Last week was a little stressful for me. We were having a Zonal Concentration at our church in Campanilla. That is kind of like improve your serve, but it also included a children's camp as well. The event started on Friday night and went through Sunday afternoon. My job was to teach the older kids camp class in the mornings and the children's service on Friday night. I didn't have a schedule or any real information on the event, so I started with materials that I had from when I worked in Pucallpa. Sixto told me there would be another teacher, so I thought we could divide the kids into two groups. I had started working on the materials that I had, and I received a call from the other teacher on Monday. We decided on the exact days we would have each lesson, and that we would have the kids all together for the beginning and again at the end.
In the midst of all these preparations, we received an unexpected guest. A Bible bookman was passing through, and he stopped to ask if we had someplace he could stay for the night. I told him he would have to talk with Sixto, who was playing soccer at the moment, but he was welcome to stick around and talk with him. So, Sixto made arrangements for him to stay at his brother's house and he would eat with us. We had soup for supper...quick and easy!! That evening, we had service at 8:00 pm, like normal, and after church, I washed all the dishes and we went to bed.
On Wednesday morning, we were awaken at 6:30 am by the bookman, bringing food that he wanted me to cook for breakfast, including foods that I had never seen before. And I didn't cook them for breakfast. I did cook some of it for lunch, and other of it for supper. However, the bookman brought more food for me to cook for the other meals. I try to plan my meals out every week to make my life a little easier, and this was really messing up my schedule. I have to say, I was not feeling very charitable when I was being told what to cook and how to cook it by someone I didn't know who was coming and going from my house as pleased. And, because I was having to cook these things extra foods (because Sixto and I would have been eating left overs from the fridge), I was not getting very far on the materials I needed to prepare for the weekend. I had a little breakdown on Thursday afternoon, when I was realizing I didn't have the things done that I needed to have done by that time and had another service that night to go to that would take up the evening.
After that, I had to take a deep breath, and I started to look at the things I was being given. I received some fresh beans that were so many pretty colors. And then, there was a beautiful rainbow outside my kitchen window. That made me stop and thank God for all the blessings he had given me, and I began to feel a little normal again. The people began to arrive on Friday afternoon, and the concentration was a success. The children had fun at the camp, and learned all about the Good Shepherd, and then, and I say this with much gratitude, PRAISE THE LORD!!, the bookman left on Sunday afternoon! That night after church, I packed our suitcase to come to Lima this week and then I am going on to Pucallpa for another week of ministry there. I am very thankful to the Lord that everything finally came together about 5 minutes before we were to start with the children on Friday night. Thanks be to God for his continued blessings and a short time of rest!
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| These are some of the very colorful beans we were given last week. I think some of them could be camouflage patterns! |
