Friends helping Friends, both here and there.

Here are the characters of this true story.

Gloria is a friend I met at language school. She is located in Arequipa, another part of the country, about 12 hours by bus. She and her husband are from Montana.

Susan is a friend Gloria introduced me to via the internet. She and her husband pastor a church Lima. I have met Susan once. Susan and Gloria are with the South American Missions Society.

Jan, Judy, Gayla & Cathy Jo are from Alpharetta, Duluth and Lawrenceville, Georgia. They are friends I met through their children who attended short term mission trips to Peru with us. Jan and Judy have also served here in Peru.

Edgar is a Peruvian friend I met 6 years ago. He drives a public bus daily and serves the American teams when they are in town. He and his wife Yumi and daughter Betzy are a blessing to everyone they meet.

Our heavenly Father is the one constant we all share. Only God could ordain these steps of those who follow Him as He has in this story.

Gloria and I have become email buddies and throughout some conversations we discovered we both still hunger for the English language. I was thrilled I was not alone with this thirst. In answer to the request of, “what can we send down to you” from Judy, Gayla, and Cathy Jo, I expressed my desire for some reading material. Several books, devotionals, Reader’s Digest and Guideposts have been delivered to me via Jan & Judy on their visits.

I shared with Gloria that I had some books and periodicals that she might enjoy reading. She was thrilled. But I was wondering, how I would get them to her. Here’s the cool part of this story! Gloria’s husband, Sandy, is scheduled to be in Lima in March, yep, this month! He has some meetings to attend with Susan’s husband! We will not be available to meet him as we have a wedding the day he is in town. Now what?

I quickly jotted off an email note to Susan telling her of our dilemma, and asking if she and I could meet before the end of the month and suggesting she could hold onto a bag of books until Sandy arrived in town. She was very helpful and explained that she would actually be in my hometown this week! (This is one hour north of the city, where she is located!) She would be visiting one of their mission schools in San Juan de Lurigancho. She gave me the school telephone number for me to call and get directions to the school, take the books and leave them there, and she would pick up the bag and take it home until Sandy arrived. How neat is that?!

I called the school and got the address. I knew exactly what street it was located on. However, it’s a long avenue and riding on a bus, I was not sure we would see the school in the distance to know enough to get off the bus. So, I called Edgar!

Edgar (who doesn’t speak English, but understands enough of my attempt at Spanish) arranged to come to our house one particular morning, he called the school to make sure he knew where it was located, we walked to the bus stop, caught the right one, got off at the school and faced our last challenged. This was to make it clear to the receptionist why we were there and leaving a bag of books for someone in Arequpia!

The receptionist was helping another visitor as we waited and soon a young lady appeared asking if she could help us. Interesting enough, she was asking in English! You see the receptionist heard us speaking to one another in English and sent for help. It was easy to explain the bag of books was for Susan who would be visiting the school the next day, and she knew what to do with them.

Seriously, how cool is all this. Gloria will soon have some English reading material thanks to an unknown young lady at the school, Edgar, Susan, Jan, Judy, Gayla and Cathy Jo. Thanks to all our friends! Praise to our heavenly Father for…”we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28