Peru: Experiencing God’s Grace

Hello! It has been forever since I posted something… Over a year! This entry and the next are going to be long. Sorry! Also, I don’t have time to edit them so they might be rough in some places. Alright, here it goes…

I am in Peru! What a crazy experience so far! So much has happened! I am overwhelmed. There is so much to process!

I finished packing my luggage and weighed my bags to see if they met the regulations. One of my bags was 50 pounds exactly. The other bag was 70 pounds! That is twenty pounds overweight. I decided that I would have to pay the extra $55. I needed everything that I packed.

It was amazing to see God’s mercy and grace toward me. I ordered a lot of things online and I was waiting for them to arrive before I left for Peru. It was getting down to the last minute. I had ordered a new battery for my computer as well as a new power cord. The battery and cord that I had were shot. I had also ordered a hard case for my guitar. I only had a soft case and I was going to be taking my guitar to Peru. I didn’t want it to be broken. In addition I had ordered a new credit card because my current card was going to expire in September while I was in Peru. All of these items came at the same time Tuesday night. I packed Wednesday and left on my flight to Peru on Thursday.

However, God was also faithful in bringing in the books I ordered, my debit card, my paycheck, and my bilingual Bible. He provided for me to take Peanut Butter and Cumin to Peru for the campus through my sister as well as a new set of guitar strings and a pick holder. My sister and her husband Michael were both so incredible in helping me get here. They picked me up at 4:45am to go to LAX for my flight departure at 7:45am. I also got to spend a few hours with them at Camp Land in Mission Bay along with Michael’s amazing family before I left. It was a beautiful day with incredible weather and we enjoyed ourselves playing Frisbee and passing the time relaxing.

I was also exceedingly blessed to see my new baby nephew Ezra. My brother Jonathan and his girlfriend Melody visited southern California. They went to Yucaipa to spend some time with Melody’s grandparents and Hannah, Mike, and I got to see them as well. They are an adorable family! I am very happy to have Melody as part of our family and Ezra as well! He is so cute! It is cool to see my brother so happy and so in love with his new baby boy. I am excited to see what God will do with his life. I know that with God’s wisdom, direction, guidance, and help he will be a great father. I didn’t think that I was going to get to see my nephew before I left, so this was an incredible blessing! I took a lot of photos and enjoyed every moment (except for the incredible heat in Corona!)

God also blessed me greatly through my friends. Felicia and Soowon surprised me (well, kind of)! They made dinner and a cake and we had a picnic at the cliffs. There was a beautiful sunset! Afterward we returned to Soowon’s summer residence and played Jenga. Steven joined us. It was good to see Steven. At the end of the night they prayed for me before I left. The thought of praying together didn’t even enter my mind! How sad! But what an incredible blessing to have friends that are Christ-minded and love the Lord. I was so blessed. I felt very loved. I will miss you guys!

When I got home to the Panton’s (the place where I was staying for my summer internship) again God surprised me and blessed me beyond what I thought possible. They were both still up and I got to say goodbye. I found a letter in my suitcase saying goodbye with some traveling money inside. They are so generous and kind! God has blessed them with such gracious hearts! I love the Panton’s. They are so nice. They were so hospitable to me and God showed His incredible grace to me through them. Again, as I was about to go to bed after saying goodbye to the Panton’s, Rex asked if he could pray for me. I was so caught off guard. Again, I had not even thought to pray with him or Holly. What is wrong with me? Why don’t I want to talk to my heavenly Father anymore. I used to ask people to pray so much that I think they got annoyed! Give me that kind of heart again Lord! Our conversation and prayer that night brought a lot of closure and healing to my relationship with them. I had felt for so long that I was a burden and a horrible tenant. I still wish that I could have loved them and served them better, but I am so grateful for their love and generosity.

I went to bed for two hours and woke up at 2:15am to leave the Panton’s at 2:45am. I ended up not leaving until 3:00am, but it was alright, there isn’t really traffic at that time of the morning! On the drive to Fullerton from San Diego I spent time with the Lord in prayer. Mostly I prayed for my family. I had talked the night prior with my older brother Nathan and I got to hear about the incredible work that God is doing in his life. He now has a great hunger for the word and a passionate love for God. God is showing him many things in His word and Nate is excited! I can’t wait to see him in person so that we can sit down and glorify the Lord together, talking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. I really want to sing songs of praise with Him and lift the name of the Lord God Almighty on high together. As I was praying for my family, I got a text from Soowon saying that she believed God told her to tell me not to worry about my family, but that He would take care of them. I thanked God for that word. I have no need to worry when our heavenly Father is watching over His word to perform it.

I met with Hannah and Mike at his parent’s house where they are graciously letting me keep my car for the next few months while I am gone (again, God’s incredible grace). On the way to the airport Hannah told me about all of the amazing things that God is doing in her and through her in the lives of her students and how He was opening doors and providing work and it was cool to hear about God’s grace in her life.

