As I complete my first month serving here in Peru, I have learned to value many things I took for granted back home—things like water and light.
Yungar, Peru, after the rain.No day goes by that we don’t find ourselves without water. We do not know when we will not have water or how long we are going to be without it. It could be in the morning, during lunch, in the evening or all night. It could be for an hour, three hours or maybe six. This is not something that started happening recently; it has been happening for years. We all know how important water is for our daily living. We use it to drink, cook, shower, wash and clean. In the church, the pastor fills tubs with water when it is available. Sometimes, people come to church looking for water to satisfy their physical needs. This got me to thinking about the importance of satisfying spiritual thirst.
First blackout
Last Sunday, this town experienced its first blackout for the rainy season this year due to a thunderstorm. We were without light about six hours. This is not something that I am used to. Back home, the longest we ever are without electricity is usually one hour, at the most. Here, we were supposed to have church at 7 p.m. The lights were out, and it was completely dark. We could not see anything. The pastor went out to buy a couple of candles.
I was not sure how many people were going to show up—or if anyone would. Our band could not play, but that was not a problem, because the pastor pulled out his accordion and a hymnal. Little by little, people started showing up with flashlights.
Worshiping in the dark
There were about 20 people at church. We started worshiping in the dark. It was beautiful. After two hymns, there was light, and we continued worshiping the One who is the Light of the World. There seemed to be more people now than other regular Sunday nights.
Even though there is trouble and difficult situations occur in our lives, it is important for us to be thankful for what we have and look to God to meet our needs. More important than our physical needs is our spiritual need.
Janet Ruiz, a student at the University of Texas-Pan American, is serving with Go Now Missions in Peru.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.