People are inherently...

As I began to think of a title for this post I recalled a paper I wrote during my last year of high school debating whether people are inherently good or inherently evil. I don't remember which side of the debate I took a stance on, but I do believe that all people have a bit of evil inside them as a result of the fall of man in the book of Genesis when Eve chose to eat the apple.

I will, however, also argue that because Christ shed his blood on the cross and died to cover our multitudes of sin, those who have accepted Christ as their Savior and choose to live for Him must also then choose to fight the evil and practice the good. Of course we still sin, we still make mistakes, we still have that mark of evil upon us; yet Christ, by His grace, covers the evil and sees the good. We as Christians must then choose to demonstrate the good to the world in order to be living examples of Christ's light in a world filled with the darkness of evil.

In the last month, I have faced evil acts committed by man two different times in the form of robbery. I am so thankful for God's physical protection and provision during both occasions. Let me explain more...

Most of you know that last month my U.S. bank account was hacked, and all of the money I had deposited to continue paying on my student loans was used to make purchases around the world (literally - Siberia, USA, England, Israel, etc.) We have no idea how this happened since my debit card has been safely stored and unused since I was in the US in January. Thankfully, the bank was very helpful, and all of my money was returned either by the companies or through insurance the bank provides.

Then on Tuesday this week, I was robbed again while in my own car. I know a lot of my American friends are wondering, "How does one get robbed while driving down the road in her own car?" Let me be the first to tell you, it's actually very easy.

Javier had picked me up at school to take me to the central post office where I was to pick up a box my parents had sent me. The post office isn't in the best part of Lima, but it isn't in the worst area either. Javier and I were driving with the windows partway open, when he asked me to look up a number on my phone. Holding my phone in my right hand, I began to search the internet for the number he had asked for.

Upon finding the number, he asked me to use his phone to call the company. I explained to him that in English it would be nearly impossible for me to accurately explain the problem we were having with the car, so in Spanish I probably couldn't do it either. I then asked him if he would please call them, to which he responded, "If you call, I'll tell you what to say."

Still holding my phone in my right hand, I picked up his phone to dial with my left. I (not being from these parts) never thought to close the windows, and Javier being focused on the call, the problem with the car, and getting to the post office before they closed also did not think about the insecurity of using a phone with the windows open.

After that things become a slight blur. I don't remember if we had stopped for a traffic light or slowed down because of traffic, but as I began to dial a hand entered the window and grabbed Javier's phone. In my peripheral vision I could see two men outside the car, one in a green and blue plaid button up, and the other in a solid colored t-shirt. My immediate reaction was to throw my phone to the ground to free my right hand to help fight for the phone. However, before Javier or I could react the man holding the phone was twisting my fingers, and I just let it go. We quickly drove away, but as I turned around I saw the two men running down the street in the opposite direction, bent over the phone.

I am so thankful the men didn't approach us with a knife or a gun. We are blessed that the only damage they did was causing temporary pain to my fingers and shaking my nerves up a bit. The only lost property was a cell phone, not a life.

So then the next questions I received from friends back in the US were, "How do you get it back? Do you file a police report?" Forgive me, but I had to chuckle inside. Javier and I first went to collect my box knowing that we were running short on time. Next we went to the cellphone company and had the phone chip and number blocked so that the men could not access Javier's stored information or make phone calls. As for a police report, even if we filed one, the police wouldn't do anything about it. Cellphones and such things are robbed on a very regular basis here in Peru.

"What happens next then?" one might ask. Well, Javier still needs to buy a new phone, but in the meantime he worries about me even leaving the house without being able to contact him. As for the men who stole the phone, they will probably take it to one of the markets and sell it to someone looking for a phone cheaper than they sell them in the store.

Lessons learned:

• God is our ultimate protector. 
• Pray for those who do evil against you for they need to know the salvation and wholeness that comes through a personal relationship with Christ. 
• Forgiveness.
• Sharing the blame - Javier and I were both responsible for setting ourselves up to be robbed. 
• Even though I generally feel safe with Javier, I also need to continue to be aware of my surroundings and personal safety.
• Close the windows when talking on the phone (no matter what area I am in). 
• Don't use a cellphone in plain view in certain parts of the city.

Please friends and prayer warriors, continue to pray for safety and God's protection while I am here in Peru. I know similar things can and do happen in the US; however, here in Peru it is more likely. When I add up all of the time I have spent in Peru it amounts to approximately 16 months. I am so thankful that in all of that time, this is the first time I have been robbed, and I pray that it will be the only time it happens, too.

I will be sending out another newsletter at the end of this month. If you are not signed up for my monthly updates and would like to be, please comment with your email address. (All comments are sent to me before being published on the blog, so I will not post any comments that include your personal email addresses or information.)

God is faithful!!

And just for kicks and giggles, here's a recent picture of Javier and I while hanging out with a missions team that was visiting from Canada for a few weeks. He wanted to use the hot pads and quilts the women had brought to pretend he was an elderly, native Peruvian woman.

Blessings to each of you and your families this Easter weekend.

Much love - Jessica

Doctor Visits and Culture Differences

Since returning from the States in January I have been to the hospital/doctor's office twice for Javier. There aren't really doctor's offices or clinics here like you would find in the States, and both times I have felt a little weird going to a hospital for something at home I would visit a local doctor about. However, that's how life is here, so I must adjust.

In January we went to the hospital because Javier had been having chest pains for a few months. We were afraid it could be a heart condition, so he promised me when I returned from visiting my family we could go. I was simply baffled by the process, so informal and not very thorough.

