Let Go and Let God

Last night was our last official night of ministry in Nauta.  We decided to spend it in town doing ATLs (Ask The Lord).  Here is how they work, we split up into 3 groups.  Each group spends some time praying silently and asking the Lord to guide our ministry instead of ourselves.  (I think it is funny how often we forget to allow God to lead us, even on a missions trip.)  After a few minutes in silent prayer we share what the Lord put on our hearts.  Sometimes God gives us things sometimes he does not, but one thing is for sure, he is leading us even if it doesn´t always make sense!  God was definately at work last night! Group number one: Aaron, Benjamin, Stephanie, Mary Beth and Bess.  After their prayer a couple of people thought they should go Left (that is all the Lord was speaking to them at that time), then Stephanie felt the Lord saying they should go where they went for Luke´s birthday (which was to the left of where their team was).  So they set off and when they arrived at the place Mary Beth ran into 2 girls she had met earlier in the trip and she began a conversation with them along with Bess and Stephanie.  The two guys stood back and began covering that group with prayer.  Ben and Aaron said after they were done praying they opened their eyes and several children were huddled all around the girls and they were all listening to them.  The girls invited all the Children to come to the last day of VBS today and what a blessing because today for our bible school we are sharing about Jesus and giving the salvation message!  Please pray that the children are able to come and hear the good news!

   Group 2:  Tara, Kyle, Emily, Ty and Naneth.  During their individual prayer time they heard many things from the Lord.  Ty got a specific street they were supposed to walk down.  Emily got a picture of an elderly woman with dark hair and Tara had women on her heart as well.  Kyle got the verse Phillipians 4:3.  He had no idea what that verse said so he got a bible and it says: “Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.”  They were pretty excited that the Lord gave them similar ideas, but they still were unsure of what they needed to do, but they left in faith.  They went down the street Ty said and immediately two elderly women came out and invited them inside.  The ladies bought them Kola and cookies and showed them great hospitality.  They were able to have a wonderful conversation with the ladies and the team found out that they were both Christians!  They were eager to hear about the teams ministry here in Peru then they were able to pray all together.  The ladies were so excited and one of them said to the team that God had told her that someone would come and visit them tonight and she was so glad that the team was faithful and obeyed!  Today the team is going back to return the favor and buy them cookies and spend some more time in fellowship.

  Group 3: Kacie, Seve, John, Luke, Katie and Jheri.   After our prayer time we felt the Lord calling us to stay in the Plaza and minister to the people there.  I really felt the Lord calling us to cover the place in prayer.  Luke and John felt that we should go over and talk to a couple women in one corner of the plaza.  One lady was with her husband who was drunk.  Jheri, John and Luke were able to talk to them and pour into them.  Katie began a great conversation with some kids in the plaza and also a few teenagers.  She was able to talk to them about our ministry and invite them to church.  Seve and I were able to dive into a wonderful converstation with a woman from Germany who was here selling her jewlery.  We asked her about her life and she is very much a free spirit.  We asked her if she knew the Lord and who Jesus Christ is and she said yes, but she doesn´t have a relationship with Him.  She said she is living here in a community that is based on Love and her goal is to live in complete peace with people and a very simple life.  I told her that in some ways we have the same goal.  Seve and I talked to her about our reason for being here was based on love as well.  Except that our Love is from Jesus Christ and not on earthly things (nature is what she said).  We asked her what her thoughts were on Heaven and she didn´t really know.  She thought that there could be something.  So God opened up the doors for us to share with her about Heaven and that our hope is not of this world but of our eternal home in Heaven!  She liked the idea of that, but was not sure yet what she believed.  She has a lot of passion and really seeks out wonderful things.  I love that God is able to reveal himself in all things.  We were able to use the beauty of nature and the rainforest to reveal Christ to her.  Before we left she was so happy because she came to Nauta to sell some of her jewlery to buy food.  But she didn´t know if she would sell any because she had already been here, but she came anyway.  When our team pulled up some of the students bought her jewlery.  She said she now had enough money for food and she was really sincerely thankful!  Please be in prayer for her (Ruth is her name).  We are going to meet with her again this afternoon and give her a bible. 

  As you can clearly see the Lord is doing amazing things in Nauta.  After talking with the students about all of their experiences, Kyle brought up a great point.  He said “it was cool what we see when we are LOOKING for God to do great things and we allow ourselves to see him move.”  We could have done all of the things tonight and missed God completely.  Yet we decided to stop and let go of the control and let God lead us!  Once he opened our eyes to his great work, we were truly blessed to be a part of it. 

     Kacie