porque Èl vive

Porque él vive (Because He lives)
Triunfarè mañana (I will triumph tomorrow)
Porque él vive (Because He lives)
Ya no hay temor (There´s no more fear)
Porque yo sé (Because I know)
Que el futuro es suyo (That the future is His)
La vida vale más y más solo por Él (Life is worth more and more, only because of Him)

I can´t sing this song here or in the United States without crying, but especially this summer ´´Because He Lives´´ has taken on new meaning for me. Because HE lives, I will TRIUMPH tomorrow - not just make it through. I have the VICTORY because of Christ Jesus. Because He lives, there is no more fear - for God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of POWER and of LOVE and of SELF-DISCIPLINE. Because I know that my future is not mine - it is HIS and His alone - that´s what makes life worth more and more, day by day.

Today we went to visit a mother who lost her 17-year-old son Elmer this April to a bone disease. Two of her other children are in our English classes here in Yungay, and the church from Jesup, GA, that has adopted Yungay became really close with her family before Elmer passed away. This morning, she took us to Campo Santo to visit her son´s grave. In the shadow of this huge mountain and an enormous statue of Jesus with open arms, we sat and prayed with her, asking God to comfort her and her family. Elmer became a Christian pretty soon before he died, and we have confidence that He is in the presence of the Lord, and all I could think of as we prayed was this song - Porque Él vive...

God has been so faithful this summer. He has provided everything we needed - and so many extra blessings on top of it all. While at times it hasn´t been easy - with sickness and discouragement and difficulty with language - this summer has been an experience I will never forget. (I write like this will be my last post - which I highly doubt. I guess I´m just in a comtemplative mood.) I have learned that there is a HUGE difference in our romanticized view of missions and the real deal. There is a HUGE difference between going and making CONVERTS and going and making DISCIPLES. There is a HUGE difference between self-pity/self-centeredness and the self-sacrifice and mercy Christ calls us to. Living life with people here, sharing stories, sharing faith - that´s what missions is all about. Sharing that because HE lives, life is worth more and more - only because of Him.