The Restoration Houses

Thursday afternoon at the restoration houses was a good chance for us to get introduced to the people who are living there. First, we went to the men's house. We were greeted with green mango juice and bread on the cutest little cups and saucers. What hospitality! The men had just received a shipment of produce and John pitched right in and helped bring everything in the house. The men seemed very glad we were there and hit it off well with John immediately. It warmed my heart to see how he fit in so well and was really trying to connect with the men. They were even talking about having him help preach during their chapel times which they have twice a day. Unfortunately, we had to cut our time short to make it the women's house to meet the director because she was waiting for us.

The director is about as nice as they come. She welcomed and encouraged us. God has given her a vision to work in Peru (somewhere, someday) with the people there. She was so excited that we are going to Peru that she called our friend, Rita, the next day to share her excitement in what God is doing. She wants to come visit us there and to be a part of the work that God is already doing in there. We know that this is no coincidence that God placed this woman in our path.

The time at the women's house was nice. It was a little more difficult than last week because there were more women and a few of them had only been in the house for a day or so which means they are just trying to get clean. A girl I met last week really took me under her wing and shared a lot with me and helped me to understand what the others were saying because they were talking so fast. Keep in mind NO ONE was speaking English - only Spanish and we loved it.

Anyway, the director would like John and I to go to our respective houses each Thursday after school for a few hours. She would like us to prepare a small Bible study (yes, in Spanish) and facilitate discussion. Afterwards, we will have bread and coffee and sit around the table and get to know one another better. I think there are 9 women - maybe 10 if you include the one that was sleeping heavily as they had just pulled her off the streets. She had been sleeping on the sidewalk.

I've been thinking about how thankful I am to God for this opportunity. John and I have a heart for these people and we feel like this is the beginning of our ministry. RIGHT NOW! I told John that when we are 50 or 60 we will look back on these days and how little we knew about working with addicts and we'll be able to see where God has brought us and them.

Since we will be working in the shanty-towns in Lima these are exactly the types of situations and people we will be encountering daily - drugs, alcohol, violence issues, etc.. (there is a woman in the house who is there because of a problem with violence - not drugs). So God is using this situation to prepare us for what He has in store and He's also using it, I believe, for whatever vision he has for the director of the house.

My friend, Rita, told me yesterday that she is going to continue to come with me for a little while so that she can teach me how to work with addicts. She said when she first started visiting 5 years ago that she thought she new everything, but God showed her she knew nothing. I told her that I really know that I know nothing and I am extremely thankful and hopeful for any help she can give me.

WOW! Isn't God amazing! This is just the beginning! Praise HIM!!!!