wrong. “What??” So, of course I repeated it in the form of a question… “I went to visit my friend who had surgery??”
I need to point out that the word for surgery is “cirugia,” but that is NOT what I said… instead I had just told Leydi that I went to visit a friend who had “orugia” which translated means orgy.
Man, I hate it when I say stupid things like that.  Chalk it up for another good mishap.

Bastante!

The joke around here is that the first Spanish word you learn when you go to El Sendero is “bastante” which translated means “too/quite enough of”. For example: if you put too many potatoes on a plate, Gloria will give you that look and say, “hay bastante papas!”

Think of all the “too” statements you’ve made. “I can’t do that, I’m too young… too old… too shy… too loud…too tongue-tied…too inadequate…” Fill in the blank. I’m the master of the “too” statements. Some of mine have been: I’m too young, too inadequate in my language ability, too much of a girl, too single (I guess there are only two options there but still…) and the list goes on and on. When I came here the “too” statements abounded and the Lord decided to put me into every one of those situations. So when I said, I’m too inadequate in my language, he said, “Great, you’re going to start a Bible study.” Maria, the girl I co-lead the Bible study with also had a “too” statement. When we started talking about having this Bible study, she said, “I can’t do that, I’m too much of a baby-believer. I can’t lead a Bible study!” This past 7 weeks has proved otherwise.

Maria comes from a very devote Catholic home and only came to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ about three years ago. About 6 months ago, she got baptized and almost got disowned by her mother. Right now she has just started an 8 month mission to England with SIM.

Two months ago Maria told me that she could not lead a Bible study and last week my heart was elated as I watched her ask questions of the girls and give truths from God’s Word. Both of the other girls in our group have a very strong Catholic background and I was amazed to watch Maria share from her heart what the Lord had revealed to her only a couple years ago. She did what only she could do... relate to exactly where they are because she’s been there. The Lord has taken that girl who was “too much of a baby believer” and shown her the woman of God that she is and the way He can use her.

I am so thrilled to see my friend Maria take this huge leap of faith and I can’t wait to see what else God does with her life.

As she left for England last week I encouraged her that she can do anything that the Lord has called her to do. She looked at me and said, “I can… and any time I think I can’t I’m going to think of you and how you started a Bible study with little Spanish and how God used it.” Not only did the Lord use my “I’m too” statement in MY life, he used it in the life of another to show her that with Him EVERYTHING is possible.

So next time you think… bastante… look at all the examples in the Bible and how the Lord took those who were “too” young, old, inadequate, tongue-tied, and just downright stupid and used them for His glory.

Isn’t that what it’s about anyway… HIM?

Time for some Guinea Pig...

Hair and teeth... skin that has the consistency of fried chicken… sorta and we can't forget the claws. But, it was the teeth I couldn’t get past. My friends thought it would be funny to kiss it, but I just couldn’t get past the teeth! And then I started thinking of my sister’s pet snowball.

I want to tell you that it tastes like chicken, but if I were honest I would say it tastes like a really greasy duck with barely ANY meat on it. Yep, I got to enjoy the fine dining of “cuy” yesterday. If that doesn’t mean anything to you, the translation would be “Guinea Pig.” A picture is worth a thousand words… hope you enjoy as much as I did. (top picture is before... bottom is after)