So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.
Hebrews 10:35-39 NLT
Tightrope. The deep end. Canyon rim.
The images that come to mind as I try to describe where I am in life right now are images of challenge, of being pushed to the very limit of what seems possible…and then a bit more. I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite as stretched or challenged as I have felt lately. But perhaps that is the reality of life: we reach the end of our strength, and realize that God wants to take us beyond what seemed possible.
This month marks the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Peru last July (back when I thought I was coming for four months of missionary life before entering the work force) and God is giving me the opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to Him, guiding me into what feels like a new chapter. I’ve come a long way – my Spanish is improving, I am much better adjusted to the culture, I have formed relationships with the people in this church, I am more confident in the responsibilities God’s given me as worship leader, as an assistant pastor, as an administrative assistant. Despite the challenges, I know that God wants me to continue working here a while longer and I’m writing because you have been partnering with me, supporting me with your prayers and your finances. I pray that God will encourage you as I share and that He will continue to use you to support the ministry where God has placed me.
While I was here last year, God stirred me awake to His call on my life into full-time ministry, a call I’d pushed aside while exploring many other options. Despite the struggle and many fears, I embraced His calling as what would shape the future direction of my life.
I returned to Peru in January, walking in faith in the direction God had pointed out for me, without the guarantee of consistent financial support and responsible for significant monthly payments on my college loans.
Choosing again.
But it’s July again and I’m still here, by the sheer grace of God and the support of some dear friends (thank you!). I am deeply involved in the life of a small, but growing church in an area largely unreached by the Gospel in this huge city of Lima, Peru. But the looming question recently was if it was time for me to move on. Circumstances did not look favorable: the church where I am serving was going through difficult times and my own financial reality looked (and still looks) slightly impossible. Just over a week ago, I was praying seriously about what God’s plan was for me, and whether I should go home to the States or stay where I was. His response to me came through Scripture, encouraging me to continue forward with steps of faith, to be courageous, and reassuring me that He would help me (Heb. 10:35-39, Is. 41:8-14, Jos. 1:9). God brought me here and He hasn’t finished the process I am in and a part of in this particular place. I want to be here until He moves me somewhere else.
So how serious are you?
Immediately after deciding to recommit to serving the Lord here, I faced the exciting challenge of renewing my visa. The apparently simple process turned into an adventure! I went to the immigration offices with all the paperwork they required, according to the information sheet I received, but learned once there that the laws had changed and they now required other documents that would take two months to process. With only two days remaining before my tourist visa expired, I was left with one option to continue legally in the country: leave and re-enter Peru!
I felt like the Lord was asking me, So, how serious are you about this following me business? Do you trust me with this detail too? I left Thursday afternoon, was on a bus for about 20 hours, left Peru, entered and exited Ecuador (officially, according my passport stamps, I was in Ecuador for three minutes!), and re-entered Peru. I arrived home to Lima on Saturday afternoon, now with ninety more days to do all the necessary paperwork for my official visa. See? God says. I’m faithful!
Press on to win the prize.
This is the God we serve. When He says He will do something, He does it. When He says to go somewhere, it’s because He has a purpose for us in that somewhere. If we allow Him to have control of our lives, He will put together the pieces in ways we would never imagine. I am learning to trust Him, although I am a slow learner. And He is using everything I am experiencing to prepare and equip me to continue serving in the future.
“Don’t lose hope,” the author of Hebrews reminds us, “press on, persevere and you’ll be rewarded.” So we walk forward, even though sometimes we must take frightening steps of faith, like the priests in the time of Joshua who had to step into the water before it parted to let the Israelites cross (Joshua 3:13-16).
Please consider supporting (or continuing to support) me in prayer and financially. Pray for the expansion of the church’s ministry in the district of Surco, where we are working, for God to continue His work in my life, for open and deepened relationships with my family and friends in North America, and for His abundant financial provision.
I am currently working in full-time ministry (it’s a full-time job without a salary for now!) and trusting the Lord to provide for all my needs: about $150 monthly for my current music studies, food, transportation and personal expenses and about $670 monthly to make the payments on the college loans I am responsible for. Please pray specifically that God would provide for these needs.
Thank you for your time in reading this letter and thank you for your prayers. It is a blessing to be able to share this journey of faith with you. If you want to contact me, please note the change of address in the States (my family has moved). My email and physical address in Peru are unchanged.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you, be gracious to you, and give you peace (Num. 6:24-26). Know that you are in my prayers.
Anna Shimer
