Amazing!

The title for this week's post is probably the word that I have used most often during the course of the week... AMAZING!  

• In an uncertain economy, when everyone seems to be cutting back and pinching pennies, our supporters did exactly the opposite and sent in MORE support funds than usual!  Amazing!
• And, of course, the USA elections were amazing.  I'm not about to debate politics here... Suffice to say that as a teacher who has spent the past 15 years in classrooms filled with underprivileged children and children of color & other races  who don't think that they will ever amount to anything because of their skin or their parent's place in life, I was so happy to see the USA turn this page in history.  Putting all of politics aside, this is a big step for the USA.  I hope that my former students are perking up and taking notice that they DO have opportunities and hope.  I sat and cried as I watched the final election counts roll in, mostly because I was thinking of a couple of my former students... Karina (probably the smartest child I ever had in my classes) told me one time that she really wanted to be a doctor, but "I'm hispanic and I'm a girl - it won't ever happen".  And Luis, who wanted to be a scientist, but "I'll probably just end up working on a farm, because that's all that us Mexicans can do."  
• During our morning quiet time, Billy was talking about how he really wanted to work with a certain pastor here in Peru, and how he really still felt called to work with children - especially street children and underprivileged kids.  And he was praying for that to happen someday.  That same afternoon, that EXACT pastor stopped by the house and asked Billy if we could come minister on Wednesday nights to a group of children at their church.  AND, as though that weren't amazing enough, he also asked us to help with their Compassion International kids during the week.  AMAZING!!!
• We took a hike with some of our bible study group and walked along the original Huanca trail (pre-Inca).  It made me think a lot about the paths that the people of the Bible walked - primitive, rocky paths on the sides of mountains.  The view was spectacular!  We were hiking along the ridge at the top of one mountain and looking out over the valleys on both sides.  And across the valley we could see Huatapallana and the snowcapped peaks of the Andes.  The sky was incredible, the fields were beautiful... it was amazing!  And I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing real shepherds herding their sheep, or of donkeys carrying loads of harvest on their backs, or of Quechua women carrying giant bundles of fresh cut flowers on their backs.  AMAZING!

Hope you see some of God's amazing work this week... it's there!  Just look for it!