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I thought I would share with those of you that keep up with our team something that really excited Mark, Justin, and me last week.

When Justin and I first came to Peru, the Davidsons introduced us to Carlos, an employee at a store located in a main mall here. They had developed a relationship with Carlos in their time of shopping for things to fill their new home here in Peru. Not too long after we arrived, the Davidsons headed back to the States for a while. Justin and I then began to frequent a few of the same stores the Davidsons had shopped at. So, as time went on, we also made a friendship with Carlos while we shopped for our home. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to invite Carlos over for dinner. This past Monday, he enjoyed a meal with us, and we had some wonderful conversation with him. Mark C. was with us as well, and I think I can speak for the guys as well when I say, last Monday night was very encouraging.

Carlos was the first Peruvian we’ve had in our home here, and the evening left us all feeling like our purpose here can truly be fulfilled. Now, don’t get me wrong…it’s not that we’ve doubted our existence here in Lima, but there have been moments (at least for Justin and me) when we’ve felt like all we’ve done is “set up house”. We have now been here 2 months, and while that amount of time sometimes feels like no time at all, there are days when it feels like forever. We have been praying that God would give us the confidence and willingness to initiate when He lays something in front of us to accomplish. We believe God provides opportunities every day for each of us in order to further his Kingdom, but so many times we can allow our insecurities or just our business in life to get in the way. It felt so right to accept the invitation God put in front of us to invite Carlos into our home.

That evening consisted of several hours of great conversation, and much of it was centered on what we believe God desires for our lives and why we are here. Carlos was very open with us about his life as well, and while we hope that God desires for us to continue our friendships with Carlos in a very specific way, we are just very grateful that God allowed us to be a part of planting a seed last week. Praise Him for putting Carlos into the lives of the Davidsons, and praise Him for giving John Mark and Tara the courage to develop a relationship with Carlos in the middle of his work place. We look forward to many more experiences like this!