God Provides

Saturday, July 25, 2009 (Day 15):

Today was our last day at the girls home. I went into it bracing myself to be crying by the end of the morning, but that did not happen. It was a little different when we walked in this morning. Everyone was preparing for Mama Rita's birthday party. They were putting up balloons and practicing their traditional dances. Marisol attacked me when I walked in and drug me over to a bench to sit with her and another girl Norma. Marisol kept hugging me and kissing my cheek and telling me my hair is "muy bonita." Thanks Marisol, I'm glad you think my hair is pretty. The other girl, Norma, has a physical handicap and rarely comes out of her room. She asked me a few questions that I could actually tell what she was asking. I used my broken Spanish to respond and ask her questions. She then told me, "Tengo siesta." I told her she could lay on my lap and nap if she wanted. She leaned on my shoulder and took a little siesta. Kelli told me that Norma had fallen into a hole in the street and wasn't found for several days. I don't even want to imagine what that precious girl has gone through. She was very sweet though! As I sat there with Norma resting on my shoulder, I watched the girls practicing their dances. I'm really thankful that I got to watch them practice because we didn't get to stay for the fiesta. The girls had to go to Mass in the little chapel at 11:30, so we left. Since the girls were all being shuffled into the chapel, it made it easier for us to say good-bye. They couldn't clutch onto us like normal. This helped prevent the tears. We said our good-byes and headed to our next adventure for the day. We were going to surprise a young mother of five with supplies for her new house.

We took her mattresses and some kitchen supplies. This women basically lives in a box of wood. Her church donated the house and it sits on dirt. She will have to leave in December, but at least she has a place to get on her feet for right now. A refrigerator is going to be delivered later this week. The woman doesn't have any electricity or running water, but the little restaurant down the street from her has graciously agreed to provide her with electricity. She was really overwhelmed with our gifts and said she was embarrassed that she didn't have anything to give to us. We told her that God had provided everything and it is all a gift for her.

Tonight we went to a really fancy restaurant here in Lima. The food was amazing!!! It had an all you can eat buffet! I had two plates of salad. It was great getting to eat some fresh greens! The restaurant had a pasta bar, Chinese bar, meat and a fondue chocolate fountain with fresh fruits! We definitely chowed down!! I didn't even feel like we were in Peru at this restaurant. It felt more like we were in Vegas or LA at some hot spot. The restaurant didn't open until 8, so we had to wait a bit. Well worth the wait! It was kind of weird though because people didn't really show up until about 9:30 to eat dinner. Our drive home in the cab was a little scary seeing that our cab driver didn't really like to stop for traffic. He just kept driving on through. We made a mental note of his number and decided he would not be our driver anymore!

Side note: The area where the girls home is located has a bunch of roof dogs. Even the girls have a roof dog and it's name is Lassie. When I heard the girls calling it's name, I just about cracked up. The dog lives on the roof, but appears to be very happy!

Also,we saw the sun two times this week!! It was probably for a total of 30 minutes. Sounds weird, but the sun never comes out here. It's always foggy, cloudy and smoggy. We get really excited when the sun peeks through the clouds!

One more thought, our theme for this week has been Provider and how God is our Provider. I think it is really cool how the Lord allowed us to provide food for these precious girls earlier this week and how God provided the home furnishings and home for the woman and children we saw today. It's amazing how the Lord mysteriously works like that! He has been blessing this trip tremendously and I pray the girls we loved on this week realize how much God loves them.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! It is very much appreciated!

Dawn