“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Imagine living with a physical disability requiring leg braces to get around. Tough? Yes, but imagine the leg braces broken for several years requiring you to drag yourself forward by sitting in the desert sands of Chimbote. We met a patient and faith-filled talented musician in this situation who regularly strapped a guitar on his back and dragged himself several hundred yards from his home to the barrio church and back to serve joyfully in the music ministry. His braces were repaired through the help of the Center for Social Works (COS) this past summer.

Heavenly Father, this week we pray for the people in Chimbote and everywhere who accept crosses in life gracefully and choose to focus on sharing the joy of the Gospel with those around them.