Life: our journey, an adventure with Jesus!
Surprises Visistors – Good or Bad Timing?
The phone rang and a friend asked if she could drop over in 15 minutes. Now, if you know anything about Peruvians, 15 minutes usually means at least 30 or more! Boy were we ever surprised when in 15 minutes the intercom rang and she was here! Amazing! She wanted to give us something her brother had made for us (at Don’s request) and we were very, very pleased with it and with the quick response to getting it made. Usually the Peruvians work (and play) on a different time frame than most Americans; they are very slow in responding. So this was a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable visit as she stayed for about an hour chatting with us. Totally unexpected – totally delightful!
(Names of locations and people in this next story have been changed to protect their identity.) This particular Sunday afternoon, we had two of the girls who used to live at one of the locations we often visit, stop by and visit with us. They were so excited to say hello and surprise us with a visit. Another young lady was on her way to meet up and visit with all of us. Sondra shared that she is working as a sales girl in a city not far away, rents a room, enjoys being responsible for herself. She is no longer in school because she has to work to pay her expenses. She’s lost some weight from walking everywhere, but she looks great; just as polite and pleasant as you would want your daughter to be. She was genuinely interested in what we were doing and asked a lot of questions. What a pleasant surprise! Suzanna on the other hand was very quiet. She’s always been a quiet girl, but more so today. She opened up and shared that she was not happy at her job so she was in her last week of employment and is moving in with Sondra, and looking for a new job next week. We were a little disappointed in her decision, but we, of course, do not know or understand why the change in jobs and living arrangements. She definitely will be looked after by Sondra and the two of them get along very well. Paula was obviously not happy and on the verge of tears while talking. Sondra asked Paula a lot of questions, and did not like the answers Paula gave her. She shared that she is living with her boyfriend’s family. Sondra told her that was wrong and she needed to get out and that was why she was unhappy. She even offered to help Paula and to get her a room and show her where some good paying jobs were. However, Paula sat quietly contemplating her circumstances, but asked no questions. Since she showed very little interest, we assume she will remain in her present situation. We chatted with the girls about our missionary work, places we have been, and what keeps us busy on a day-to-day basis. We do not know if these girls know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, but we do know that they know of Him. We exchanged telephone numbers with the girls – at their request. We really felt honored that they took time to visit us and assured them we would enjoy a visit again. Their visit encouraged us to continue building rapport with the children, teenagers and staff in the houses we visit. These girls in their late teenage years are independent, on their own, without their immediate family. The family units they knew as children were dysfunctional and they have been taught to be responsible for themselves. The hugs and greetings we received spoke words that we cannot explain. Please pray for these girls and others like them who face difficult decisions at such a young age.
Today Don was walking to the bakery and Mercado to buy bread and bananas. A young man came up to him in the street and greeted him like a long lost friend. His name is Fernando. He and his family operate the fruit stand where we make our purchases. He speaks some English and about a year ago he asked to meet with us. We met on the sidewalk and discussed his plans of going to England to study for a few months. He knew we spoke English so he wanted to talk with us before going. We have asked his parents several times about him. Today he recognized Don and hastened his pace as he walked down the street to catch up with Don and to chat. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that he cared enough to make contact with Don. This is another relationship we started building, and in Fernando’s absence, we befriended his family. It was encouraging to know that he remembered us.
On Sunday a young lady came up to us and asked which service we were attending. We have recently changed from the 4th service to the 3rd service at the suggestion of one of the pastors and of Martin, our friend who translates for us. However, this young lady wanted to make sure we had some help and offered to sit with us if Martins was absent. It’s very interesting that we have built such a good relationship with both of these young adults, and they are now offering to help us. What a neat surprise for us. Imagine that, they are reaching out to us now after we have invested in them over the past couple of years.
On a pretty regular basis, Richard drops by to visit. He has been in the jungle for the last couple of months so we have not seen him. We never know when to expect him or why he hasn’t shown up at the door for weeks on end. It was very rewarding when the doorbell rang and his big, I mean huge, smile is there to greet us. He’s obviously a friend. We usually communicate pretty well with him and his visits last about 20-30 minutes. This time he said he had come by two days earlier and no one answered the door. He was worried about us. He said we have always been home when he has come before. But now he knows everything is alright. How cool is that to know someone was worrying about us!
Just a minute ago I was standing in the office looking out the window. A man walking down the street about 300-350 yards away from our house, stopped and wildly waved his arms. He continued doing so. I didn’t see anyone between our place and where he was located; didn’t know who he was waving to. All of a sudden he gave up trying to get the attention of the person to whom he was waving and began to walk away. Maybe he did get the person’s attention; I had no way of knowing. But he stopped and looked back and waved again. All of a sudden I realized it was a friend of ours! He doesn’t live in our neighborhood. I recognized his stride and his stature. Once I waved and called Don to the window, he waived again, and then began to continue his journey to his destination. Here we are, just gazing out the window in the late morning, day dreaming, and a friend appears out of nowhere. Another little day brightener!
We have been investing time and effort into building relationships for over 18 months and this week we began to reap what we have sown. We have been the recipients of doses of love and friendship this week; very basic simple appreciation. Both in Ecclesiastes and Luke we read that…”If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure.” We cannot out give God. Even our gift of time and effort He will return to us. These people went out of their way to share their time with us. No gift or act of kindness is too insignificant to go unnoticed by the Lord. Remember the passage about “offering a cup of cold water and the reward it brings.” The interesting thing is that we are in a dry season right now. We definitely needed a cup of cold water! With the pending changes in ministry direction, there has been a lot of time sitting, listening, being still, knowing that He is God, the One Who has plans for us (Jeremiah). What perfect timing for surprise visitors. His time is perfect.
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