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GROGG’S LOGS: November Edition
(posted November 30, 2007)
PR PAGE: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1) Praise God for wonderful health: physically,
emotionally, and especially spiritually.
2) Praise God for how well my classes are going
at the school; I have become so attached to the
students!
3) Praise God for a wonderful prayer walk a week
ago; God truly answered and refreshed spirits.
4) Praise God for the time I was able to spend
in Peru this year; I can’t tell you how much of
a blessing my time has been here!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for a small group reunion on
December 8th. There will be around 400 people.
Pray God will move with His spirit, especially
people who have not accepted Christ.
2) Please pray for Camino, the school I teach
at. Pray God’s spirit will move through the
school, the teachers, the leaders, the students
and their parents.
3) Please pray for safe travel as I will leave
Huancayo on December 13th and return to Fort
Wayne on December 14th.
4) Please pray for a smooth transition for me as
I return to the States in two weeks. I cannot
stress how much I need this prayer!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS -
GOD ANSWERS EVERY DAY!!
FUNNY PAGES:
Earlier this month, I had the awesome
opportunity to run a marathon here.
Besides going to the jungle, this marathon has
probably been my craziest experience yet!
First of all, I stuck out like a soar thumb: my
bright blue shorts, my bright lime green running
tank top, and a yellow bandana.
I
had half a dozen reporters coming up to me with
their voice recorders saying, “Here we have
Houstin Grawg representing the United States.
So, Houstin, how do you feel today?” I had
a news reporter with his camera come up to me
and interview me, and I had to stop and “pose”
for several pictures. It was absolutely
hilarious! And I pretty much laughed my
way through the first three miles, because all I
would here from the spectators would be, “Ooooh,
Qué bonito gringo,” or “Qué lindo gringo!” (ooh
how nice, a white guy!)
During the middle of the race, the rain just
poured and all my suntan lotion ran into my
eyes. It basically looked like I was
crying, and then a bus followed me for about two
miles with people saying, “Are you sure you want
to continue? Do you want to get on the bus?
We’ll just take you to the finish.” That
was a real encouragement!
I
finished the race in 4 hours 14 minutes.
When I finished, I had several people wanting
their picture with me! And to top it off,
the following week I had people come up to me
saying they saw me on TV! This race was
probably as close to becoming a celebrity as
I’ll ever come, and believe me with all the
press I experienced that day, I am SO thankful I
did not become a movie actor - so not me!
A
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
Philippians 1:3-5, “I thank my God every time
I remember you. In all my prayers for all of
you, I always pray with joy because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day
until now…”
I
was looking forward to sending out this update
for a long time. This whole year, I have
always been so thankful I had the opportunity to
come here. This verse expresses perfectly
how I feel about all of you. I cannot
describe how thankful I am for all of you.
You have been so faithful, praying for me,
supporting me, encouraging me all year long.
As I write this, tears fill my eyes with
thankfulness. This year, this experience,
would never have been possible without all of
you. I have had the incredible experience
of touching others, and the heartfelt experience
of being touched by others. The Holy
Spirit has worked with me and in me this year to
reach out to others, especially my students at
school. Christ has put a message on my
heart to share with others, and because of you,
I was able to come here for an entire year to
share that message: the message of the love of
Christ and our identity in Him.
Through updates and emails, all of you have
shared this experience with me. You have walked
right by my side and not a single second did I
feel alone. Together, we have all walked
by faith…all the way to Peru. Words cannot
describe how thankful I am for all of you.
We have all been missionaries, the salt and
light of this world. This year, I was able
to claim my identity in Christ and as a
missionary. I hope all of you, through
this experience, have been able to claim your
identity as missionaries as well. Your
support, prayers, and love have given me an
invaluable gift. I would like to close with this
story.
Resting after the marathon, I had a 10-11 year
old boy come up and sit by me. He started
asking me questions. He asked, “Do you
like your life in the United States?” I
thought about it, saw a door open for the Spirit
and responded, “Yeah, I do like my life in the
States, but I like my life here in Peru too.
When I was a kid about your age, I accepted
Christ in my heart. With Christ in my
heart, I can go anywhere and have the best life
possible because I know Christ.” I looked
at the boy and saw something click deep inside.
Memories like this last a lifetime, and I hope
the experiences and memories you have had on
this journey with me will last a lifetime for
you. I just wanted to take this
opportunity to thank you, just as Paul thanked
the Philippians, “I thank my God every time I
remember you. In all my prayers for all of
you, I always pray with joy because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day
until now…” With a deep and sincere heart, thank
you for partnering with me in the gospel of
Christ!
~Your brother and servant in Christ,
Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: October Edition
(posted November 4, 2007)
PR PAGE: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1) Praise God for a wonderful trip from my great
friend Patrick.
2) Praise God the English classes I teach are
going EXTREMELY well at the school.
3) Praise God for the opportunities I have had
to witness.
4) Praise God for the new small group I have
joined this month.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for a camp November 5 to November
9 the students will be going to near Lima.
I will also be going with them. Please
pray for safety, and that God will open up their
hearts to grow closer to Christ and that I will
have opportunities to encourage them in their
relationship with Christ.
2) Please pray for a marathon I will be running
on Sunday, November 18. Pray for good health and
safety for me and all the runners.
3) Please pray that as my time here draws to a
close that I will continue to have opportunities
to witness.
4) Please pray for a Peruvian family whom I will
be sharing the gospel with this month.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! GOD ANSWERS EVERY
DAY!!!
FUNNY PAGES:
As I mentioned, I am going to be running in a
marathon later this month. I enjoy running on a
new running track that is a few miles away from
where I live. However, in order to get
there, I have to run through a neighborhood that
is notorious for having big dogs (and, by now,
ya’ll know how much I just LOVE the dogs here!!)
Earlier this month, I was nervously running
through this neighborhood to get to the track,
and my guard was up. As I was running, I
turned a corner and about jumped out of my shoes
and literally I almost fell over!! I saw
this HUGE dog, the biggest dog I’ve ever seen,
but after I did a double take, it wasn’t a dog
at all, but a DONKEY!! It was kind of
embarrassing, but by now I’m pretty used to
being embarrassed!!
A
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
Hebrews 12:1-2, “…let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes
on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith.”
As a runner, I love verses about running.
But sometimes in Peru, I feel like I’m hardly
persevering at all. Sometimes my “run”
feels like a crawl and sometimes I feel like I’m
barely getting by. This verse in Hebrews
has encouraged me greatly. We all have a
race marked out before us. Some of us are
called to be missionaries, some called to be
pastors, some called to be teachers, etc.
