Stretched And Blessed

            On one of our first days in Cochabamba, we were told that an American team from a church in Georgia would join us. We were filled with excitement and questions. Would we get along with this team? How old is this group? What will we be doing for the week? Who is this infamous Richard that people keep on talking about?

            The day of their arrival seemed to go on forever. They were supposed to arrive around lunchtime on Monday. We were then told that because of circumstances, they would not arrive until about 9 pm. 9pm came and passed as we paced back and forth and kept on hearing the sound of what we thought was a car pulling up in our driveway. At about 10pm, the team had showed up.

            The next morning, I met Richard. The first words out of his mouth was that my team would have to have breakfast ready each morning by 6:30 am. Not being a morning person, I was not excited about this. Getting to know the team from Georgia was fun, as well as meeting the children from an orphanage in the mountains. But because of my first impression of Richard, the day was a bit difficult to face, especially knowing that we would be under his leadership for another 5 days. That night, our team cried then prayed that God would soften Richard’s heart and for God to clear our perception of him.

            The next morning, Richard had changed. It was an answer to prayer and it was a blessing. Hearing his passion for the nations and his constant checking in to see how my team was doing mentally and physically.

            I asked these girls their names. These beautiful angels were named Luz Maria and Delia. This made me break down because my Mom’s name was Maria De La Luz but her family called her Luz Maria. I also want to name one of my daughters after my Mom but with a bit of a twist. The name I plan to one-day use is Delia Luz.

            I also want to tell you about how the team from Georgia was a blessing to our team. There was Bill and Diane who were like parents. Diane had that gentle and quiet spirit about her and was nurturing. Bill and I shared some deep spiritual conversations. God has birthed a heart in Joe that he showered on our team. Ted and Christina were that couple that stands strong even through difficulties because their marriage is founded on God, Ken’s heart is visible; he loved all those who surrounded him and his humor (along with Bill’s) reminded me of my dad. Wendy embodied a woman of great strength; being separated from her husband and children for a week showed her commitment to her Father. Emily, Sam and Shane are the people of 1 Timothy 4:12. Seeing their passion for Christ was a blessing to me.