*The internet here in Peru didn’t want to work with my blog site, www.bekahbyxbe.com. So today’s post will be here for now! Thanks for following!*
Many days here, it seems that the daily chores and tasks
take so much time that there is little time to be a missionary. But what is a
missionary, really? Looking at the life of Jesus, he wasn’t there to build
orphanages or open a feeding ministry. He didn’t necessarily have a special
assignment he set out to accomplish. He walked with the people, lived as they
lived, and in doing that he brought them the true “food” that they needed.
Living here, the daily chores are enough to wear you down,
if you are not used to them. Going to the bathroom becomes a hike down the hill
to a hole in the backyard, instead of stepping into the next room. Washing
clothes becomes a few hours of laboring over a bucket with some soap and water,
instead of simply loading the clothes and pressing a button. Eating a meal
becomes a trip to the market, shopping for specific items, and returning to
cook them instead of pulling out a frozen dinner. Living with “the least of
these” becomes an all day ordeal instead of noble pastime.
So when do I get to be a missionary and spread the Good News
to everyone? When do I get to take part in those wonderful miracles we hear
about, leading villages and even nations to the Lord? The answer: in the daily chores. The miracle
is in the conversation held with the neighbor as they sit with me and talk
during my clothes washing routine. The miracle is in the brief encounter that
happens in the market every day, as I make habits of visiting those same
patrons over and over again. The miracle is in the kids that I play with, if
only for five minutes, on my way down the street to purchase more toilet paper
or soap for the house.
Living life here is what I do. I’m not a glorified American
guest that has come to save the world. I’m not above anyone because of my
raising or stature. I’m a neighbor, a friend, a housekeeper, a customer… simply
a person. And sharing my life is what I
do. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Here are a few pictures of my living quarters down here!
This is the outside of Crystal’s house in Nauta.
Inside the house! Don’t worry, we cleaned a little after this photo 🙂
The bath house (picture taken from above), where we bath, wash dishes, and clean clothes!
