World Race- Month Two: Trujillo, Peru
So far, Peru has been a great challenge.
We have been living in a community in the desert surrounded by a dump. When we start driving into town and the lingering stench of the rotten trash fills our nose, we know we are home.
I have more bug bites than I can count on my fingers and toes, I have been living in my tent on a bunk bed to hide from the bugs, I have been going to sleep in a hot sweat and taking ice cold showers in the mornings, I have been riding in vans meant for 15 people packed full with at least 30, I have survived a downpour and our compound flooding, I have eaten more rice in one week than I have in my lifetime, I drank unfiltered water and suffered the consequences, It has been a challenge to say the least but I am loving every minute of it.
This past week we have been doing construction at our compound that will be an orphanage in the near future. We are working with an organization called Inca Link…they are amazing.
We have done everything from gardening, picking weeds, moving bricks, raking dirt, re-wiring electrical outlets, using machetes to cut down overgrown plants, killing spiders, scorpions, and all the above.
Not only have I been doing construction here at the orphanage, but I have been doing a lot of reconstruction in my heart as well.
Going into this trip, it was understood that we would most likely go through a period of brokenness. In order to draw close to the Lord and grow in your relationship, you must be stretched and overcome past hardships to be able to move into the light and the life that God has planned.
This month we have been focusing on being vulnerable, honest, and true to ourselves and our teammates. This month it feels like God has opened up a lot of wounds and is making me face issues and truths that I have always ran from. As much as I did not want to let go and be vulnerable, I realized that is the only way I will be able to grow and change. It is hard opening up and letting people in to the depths of my heart and life, but I have found so much healing and peace through these struggles. I knew this journey would not be easy…but the struggles that I thought I would face are way different from what I expected…
I’m no longer concerned about the food, the bugs, or the living conditions. What I am struggling with now is the process of growth and my relationship with God. As uncomfortable as it has been to open up and be vulnerable, I know that I need to sit through the discomfort and pain for God to truly change me and do work in my heart. Brokenness is part of the process.
Something I realized is that God is not just going to magically make things all better in my life. I will always be challenged and face certain trials over and over again. God will teach different things in different ways in hopes that you will learn something new in every opportunity and grow from them.
So as I open up and unveil the truth, I am finding all sorts of healing. Here are some great quotes, lessons, and bible verses from this past week that I love!
“Be careful that your feelings don’t determine where you are with God. Focus on the truth.”
“When you don’t understand something, don’t run from it.”
“Light is a verb. It is constantly moving. So if you want to stay in the light, you must be constantly moving as well. Don’t stop moving or changing because then you will stay in the dark.”
“Arise. Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” –Isaiah 60:1
“Shame is the creature that grows in the dark but dies in the light.”
I still have my doubts, I still have many, many questions, and I still stumble. But as I am getting to understand and know more about God and his grace, I realize that there is nothing I can do to separate myself from his love. God has done so much work in my heart and I am starting to understand His love for me and his longing for a true relationship.
As I was lying under the stars during worship last night, I was thinking a lot about darkness and light. I was sitting in darkness but so much light surrounded me in everyway.
So I decided to write a poem:
Dark were the days were there was no light.
Dark were the days when God was nowhere in sight.
Dark is the absence of light.
Dark is a place that is not so bright.
The dark was my past, it is no longer me.
The light has come to set me free.
The light shines big, the sun glows bright.
I once could not see, but now I have sight.
The dark was cold, the dark was black,
The dark is the enemy that tries to attack.
The light may be dim, but I still see a glow
It is God’s face that I am longing to know.
The light is blinding and bright in the day
but as the dark creeps in, the light does not fade away.
The night may come and the sun may fade
But out comes the stars that Our Father made.
The dark may come, and the dark may go,
But it is God’s face that I am longing to know.
Bring me the dark, because now I can see.
I have God’s light, and I’m finally free!
Although I am surrounded by darkness in this community filled with crime, poverty, and abuse…
I see the light.
God is alive here in Peru.
Until next time, Shine your light and let the whole world see!
Much love & many blessings,
Emily Ann Halverson
