esperate hasta.......SIEMPRE!!!

WAIT!...just one more thing!

so, i'm with Hilda today waiting once again to get some small task accomplished in town. the task itself is never all that hard, but you always have to wait hours upon hours before the simple task can be realized. for example,in order to get my moto licencia (i can't spell that in english any more) i had to have a "medical exam". so, i was at some random "medical clinic" for like 3 hours today and when i finally get to go in for the exam the "doctor" practically tells me the answers! i mean, i couldn't see this #2 on a color blind chart (evidently b/c i'm color blind) and he freakin' tells me the answer!-- WHAT! no wonder the Peruvian roads are so wild. anyways, in the midst of all this waiting, i blurt out "la vida peruana es una vida de esperando"....basically--"the peruvian life is one of waiting". and as i'm saying it i realize, not just life in Peru, but life in general. i think waiting is highlighted in places like this where life moves slower and businesses aren't as efficent, but it's the same everywhere. especially the Christian life is one of waiting. i don't know about you, but i can't wait to see my Savior face-to-face...this moto licencia (and legal access to Peruvian roads) may just be my fast track to Heaven--JUST KIDDING YA'LL!

so, after being in town from 8:30 - 12:30 we get back to the house and start working on getting our second phone line--which we "got" last week. so Hilda calls them and after about 30 minutes of discussion she gets off the phone and looks a me and says, " esperamos"--we WAIT!!

but all this waiting really is teaching me something... while i was waiting with Hilda she began to pour her heart out to me. i'm talking she is crying in the lobby of the doctor's office. that my friends is why i went to town to "wait" today. it's never about the actual thing, but it is about the relationships. that's what God wants us to realize too. the more we have to wait, the more we put our trust in Him, the more we fall in love with the Father, and that my friends is what this Christian life is about--Loving God and Loving Others. Just you wait, i'll grasp it all one day!

love ya'll!!!

p.s. no the photo doesn't really have that much to do with actual blog. but i was waiting in this picture... and it does have the said "moto" in it. and i actually had on that same outfit today-- 7 months later. ha!

A Day at the Lake

hey friends

i've had such an amazing day today!

i'll just share the highlights. since my camera broke i've been unable to give ya'll any photos...so today i had some friends take pictures so that i could share with you.

i promise i was not posing for this photo...it was a candid!

this evening while the sun was setting we were able to watch hundreds of white herons fly across the sky and land in the tops of these trees across the lake. the sun was setting on our side of the lake and the last rays of the day were shining over right onto those trees. it was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. and the birds just kept coming and coming in their V formation across the blue sky. BEAUTIFUL! words could never describe it...i just wanted to share a little with all of you!

the sweet little girl i was with today said to her mother:

"mommy, they look like flowers in the sky"--refering to the birds!

i love ya'll!

Mosquitero

yay!! my new mosquito net. i love my room!

so, i have returned to Pucallpa. for those of you who don't know, i'll let you know that i still have parasites. they are slowly dying however...and i should be bug free very soon. i will know more on Monday. but for now it looks like i will be traveling on April 5th with the rest of my team.

since returning to my jungle home i decided to invest in a dream of mine. since i was a child i always wanted something covering my bed like a curtain or netting. well, what better time in your life to buy a mosquito net to cover your bed than when your home is a mosquito infested jungle? there is no better time! so now i have a lovely pink "mosquitero" hanging over my bed. i slept under it last night and i loved every minute of it!

and just a little update on Sunny, my lab puppy. i have decided to give her away. i found a nice lady who can afford to take care of her. i don't think it was fair to Sunny for me to be away from her as much as i was. my trips will not get any less frequent so i think it is better for her overall well-being that she has a more consistent owner.

so it looks like i traded one childhood dream for another-- a puppy for a mosquito net. not sure that's an even swap, but that, my friends, is life. and i'm learning daily that life is not always what your childhood dreams consisted of.

okay, i love ya'll!!!

Wait and Rest

Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14

Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 61:5

It is very comforting to know that the God of the universe has my life in His hands. I trust Him completely that He knew I would be sitting in Lima, Peru at 12:25 a.m. on Monday March 12th unable to sleep. He knows my every thought and worry and He gently says, "Lane, sweet child, give that to me; it is not for you to carry". I do not wish to carry the burdens I have on my heart any longer. As much as I know that "being effective in ministry" is not the goal of my life it is very difficult for a driven person like myself to take so much "sick time". I have long desired to save the world, but it seems that each time I get to the next "big thing" in my life the infamous WAIT sign in put up. Right now I feel like I am wearing the sign on my forehead.

I have been in Lima for over 2 weeks now and as much as I know that this is what my mind, body, and emotions have been in need of...I still very often feel that I am failing someone. I'm not quite sure who I think that I am failing. And when I start trying to figure it out I realize that the most important One already loves me. In fact before opening my Bible this morning I said to myself, "Lane, you are not doing this to earn God's approval, you cannot earn that. He already loves you". I know that what God truly wants is intimacy with me. He wants to talk with me, converse with me, hear my thoughts, my fears, my joys, and then He says, "go ahead give that to me". Why? Now, that I do not understand. He has chosen me. Chosen. How amazingly, wonderful!! Chosen me and now He wants to fellowship with me, spend intimate time with me. I think I understand this better than I ever have in my life. Maybe that is what all this waiting is about...learning about love--how to accept it, how to give it. I praise God that He is giving me a small glimpse here on earth of the infinite love with which He loves me.

I talked to my Aunt tonight and I started trying to say "I don't know what I'm going to do when....." and she gently interrupted me and said, "Lane, just rest". All I could say was "yes ma'am". She is right. God has given me this time. No, I may never understand why, but I can take advantage of every moment to learn more about His love and in turn thank Him for that love.

God, I praise you because you first loved me. You chose me before the foundation of the Earth. You have sent me to Peru. You knew exactly where I would be tonight and You know why you have had me in Lima for so long. I pray that I will learn that this is not about what I'm DOING, but about a RELATIONSHIP with my Creator. My goal is not to please others, but to sit at your feet and to find my joy in that. I pray that my life will bring glory to your name. Until you move me I will rest and wait.

Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14

Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
Psalm 61:5