We all have a course marked out before us.
Many times our course, our race, is littered
with obstacles from the world and from the
enemy. But fixing our eyes on Jesus
Christ, the perfecter of our faith, we have the
gift and power to overcome any obstacle in our
course. Obstacles may be doubts whether or
not one should become a pastor or missionary, or
a work environment strewn with bad language and
jokes, or the constant peer pressure, especially
for the kids in school. In Peru, I
constantly find myself fixing my eyes on Christ,
His word, His love, His salvation in order to
overcome obstacles. When I fix my eyes on
Christ, I have the confidence I will overcome
any obstacle in my way, even if my run has come
to a crawl.
Each obstacle has brought me closer to Christ
when I fix my eyes and focus my life on Him.
It gives me indescribable joy each time I count
on Christ and overcome a challenge. I
don’t know where you stand in your race, whether
you’re smoothly running downhill, or you are
struggling to take the next step. I just
want to encourage all of us to set our eyes on
Christ, knowing that those obstacles are just
opportunities to be strengthened and to know our
Savior in a deeper way. From the bottom of
my heart, thank you so much for running this
race with me. It always helps to have running
partners!! GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ,
Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: September Edition
(posted October 7, 2007)
PR Page: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1) Praise God for renewed spiritual strength!!
2) Praise God for strengthened relationships
with nationals!!
3) Praise God for great health: physical,
emotional, and spiritual!!
4) Praise God my friend Patrick gets to visit in
October!!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray the Holy Spirit will spread
through Huancayo and Peru
2) Please pray for my classes at Colegio Camino.
Please pray for the students and their parents.
3) Please pray I will continue to draw close to
Christ every day.
4) Please pray Patrick has a good/safe trip. He
will be traveling October 27-28 and November
2-3.
5) Please pray I can effectively witness to the
many kids I know.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!! I FEEL THEM EVERY
DAY!!
FUNNY PAGES:
Teaching English as a second language has been
quite amusing at times! There have been
many instances where the students’ responses
have been hilarious! Here are just a
couple of examples.
On one test, instead of writing, “I threw a
stone,” the student wrote, “I threw a stove!!”
I joked with him and explained his sentence,
telling him he must be pretty strong “to throw a
stove.” On one particular afternoon, I was
reviewing clothing vocabulary with my students.
I asked each student in class, “What are you
wearing?” One young man proudly exclaimed, “I am
wearing a dress!!” Oops!! (And just
to clarify, he really wasn’t wearing a dress!!)
I tried hard not to laugh and quickly explained
to him that he was not wearing a dress.
Finally, the students were asked to write a few
of their own sentences using food vocabulary.
I can’t remember exactly what the student wrote,
but I think this is what was written, “God eats
ice cream!!” I always thought God had a
sweet tooth!!
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you
the truth, whatever you did for the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for
me.’”
Earlier this month, I was walking just after I
finished a run. As I walked, I passed by a
lady who was dressed in rags. Under her
rags, you could see that she had sores all over
her body. Her hair was tangled and she was
very, very dirty.
As I walked by, she started yelling at me and
throwing rocks (in Peru, to fend off the dogs,
you throw rocks). I quickly jumped away,
looked back and prayed for her and went home.
The next day, I was coming back from a little
store with my bread for the day, and saw the
same lady sitting on the curb just a few houses
from mine. With the bread in hand, my
heart quickly just poured out to her.
I
went to her, reached out and handed her the
bread. Even in her mentally challenged
state, I could tell she was extremely thankful.
As I reflected on this experience, the above
verse came to me. When serving others
here, I am not only serving “the least of
these”, but I’m serving God too-what a
blessing!! How much more would I stop and
help “the least of these”, people in need I see
every day, if I saw the person as God sitting on
the edge of the curb dressed in rags.
If I literally saw God dressed in rags and knew
He was God on the curb, I would stop and drop
everything in a heart beat, just like how Peter
threw down the nets when he realized it was
Jesus calling to him from the shore after Jesus’
resurrection. How much more would I give
if I saw God in need, not a complete stranger.
I
want to encourage us when we see somebody in
need, even a complete stranger, to see the
person as God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide
us to fulfill the needs of “the least of these.”
I also thank God for the many who fulfilled the
need for me to come to Peru. Thank you so much!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ,
Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: August Edition
(posted September 3, 2007)
PR
Page: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES wooohooooo!!!
1. PRAISE GOD for a great, safe trip to the
jungle. We evangelized in two different
cities, and this was a wonderful trip!!
2. PRAISE GOD for an amazing visit from my
fiancé Lindsey. We had a great, refreshing
time together, and it was awesome doing ministry
together!!
3. PRAISE GOD for a renewed, energized spirit
this month. I feel so revived and just on
fire for God-THANK YOU for your prayers!!
4. PRAISE GOD for the relationships I have
built, especially with the kids in my
neighborhood.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. PLEASE PRAY for the victims in the
earthquake. There are thousands of
homeless and hundreds of families mourning
losses of loved ones. Please be in prayer
for these families and for God to move in their
hearts to bring comfort and peace.
2. PLEASE PRAY for the kid’s I have come to know
in my neighborhood. Please pray that as I play
and hang out with them, I could be a vessel for
the Holy Spirit to show them Christ’s love and
salvation.
3. PLEASE PRAY that Christ will continue to
provide opportunities for me to share His Word,
and that I would share His Word boldly.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS-GOD ANSWERS EVERY
DAY!!!!
FUNNY PAGES hahahahaha!!
As many of you probably already know, cuye is a
popular dish here in Peru. So what is cuye-it’s
guinea pig!! People in Peru always get a
kick out of it when they find out cuye is
actually a pet in the United States. So in
the States we say, “Cuye, que lindo (how
cute)!!” But in Peru we say, “Cuye, que
rico (how delicious)!!” And to be honest,
cuye isn’t that bad!!
On another note, I mentioned earlier we went to
the jungle. One day, I had the awesome
opportunity to dress up like a clown for the
kid’s club. And what I came to realize, I
did not have to act different at all as a clown,
just my normal self!! I think I missed my
calling in life!! So, I decided when I
come back to the States I’m going to join the
circus and be a clown (just kidding, but it is
tempting!!)
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
As mentioned earlier, there was a horrible
earthquake in Peru. There was no damage in
my city, but in the cities about 120 miles South
of Lima, there was much devastation and loss of
life. The following Friday at our prayer
group, we focused on how this is a good time to
share the gospel of Christ because people are in
search of peace and hope.
