What am doing here in Peru?

(me opening with a devotional - in Spanish- at a meeting held with community health promoters)

The last few weeks I have been asking myself this question - what am I doing here in Peru? This is not to say that I do not still feel as if God has called me to be in this place at this time, but in moving to new home in a different country, living in a different culture, speaking a different language, making new friends, and trying to figure out a new job, I have been a little overwhelmed in figuring out what God's purpose is and will be for me here in Peru. Of course, God's timing in revealing this is a process, and at the same time I am learning to rejoice in this process of trusting in Him to work out all the details.

One area which is becoming clearer to me is in the area of my work with FH-Peru. What does transformational holistic development really look like?, and how is God calling and equipping me to be a part of the transformation process are some of the questions I have had that are beginning to be revealed. Over the last few weeks I have been spending a lot of time in the communities where FH is ministering, getting to know the communities, and in particular the volunteer health promoters in each community. My guide for many of these visits has been Mirian, our health project assistant, who also lives in one of the communities. Mirian is an awesome servant of God, and it has been a blessing to get to know her and learn from her the insights she has about what is important to her about the work of FH.

Recently I was asked to write a "Story of Change," a report that FH uses to depict in a more personal way what transformational/ holistic development looks like. Mirian's story is an excellent example of how the work of FH can impact lives with more than just physical development, but also spiritual development. Hearing and telling Mirian's story has helped me to better understand what FH does here in Peru, and how important relationships and incarnational (living out your faith in all areas of your life) ministry are to the transformational development process. It has also helped me to see that one of the most important things that God has called me to here is the same as it has always been - to be in relationship with the people He puts in my life and to invest in them with the love He shows me.