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| Bills, bills, bills |
Friday, April 5, 2013
Time Takers
Continuing with the brief series that I started, I will now tell about another chore that takes up some of my time here in Peru. This is not a daily task, but is something that I only have to do once a month, and actually it falls right at this time of the month. It is not one of my favorites time takers, nor one that I enjoy doing. Every month it frustrates me with the inefficiency and amount of time that is wasted. I am talking of course, about paying bills. Here in Peru, bill paying is done a bit differently. Nobody (that I know of) here pays with checks. People just don't have checking accounts. There may actually be online bill paying, but I haven't heard about it yet, and it probably wouldn't work for us anyway, since we have our bank accounts in the US and not here. So you may be asking yourself, how do they pay bills in Peru if it isn't by check or online?
Well, you go in person to a payment facility and pay your bills. The thing that frustrates me most is that we have to go to several banks or stores to pay our bills because they aren't all payable at the same place nor due at the same time. We have to go to one bank to pay the rent, but they don't accept payment for the electric bill. So you have to go somewhere else to do that. The grocery store will accept payment for the telephone bill, but not for the water or electricity. You get the picture. It is not convenient. On top of that, wherever you chose to go you usually have to wait in line. It is definitely not my favorite way to spend the time. Occassionally it works out well, we happen to be going grocery shopping on the day the phone bill is due, or something like that. But for the most part, it is just one more chore to add to the to do list. Thankfully it only comes once a month.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Yes, Jesus loves me...
Every night before bed I sing Jesus Loves Me with my 2 year old son Jonathan. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so...". Today, we had the opportunity to feel the love of Jesus in a very tangible way through our brothers and sisters in Christ.
About two weeks ago, I asked for prayer for God's guidance in our lives. Well, Junior is back from his trip to the United States, but we still don't feel that we have a clear answer. We are still praying for God's guidance. His bosses told him that there may be work soon, but there isn't anything immediately. So we are still waiting and praying. In one sense it is hard. I don't like waiting in uncertainty about the future. But on the other hand, I am seeing that it is also a beautiful time. As one friend told me, we are in the perfect place to see God's miraculous working. The only thing we can do is trust him and wait on him, and there is nothing better that we can do.
For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4
Today, in the midst of our waiting, we had a visit from some friends from the church that we work with. They came to show us their support and love during this time of waiting. They came to pray with us and encourage us. Their desire is that we continue working with the church here and they are willing to do whatever they can to help. So they gave us a very generous offering. It is so humbling to be given money, especially when it comes from people that the world would consider "poor." They may not have much financially, but they are beautiful, generous people who today gave freely to us to show us their love and God's love. Praise the Lord for them. In addition to that, two other people blessed us as they were able today. To top it all off, a neighbor shared a glass of pop with us as we were passing his house, simply because we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I feel like I say this often, but it is truly a wonderful thing to be part of God's family.
So we continue to pray, and we continue to wait, but we also praise God for his faithfulness, his love, his provision, and his amazing power. He knows what we need and just when we need it.
How has God shown his love to you in these days?
About two weeks ago, I asked for prayer for God's guidance in our lives. Well, Junior is back from his trip to the United States, but we still don't feel that we have a clear answer. We are still praying for God's guidance. His bosses told him that there may be work soon, but there isn't anything immediately. So we are still waiting and praying. In one sense it is hard. I don't like waiting in uncertainty about the future. But on the other hand, I am seeing that it is also a beautiful time. As one friend told me, we are in the perfect place to see God's miraculous working. The only thing we can do is trust him and wait on him, and there is nothing better that we can do.
For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4
Today, in the midst of our waiting, we had a visit from some friends from the church that we work with. They came to show us their support and love during this time of waiting. They came to pray with us and encourage us. Their desire is that we continue working with the church here and they are willing to do whatever they can to help. So they gave us a very generous offering. It is so humbling to be given money, especially when it comes from people that the world would consider "poor." They may not have much financially, but they are beautiful, generous people who today gave freely to us to show us their love and God's love. Praise the Lord for them. In addition to that, two other people blessed us as they were able today. To top it all off, a neighbor shared a glass of pop with us as we were passing his house, simply because we are brothers and sisters in Christ. I feel like I say this often, but it is truly a wonderful thing to be part of God's family.
So we continue to pray, and we continue to wait, but we also praise God for his faithfulness, his love, his provision, and his amazing power. He knows what we need and just when we need it.
How has God shown his love to you in these days?
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