May 14, 2009
Greetings from Lima!
As summer comes to an end here in Peru we’re soaking up every last moment we can get in the sun. Spontaneous weekend trips to the beach, afternoon book study readings in the park, and of course a mother’s day picnic for our dear friends who give themselves to their children on a daily basis. In my prayer letters I have often talked of the young boys we work with as they tend to be the population that I have the most contact with, but today I can’t get mind off the amazing women that we know and love.
As of the end of last year I can tell you that 99% of the young women we know are also mothers and many of them took on the job starting at a very young age. When I’m honest, I can say that at first this fact was incredibly intimidating to me. I had a hard time interacting with the young mothers. The squirrly teenage boys? No problem. But these young women? What would I, a twenty-something just out of college who has only ever been a daughter, possibly have to say to a teenage mother who daily finds the strength to fight all the odds so that they and their children can survive the rough terrain of poverty? And for that matter, what would they have to say to me?
I’ve come a long way since that first year in Peru and I am so thankful that part of my growth process was getting to know these women that we share life with. There have been lots of awkward moments and lots of times where all I can do is nod, listen and offer a shoulder. There have been more than a few moments where these young women have taught me what it means to love, to be courageous, to make sacrifice. I found that when I was finally able to be open & honest in the small things (“your kid is AMAZING” or “being a mother seems so hard” or “you’ll have to teach me that trick when I’m a mom”) it helped me see that the small things are the important things. They too had worries & fears, they too wonder what people think of them, they too love to play games and spend the afternoon chatting away about anything and everything.
My dear friend Edith is the one who really helped me feel free to be myself around these women. Often times in ministry its easy to get caught in one way relationships. I am the missionary, therefore I give and you receive, when in reality what we’ve found to be true & genuine is that we must all give & take from each other whether we were sent by our home church or have lived most of our lives on the streets. Edith helped me realize that in my fear of not having the right things to say or offer to the young women I had also closed myself off. Onc night on the streets, I was having a hard time with some relationships back home. She could tell something was wrong and was gently encouraging me to share. I did not want to. I felt my struggles petty in comparison to all that she has faced in her life. Still, as we stood there I felt as if the Lord gently prodded me to share with Edith and so I did. Her reaction was so kind & compassionate. “Wow,” she said, “that sounds so difficult. I’m sorry that’s happening.” And then she went on to share with me about how God had shown her many times that the difficult situations we live through prepare us and make us stronger. It was beautiful, simple and true and it helped free me into more genuine relationships with the women here.
After years of living and serving here my love and respect for these young mothers has only grown. Some of my favorite conversations are about their beautiful children, their desire to be great mothers, to break the cycles their families could not. There is a girl’s bible study that meets every Tuesday morning where many of the women come to seek after Jesus. Please join me in praying for them and their families. To all the mothers out there, happy mother’s day, you are celebrated and appreciated and deeply respected. To all the daughters & sons, give your mama a hug (and if someone could give my mama hug for me, I would be ever grateful:))!
Hugs, peace & love to you all,
Monica N. Ghali