They dropped me off at the airport and the adventure began. I checked my luggage and paid my oversized bag fee and went through security. It was the quickest that I’ve ever gotten to the gate. I had some time to kill before they began boarding my flight and I knew that it would be the last chance that I would have to talk to my mom before I left so I gave her a call. I love you mom! I boarded the plane and I was on my way to San Salvador! On the flight I was seated next to two ladies from Honduras. They both spoke Spanish. I introduced myself and spoke to them for a little bit in Spanish. One of the ladies said, “Hello! I am going to be your traveling partner!” They were both very kind! They asked where I was going and why. I told them I was going to Peru to study at a Bible College. Then one of the ladies asked if I was Mormon. I was very confused! I told her that I was Christian. They replied that they were both Christians. Coincidence? I don’t think so! It was very cool… When we were landing in San Salvador, the woman next to me put up her hands and prayed over the entire plane and all the people on board for God’s protection and for a safe landing. The landing in San Salvador was pretty rough, but we did survive. Who knows! Perhaps it was only because she interceded.

I was presently surprised by the in-flight services. There was a free in-flight movie and they served a free meal! I watched the movie, an inspirational film with Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford about finding a treatment for Pompe disease. I read a little from the Bible as well. For a lot of the flight I just looked out the window in awe. It is always so cool to me to look out and see the tops of the clouds. There is a verse somewhere in the Bible (maybe Psalms) where it talks about God walking on the clouds. Pretty cool!

We arrived in San Salvador and now basically everything was in Spanish. And everyone talked so fast! I met up with a friend, David Gillot, who I met at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta. We had to wait for about an hour or more because our flight was a little delayed. It was cool to hear about his summer and the amazing ways in which God answered his prayers. I am always challenged by David’s testimonies because God is so clearly and evidently at work in his life. He can hear God so well and discern His voice and God is so straight and forward with him. Also, God does amazing and miraculous things in his life constantly. I am challenged when I look at my walk and ask why God is not as clear or evident. I believe that David has great child-like faith and he absolutely loves and trusts God. David and I happen to be rooming together this semester and I hope to learn from him and hopefully sharpen him in some way as well!

So we boarded the plane from San Salvador to Lima. I was in row eleven and David was a few rows ahead in row nine. I was sitting next to two Peruvian men who were traveling together. I was sitting in the aisle seat this time, so I couldn’t look out the window, which made me sad. But at this point I was very tired. The in-flight movie was not worth watching. It was “The Invention Of Lying” which makes a mockery of God saying that the idea of Him, and all that He is, is a lie. I tried to read but it was difficult. I ended up taking short naps. I didn’t talk to the men I sat next to at all. I didn’t really know how to, my Spanish has suffered significantly since I left high school. However, I probably could have tried. The real issue was that I was tired and somewhat unwilling to make the effort. They didn’t make the effort, so I didn’t. It wasn’t a good policy, I know. I hope that on my return flight I will have a different heart! And again I was challenged by seeing David. Just a few rows ahead of me, I could see him as he talked to the woman that he was sitting next to. Apparently she spoke English and he got to share his testimony with her and encourage her and challenge her. Of course, his testimony is quite amazing and I am sure that God will use it in that young woman’s life.

Again, I received a free meal. I thought that both meals were very good! When I arrived at the Bible College people asked what airline I flew with. When I told them TACA, they said, “Oh! Take A Chance Airlines?” So I guess they don’t have the best reputation. But I had a wonderful experience. They didn’t lose my baggage even though one of the pieces was overweight and flew on stand-by. They didn’t mishandle my luggage as far as I can tell. And my flights were on time. But I know that all of my fortune was not luck or chance, it was an answer to many prayers from my family and friends, as well as my personal prayers that God would protect my luggage and myself and get everything to Peru safely. So once more, God’s grace did abound to me exceedingly!

We got off the place in Lima and filled out our customs declaration papers and visas. Both David and I were a little confused about where we received our visa and did not realize until later that we forgot to ask for a 180 visa. So I will now have to pay a dollar for every day that I stay over the expiration of my visa. Luckily, that will only be about nine dollars! Again, God is gracious! I got through customs with no hassle. You have to give the officials your declaration papers and then go press a button. If you get a green light, then you are free to go and they don’t inspect your luggage. David got stopped for a little while (he had a lot of Peanut Butter in his bag). Again, God showed His grace to me.

