Finding Strength in Peru: Nati

Her life has been hard, but her faith is strong.  Her name is Nati.

Nati was born not knowing her father.  When she was only one and a half years old, her mother died giving birth to her brother, who also died in the process.  She grew up under the care of an aunt.

She said before she became a Christian, her life was miserable.  She didn’t know how to understand her hardship and so she suffered.

When she was twenty-four-years-old and had a seven-year-old son, a man asked her if she knew where she would go when she died.

As she recounted the story to us, she laughed and said she told him, “Sure, the cemetery.”

He said, “Of course, all our bodies go to the cemetery, but where will your soul go?”

The question intrigued her, because she didn’t know anything about God.  The man gave her his address and said they would be having a service on Wednesday and that she should come.

She went home and asked her three closest friends the same question, “Where will you go when you die?” And they all said the same thing she had said.

She told them about the man, and they were curious enough that they encouraged one another to go find out about his service.

As they arrived on Wednesday, the door was slightly open.  The three women stood there ribbing each other to knock or open the door, but none of them wanted to.

Finally, Nati poked in her head, and saw her first “Gringo” (aka white person).  Her friends asked who was there, and she said, “No one; only a gringo.”

The man, a missionary, looked up from his prayers and invited the three women in to learn more about God.

Over the next few weeks, someone from the church would stop by their house each week on the way to service to bring them and make sure they went.

She said that little by little, she learned more about who God is and she asked him into her heart.  She believed that Jesus is the Son of God.

She learned more and more about God.  After she found God, she began to have peace in her heart over the tragedy that had happened to her as a young girl.

She found that God met her in her time of sorrow and that he was the parent she never knew.

Today, Nati is many years older.  Her oldest son is now 32-years-old and a newly ordained priest.

She comes to the worksite to help us build the church, even though her home is very far away.  She has to take several modes of transportation just to get there.  She enjoys hanging out with the women, but has the strength to work alongside the men.

She attends both the Anglican Church in town, and the church that we are building on the outskirts of town.  She is also involved in the local Anglican school, which her youngest son, who is 18, just graduated from.

She said that life is still hard for them.  She doesn’t currently have work, but her trade is hand-making intricate and beautiful sweaters.  As she left us on the third day, she gathered up some of our extra snacks to take home to her son.

Nati is a woman of deep character.  She has endured many hardships in life, but she has found her strength and faith in the Lord.

Have you met someone who radiates strength and faith in the Lord?  Tell about him or her.

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