We occasionally have people who come to the door to ask for money or things - they know that we are missionaries and North Americans.  We have a personal policy to not give money (causes all kinds of issues) and to try to build relationships with people that are NOT based on the things that we can give them... real relationships built on love and Christ.  Many times, we have talked to people for awhile, prayed for them, and explained our "no money" decision - but we will often times give people food if we believe that there is a real need.

So yesterday, at the lunch table, the adults were having a discussion about how much people pay for things in the USA verses here, what salaries are in the USA, etc.  Moises jokingly says, "Wow! You can pay me that!"  At this, this little ears across the table from me (Sarah) perked up and she answered, "We can't give you money... but we can give you fruit.  Would you like some fruit?"  HA HA!!!  We died laughing!!!  She is listening to everything we do and say, even when it is to people outside the front gate...

Graduation

We have been hosting a new disciple group for a few weeks now.  They meet on Saturday nights.  The members of this group were already friends from a local English language school (2o-somethings) and their disciple leader is their teacher at the language school.  I have to say, they have quite the group going on... they meet for 3+ hours each Saturday night (you would think that 20-somethings would not choose to meet for a bible study for 3+ hours every Saturday?!) and they do more laughing than any group we have encountered in Peru!!!  Several times, Billy and I have listened in to see what on earth they could be laughing about... but it actually seems that they are really talking about the Bible and their disciple lesson, they are just having a bang-up time doing it!  

So about a week ago, two of the "kids" in this group asked Billy if he would be their padrino (godfather) for their graduation from language school.  Billy was honored and said that he would.  Of course, as fate would have it, we had once again said yes to something that wasn't exactly as it seemed.  A couple of days later, the two students and their leader (appropriately named "Moises") came to meet with Billy about his padrino-ness... this is when we found out that Billy had agreed to be the padrino for the ENTIRE graduating class (15 students), he needed to give the graduation address/speech, and he would need to give each student a graduation gift as they received their diploma!!!  HA!!!  

Last night, Billy went to the graduation ceremony.  He gave his speech, managed to cross cultural barriers and actually get a few good laughs from jokes that truly translated (usually, they don't translate at all), and all went well.  One student even asked him to present him with his diploma and stand with him, since his parents couldn't be there.  Each graduate speaks a few words during the ceremony, and one of the girls (one of the disciple students) got up and spoke about Billy and how the first time she met him, he was warm and funny and she instantly liked him - he's not like most foreigners.  How sweet!!!  So Billy came home pretty happy and very glad that he had accepted the invitation.  

Poco a poco... Little by little, we will live by example and show people love and friendship and let Christ shine through us...