There is a Spanish song that I absolutely love
here. The song encourages us not to be
ashamed to share the gospel because there is
power in the Word of Christ. I think back,
especially in the States, and wonder how many
times I have been too timid, shy, scared, etc.
to share the gospel of Christ. EVERY
PERSON in this world has a thirsting and a
longing to have Christ in their heart, but many
people do not even realize this longing exists.
The earthquake here in Peru really got me fired
up to share the gospel even more, and to show
people Christ’s love and salvation because that
is what people are thirsting for. So I
just want to encourage all of us to not be shy
or timid to share the gospel, but to realize
there IS power in the Word of God. And I
am so blessed to be here in Peru sharing the
gospel with kids and just anybody that I meet on
the street.
Thank you so much for sharing in this journey
with me!! And as always, please keep in
touch as it always lifts me up to here from all
of you!! GOD BLESS!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ
Justin
(back to top of page)
Grogg's Log: Justin's OK
After the Earthquake
(posted August, 17, 2009)
The earthquake was really horrible in Lima and
some of the cities south of Lima, but there were
no significant damage here in Huancayo, although
the quake was felt for about two minutes.
Gut there is a lot of devastation, damage, and
loss of live in Lima and south of Lima.
Everything is just so crazy right now, a ton of
confusion.
Thanks for much for thinking of me - PLEASE keep
in touch!! GOD BLESS!!
~
Your brother and servant in Christ
Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: July Edition
(posted July 29, 2007)
PR
Page: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1) Praise God for the many
witnessing opportunities I have had here.
2) Praise God for the El Camino School; my
classes are going very well!
3) Praise God for the many friendships I have
made here in Peru.
4) Praise God that Lindsey gets a chance to come
back and visit August 13.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Pray for the short term jungle
trip we are going on. We leave July 28 and come
back August 4. Pray for God to move in mighty
ways!!
2) Pray that Lindsey has a safe
trip, from August 13 to August 28.
3) Pray for the El Camino school
and the salvation of the students and parents.
4) Pray that God will continue to
use me here in Peru according to His will.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!! GOD IS
ANSWERING EVERY DAY!!!
FUNNY PAGES: Alarm Clock
Here in Peru, there are two ways
I wake up in the morning: my watch alarm and "tomale
lady". Let me explain!! My first
morning here in Peru, I woke up to a startling
noise. The noise was loud, and almost
sounded like a high-pitched, earsplitting kazoo.
Every morning, I would wake up to this noise,
and it amazed me because every morning it was at
the exact time-7:30 on the dot. After a
few mornings, I woke up early and went for a run
when I heard the sound again. As I came
closer to the sound, I saw a woman screaming,
“TOOOMAAAAAAAALEEEEEESSSS!!!”
at the top of her lungs!!
Tomales is a type of food that people prepare
here: cornbread like substance with bits of
chicken, egg, vegetables, etc wrapped in a corn
husk. This lady walks down the streets
screaming, “Tomales!!” in hopes somebody will
buy from her!!
So every morning, that is how I
wake up-7:30 on the money!! It amazes me
how someone can have a set of lungs that
powerful-must be the altitude!! So, when I
come back in a few months, and you wake up at
7:30 in the morning to some guy yelling, “PEAUNT
BUTTER AND JELLYYYYYY!!!!!”, you will know who
it is and what I am trying to sell!!
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:
1st Peter 3:15, “Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks
you to give the reason for the hope that you
have.”
As I mentioned earlier, I praise
God for the many opportunities I have had to
witness. A good many of those
opportunities come with the taxi drivers.
One evening, a taxi driver was giving me a ride
home, when he asked what I was doing here in
Peru. I explained to him that I was a
missionary. He got really excited and
turned the radio to a Christian music station.
But as we got to talking, he slowly revealed his
heart to me: how he is not a Christian but his
wife is, and how he is struggling with a
horrible problem.
As we approached my house, he
pulled over the car and just said he wanted to
talk to me. He just talked and talked, and
I listened. He explained to me that he
felt he had to first overcome his struggle in
order to become a Christian. I explained
to Him that this is not the case, and that when
he accepts Christ in his heart, he would then
have the power of Christ to help him. I
then explained the joy and hope that this would
bring into his life; a hope and joy that this
world could never give.
I then prayed with him, that God
would open His heart and that Christ would help
him with his struggle. As I reflected on
this experience, I wonder if people can see the
joy and hope that Christ brings in my life, and
if they do, I then wonder if 1st Peter 3:15 is
true for me. Am I ALWAYS prepared to give
an answer to why I accepted Christ in my life??
There are several opportunities every day to
share the love, hope, and joy of Christ, but
many times we easily let these opportunities
pass by. Whether in a taxi or at work or
at school or anywhere, we need to be prepared to
testify why we have hope and joy in our lives.
I hope this little story
encourages you as much as it has me!! God
bless all of you and again just thank you so
much for your prayers!! Please keep in
touch, as I love hearing from all of you!! GOD
BLESS!!
~Your brother and servant in
Christ
Justin (the editor)
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: June Edition
(posted July 5, 2007)
PR
PAGE: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1)
Praise God for the El Camino school. I am
building great relationships with the students
and the teaching is going very well!!
2)
PRAISE GOD for the new Kid's Club that started
up. There have been consistently 70 or
more kids each Saturday afternoon.
3)
PRAISE GOD for spiritual growth the last couple
of months. God has been working in my life
in amazing ways!!
4)
PRAISE GOD for the amazing opportunities I have
had to share the gospel in Peru.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1)
Please continue to pray for my language
acquisition. My Spanish is getting better
every day and my English is getting more worser
every day!!
2)
Please pray for the salvation and the spiritual
walk of the students at the school, as well as
their parents.
3)
Please pray for protection: physical and
spiritual.
4)
Please pray for me as I am struggling a little
with missing home. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
PRAYERS- GOD IS ANSWERING EVERY DAY!!!
FUNNY PAGES!!
The
culture here in Peru never ceases to amaze me!
Whatever reason you can think of to NOT tell
someone the date of your birthday, there is even
a better reason here in Peru. I have
learned this month that when it is your
birthday, the cultural tradition is to actually
throw eggs at the person who is having the
birthday!! Thank goodness I did not learn
this first hand, but if I ever come back to Peru
and it is my birthday, you can be guaranteed I
will not let people know!!
Also, if you ever come to Peru, make SURE you
drink bottled water. Here's why!!
The other day Karen was getting water out of the
faucet to boil for cooking. As she looked
in the pan, she discovered little tiny black
worms swimming in the water!! To bad
there's no place to go fishing here in Huancayo.
In the States when you want to fish you have to
dig for worms, in Huancayo all you have to do is
turn on the faucet!!
