A few years ago, I took a course to become certified in teaching English as a second language. Then I looked for the right place to spend the next few months in Latin America, where I could practice my Spanish and be of service. I had always wanted to spend time in the Amazon, so after researching for a while, I was excited to find an opportunity to teach and live in the Amazon Basin.
The first few days after I arrived were very difficult, as I was in a great deal of pain from being bitten constantly by the ever-present mosquitoes. Many local people told me the mosquitoes were something I would have to put up with the entire time I was there. The physical discomfort made me afraid that I had made the wrong decision in coming to work in this region of South America.
Because I had experienced healing through prayer many times in my life, I turned to God for help in this case, too. As I opened the notebook where I write down inspiration that comes to me throughout the day, my eyes fell on the page where I had listed my motives for going to the Amazon. They included blessing hundreds of schoolchildren by teaching, continuing to progress in my Spanish, taking part in community events, organizing soccer games, and seeing God’s beauty being voiced in the beauties of nature.
