I returned on Saturday from Peru. It was yet another eye-opening, unforgettable, life-changing, God inspired, humbling trip. And on the last day- Friday, nothing was appealing or exciting about coming home. I wanted to stay. Badly. Sure, I couldn't wait to take a hot shower, to eat some American food that wasn't rice, chicken, or potatoes, and to see my friends and family. But there was just something about leaving that day that I didn't want to have to go through. I didn't want to feel the pain of leaving my second family behind, never knowing if I would ever see them again, of leaving a lifestyle and a country that I had fallen in love with, of leaving a place where I felt more close to God then I was when I was at home, of leaving behind an orphanage filled with hundreds of precious children, of coming home to a selfish and ignorant society.
All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around a pole. They would have to pry me away and drag me back home.
On the last day I had some time to myself where I was able just to sit and listen to my music, hoping to hear guidance from God.
The church that I stayed at was five stories tall and a lot of it was open to the outside. I was sitting on a stairwell and looking out over the city of Comas, Peru, reflecting. Comas is hard to explain, unless you've been there. The city is made of brick, cement, stone, and cardboard and it's covered in layers of dust. I was both in awe and despair as I stared out at the city. My heart felt burdened for the people of the city, for those that were suffering, for those that needed a savior, and for those who didn't know Their Savior. I suddenly became very discouraged. How much could I do? I had been to Peru four times before and I didn't see any difference. What was the point?
I had become desperate to know why and so I finally began straining to hear God's voice, and I heard it playing in my ears- a song called "Beautiful Things". Tears began streaming down my face.
The Beginning of the song sounded like my cry to Jesus:
All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all
And as I looked out at Comas, a city where very little grows, I was crying out to Jesus- "Could anything ever grow in this place?" But, God answered in the song.
[I] make beautiful things
[I] make beautiful things out of the dust
[I] make beautiful things
[I] make beautiful things out of [you]
All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in [Me]
Out of dusty Comas, he made it beautiful. I realized that it was BEAUTIFUL. Amidst the dirt, and the chaos. The city was breathtaking. The people, amidst their chaos and amidst their hardships- Jesus was giving them life. Period. I couldn't make the city or the people something that they weren't. But, God has a plan for Comas and those people. They are beautiful because He made every brick, stone, and piece of cardboard that makes up Comas. He made every single person in Comas. Every single person's soul is beautiful with Jesus. Period.