NOTE
FROM THE EDITOR:
Coming to Peru and living in a third world
country has made me value much more the
blessings we get to experience in the United
States. Watching people wash all their
clothes by hand, having no refrigerator, and
seeing the extreme poverty here in Peru has
turned my internal value system completely
upside down. I have been challenged this
month with this question, "What do I value more;
to experience God's blessings or to experience
His presence?"
I am
reminded of Job, who had EVERYTHING taken from
him, yet he did not turn away from God because
He did not live for anything in this world, but
Job lived to have a relationship with his
Father. What do we live for on this earth?
Do we try to live the best way we can in order
that God will give us blessings and we can live
the best life possible which brings so much
pressure to do things right, or do we simply
live to have a relationship with Him?
Granted, blessings are amazing and should be
praised, but if we value any single blessing or
value seeking a blessing over His presence, then
I think we are living for the wrong reasons.
I
recently read a book called The Pressure's
Off, which described a child given two
options during Christmas: 1) to have a huge
stack of presents without his father's presence,
or 2) to have no presents at all but to have his
father's presence. If the child chose the
first option, the father would be pretty hurt.
In the same way, if we value anything else in
this world more than having a relationship with
Him, then I think our Father in heaven would be
pretty hurt. Here in Peru, I learned that
I was created to know my Father and to seek Him
anyway possible, not to seek the amazing
blessings He can offer. To have my heart
value Him more than anything else has truly
given me joy and peace, and I hope it does for
you too!!
Thanks so much for coming along with me on this
mission to Peru!! GOD BLESS!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ. Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: May Edition
(posted June 7, 2007)
PR PAGE: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1) Praise God for a great, safe visit from
Lindsey. We could not have had a better time
serving or being together.
2) Praise God for the Spanish language
acquisition-my Spanish is improving greatly!!
3) Praise God for good health!!
4) Praise God for the Colegio Camino school. My
classes are going very well, and I am building
great relationships with the students.
5) Praise God for a great birthday-I am truly
blessed to live with my family!
They made me a cake and we had a small party.
They even sang happy birthday in English for
me!!!
PRAYER REQUESTS
1) Please pray for protection every
day-spiritually and physically.
2) Please pray the students in Colegio Camino
will draw closer to Christ and Christ will use
me in the school every way He wills.
3) Please pray my Spanish will continue to grow
and that I will become more fluent.
4) Please pray for the city of Huancayo and the
salvation of the people in the city.
FUNNY PAGES
In Peru, there is a term (gringo) used to
describe people with light features (skin and
hair), especially Europeans and people from
North America. Several times as Lindsey
and I walked down the street, kids would just
stop in their tracks, drop their jaws, and
literally stare for half a minute as we walked
by.
One memorable incident, we were walking and a
group of young kids just got out of school, and
they just started exclaiming with so much
excitement, “GRINGOS!!! GRINGOS!!! GRINGOS!!!”
On several occasions, there have been very young
kids with their mothers, and the kids will just
laugh and point at me!! The looks on the
moms’ faces are priceless!!
Also, I praise God that my Spanish is A LOT
better, but I still mix up my words. There
are two words that I always get confused with
the pronounciation: vieja (an adjective used to
describe an old woman) and viaje (a trip).
Every Friday there is a prayer group at night
with about thirty people. We share prayer
requests, and I wanted to pray for all the trips
that were going on within the next week.
So, I raised my hand and said in Spanish,
“Debemos horrar por las viejas (We should pray
for all the old ladies!!)” OOOPPPS!!!
Everybody laughed hysterically!!! But
really, my Spanish is a lot better (but please
keep praying!!)
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: IDENTITY
James 1:23-25 describes a man who looks in the
mirror, and after looking in the mirror he
forgets what he looks like. Going to Peru,
it was very easy to forget what I looked like in
a mirror. Living in Peru, in a complete
different culture, where everyone looks
different from me, forgetting my identity was
very easy to do. I have to constantly
remind myself who I am in Christ: His adopted
son, a light, an ambassador, and a missionary.
In life and in this world, forgetting who we are
in Christ can be very easy to do. I praise
God that I have found my identity in Him.
Being created in His Image means so much to me
now that I have lived in Peru for six months. No
matter what we look like, what language we
speak, our identity is in Jesus, the Father, and
the Holy Spirit. I do not like feeling
different from other people, but I have truly
found my identity in Jesus, my Lord and Savior.
This month I have seen and experienced some
terrible things, and instead of letting these
things get me down, this has reminded me of my
identity and why I was called to come here.
In Christ, we are all missionaries, we are all
lights, we are all called to do as much good as
possible, and that is what I have learned this
month. It may be hard at times, but I want
to take as many opportunities as I can to do
good and to show people my true identity in
Christ. Instead of forgetting what we look
like in a mirror, let us take this mirror’s
reflection and show other people who we truly
are in Christ and who Christ truly is!!
Let us not forget who we are in Christ.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and
constantly lifting me up. I feel your prayers
every day. GOD BLESS all of you!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ,
Justin
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GROGG’S LOGS: Happy Birthday
To Me
(posted May 19, 2007)
Hey everyone!! May 7 was my birthday, and
it was quite fun having it here!! I turned
25 (ugh, half way to fifty!!)
 People
came over and we played some games and ate cake.
But what really meant a lot was when Beto said,
"Justin is far away from his family and
we just wanted to make this special for him."
Karen made me a chocolate birthday cake with
chocolate icing with shaved coconut (I ate like
six pieces all together!!) Everyone
surprised me by singing happy birthday in
English, which was very thoughtful.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)
Mother's day is a very big holiday here. I
went to my school, where they had about a four
hour program for the moms where the kids did
little performances. I made the famous no
bake cookies for Karen, Mary Alice, and another
lady that I met on the street who is such a
sweet heart.
Holidays here are quite different than the
States. Everything is a lot more personal.
On my birthday, all the kids at the school gave
me hugs, which were very sincere. When it
comes to holidays, people value the
relationships more than anything else. It
is so neat to experience holidays and
celebrations here!!!
I
hope you enjoy the pictures from my birthday-the
cake was delicious!!
Also, Lindsey comes this Saturday, May 19, and I
can't wait!! I'm sure you'll be hearing
all kinds of fun stories!!
GOD BLESS and thank you so much for keeping in
touch and all the birthday wishes!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ,
Justin
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GROGG’S LOGS: April
Edition
PR PAGE: Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
(posted April 30, 2007)
Praises:
1) PRAISE GOD for the school El Camino: I have
truly fallen in love with the school and my
students.
2) PRAISE GOD that my classes are going well and
I’m building great relationships.
3) PRAISE GOD for the Spanish acquisition-it is
still going well!!
4) PRAISE GOD for my spiritual, emotional, and
physical health.
Prayer Requests:
1) Please pray for safe and smooth travel for
Lindsey-she will be coming May 19 to May 29.
2) Please pray for people to come forward to
join a short term trip in August.
3) Please pray that more lap top computers would
become available-this would be a HUGE blessing. Please contact Eric at
emsmith01@yahoo.com if
you have a used lap top that you would like to
donate to the school I teach at.
4) Please pray for a youth I have come to know
that is an abusive situation.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING: GOD IS ANSWERING!!!!!
FUNNY PAGES!!!!
About a week ago, one night I was in one of
those really, really deep sleeps when suddenly I
was awaken by some guys yelling outside our
house,“POOOOPY…..POOOOOPYYYYY!!!” I was still
really out of it, and thought, “Why are these
guys outside our apartment yelling “poopy”? Haha When I woke back up later that morning, I
vaguely remembered the incident. I told Karen
the story that morning, and she laughed and said poopy is a word they use here for puppy!! That’s
one crazy way to learn a new word!!
Also, I
learned a funny cultural belief this month,
too!! One day, Mary Beth had the hick-ups really
bad. As we talked, I was informed that many
people here believe that when you have the hick
ups, you grow taller!!! Haha I wonder if the
person who holds the record for the longest span
of hick ups is also the tallest person to ever
live too!!
Thought from the Editor: The Good Samaritan
Here in Huancayo, I have had many opportunities
and blessings to actually live out bible
stories. A few weeks ago, I was walking to
school. I was going down a busy road, when I saw
a man lying on the sidewalk slouched against a
building. As I approached, I saw he was covered
in blood!! My first thought was that he got hit
by a car. I almost cried right then and there
because there were several people just walking
right by him doing nothing but giving him a
pathetic look. I put myself in his shoes. Here I
am, lying on the sidewalk covered in blood,
obviously needing help, and not one person is
stopping to help me. Again, my eyes filled with
tears.
What came to my mind was the Good
Samaritan bible story. Many people were walking
by, not doing a single thing. I had to do
something. I went to a little store nearby, and
got him some bottled water and paper towels,
along with some fruit. I returned and asked,
“Sir what happened??” He was still really out of
it and could not really answer me. Another
gentleman informed me that he had fallen and hit
is head on the curb. I handed the gentleman the
bag of water, paper towels, and food, and said,
“Here, use this to get cleaned up. God bless
you!!” He then took the bag, and looked up at me
with the most sincere look of gratitude I have
ever seen and said, “Gracias (Thank you).” The
other man who came also said thank you, and as I
continued to the school, I heard the other man
say, “Now, let’s use this to clean you up.”
As I
further reflected on the experience, I realized
there are not many situations like that in the
States, where someone is in obvious need of help
(although, sadly there are still thousands of
homeless people in the States-even in Fort
Wayne). However, we all know someone close to us
who does not know Christ and is obvious need of
spiritual help!! We need to compassionately look
at people who are in spiritual need as someone
who is lying on the sidewalk, slouched against a
building, with a bloodied face!! Just like we
would help someone in my situation, we need to
give spiritual help to those people in need of a
Savior!!
So, the next time we see someone who
does not know Christ and the Spirit presents an
opportunity for us to witness, we need to see
that person as the guy or lady laying on the
street, slouched against a building, with a
bloodied face looking up at us just crying for
help. I pray this touches you as much as it
touched me-GOD BLESS all of you and THANK YOU so
much for your prayers and support!! The Holy
Spirit is moving, and it is awesome!! GOD
BLESS!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ,
Justin
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GROGG'S LOG: SCHOOL AND PERUVIAN IDOL
(posted April 30, 2007)
Hey everyone!! The last two weeks have
been very good-my classes are going well and I
feel like my Spanish is coming along better,
although there are still those days!!
The other day I had a conversation in a little
store and one of the gentleman said, "This was a
very nice conversation." haha With
my Spanish that's pretty good!!!
There was a short term missionary named Sue who
came a couple weeks ago. She did a seminar
with how to teach at risk children; and since
99% of the students here would be considered "at
risk," this was a great little seminar.
She taught us how to work with puppets and
clowns, as well as several teaching techniques
and games to use in the classroom. I will
try to get pics posted of me and my clown make
up!!
My heart is really anchored at this little
school. I LOVE TEACHING THERE!!! I
really feel like I'm reaching out to the
students, and we have had great times in my
classes. In a few weeks, I want to start
an English club!!
Speaking of a couple weeks, I'm so excited for
Lindsey to come-three weeks from Saturday!!
To end on a kind of funny note, during the three
day seminar with Sue, the director wanted a song
sung in English during the break (why, I have no
idea!!) Well, the only English speakers
there were me, Mary Alice, and Sue. So we
sang "Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord" in
acapella style in front of at least 40-50 other
people in this tiny little room!! To say
the least, I don't think I will be trying out
for "Peruvian Idol" any time soon!!
Keep checking out the blog site for weekly
updates, as I want to update more often.
Also, thanks for all your prayers-GOD IS
ANSWERING!!! GOD BLESS!!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ
Justin
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GROGG'S LOG: FEAR THE DOG
(posted April 13, 2007)
Hey
everyone!! Last week was a fun week of
teaching!! Every class, each class can earn five
points if the class goes well. After fifty
points, I let them do something kind of fun
outside of class-go to the park, watch a movie,
etc. Well, one class asked to go to the zoo, so
on Thursday I took the class to the zoo-what a
crazy experience!! We had so much fun!! There
will be pictures posted on the website later
next week, but I will try to do my best to
describe what it was like. The zoo had many
types of exotic cats (jaguars, lions, etc). So
you would think with such a dangerous animal you
couldn't get close to the animal, but all you
had to do was step over this little concrete
wall that was about knee high and you could have
stuck your hand in the lion's cage!!! Just for
the record, I did not try!! And then there are
these monkey type animals in this cage. Well,
one of my students pulled on the cage door, and
it swung right open-the door was not even locked
so anyone could have walked right in!! Who let
the monkeys out??!! The kids and I had such a
good time, and they learned some of the animals
names in English too. I can't wait to show you
the pics!!
It is such a joy cause my family
came home Tuesday morning (Karen and little
Rodrigo were away for 8 weeks for Karen to
finish school). Rodrigo is so funny cause he
walks and talks so much now!! It's so cute cause
he kicks a little soccer ball and yells,
"GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!"
Well, the other day I was in my room and he
comes walking in with a big smile on his face.
He hands me the TV remote, and then happily
walks out of my room. For some reason, this
really struck me, and I reflected on the
experience-God wants us to come to Him with
whatever we have. Whether at that time we have
repentance and sorrow to offer Him, or we have
joy and praise to give Him, God wants us to give
to Him whatever we have, even if it is the TV
remote. There have been many times where I have
watched TV, and I know I should've given God the
remote, hit the power button on the TV, and go
pray and spend time with Him. Thanks so much for
praying for me!! Please continue to pray, as GOD
opens new doors almost every day!! THANK YOU SO
MUCH!! GOD BLESS!!
~Your brother and servant in
Christ
Justin
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GROGG'S LOG: FEAR THE DOG
(posted April 13, 2007)
Hey
y'all (I've yet to translate that into spanish!!
lol) Things are going so great here in
Peru-my classes have been going extremely well!!
When I was student teaching in the States, I
thought it was wierd the students called me Mr.
Grogg. Well, here in Peru they call me
professor!! I have been starting each
class with a devotional, and I have been really
trying to hit home to the students what their
identity is, which is ultimately in Jesus Christ
(Colossians 3:3).
It is so neat because now I
cannot walk down the street without running into
somebody I know. It has opened up so many
witnessing opportunities. Many people have
asked me how the Spanish language is coming
along-this I'm happy to report is a praise!!
The first few months I was here, the last thing
I wanted to do in the morning is get up and
stress my brain trying to speak and understand
Spanish. Then by the time night rolled
around, I was exhausted mentally from trying to
speak and understand Spanish all day long.
But now I am so motivated to do book work to
conjugate new verbs and learn new words.
We had a short term mission team come from
Georgia University. The team spent a lot
of time going to different places and witnessing
on the streets in the name of Christ. I
went to some of their events, and was actually
able to translate, which is a HUGE PRAISE!!!!
To end on a funny note, on a know
this young boy that I met on the street.
Many of you remember that my worst fear here is
the dogs, and as I was walking down the street,
I VERY SUDDENLY felt something grab/bite the
back of my calf and heard a growling sound!!
I jumped about a mile high!! As I turned
around getting ready to kick a dog, I saw this
boy grabbing the back of my leg and making the
growling sound!! He knew he got me, and he
got me good!! My heart was racing, and he
was laughing so hard-I got a good kick out of it
too!! Thanks so much for your prayers, and
I look forward to sending another Grogg's Logs
update next week!! GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!!
~Your dog-fearing brother and
servant in Christ,
Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG’S LOGS: March Edition
(Posted March 28, 2007)
PR PAGE:
Praises and Prayer Requests from Peru
PRAISES:
1) Praise God for my English
classes at the school; they are going very, very
well!! Praise God!!!
2) Praise God for the Spanish
language acquisition. I feel like I am finally
able to communicate with people!! Praise God!!!
3) Praise God for the
relationships and friends the Lord has been
building!! Praise God!!!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Please pray for safe travel
for two of my good friends here. Todd, a
missionary who is my age who has been here for
eight months, returns this Monday back to the
States. Also, Beto’s wife and young son return
home after eight weeks of being away this Monday
also. Please pray for safe travel for them, and
also for Todd has he makes the transition to
moving back home.
2) Pray for the students at El
Camino, the school I teach at. Pray the students
will come into a deeper relationship with
Christ.
3) Please pray for my health. It
has been cold and raining here almost every day
for the last three weeks.
4) Please pray for the kids at
the kid’s clubs. For several sad reasons, we had
to stop having the kid’s clubs. Pray the clubs
can start back up again.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS!!
GOD IS ANSWERING!!
Hanging out with the kids at the Kids Club
HELP WANTED HELP WANTED HELP
WANTED!!!!!!
The school I teach at hardly has
any resources, and a lady from church presented
this idea to me: maybe people could donate old
used laptops that they do not have any more and
we could get them down to Peru. I cannot begin
to describe to you how big of a blessing this
would be to the students and the teachers.
Having computers would give us access to keep in
touch with the students after I come back, and
would open up a whole new world of education to
the students. So, if you have any old used
laptops that you could part with, please email
Eric who is helping with this project. His email
is: emsmith01@yahoo.com. The laptops need to be
Windows XP capable-not loaded, just capable. If
you are unsure about your computer, email Eric
and he would be glad to help!! Thanks so much
for everything!!
FUNNY PAGES: TRASH DAY
Trash day here in Huancayo is
always a fun experience!! First of all, there is
no scheduled trash day. So you may ask, “How do
you know when the trash truck is coming?” Well,
we don’t know until we here it coming down the
road!! And how do we here it?? The truck blares
music as it slowly rolls down the road. The
first time I heard the trash truck, I thought it
was an ice cream truck, because the music
sounded like ice cream truck music (good thing I
did not try to order any ice cream!!) Well, a
few weeks ago, Beto’s dad and I were hanging out
at the house watching a good game of soccer.
Suddenly, we heard the music from the trash
truck. We’ve missed the trash truck for about a
good three weeks, so we had a lot of trash bags
piled up. So, here’s the scene: me trying to get
on my shoes, and running through our small house
with a bag of trash in each hand. Right behind
me is Beto’s 75 year old dad carrying a bag of
trash. I went back for another bag, and by the
time I made it out to the street, I had a good
70 meter dash for the trash truck. So I’m
running down the street with a bag of trash
chasing after the trash truck (I think my shoes
were untied too, but details at this point are a
little fuzzy as I was probably suffering from
oxygen deprivation after my good sprint!!) I
hope this description gives you a good scene of
how chaotic this one trash day was!! Also, on
another funny note, today I saw the most bizarre
scene I have ever seen in my entire life!! I was
walking to school this morning, when I saw
somebody herding their cattle and sheep down the
street, which is quite common. On this street
are several little convenient stores. As I was
walking, suddenly I saw a big (and I mean BIG)
cow walk out of one of these convenient stores!!
It barely fit through the door, and what it was
doing in there I have no idea!! It was so
funny!! And then, I just pictured all the jokes
I could make: There were three cows that walked
into a bar……or in this case a convenient store!!
A THOUGHT FROM THE EDITOR
Here in Huancayo, I am very
sensitive to God’s love and presence, and I
experience His love and presence in so many
different and unique ways. Some little every day
experiences are so powerful for me, that I felt
moved to share them with you. Every day I
experience God’s presence in the mountains that
surround the city 360 degrees. They are a breath
taking site, and every morning the mountains
remind me where I draw my strength from for the
day: from God who demonstrates His strength in
these breathtakingly beautiful mountains. I
experience God’s love every time I give a
homeless person a bit of food. On one occasion,
I just bought a bag of bread for like 70 cents.
I was getting ready to get into the taxi, when
this scrubby man with hardly any teeth taps me
on the shoulder. I turn around and see him
holding out his hand. Just out of sheer passion
from the Spirit, I gave him the bag of bread. A
bag of bread really does not mean anything for
me, but for him it was like Christmas; you
should have seen him smile. I experienced God’s
love through his smile. One morning I was
running, and I was pretty out of it at the time,
when a little five year old girl I know came
running up to me and through her arms around me.
I experience the love of children like that on a
daily basis, and I felt the love of God in this
little girl’s embrace. Little experiences like
these occur almost on a daily basis, and I
praise God for His love for me and for us. And
the one thought that sums all this up: We
experience God’s love and presence when we show
His love and presence to others. I thank God for
all of you who have shown His love by sending me
here and praying for me every day. Thank you!!
~Your brother and servant in
Christ
Justin (the editor)
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GROGG'S LOG: RUN JUSTIN RUN
(posted March 13, 2007)
Greetings
everyone!! Sorry I missed that week's update,
but that just means I get to write more this
week!! lol First of all, I need to tell another
story about bulls!! lol I went running last
Sunday morning and ended up getting lost on some
crazy back roads way out in the boon docks!! I
had a red long sleeved shirt on, and there was
somebody hurding their cattle. I thought, "Ya
know these bulls probably won't get mad at me if
I just ran by." So, as I was nervously
running/tip toeing past these bulls, I then
realized I had a red shirt on and immediately
thought, "Ya know, red is the color they use in
bull fights." I stopped in right there in my
tracks and let the bulls pass me by. And yes, I
made my way back home-two and a half hours
later!! lol
I started
teaching classes last week and it is going
incredibly well-an answer to prayer. My heart is
definitely being attached to this school and the
students. The director of the school had all the
teachers watch a Purpose Driven Life video.
After the video, the director of the school just
broke down in tears and said, "This is my vision
for the school." It was a powerful moment for
me!! I am building great relationships with the
students. I start every class with a little
bible lesson, and I have grown significantly
from their answers to my questions. I wish all
of you could meet my classes!! Thank you so much
for your prayers-I really hope you can see the
answers to your prayers through this update!!
Finally, I
want to end with a cultural note. Walking
through the streets, I see flowers everywhere!!
I asked somebody what was up with the flowers,
and they told me that flowers are used to
celebrate many things here. For example, when
somebody is building a new roof on their house,
they will put flowers on the roof to celebrate!!
My family gave me flowers for a Peruvian holiday
as a sign of friendship. It was just very
interesting to me how important flowers are in
celebrations. Again, thanks so much for your
prayers and I will be getting some new pics on
the website soon!! Please keep in touch!! GOD
BLESS!!
~Your
brother in Christ
Justin
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GROGG'S LOG: CLASS DISMISSED
(posted February 23, 2007)
Hey
everyone!! Well, I finished my last class
of summer school last week, which went really
well, and I'm gearing up to start teaching in a
couple of weeks. I will be teaching three
groups of students, sixth through eleventh
grade. Each class will be two hours two
times a week for each group. I'm also
hoping to start an English club too for the
students who are serious about learning their
English, and with the club I thought it would be
neat to start a pen pal system with some of the
youth back in Covenant Church. I'm really
excited just to show the students the love of
Christ and lead them into a deeper relationship
with Him!!
In Huancayo,
I walk a lot every day, and pretty much the same
route, so I have began to really get to know
people off the street. For example, one
guy stopped me today and asked what church I go
to. Any time someone finds out that I am a
missionary, I have to make it clear that I am
not a Mormon, since there are so many Mormons
here. I told this gentleman that I go to a
Methodist church near my house. I
had a book and a notebook with me, and he
reached for the book and asked if this was a
"Methodist book." The book is called The
Bondage Breaker, and it's about spiritual
warfare - one of the books the Mission Society
recommends that I read. So I got to tell
him it's a book about how Jesus Christ over came
the devil in the world and how Jesus Christ is
all powerful. We had a nice conversation.
And it's little conversations like that which
really plant seeds. I have also began to
meet with a couple of groups of kids that I met
off the street too. A couple of the girls
are Christians, but the others are not.
And it has been so fun going to play games and
help them learn English and just really showing
them the true love of Christ. It is so
sweet to see them running up to me from a
distance and just engulf me in hugs!!
I don't know
if I have really mentioned it or not, but the
only thing I do not like about Huancayo are the
dogs!! They will chase after me when I
run, and some try to get me until I throw rocks
at them to chase them off. Anyway, my mom
sent me one of those collapsible canes where the
pieces are all connected together with an
elastic band, kind of like a tent post.
Well, I have begun to run with this cane,
because I can collapse it in half and run with
it like a baton, and then when a dog comes at me
the cane pulls itself together in an instant and
I can fend the dog off!! I have not have
had any problems with the dogs since I have
gotten this cane!! And I was reminded of
the Psalm, "Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, you are with me.
Your rod and your staff comfort me." Well,
my cane is like my rod and staff, and it surely
gives me comfort!!!
Thanks so
much for all your prayers, and writing these
emails and updates have been such a blessing for
me here!! Please write back if you have
any questions about Huancayo, because I would
love to answer!! Keep checking up on the
website, as I look forward to sending an update
every week. God Bless!!
~Your
brother in Christ
Justin
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GROGG'S LOG: WATER BALLOONS
(posted February 21, 2007)
Hey
everyone!! This week has gone great and I
taught my last English class for the summer
yesterday; we finished watching a movie in
English, Finding Nemo, and played games using
vocab words from the movie.
Last week
was definitely quite interesting!! I went
on a field trip with the students as a chaperone
(that sounds weird that I'm a chaperone!! lol)
We went to a city called Cuchas. In Cuchas,
there is a HUGE cross at the top of this hill; I
can even see this cross from close to where I
live!! Before going to the cross, Javier
(the director of the school) took us to a little
place where they dry gords and carve pictures
and designs into them!! Carved gords are
very popular here in Huancayo!! So we
spent about and hour carving our own gord (I
took several pics of the trip, but they got
erased and I was very disappointed cause I
wanted to share everything-oh well, I guess that
just means I'll have to go back!! lol
Sorry about the pics though!! Anyway,
after that, we hiked up to the cross-and it was
a hike!! And go figure, when we get to the
very top it starts to rain and hail and we are a
good twenty minute walk away from the nearest
shelter!! But thankfully it only hailed
for about 5-10 minutes. The trip was
great, except towards the end the boys were
playing soccer and one of my students fell and
broke his arm!! But thankfully he didn't
need surgery and actually left the hospital that
night with a cast, but I went and visited him
the next day (bringing the now famous no-bake
cookies) and he is doing good.
As I
mentioned, I wanted to keep updating everyone on
the different culture things that I get to
experience. The months of January and
February are absolutely crazy in the city cause
it is an all out water fight between guys and
girls!! A couple Sundays ago, we were
walking to church and this lady (probably in her
mid 20's) got off the bus at her stop and six
guys just ran up and drenched her with about 8
water balloons!! Whenever I walk, I always need
to watch my back and avoid houses, streets, etc
where I know there are girls waiting to get any
unlucky passer-by!!
A week ago I
was walking back from teaching in my nice
clothes and bag with supplies, and two girls
almost got me!! They were on the roof and
suddenly I felt a water balloon glance across my
arm and then two more landed by my feet!!
The kids above me almost got me a couple of
times cause they caught me off guard, but I was
able to talk myself out of getting drenched-and
yes, I even talked my way out in Spanish-not bad
huh!?!? In fact, our front window is not
covered with cardboard cause the kids were
playing outside our house and one threw a water
balloon, shattering our window!! So I
guess a new prayer request is that I don't get
hit with any unexpected water balloons!! lol
As always,
thank you so much for your prayers cause I can
see God working and answering!! GOD BLESS!!!
~Your
brother in Christ
Justin
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GROGG'S LOG: A CHANGE AT HOME
(posted February 8, 2007)
Hey everyone!! I just want to start by
saying thank you so much!! Thank you for all
your wonderful support and prayers!! Your
prayers are being answered in Peru and in my
life and I cannot thank you enough!! I was
thinking the other day how smooth of a
transition it has been coming here-even the
teaching. Then I realized all the
blessings that I have experienced in Peru and I
know they are a result of you guys praying for
me and Peru. Again, thank you so, so, so
much!!
I
want to begin telling you of all the different
cultural experiences that I have had here.
There are too many for one update, so they will
spread over the span of several updates-haha
kind of like those TV shows that say "TO BE
CONTINUED" so you have to tune in next week to
find out more!! lol
Karen found out just this last Friday that her
classes begin on Monday-talk about short notice.
It wouldn't have been that short of a notice,
but her classes are at her school, which is a 17
hour bus ride away!! She couldn't bear
leaving little Rodrigo behind, so Beto and I
sadly sent her and little Rodrigo off for 8
weeks while she finishes her school-she is
completing a degree to work in hospitals, almost
like a midwife, to take care of babies and
expecting mothers. She will be living with
family too, which is good. So please be in
prayer for my family, as I know from first hand
experience it is hard being away from your
family and friends, especially your significant
other.
But, to go on to the cultural part of
everything, in the back of my mind I was
wondering how Beto and I were going to fend for
ourselves cooking!! lol I learned
how to cook back in the States, but it is
completely different here: with no refrigerator
to trying to know how long to boil fruits and
vegetables so they don't make you sick, to
cooking animals that I did not even know you
could eat (aka guinea pig)!! I probably
could have managed, but it would have been an
ugly site-a very, very, very ugly site (and I
know I don't have an 8 week supply of peanut
butter and jelly!! lol)
Before she left, Karen came up to me and told me
that Beto's family (his mother and sisters) were
going to cook for us everyday, and bring a meal
over every day for lunch and dinner!! And
this week has been so blessed!! Every day,
Beto's 73 year old dad walks about three
quarters of a mile to our house to deliver our
lunch and dinner for the day, and then he walks
all the way back. Beto's dad, Cesar, told
me that I was part of their family, and
ultimately we are all part of the body of
Christ. Their family literally took me in,
and I think some of it was culture, and a lot of
it was their showing Christ's love for me and
Beto. Again, I not only praise God for the
family that I live with, but for their extended
family as well who have been so gracious to take
care of us by providing food.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and I am
looking forward to updating all of you about my
cultural experiences here (let me tell ya, there
are some crazy ones!!), as I am finally adapting
to the culture and enjoying the experiences!!
Thank you so much for all your prayers!! GOD
BLESS, and please keep checking out the updates
every week!!
~Your brother and servant in Christ
Justin
(back to top of page)
GROGG'S LOG: CLASSES BEGIN
(posted February 1, 2007)
Hey
everyone!! I have began teaching at Colegio
Camino, and have taught three classes now.
I teach two classes of middle schoolers and high
schoolers, an hour and a half each every
Thursday. I am teaching English as second
language, which has been such a blessing!!
The classes have been going progressively well,
as I have adapted to the students and as the
students have adapted so my classroom management
system.
Today
was the best class ever, as I feel like I have
established a safe, fun, and effective classroom
both to teach English and to teach about Christ.
I start every class with about a five to ten
minute discussion on scripture. Last week
we studied Jeremiah 29:11, because I wanted all
the students to know that Christ has a plan for
their lives. This week I asked them the
same question Jesus asked His disciples in Luke
9: 18-20, "Who do you say Jesus is?"
I
always ask the students and encourage them to
think of what this scripture means to them.
And this week, it was so rewarding because one
of the students that I have the most difficulty
settling down for class, immediately asked the
question, "If Jesus loves us so much, why is
there trouble in the world?" Wow, what a
question-a question many of us ask!! There
are probably many answers, but the first thing
that came to my mind was to try to encourage the
students to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, because
you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete, lacking
in nothing" (James 1: 2-4), and, "All things
work together for good for those who love Christ
(Romans 8:28)."
Those
are the two verses that Christ laid upon my
heart to share at that moment. It was an
awesome class and I believe the Holy Spirit
moved in that moment-you should have seen the
looks on some of the students faces; I could
just see the light bulbs going off!! By
far today was the best two classes I have every
had, for both learning about English and
Christ!!
Tuesdays and Thursdays I meet with a group of
kids that I met on the street for an hour each
time, because they wanted to learn English and
it is an awesome opportunity to disciple the
kids too!!
And to
end on a fun note, one of the families must have
just butchered the chicken because one of the
kids came running up with a chicken foot. Me
being the therapist and loving anatomy and
physiology got a kick out of this, because the
kid found the tendons that flex and extend the
claws of the chicken!!! haha It was kinda gross,
but I just had to laugh, because this was just
yet another sight I would never have seen in the
States-only in my anatomy and physiology class
in college!!
Thank
y | 
