Thursday, July 5, 2012

Sam Miller - Day 5

Hello everyone!  These past few days have been a blast!  I wish I could go into detail about each day but I've been instructed to only talk about my day.  Before I begin, sorry mom and dad about the phone call and voice message... or lack there of.  Love you!

So, today was really packed and busy, but really cool as well.  In the morning, we got to sit in on a Bible study with some of the missionaries that serve with SIM.  Matt was asked to lead the Bible study with about ten missionaries from around Lima, Peru.  The study was similar to the ones back home, except very different.  It is so different to be apart of a Bible study where everyone is passionate about Christ and furthering His kingdom.  Matt's lesson was very brief but really packed a punch.  He spoke of the parables of the men finding the hidden treasure and the priceless pearl.  How often do we actually slow down and think about things like that?  Heaven really should be the most valuable thing in our lives, but how often do we go hours, days, weeks, even months without thinking about it?  We really need to make that more of a priority, myself included.  After the devotions, we broke into small groups and got to learn more about some of the individual missionaries.  My group included three missionaries: Bill, Ernst and Martin.

Martin and Ernst are both from Switzerland and Bill is from England. They all spoke great English so it was very easy to talk to them.  Martin had to keep stepping out because one of his children kept crying, but we got to learn a lot about Bill and Ernst.  Bill is working in the shanty-towns and has been for 14 or so years.  He is about to retire now and would like to have prayer that he would leave the ministry in the hands of another and that he could leave happily without any regrets and not become too upset with leaving the relationships he has made.  Ernst is teaching at the seminary we are staying at during our ministry in Lima.  He is a great, fun-loving guy who knows five different languages: German, Swiss-German, French, English, Spanish, and he teaches Greek at the seminary.  He asked for prayer for his three children, because he never sees them.  We got to have a great time in prayer with these three and it was really great to see how similar they were to us.  We asked them what was the most important part of mission work and they responded with "just be yourself."  I thought that was really awesome!  Being able to see these godly men who serve the Lord act and sound like us was really encouraging!  They prayed, spoke and even laughed like we do.  They were very "down-to-earth" and that was really amazing to me.  After our time with them and our group prayer, we had an incredible dinner that Mrs. Kim cooked.  Now let me take a moment to stress INCREDIBLE!  (By the way mom, I spoke to Mrs. Kim and she said she will give you cooking lessons in Korean and Peruvian food if you fly down her... Just FYI).  Mrs. Kim is truly a fantastic cook!  After I was so full they had to roll me into the bus, we went to do our missions work.

Each day God has blessed the team and me with a better feel for the language.  We are all getting much better.  Don't misunderstand, we can by no means speak to the people fluently, but we can get by.  I am becoming better and better at understanding them now and that is a blessing from God.  Today's group of kids were great!  I really feel like I connected with a lot of them!  We had an excellent time interacting with them through songs, followed by our drama. We only got a few "otra vez" (encore) this time compared to the chants and demands we have been receiving at other locations, but they really liked it.  Jake is doing great with his acting!  The kids absolutely adore him!  After the drama, Matt and Kyu presented the Gospel.  Everyone said the prayer! I know that doesn't really mean much, but I am sure that at least some of them are going to start coming to church and hopefully the seed has been planted in all of their hearts.  We then got to paint the faces of the kids and give them some food and a Bible tract.  I then thought it would be a great idea to let the kids paint my face...  I was wrong!  Within ten seconds, I was surrounded and swarmed by kids and my face was COVERED in face paint.  They even went as far as to put some of the red paint on my lips like lipstick.  It was a lot of fun for the kids though, so I'm okay with it.

I strongly feel God working in my life on this trip.  He has broken me down lately with my relationships and future life plans, and I feel that He is now ready to start building me back up into the man He wants me to be.  On the last mission trip I was a part of, God displayed His power and the power of prayer to our entire team.  On this trip, I think God is trying to make me more bold in my faith and aware of the people who desperately need Him.  Every devotional that we have been doing as a group has had something to do with boldness, even if it is only alluded to.  The more bold I am with the kids the more they respond.  I hope I can be God's tool and be used by Him! continue to keep us in your prayers and be comforted that we are all having an amazing time no matter how tired we may be!

In love,

Sam

Philippians 4:8

5 comments:

  1. It's so great to hear that you're having such a good experience, Sam :) the Lord has really given you a gift with children and it's incredible to see how much they love you and are responding to the message of Christ you have to give them!! It's amazing that you've been reminded of the one thing that's most important in our lives, and that's Christ and His kingdom. I'm praying for you every single day!!

    -Kinsey

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  2. Glad to hear that both you and the kids are having a great time ;) Keep changing lifes Sam. Get good rest and hope your having a great experience. Were praying every time we think about you guys.

    -Nikolas

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  3. Wow Sam! Thanks so much for sharing your day with us! It is so nice to know what all is going on there in Peru, and that all of you are doing well! I saw you at work during our VBS here at Faith Baptist, and you do not need to HOPE that God will use you, because He already IS using you! And He will continue to use you there in Peru, as it already sounds like great things are happening for God's kingdom! We are praying for you all every day. Please tell everyone hello from the Fiecoats!

    God bless!
    Connie

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  4. Boldly go where no Sam has gone before!!~ :-)

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  5. Sam - I fought tears as I read your post. I know the struggles that you have gone through; knowing that God had a plan and watching him hold you through them. It is such a joy to hear you realizing that He is ready to make you the man of God that He desires you to be. My favorite verse is: Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
    I can't wait to hear all about the journey He has taken you on in Peru. We are praying for you daily!

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