After customs, we got to the area where people pick up their friends and relatives, etc. from the airport. There is a glass partition between where you first exit and everyone else is waiting to pick up the passengers. There was a huge crowd and everyone was holding signs. The Bible College told us to wait behind the glass partition until we saw the guys who were there to pick us up. David and I didn’t see them. We waited for a while and David thought that they might have forgotten about us. Luckily he had the number to the Bible College. By God’s grace, a lady from one of the taxi/travel companies let us use her phone. They had indeed forgotten about us and so we had to wait another forty minutes to and hour for them to come get us. Eventually they came and we met up with them. Another student had come with them because her airline had lost her luggage. She got her luggage that night, thankfully. After us there was only one more student to arrive, Nick. He is my other roommate. David and I  went with Dwayne Spearman, the director of the Bible College in Peru and the guy who I emailed and asked questions while in the states. Drivers in Peru are crazy! It was quite an experience. They really like to use their horns! There was only enough room in our car for mw to take one of my bags. The rest of my luggage went with Kevin who stayed behind with Amanda (the girl who was waiting for her luggage) to wait for Nick to arrive. We got to the Bible College and began to unpack. At this point it was around 10:00pm. The time in Peru is two hours later than pacific coast time.

It was interesting to learn a little bit about Lima. It is a huge city, about the size of New York and it has high crime rates. It is made up of several municipalities. The Bible College is in a municipality that is, for the most part, safe. All of the building and homes have high walls with barbed wire, electric fences, and broken glass at the top. They are like mini-fortresses! Also, in the area of the Bible College they have private security guards about every other block that sit in booths and keep watch to protect the neighborhood. The guards are paid by the various municipalities.

There is so much to share! I love the food here in Peru. It is amazing! Peruvians love salt, I love salt. It was meant to be! I also love the architecture of a lot of the buildings. I don’t know what it is about it, but I like it. It is just different than the US. The water is kind of like Mexico. The Bible College uses an ultraviolet light purifying system to provide potable water. Also, there is a water shortage in Lima so we have to take navy showers. Turn on the water to get wet, turn it off to put on soap, etc. then turn it back on to rinse it out. Something else interesting is that the pipes in Peru don’t support and cannot handle toilet paper so they wipe and then throw the toilet paper in a trash can beside the toilet. This is also kind of similar to Mexico.

I arrived late Thursday night and then we had orientation on Friday. In orientation we learned a lot of the rules. They are much more strict than the Murrieta campus. All students must be out of bed by 7:00am. The quiet hours are more strict and so is curfew. All of the rules however are to keep us safe and facilitate studying and growth in our relationship with the Lord. They totally and absolutely do not allow romantic relationships. If they even see one start to develop, they will talk to you. There is no flirting. It is very strict, but also very pure. I like it. They definitely don’t want you distracted from the Lord. They said straight out, “If you came here to meet your wife, leave. You shouldn’t be here.”

After orientation we had lunch together. Before every meal we pray together as a college and then we let the women eat first. I love it! I love the unity and I love the chivalry! Juanita is the cook and she is a sweet lady. I am looking forward to working with her this semester and speaking with her. After lunch I went with a few other students to a time of worship at the English-speaking church in Lima. I didn’t know that it was youth led until I arrived. It was a surprise, but it was good. We had to walk a ways and then take a bus. The buses in Peru are crazy! They hardly stop. They will drive off while you are still getting on. Plus, they will stop whenever and wherever you want them to. It only costs a sol to ride which is about 30 cents in US currency.

The worship meeting called “Friday Night Live” was great. The kids were awesome. They seemed to be passionately in love with God, though it was hard to tell. It was weird for me to see 12-16 year olds raising their hands in worship, I haven’t really seen it at home in Colorado or at La Jolla Presbyterian. It was kind of cool. The youth pastor gave a short message in between the worship sets. He spoke in the passage in James where it says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to You, resist the devil and he will flee from you, cleanse your hands you sinners and mourn.” This passage has had special significance in my walk with the Lord. It was especially prominent in my first year at UCSD. It seems that the Lord might bring it up again. I was very challenged by the message. I was challenged in the same way that I am challenged when I look at David’s life and testimonies of God. It has to do with intimacy, with hearing from God. The theme of this semester at CCBC Peru is “Holiness.” This is particularly significant to me at this moment in my walk…

I know that God has some incredible things in store for this semester. I really want to change. I want transformation. I want to be a completely different man when I leave, looking more like Christ. I want to grow in His grace and in a personal and intimate relationship with Him. I want to hear His voice and respond and talk with Him. Oh Lord!

I love Spanish. I love the language so much! I really hope that I can learn to speak well, if not fluently, during my time here. I bought a Spanish-English parallel Bible and I love it!

Today we went to the Palacio Del Gobierno (The Governor’s Palace). I took a ton of photos. It was a little ridiculous. But it was a very pretty building. And we got to see the changing of the guard. Then we ate lunch at a great Peruvian restaurant.

God, my God… Thank You. Thank You for all that You have done and all that You are doing. Lead me in Your way and in Your truth. Show me what to do with every moment of every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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~ by Seth Baumhover on August 31, 2010.