October 14, 2006
Greetings from Lima!
We're finally breaking into spring weather over here just in time to think about how the leaves are changing and the snow is coming for some of you. I have thought often of home and all of you in recent days and so I want to start out by thanking you for who you are in my life. The hardest thing about being here, is not being there. My heart misses you. Plain and simple.
In the same breath, I am so glad to tell you that I could not be more thankful for where I am and who I am with. I feel humbled & honored daily to be a part of the lives of the people around me; the staff community, the servant team, the youth, my neighbors, the mamita who sells candy on the corner by our office. I am so blessed.
These months have been full. When you receive this letter we will be in the third month with the servant team. It's hard to believe we are already half way through their four months. They have given so much to this community. It has been an amazing experience for me to be their guide and facilitator during this time in their lives. I have learned so much about what it means to humble yourself before the Lord and be obedient to His leadings as a leader. The team has so many incredible questions and I am finally coming to terms with the fact that it is okay if I do not have all the answers. The Lord has been faithful and graceful in reminding me that He has not called me to have all the answers, He has called me to intimacy with him, to obedience, humility, community, service, simplicity, submission, brokenness and solidarity. It's a whole new way of thinking about leadership and, let me tell you, its incredibly freeing.
Speaking of freedom, I am bursting to tell you about some of the things that have been happening in the life of my dear friend, Manuel. Manuel has been living on the streets since he was a young boy. For 7+ years he has struggling to make ends meet, to understand his life, and to find freedom and identity. Through friendship with many different people who love the Lord and the Lord's loving-kindness, our relationship with Manuel has deepened. We grew in friendship with him over the years and a several months ago he made the decision to begin attending church regularly. At the end of August Manuel moved in with Sebastian and Craig (WMF Staff). Part of that move included a commitment to starting school 3 days a week to earn his equivalent of a GED, leaving behind drugs, and sharing responsibilities around the house. It has been amazing to see him flourish in this new environment. The incredible young man that he is shines through his tough exterior more with every passing day.
Last week, by the grace of God, Manuel stood confidently in front of his whole congregation (and all of us Word Made Fleshers) and told his story. He spoke honestly about the struggles of his life, about the sin, about the sadness, and then about the joy, about the relationships, about the way God has so tenderly loved him to where he is now. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed. To top it all off, when he finished sharing, the pastor took the microphone and said, “Manuel, we are honored that you are a part of this family, we love you.” And I could see the truth in those words. I could see the congregation & Manuel, so different, yet recieving each other in love.
Yet, it does not end there. Many of the youth that we know do not have their birth certificates or any other form of documentation affirming who they are or allowing them to participate in society. For many of them it is a long grueling process and, oftentimes, people are skeptical of them and slow to help. For Manuel, the process of getting his birth certificate has been going on for a frustrating four years. Thursday, October 12, 2006 it all ended. He gave his last set of fingerprints and signed his last document and they handed him that little tiny piece of paper that says he exists. Society has finally recognized what we have always known, and what the Lord has been setting in Manuel's heart all these years. So we grabbed a bite and a movie and toasted to that little piece of paper that opens up so many possibilities for our friend.
As I look back on of these things one phrase keeps running through my mind: “Poquito a poquito” (Little by little), Manuel must have said it at least a couple dozen times while he was sharing with the church. With every person he met, with every center he went in and out of, with every friend he made, with every mistake, with every day he woke up and kept going, little by little, he was leaving behind the false hope of drugs & street life, he was understanding who he is, he was being drawn to the heart of God. Little by little, poquito a poquito. And to rush it would have been to cheat the process, would have been to doubt the power of our holy and redemptive Lord. Little by little we find ourselves where we are and little by little we continue faithfully forward following the example of Manuel.
Rejoice with us because of:
*Manuel's continuing story of grace, courage & redemption
*Welcoming a new member, Linsey Higgins, into the staff community
*Having such an incredible Servant Team here with us.
*Great response from the younger kids to the bible teachings on Friday mornings. We began in Genesis and have been working through the OT. Last Friday morning we had a sweet & hilarious time of acting out Moses' early years. My group was responsible for the burning bush story and was a blast.
*Two of the youth have taken over leading worship on Tuesdays & Friday nights. It is amazing to see them using their talents in such a beautiful way.
Pray with us for:
*Continued progress on raising funds for a new center
*Saying goodbye to a long time friend & staff member, Craig Curell.
*Learning how to communicate well as a community and respond obediently to the Lord as He intimately guides us.
*For the hearts of the young kids, every day they spend on the streets we can see them growing harder.
So much love to all of you, thanks for praying, thanks for loving and don't be afraid to keep in touch (all the info you need to do so is belowJ).
Monica N. Ghali
America 344 – 3er Piso
Pueblo Libre
Lima 21, PERU
monica.ghali@wordmadeflesh.com
For more frequent tid bits: http://mghali.blogspot.com
Trust in the Slow Work of God
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of
Instability,
And that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually…
Let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on as thou
gh you could be today what time (that is to say, grace, and circumstances acting on your goodwill) will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within in you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin