Before I start today’s blog, I would like to ask you this simple question.  Is this dog cute or creepy?

I came across this dog in Peru.

Then later in the week, I came across this hairless dog sporting some kind of bathing suit attire.  I suppose I have a fascination with dogs overseas. I see some weird looking dogs around the world.

Cute or creepy?  It’s hard to say.

Ok, lets get serious now. My season of international travel has ended for awhile, now I am home trying to catch up.

However, the memories are alive and well, and the word that comes to my my mind as I try to define my latest trip to Peru is, “sweet.”  I had a sweet group from Colorado that traveled with me and we visited an amazing church in a remote coastal town in Peru. There are a few stories that will stay with me forever, and there are some sweet saints I won’t forget.

One saint in particular that really impacted me was this grandma.

Maybe she impacted me because she reminded me of the sweet spirit my own mom has. She had spice  but she had a sweet spirit with a lot of love to give.

She had broken her hip this year (my mom broke her hip awhile back), and her grandson takes care of her.  He was a sponsored child with Compassion, and he loved his grandma so much, and she loved him.  He was her little man.  He was very emotional in our visit as we invested in this grandma.   He cried on her lap as we talked about her accident. He wanted to tell us all about it, but his emotions got the best of him.

Day after day, this grandma sits on her bed or in her wheelchair. The care she was given after her hip surgery did not include physical therapy, so she is confined to her home and to her wheelchair. She knew nothing of getting up, she knew nothing of strength training, exercise and all the things my mom started to do after she broke her hip and had surgery.  This woman only dreams of walking again. So see sits all day looking out the window of her home, bored out of her mind praying that one day she might be able to get up again.

Though frustrated in her condition, she had an amazingly sweet spirit. Her kindness and gratitude overwhelmed me. The most difficult thing for this  grandma since she broke her hip was that she couldn’t attend church  She missed singing. I asked her to sing a song for us and she lit up. She pulled out her Bible and sang Psalm 121.

” I look to the mountains; does my help help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. (She broke her hip stumbling over a rock)Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleep. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.  The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

There are stories I hear overseas… so precious and sweet, I cannot begin to describe these precious moments in a way that do them justice.

Hearing this grandma sing brought tears to my eyes and brought this scripture alive, in a time that I needed this reminder. Psalm 121 will never be the same again.

Her gratitude for the life she has, though confined, is defined by the sweetness of grace.  Our God is so good.

Meet grandma!