God Uses Just Ordinary People

We never knew we were going to eventually live in Peru, a country away from our families and all that is comfortable and familiar. You see, we are just ordinary people....we have a house, 2 cars, 2 dogs, great friends....attend an awesome church...went to college... got great jobs. We have everything this world says is important. Thankfully, God's plans happen to be much better than our own.  When we fell in love with Jesus, we decided to do life His way...to count the cost..wherever He leads.  And the fact that we love Jesus was beginning to interfere with the plans we once had for our life. 

As Chris and I began to truly soak into the truths of scripture...reading more and learning more of what Jesus said. We began to like the lifestyle we saw around us less and less. -OUR - lifestyle. We began to want more and more of God, His truth, His direction, His ways.  The more we wanted Him, the more He wanted from us.  So we stopped doing life our way and asked Him what was His plan for our life.  That's when God showed us a new plan.  He said, "Come...I have something to show you...something for you to see."  

Chris and I flew miles away on a plane to South America, stepped off the bus into a small village named Ayaviri and were changed forever. I immediately knew why we were there. The funny thing is,  I don't fall in love easily. I've never been one to hold my heart on my sleeve and this love that I was feeling was the same. It was slow and gradual. The love I was feeling for this village, I was unsure and scared to feel it. But I knew this was going to be our home. This beautiful , mountainous place was going to be home for us. I knew Chris loved the people too. The look in the women's eyes when I spoke with them affirmed it. The things the people kept saying to us...When are you going to bring your children? Will you be the godmother of my baby? I am so glad that you came -when will you be back? So, when are you ready to move to Ayaviri? It was overwhelming. 

I kept envisioning each day we were there, what  our kids would be doing if they were here, which house would be ours, and kept asking the question :what do you want us to do here God?  Each place we entered..our hostel..the restaurants...the market...I wondered..why am I not caring about how dirty, moldy, unkept and the smells...why am I not bothered by any of this? Why am I so peaceful?  The children would all yell gringo as we walked by...their clothes covered in dirt..their shoes completely worn, faces grining from ear to ear with bright white teeth shining from their dusty faces. 

Once Chris and I had a moment to ourselves to talk about all that we experienced...it was then....what if we were the constant Ashley? What if we were the family of peace to Ayaviri, the ones to show them Jesus? I wept. I was afraid, I was not brave, I knew this is what God wanted from us but I was afraid and I had doubts. Yet....God in his tenderness, over time continued to show me it was His plan, it was perfect and to trust Him. 

So I asked: Why me? Why would God choose me and my family to do this? and what do you want us to do?

..But as I think through our life, I see how blessed and loved we have been. I think it is only normal that God would ask, even require, me to share this love with others who may not know it. 

And He replied: Because I first loved you.

Love them