First of all, I was allowed in the room with Javier during the entire process. I may be wrong but something inside me was screaming HIPPA violation since there is no marriage commitment between Javier and I. Apparently here that doesn't matter. The doctor didn't even think twice about me following Javier into the room, and he actually included me in the conversation.

Then it got "worse" I guess one could say. In my head I was thinking that if I were a doctor and someone came in with chest pains I would probably do a chest x-ray and other tests to analyze what the problem might be. However, instead the doctor asked a few questions, had Javier sit on the table, and asked him to raise his arms up and turn from side to side. As he was doing so he asked if there was pain, and when Javier responded yes, the doctor said it must be a pulled muscle. He wrote a few pain prescriptions, and he sent us out the door.

Considering Javier hasn't had too much pain since being off the pills and the days of rest the doctor advised, I assume that it was just a pulled muscle. However, there are still random days when he reports that it hurts which makes me wonder if that's really what it is.

This past week, Javier called me and asked me to pick up medicine at the pharmacy for a fever and for a sore throat. (You can buy antibiotics over the counter here.) I arrived home from school to find Javier fast asleep with a cold cloth on his head and red skin. He had come from working overnight to sleep at my apartment while I was at work with the plan to surprise me and be here when I got home. His plan was not to have a 104.3ºF temperature.

After a short discussion he asked me to call a friend that drives taxi to take us to the hospital (I still don't know how to drive our car.)so that he could see a doctor. We went straight to the emergency room, and they put us in a "private room" to wait. (Room as in a little cubicle with a bed and a chair closed off from the main hallway by a curtain. As we waited, Javier had me ask the doctor multiple times when he was coming to the room or to ask what we were waiting on/what were they going to do next. Again, there was not one person that asked who I was and not one person told me I couldn't be in the room with him. The only time I was asked to leave was when the nurse put an IV in his arm, but she didn't say a word to me later when she pulled down his pants to put a shot in his hind end. (Don't worry, I chose to look the other direction.)

After all was said and done and we were told we could leave the doctor handed me the prescription and medical note, and Javier sent me to buy his medicine. I didn't know the hospital had it's own pharmacy, so I wandered out of the hospital to the pharmacy down the street to buy the medicine. I was given everything I needed and sent on my way.

Now, as if the actual procedure was different than I'm used to, there were other differences I noted. Neither the doctor or nurses wore gloves. The bed sheets had a mark of dust or dirt on them despite looking clean. The ER visit took less than 2 hours (the fastest ER visit I've ever experienced). Asking the doctor multiple times how long we'd have to wait or what we were waiting on was completely acceptable. (I did explain to Javier that that behavior would not be allowed in the US.) Most shocking was that the visit cost a little more than 100 soles, which amounts to about $40. Can you imagine an ER visit in the States (without insurance) only costing $40? I think a visit to the local doctor's office costs more than that.

Thankfully, Javier seems to be doing much better. He took a few days off work, and he says he is still feeling weak and tired, but his fever is gone and his cough and congestion seem to be clearing. Let's hope we don't have to make any more doctor's visits for a very long time!

April Showers

I think most of us are familiar with the popular phrase: April showers bring May flowers. A similar phrase could be applied here in Peru: Cold April mornings bring earthquake warnings.

It seems that with the recent earthquake in Chile on Tuesday, and one of smaller size yesterday, earthquakes are all anyone talks about. Did you feel anything? There's a bigger one coming. Do you have a plan if an earthquake would occur? Are there earthquakes where you are from? It's colder this April than usual, the cold mornings/evenings combined with the hot afternoons could signify that earth is changing and an earthquake may occur here soon.

Sometimes I have to smirk when I hear the comments of others, but inside I often find myself nervous and afraid. I have a hard time believing that the rare, April cold mornings and evenings combined with the hot afternoons would be a sign of an earthquake to come. I mean it makes sense that it could signify a thunderstorm or a tornado - weather related events, but an earthquake is something completely different.

However, when I think of the reality that an earthquake can happen at any moment, with no warning, no matter where I am or what I'm doing I start to become afraid. What would I do if I were home by myself? What would I do if I were at school? Or worse yet, what would I do if I were on a bus stuck in traffic as I often find myself in the afternoons returning from work? Chances are cell service would be cut off and the internet would be down, I'd not be able to reach Javier or anyone else for that matter.

Usually it's in those moments that I become most fearful that I feel the touch of the Lord and He reminds me that He is in control; that He knows exactly if/when an earthquake will strike, and that He already knows my fate should it occur here in Lima.

I'm learning more and more that we can't live our lives in fear. I can't be fearful of getting robbed every time I go out, or I'd never leave my house. I can't be afraid of saying the wrong thing in Spanish, or I'd not be able to communicate with most people here. I can't be scared of an earthquake that may or may not every happen because the time and place of where it may strike is unpredictable.

Living without fear doesn't mean make stupid choices and decisions. I still don't exchange money on the street; instead I go to the exchange house near the bank. I try to speak in Spanish with my Peruvian friends that speak English because even when I make a mistake, I know the more I speak the more I'm learning. I'm learning that it's okay to mess up because real friends will help you out rather than laugh at you. I've also learned that while it's necessary to have an emergency plan should an earthquake occur, I can't just sit at home in fear waiting for it to come an go.

If nothing else this experience living overseas has taught me to live outside of my comfort zone. It's taught me to depend on God more than ever before, and it's taught me to think differently. I'm learning not to sweat the small things, to focus on what really matters, and that my problems are small in comparison to the situations and suffering others around me are facing.

So if anything, while in the north you are all singing the tune "April showers bring May flowers." I am here in Peru smirking at those who have told me (in their own words of course) that these "Cold, April mornings signify earthquake warnings."