People We’re Meeting Along the Way
Bruce here, blogging this one:
telling the folks at Suro Antivo about how the Christadelphians wanted to help them
We've been sharing our experiences with you. While they include geography, transportation, housing, humor and health, they're ultimately stories about people along the way. None of these projects Meal-a-Day is involved in would happen without the varied and impressive partners we've identified to work with here. So you've met Mauricio and Claudia, Paolo and Willie and Maria Cristina, Consuelo and Lilia, Bruce and Ana Teresa, and will meet many others who are working hard with our help to meet the needs of some very poor and needy people.
Mauricio and Claudia
Willie, Maria Cristina and Paolo
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Consuelo and Lilia
Ana Teresa and Bruce
Today we want you to meet some of the others we have been blessed to enjoy in the last week and a half.
Luis and Rosa
First are Luis and Rosa, a Christadelphian couple in Restrepo, Colombia. The nearest other Christadelphians are 4 hours drive away, but Luis is blind, so they rarely try that trip. They rejoiced to have Steve and me visit.
Jesus and Julita
Those nearest other Christadelphians I mentioned are Jesus and Julita, a couple in their 80's in Bogota. Julita fell and broke her hip recently. While they receive visits and lots of help from their daughters' families in the UK, they too welcomed our visit with joy.
our friends in Lima
There's a couple in Lima who have studied the Bible with the help of several Christadelphians, including Jim Millay, Jim Hunter and Duncan Heaster. Joanie and I have met with them on several occasions, and they came to the airport in Lima to spend 3 hours with Steve and me, including a long and fascinating discussion of Philippians 2:6-11.
As you can imagine, Steve and I are getting to know each other better as a result of 24/7 contact for the last 12 days! Steve knew I was struggling a bit spiritually before we left and has been a support in our daily prayers together.
We look forward to planned visits with others of our "family of faith" along the way. The mission of the Christadelphian Meal-a-Day Fund of the Americas is not a preaching mission, but it includes "doing good works in the name of Jesus". Encouraging others in their spiritual journey is a most fortunate byproduct of our time spent in these South American countries. We believe there are a lot of our readers who are praying for our safety and effectiveness and we thank you. Please pray also for our partners in the many Meal-a-Day projects and also for these other "People we are meeting along the way".
By the way, it is apparent that those who have commented are finding these daily blog entries uplifting as well as entertaining. That's GOOD! Steve is working incredibly hard to make sure there is something new for you to enjoy each day. Here's a request from us to each of you, please. Share your comments. We find them very uplifting to us, and I hope others are too. Get involved, first in the blog for the next 11 days, then in the ongoing work of Meal a Day, by prayer, by your wonderful financial help, and (stay posted) perhaps a group trip next summer, Lord willing, to get involved "hands on".
By God's grace,
Bruce
September 24th, 2009 - 06:50
Thanks, Bruce and Steve, for writing these updates. We look forward to them every morning and enjoy reading about your adventures. This is so spiritually uplifting and fun at the same time — how about you guys stay in S. America and keep us all entertained for a year or so?
–Becky Opitz
September 24th, 2009 - 08:25
Good morning Bruce and Steve – we are finding your blogs fascinating and spiritually uplifting. You are helping all of us see the work of Jesus in action. Now, the big question for those of us at home is “who is our neighbour”? How can we reach out to our own communities and show them that we care.
God bless and bring you both home safe and spiritually strengthened
September 24th, 2009 - 15:15
Hello:
Becky, I’m not sure about your idea – well, maybe if they stayed for a year I could join them!!
I love the blog – I also can’t wait to check each day – on the days I don’t have internet access, I feel “left out”. But it’s fun to catch up the next day.
I’ve had some reminders this week about the power of prayer as well as the needs we have all around us. I can’t be specific, but I have definitely felt the hand of God in some of the visits I’ve had, the moments of sharing and the rejoicing in the way God has answered prayer. May He continue to be with you both on the rest of your journey – I know there are many prayers offered for you every day.
September 24th, 2009 - 20:09
How are you? How insect bites? “Coloraditos” are not dangerous except if scratched with dirty fingernails. But we pray also for your health.
September 28th, 2009 - 16:39
This is a really informative and uplifting blog, thank you for your efforts to give us is insight!